Product Description

Here is an irresistible collection of animals to knit in soft, natural materials: ducklings, teddy bears, lambs, piglets, hedgehog, a handsome rooster, and many more.

Most of the projects can be knitted quickly and cheaply with small odds and ends of wool, and many can be completed in an hour or two--ideal for knitters looking for ways to reduce their yarn clutter!

The step-by-step instructions for making over twenty delightful, soft, knitted animals are illustrated with beautiful color photography throughout. Knitted Animals provides a good range of projects suitable for older children with basic knitting skills; the finished designs make enchanting children's toys and gifts, decoration for the school nature or season table, and items for fairs and raffles.

From the author's foreword:

"A good time for children to learn to knit is around seven years of age, when their motor skills can cope with the challenge. The child learns by imitating the adult. At the school where I work, the 14- go 15-year-old pupils are invited to team up with pupils aged 7 to 8 years. The older pupils sit the younger ones on their lap and show them how to knit. In this way, younger pupils quickly learn how to knit and at the same time form a social bond with the older ones, who are flattered by the confidence the younger children show in their abilities.

"In learning to knit, the child also practices coordination, fine-tunes motor skills, and uses logical thinking. Modern brain researchers and neurobiologists confirm that practical abilities and cognitive skills are learned through the body: grasping things with the hands forms the basis for later grasping things with the mind, too. But quite apart from technical abilities, learning to knit also develops a child's sense of aesthetics and beauty."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124250 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

About the Author
Anne-Dorthe Grigaff is a Waldorf teacher in Denmark. She has a passionate interest in handcraft work.

Customer Reviews

a sweet sweet book
The newest in my collection is a lovely little book called Knitted Animals by Anne-Dorthe Grigaff. This book includes patterns for duck & ducklings, growly bear, sheep/lamb, teddy bear, cat, dog, squirrel, goose, hare, horse, bunny, chicks, hens, cockerel, fox, pig, piglets, dachshund, hedgehog, and mouse. The bear, squirrel, fox, and hedgehog are the most unusual patterns and make this book worth getting if you need these characters to bring a story to life (I immediately thought about The Tomten and the Fox by Astrid Lindgren).

I really love the tone of this book. It is very warmly written (for example, patterns are titled "Cuddly cheeky dogs" or "Clip, clop, watch the jumping horse") and extremely detailed about how to assemble the projects (often the hardest part). This would be a good book for a parent with a young child, if you want to gently introduce them to the Waldorf philosophy, or as a gift for a 7 or 8 year old who you are teaching to knit. It also contains a handwork verse

Train your hands
Make busy your arms
Practice the clear power of thought
With the warm-heartedness of art
In your hand sleeps the spirit

so cute i just might pass out
i had hesitated at spending $30 on a book that i could not see. when i received it i knew it was money well-spent.

the 17 patterns of adorable animals (in various small sizes perfect for holding in one's hand and tucking in one's pockets) are so very precious and heartwarming that its hard not to melt before you reach for your needles.

the book is well written with clear directions, drawings, and photos. the author encourages the use of natural fibers like mohair and angora. the patterns require very basic knitting skills - garter, stocking, increase, decrease, pick up 1 stitch. the needle sizes used are from 2-7 (u.s.)

there are cute verses introducing most of the critters. this is my favorite, for the very appropriately named 'cuddly bunny': "Warning! if you begin knitting this toy, you must count on being surrounded by children with a hopeful look in their eyes." this book will give you a case of the giggles.

what i love the best is how these critters are so unique in design. these are not the run-of-the-mill animal patterns that we've all seen over and over again. foxes, chicks, ducks, bears, cats, daschound, bunnies, piglets, horses, and more.--even a little hedgehog! these are very special knitted animals indeed.

Pricey but very nice
I just got this book two days ago and I've already made the hen, rooster and chicks--yes, they are that simple! I really like the simplicity of the patterns as they lend themselves to adaptation by the knitter to make almost anything the imagination can dream up. Indeed, as the author is a teacher at a Waldorf school, she encourages children to learn to knit and to use these simple patterns themselves.

Increase the gauge and size of yarn and the patterns could be easily felted in the washing machine to create even more sturdy little figures. The size of the finished animals is just right for a child's hands. They're absolutely perfect! I love the fact that the author uses and suggests the use of natural fibers for her projects. I find it absolutely endearing to read that the materials list calls for, "duck colored yarn", "goose colored yarn" and "hairy yarn." With directions like that, the sky's the limit for the knitter's imagination. Such a nice contrast to the typical directions that call for a specific color of a specific brand of designer yarn that may or may not be available by day's end.

Finally, small projects like this are valuable in teaching the new or frustrated knitter to do that finishing work that so many of us detest. These little projects provide a wonderful opportunity for learning to sew invisible seams and create crisp corners.

My only complaint about this book is the price. I've never paid nearly $30 for a knitting book without seeing it first, but this one caught my fancy--what can I say, I'm addicted. Even at the high price, I think this little gem will pay for itself in short order and I'll certainly not return it. Excellent resource as those grandchildren begin to appear in the future!