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Baby Knits for Beginners
This delightful book is a complete beginner’s guide to knitting for babies, from bootees and blankets to simple sweaters. Renowned for her stylish and simple designs, Bliss first guides the beginning knitter through all the basic steps and techniques. She then presents step–by–step instructions for 15 adorable knitwear designs, from a beanie hat and raglan sweater to seed–stitch shoes. Published in a handy format ideal for tucking into a knitting bag or pocketbook.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
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80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 28, 2013
really good one for getting beginners' confidence up for moving beyond scarves. so long as they have babies around, i guess!
March 1, 2020
Several baby garments here, not a lot, but sufficient I suppose for a "beginner" book. The only thing that is not helpful for beginners is the fact that all the garments require seaming. Why did this not occur to the designer or any of her minions? Or the publisher's tech editor? She could have designed something seamless, for gosh sake. Unless her point was to make beginners learn to knit the hard way. Because you do need to seam these garments, practically half the book pages are taken up with illustrations of the various techniques. Which means fewer patterns. Oh well.
Another fault that occurred to me is the fact that the one dress included has eyelets (for ribbon to be threaded through) and a buttonhole. Eyelets *and* a buttonhole for a beginner project? Right.
Now a few comments regarding the ebook format. There are NO PAGE NUMBERS. Why? I have found this to be a common problem with downloaded ebooks, unfortunately, for two reasons. At least with downloads from a public library. My library uses Adobe ePub software, which means you must have it preloaded on your computer. (It's not required on a smartphone, thank goodness.) But every ebook I've ever checked out before has also had the option to read in a browser if you don't want to have to download software. (It's a pain on Macs anyway; it definitely works better with PCs.) Since I didn't want to fiddle with that, I read the ebook in Safari, the default browser on my Mac. I don't know if the choice of browser determines whether page numbers display, but I highly doubt it. In any case, I checked the reader settings within the ebook, but there was no setting to turn on or off page numbers. I zoomed on and out as far as I could to see if that would show page numbers, but alas.
Now part of the reason I read the book online this time was to see if it would display differently than the first time I downloaded the ebook onto my iPhone (6). Well, yes and no.
The default seemed to be the same, i.e., no page numbers display. But reading the downloaded ebook on my iPhone did offer a setting to display page numbers. So I did that. But as I learned early on, it's worthless. Why? Because the "page" numbers that display are neither the real print book page numbers nor one-up numbers that change every page. Strange, but that's the truth. I tried changing settings/zoom level to see if ANYthing would work, but no. Yes, a *number* displays, but it's neither the correct print book page number, nor a different number from page to page. So if the publisher issues pattern corrections later, you are out of luck. Because corrections are always posted by page number. (At least I cannot think of an instance when I have read any that weren't.)
If you think I am making a mountain out of a molehill here, let me assure you that I am not. Knitting book publishers have become increasingly sloppy about catching mistakes, so there are ALWAYS mistakes the first time around, followed by online corrections (hidden on the publisher website--they intentionally make it as difficult to find as possible. I can only guess that their reasoning is because they hate to admit to any errors).
I honestly do not understand why publishers have done nothing to correct this page numbering problem. Because they would rather sell more expensive, tangible print copies than ebooks? I suspect so. It should not be that difficult to show the correct page numbers--especially if the ebook file format is PDF. That is simply an optical scan of each printed book page. But pdf ebooks don't work right on the iPhone. (Of course. So much for product designers testing on all devices first.)
The other problem is that not all ebooks are offered as pdf files; my library system usually only offers Adobe ePub format ebooks. Maybe your library is different, or perhaps publishers have decided to offer pdf (better) format only to individual buyers. An ePub format book is scanned differently so that it takes up less space. The print quality/resolution is usually poorer, which makes the pattern unusable if it has schematics with fractions in a font size smaller than 7. I have noticed that often ePub ebooks are offered by 3rd party publishers, too, after initial publication. So essentially you get what you pay for. (One publisher, Macmillan, has become so draconian it will license only one ebook copy to a public library system, at least that's the case in the U.S. at present. So you have a better chance of getting to read an ebook if your library system than if you live in a large city or county with hundreds of thousands of library card holders.)
