Book Review and Giveaway - Knits from the Greenhouse

** WINNER OF THE DRAWING IS LMECOLL! CONTACT ME WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS! **

This is a book review for “Knits from the Greenhouse”. 

From the blurb:

"The properties of plant-based yarns--cotton, linen, hemp, and others--are unique, naturally. They don't behave the same as wool yarns; to show off their best characteristics you need the right project. Knits from the Greenhouse is here to help you cultivate these fibers into beautiful finished designs. Dig in to find:
   • High fiber knitwear using 100% plant-based fibers, as well as blended yarns.
   • 18 projects designed specifically to show off the best properties these fibers ensure you have a beautiful finished project no matter the season.”

The focus of this book is knits that use plant-based fiber.

This is a perfect concept for warm-weather knits, for people with allergies to wool, and for vegans to prefer to avoid animal sourced fibers.

The book includes knits using linen, cotton, hemp, and flax. There are a few items that use silk, which comes from silkworms, technically animal sourced; and also a couple of the patterns use blends with both wool and plant-based fiber. So just be aware, it's not 100% plant-based fiber.

The book is focused on beautiful designs. It has a gorgeous layout, with watercolor sketches to enliven the pages, and clear schematics to accompany the patterns.

Here are some of the designs that stood out for me.

Spring Sprout Stole: It uses garter stitch and lace squares to make a pretty checkerboard effect. 

Dappled Leaves Scarf - has a lacy design and graceful tapered ends, and is made of a linen flax fiber. It's so pretty. I'm looking through my stash to see what I have to make this scarf right now.

Parterre Wrap. This is a lacy rectangle using delicate lace weight yarn in a linen and wool silk blend. 

The Stonecrop Shawl   is a triangular shawl with lace edging on two sides, and uses a cotton wool blend. 

The Trellis Tank has nice line and texture, with a very pretty neckline, uses cotton and hemp.

The Seabrook Top is airy and light, with its lacy stripes. 

Next the Kenno Top -  This is the item on the cover.  It's very pretty and wearable in a wool and cotton blend. 

All in all, those of us who live in warmer climates, or just prefer to stay away from wool, will find lots of inspiration in this book. It's attractively laid out and very usable.

Recommended!

Photos courtesy of Interweave/Penguin Random House.

Giveaway!

Thanks to Penguin Random House (formerly Interweave Press), I'm able to offer a giveaway of a copy of this book to one lucky person who comments on the blog, naming a favorite pattern, technique, or a favorite aspect of the book. Post a comment on this blog entry, and sign up for my newsletter, and you will be entered into a giveaway to win your own copy of this book.  Be sure to give a Ravelry ID, or an email address -- or even your Instagram handle will do -- so that if you win, I have a way to contact you!  

Don't forget!  

I will select a name on February 19 2020. 

Note: I received a copy of this book for review from Interweave Press/FW Media.