Cozy Coastal Knits: 21 Shawls, Sweaters, Ponchos and More

 

Cozy Coastal Knits is a fun and well curated collection of portable knitting projects to take on vacations and trips (and which will remind you of your holidays every time you use it). Written and designed by Rosann Fleischauer. Due out 1st June 2023 from Rowman & Littlefield on their Stackpole imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. 

The designs are simple and mostly classic and won't soon be dated. The items are basic staples and are mostly smaller/portable like hats, shawls, mitts, and cowls, though there are a few larger projects: ponchos, a skirt, and a pullover. There are some unisex pieces, including the pullover, a classic crew neck long sleeve mid-gauge staple. All are for adults. There are 21 projects total, many are accessories, but there are no socks included, for the sock-fanatics in the room. There are a couple of fingerless mitts included, though.

The introduction includes some good general info about gauge, tools, yarn substitution, and planning. It's not a learn-to-knit manual, and the author does presuppose basic knowledge on the part of the reader. She does include some very basic written technique tutorials like Kitchener and provisional cast on, but they're -very- basic (less than one page) and readers who are unfamiliar with the techniques would probably be better served watching a visual tutorial on youtube or ravelry. 

The projects are all photographed very well and clearly, without items or models in the way. The aesthetic is clean and appealing (classic) and not at all trendy or frilly. The author/publisher have included a thumbnail gallery in the table of contents which is helpful and useful (and should frankly be standard for -all- tutorial books!). 

Four and a half stars. Good holiday knitting and a wealth of patterns which use relatively small amounts of yarn, freeing knitters up to buy the most delicious extravagant yarns without buyer's remorse.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.