One last note: I just noticed that the page numbers in the index at the end of the book are (reportedly) the real (print) book page numbers. The index just cites the page range, not the individual numbers for each page, but it's better than nothing. Other books have indices with page numbers, but not all explain at the top of the first index page that the numbers correlate to those in the print book. For example, the index has two entries for the "Dress with Eyelets": by title, and by keyword "eyelets (dress with)". Both are followed by "116-21" (6 pages). So if you're reading the book in ebook format as I am, you'll have to fiddle with zoom level to get the pattern to fit six pages (or three double-pages). It's not guaranteed that any future page corrections will occur on the same page as "yours" (say, if you took a screenshot of each page and cropped it), but chances are a lot better than before. For instance, I just took screenshots of the Eyelet Dress pattern, and I come out with 1-2 extra pages, depending on zoom level. Extra meaning that the index page number range doesn't match the number of pages that appear online.
Another fault that occurred to me is the fact that the one dress included has eyelets (for ribbon to be threaded through) and a buttonhole. Eyelets *and* a buttonhole for a beginner project? Right.
Now a few comments regarding the ebook format. There are NO PAGE NUMBERS. Why? I have found this to be a common problem with downloaded ebooks, unfortunately, for two reasons. At least with downloads from a public library. My library uses Adobe ePub software, which means you must have it preloaded on your computer. (It's not required on a smartphone, thank goodness.) But every ebook I've ever checked out before has also had the option to read in a browser if you don't want to have to download software. (It's a pain on Macs anyway; it definitely works better with PCs.) Since I didn't want to fiddle with that, I read the ebook in Safari, the default browser on my Mac. I don't know if the choice of browser determines whether page numbers display, but I highly doubt it. In any case, I checked the reader settings within the ebook, but there was no setting to turn on or off page numbers. I zoomed on and out as far as I could to see if that would show page numbers, but alas.
Now part of the reason I read the book online this time was to see if it would display differently than the first time I downloaded the ebook onto my iPhone (6). Well, yes and no.
The default seemed to be the same, i.e., no page numbers display. But reading the downloaded ebook on my iPhone did offer a setting to display page numbers. So I did that. But as I learned early on, it's worthless. Why? Because the "page" numbers that display are neither the real print book page numbers nor one-up numbers that change every page. Strange, but that's the truth. I tried changing settings/zoom level to see if ANYthing would work, but no. Yes, a *number* displays, but it's neither the correct print book page number, nor a different number from page to page. So if the publisher issues pattern corrections later, you are out of luck. Because corrections are always posted by page number. (At least I cannot think of an instance when I have read any that weren't.)
If you think I am making a mountain out of a molehill here, let me assure you that I am not. Knitting book publishers have become increasingly sloppy about catching mistakes, so there are ALWAYS mistakes the first time around, followed by online corrections (hidden on the publisher website--they intentionally make it as difficult to find as possible. I can only guess that their reasoning is because they hate to admit to any errors).
I honestly do not understand why publishers have done nothing to correct this page numbering problem. Because they would rather sell more expensive, tangible print copies than ebooks? I suspect so. It should not be that difficult to show the correct page numbers--especially if the ebook file format is PDF. That is simply an optical scan of each printed book page. But pdf ebooks don't work right on the iPhone. (Of course. So much for product designers testing on all devices first.)
The other problem is that not all ebooks are offered as pdf files; my library system usually only offers Adobe ePub format ebooks. Maybe your library is different, or perhaps publishers have decided to offer pdf (better) format only to individual buyers. An ePub format book is scanned differently so that it takes up less space. The print quality/resolution is usually poorer, which makes the pattern unusable if it has schematics with fractions in a font size smaller than 7. I have noticed that often ePub ebooks are offered by 3rd party publishers, too, after initial publication. So essentially you get what you pay for. (One publisher, Macmillan, has become so draconian it will license only one ebook copy to a public library system, at least that's the case in the U.S. at present. So you have a better chance of getting to read an ebook if your library system than if you live in a large city or county with hundreds of thousands of library card holders.)
