Stackpole Books provided a copy of Bath Knits free of charge. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. This post may contain affiliate links, which help support my day job but don’t cost you anything extra.
When designer Mary Beth Temple asked if I’d be willing to hop on the blog tour for her latest book, Bath Knits, I happily obliged.
The cover promises that Bath Knits has “30 Projects Made to Pamper”. As you would expect, there are plenty of washcloths here, because what knitter doesn’t love to knit a washcloth every now and then? Washcloths usually don’t require much thought, they are eminently practical, and they offer the opportunity to learn a new stitch pattern without a lot of pressure. Perhaps best of all, matching the exact gauge of the pattern isn’t crucial with washcloths.
Beyond washcloths, however, you’ll find towels and towel trims, a bathmat, a bath mitt, baskets, and more. There’s even a lacy mirror for your bathroom! As someone who has been looking for a moisture-friendly something to hang in my bath, that one really spoke to me. I’ve got plenty of yarn to choose from for this project, so you may be seeing this one pop up again in the future.
The book’s promotional copy says the skill level is for intermediate knitters, but I think plenty of the projects are easy enough for newer knitters who aren’t afraid to try new skills. There are stitch charts as well as text for some of the patterns, as appropriate. I found the font, layout and use of white space to make the patterns very easy to read.
Yarn Choices
Yarn weights range from sportweight (#2) for the socks, through worsted (#4) and bulky weights (#5), and up through super bulky (#6), although some of the lighter weight yarns are knit with multiple strands held together. Linen and cotton are particularly well suited for these spa-like projects. It’s the perfect opportunity to try out some of those lovely fibers in anticipation of Spring.
Some of the cotton yarns used are Premier Home Cotton, Premier Yarns Cotton Fair, a sportweight (#2) for the pedicure socks, and Fibra Natura Flax for yummy linen washclothes that get softer with each wash. You’ll find projects worked in Universal Bamboo Pop, a 50/50 cotton bamboo blend, KnitPicks Dishie for the simple shaped washclothes, Plymouth Cleo DK Cotton (a long-standing personal favorite). You’ll also recognize that familiar stand-by for washcloths, Lily Sugar ‘n Cream. Mary Beth points out that the gauge for many of the projects is tighter than you might expect for the weight of yarn, in order to prevent the fabric from stretching out of shape when wet.
Not all of the suggested yarns are cotton. You’ll find bathmats worked in Plymouth Yarn Encore Mega and Berroco Comfort Chunky, Bernat Baby Blanket, and a tweedy storage basket worked with four strands of Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice held together. Of particular note is the “Chenille Set”, made up of bathrobe, headband and slipper socks. These projects are worked with a double strand of super-bulky chenille on US size 11 (8 mm) needles! Wowzers! All of these yarns are widely available, although it wouldn’t be hard to find substitutes for the yarns called for.
With Bath Knits, you can knit yourself a spa-cation without leaving your couch!
