Knockdown Knits: 30 Projects from the Roller Derby Track

by Toni Carr, Joan of Dark, Raffy Luquis (Editor)

Knit neat items inspired by sassy roller derby girls with the thirty hip knitting patterns that you will find in ""Knockdown 30 Projects from the Roller Derby Track."" Roller derby, with its cheeky players, fast-paced jams, heart-stopping pileups, and rowdy, raucous atmosphere, is just as hot as the designs in this unconventional book. The Naptown Roller Girls of Indianapolis, Indiana, share the patterns they use when they're knitting in the off-time. On skates, they're hell on wheels; in their spare time, they've discovered that knitting is a relaxing, creative outlet.

Genres: Knitting, Nonfiction, Crafts, Roller Derby, Reference

134 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Toni Carr also goes by the name Joan of Dark.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Mother-in-law gave me this knitting book for Christmas. I have really loved reading all about the Indy Roller Derby gals and their knitting projects .... I've not made nything yet, but lets face it: with my son odds are a pair of crutch covers or a "Hey, At Least It Wasn't Your Leg" Arm Sling are probably in my future :-)

Joan of Dark, aka Toni Carr has assembled a really fun book that taught me a lot about roller derby and the local Indy scene, but also delivers some really unexpected "not your Grandma's knitting" projects.

Can't wait to dig into this deeper!

[Ligaya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, such an opportunity for some subversive knitting here wasted. There wasn't anything I wanted to knit up. The two pullover sweaters were just regular pieces (and kinda lumpy ones, at that) with a bit of decoration imposed on them. (Both included charts to intarsia knit the decoration, whereas Swiss darning would be a simpler, quicker solution.) Nothing badass here, sorry.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love roller derby (I should probably blog about my involvement in the sport...). Heck, I even have a derby name, and yes it's on an article of clothing so it's legit. In fact, though I don't skate, I've worked almost 50 games as a non skating official over the past couple years. So I was excited to check out a roller derby knitting book.

The book was very visually appealing, with coloured roller derby girl pictures smattered between pattern text. It even included text boxes with explanations about roller derby - so this alone makes it a good read for those interested in or involved with the sport. It looked good. It sounded good.

But, I didn't find any of the patterns inspiring. Not a one. That's not to say they weren't interesting or useful or whatnot, just that I couldn't see my self making any of them. Some were easy, ripe for a beginner, and some were more complicated, but none grabbed my attention. I guess the finished products were a bit...boring? I'm not sure what it was, but after browsing through the book I just returned it to the library.

I'd recommend this to knitters who like roller derby or who might want to learn more about the sport. Just because I didn't like the patterns, doesn't mean you wont!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be way better for me if I was in derby, as there are a number of things that are very functional. Still, this is a good resource for someone who wants to LOOK like maybe they are in derby, or just knit some whimsical punky lighthearted stuff. I particularly like the star toolcase, which I plan on making and embroidering a Super Mario star face onto. This worked well as a knitting pattern book as well as an introduction to Roller Derby.

[Leslie Jem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent project ideas for anyone involved in sports; lots of injury-related ideas, like crutch pads, frozen veggie covers, mouth guard cases, etc. Also contained tons of interesting info on the history/current practice of roller derby.

[Stephanie. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this in the hopes of making something for my favourite Derby Girl, and was kind of disappointed. It's cute, and has a few great patterns, but I had hoped for more.

[Mckinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very niche!

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knitting does have a slightly more hard-core side. We didn't say it was just for old ladies.