One last note: I just noticed that the page numbers in the index at the end of the book are (reportedly) the real (print) book page numbers. The index just cites the page range, not the individual numbers for each page, but it's better than nothing. Other books have indices with page numbers, but not all explain at the top of the first index page that the numbers correlate to those in the print book. For example, the index has two entries for the "Dress with Eyelets": by title, and by keyword "eyelets (dress with)". Both are followed by "116-21" (6 pages). So if you're reading the book in ebook format as I am, you'll have to fiddle with zoom level to get the pattern to fit six pages (or three double-pages). It's not guaranteed that any future page corrections will occur on the same page as "yours" (say, if you took a screenshot of each page and cropped it), but chances are a lot better than before. For instance, I just took screenshots of the Eyelet Dress pattern, and I come out with 1-2 extra pages, depending on zoom level. Extra meaning that the index page number range doesn't match the number of pages that appear online.
April 10, 2018
More very cut baby projects.
May 23, 2022
the babies are SERVINGGG
September 16, 2023
Fun beginner knitting projects for baby fill this book. Directions are clear and illustrations are very helpful.
January 17, 2025
Debbie Bliss - Baby Knits For Beginners
Absolutely loved this book! This one is very informative and I have learnt so much from it. 🧶
I made an Ecru Baby Beanie hat from this book and an improvised stocking stitch baby scarf (from a different pattern) to match. These were my first ever baby knits and I was so proud of them, they both sold separately which wasn’t the plan but it made me happy that two people were pleased with their purchases instead of just one!
In 2024 I plan to make some baby clothing for charity and the patterns in this book will be perfect for that.
I would recommend this book to any knitter that has basic knitting and sewing skills. You can make some really cute items for tiny people. 👍🏻
Absolutely loved this book! This one is very informative and I have learnt so much from it. 🧶
I made an Ecru Baby Beanie hat from this book and an improvised stocking stitch baby scarf (from a different pattern) to match. These were my first ever baby knits and I was so proud of them, they both sold separately which wasn’t the plan but it made me happy that two people were pleased with their purchases instead of just one!
In 2024 I plan to make some baby clothing for charity and the patterns in this book will be perfect for that.
I would recommend this book to any knitter that has basic knitting and sewing skills. You can make some really cute items for tiny people. 👍🏻
December 3, 2007
After knitting for only a few months, I wanted to try a sweater. I picked up this book and was pleased to see lovely designs that weren't going to overwhelm me. I was able to complete a simple sweater for my baby in just a few days. I found the instructions easy to understand and the patterns lovely. I'll be buying more Debbie Bliss books!
September 10, 2009
Great patterns for boys and girls alike! Very helpful for new knitters, with illustrations of complicated techniques and gradual progression from easy to difficult patterns. I particularly liked the smart Jacket with Moss Stitch Bands and the V-Neck Cardigan with Contrasting Rib (so cute!). Hope to put those patterns to good use either for charity or for coworkers'/friends' kids.
December 24, 2009
Gorgeous patterns. They make you want to knit for babies everywhere. Again, if you use the suggested yarn, they are rather expensive. The British instructions can be a little confusing at first, but once you get used to the differences in the way they use terminology, it's not too hard to follow.
March 30, 2009
I now HATE debbie bliss pattern books. They look like nice eye-candy. But the patterns suck. There are NO diagrams of what it's supposed to look like with measurements. Stick with patterns from knitty.com!
September 26, 2007
Cute, basic baby stuff. Very easy patterns. Not the most creative of her books, but certainly practical
March 14, 2008
good book for the basics...
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November 14, 2008All these people are gestating lately. Gotta read up on how to clothe the things that emerge.
August 2, 2008
Wonderfully easy knits for babies made with Debbie Bliss' scrumptious yarns.
September 17, 2008
lovely classic knits... tend to run a little large...
March 21, 2009
Such beautiful patterns in this book! Love Bliss' work.
February 27, 2009
Very simple patterns, pretty much equivalent to any basic baby knits, from what I can tell.
July 23, 2010
I made the baby boatneck sweater from this book, and it was great for teaching me the anatomy of a sweater and giving me a springboard for designing my own baby sweater.
July 31, 2010
CUTE!
May 22, 2011
I feel like I'm a bit of a nerd, but I'm happy to say that some of these patterns are too easy for me now.
February 24, 2011
None of the patterns appeal to mr.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews