Lit Knits - A Review and Giveaway

I first met Audry Nicklin at the Local Designers Night at Nine Rubies almost two years ago now. A self-described aspiring designer at the time, she talked about her goals and asked if I had any advice regarding the industry. At the time I was struck by her drive and also how sweet she was. She gave me her card and, when I got home that night, I checked out her designs -- fun, adorable knits, all with a great sense of whimsy.  Soon after our meeting, she burst onto "the scene" with her brilliant and stunning Celestarium, a circular shawl that maps out the night sky as seen from the North Pole, then followed up with the equally beautiful Southern Skies.  And now, this talented designer is about to publish her first book.

All photos copyright Audry Nicklin.

Lit Knits is a collection of 10 patterns inspired by classic works of literature such as The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and more. There is a great range of projects, from mitts to a shawl to a hat to the cabled men's sweater seen on the cover. And Audry includes perfectly concise notes on blocking, how to choose size, and how to handle differences in gauge. The photography is beautiful and the props (including horses!) absolutely perfect to set the scene for Audry's designs. True to Audry's design aesthetic, the pieces are whimsical and true to the books that inspired them, without being costumey at all. And her attention to detail is fantastic -- even the cable patterns have been given inspired names!

Now let's look inside, shall we?  Some of my favorite designs include...

Down the Rabbit Hole, inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, with an adorable rabbit motif on the front...

...and a pocketwatch on one of the palms!

 

Brinker, inspired by Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge. I love the shaggy pom pom and the simple and clever "Skaters to your Marks" cable pattern.

Sail to Treasure Island, inspired by the book by Robert Louis Stevenson. It looks like just an awesome blanket...but in true Audry fashion, the cable pattern is actually a map of Treasure Island.

And the Robin Hoodie, inspired by Howard Pyle's book from 1883. A great, masculine knit. (And, having just watched The Two Towers the other night, I feel like this elven hoodie would be right at home in another literary work as well.)

Lit Knits is scheduled to ship in mid-November and is available to pre-order until September 25th (that's just a week and a half away, so get a move on!). And if you do pre-order, you will immediately receive a complimentary copy of the e-book.  (After the 25th, the e-book will only be available as a separate purchase.)

And, if you'd like to enter to win a free copy of the e-book, Audry has generously offered to send it off to one lucky reader of The Yarniad! As usual, leave me a comment here letting me know which design from Lit Knits is your favorite any time before 11:59pm next Friday (the 20th). Please also include a way to get ahold of you should you win (Ravelry ID, email address, blog URL, etc.).  I'll wake up and promptly draw a winner next Saturday morning.  Good luck!

To see more about Lit Knits, check it out on Audry's website, here, or on Ravelry here.

And stay tuned....next Thursday is my birthday, and I may or may not have a special promotion going on to celebrate...