I would be surprised if any knitting lover did not have at least one Arne and Carlos book on their craft shelves, but if you don't then this one is a good one to start your collection with.
55 Christmas baubles, all in the familiar designs by these two talented Norwegian knitting gurus, are showcased, with simple instructions and a lot of help to get them perfect.
I love the homely pictures of Arne and Carlos, that show them at work. their inimitable style shines through, and one shows their personal notebooks. I would definitely love to have a nosy through them just to see how their creations come to life.
There are other design inspirations, Wreaths, Table decorations and even Window Dressings all giving a festive feel to our homes.
Arne and Carlos help with embellishments and with handy hints and tips you can guarantee a professional finish.
The balls are made using 4 DPN or traditional two knitting needles. Reindeers, Robins, Harps and even a Christmas pig are all given space on our Christmas tree.
This book is all Christmas. It is beautifully put together, the photography is amazing and each of the baubles have a written description as well as a diagram.
-- Tracy Shephard * Amazon *
Autumn 2013
Who doesn't love Christmas decorations? Now, Norwegian knitwear design stars, Arne and Carlos, bring fun-filled holiday crafting to knitters everywhere with their ornamental balls. They're easy to knit, easy to stuff and once knitters get started they won't want to stop. Inspired by traditional Norwegian patterns, each ball is a one-off handmade creation ready to become a holiday heirloom. They are ideal for the tree, wreaths, mantels, centerpieces and window dressings, and make ideal yuletide gifts for friends and family. This book is bursting with creativity and inspiration, with one set of instructions and 55 patterns. Pick up your needles and start knitting!
We say: This book contains 55 original hand-knit ornaments for the festive period. With step-by-step instructions, how-to tips and recommended techniques, who says men can't knit?
* Craft Focus *
Dec 11
I really like this book. The designs are all based on the same basic ball with varied, mainly traditional designs and are quite quick and easy to knit. You should be familiar with knitting in the round and in 2 colour knitting to be comfortable with these patterns as there are no instructions on how to knit, just a few pages on special techniques used in the book. I knitted in double knittting pure wool on 3mm needles and have produced some nice results. The balls are quite big when finished, over 2 inches in diameter so if you want to hang a lot on your Christmas tree you would need quite a big tree. I liked the little snippets of interesting facts and background to the designs and the photos were lovely, each ball is photographed individually. I will definitely be making more for next Christmas.-Kate, Amazon
* Customer *
