We’re taking a look at two of Erica Knight’s newest books – ‘Beads & Buttons’ & ‘Natural Nursery Knits’.

Beads & Buttons

Erica Knight is a well know knitwear and crochet designer. Working for well known fashion houses and designing her own range of designer knitwear, Erica has produced many crafting books since 2000.

‘Bead & Buttons’ is her first venture into the world of jewellery making to create 25 projects incorporating some of her well known techniques.

Split into 3 sections – playful, natural & vintage - there is a project for most handmade jewellery lovers. Some of the projects are a little more complex than the others but on the whole this is a book ideal for beginners to the beading world. The book also includes an introduction with detailed descriptions on materials and the basic techniques needed.

Each technique is accompanied by illustrations which as well as adding a unique pretty look to the book, are very useful in understanding some of the more complex instructions.

Each project is also accompanied by the same illustrations, a complete materials list and a full page colour photograph of the finished piece of jewellery.

We had a go at the ‘double button and glass bead bracelet’ on page 78 - part of the playful collection. It was a simple project to follow but looked really effective once finished.

As people who like unique jewellery, this book and it’s projects are right up our street at Easy Craft Projects. They are modern with a vintage twist. Although some of the materials aren’t readily available locally, there is a list of suppliers in the back of the book to help you track down all the materials you need. Overall we would highly recommend this book.

Beads & Buttons is available for £12.99, published by Quadrille.

Natural Nursery Knits

Our second Erica Knight book is Natural Nursery Knits. This is a collection of 20 hand knit projects for newborn babies – all made using organic or sustainable fibres.

Just from looking at the front cover you can see how beautiful this book is. The natural pastel shades of colour make you want to pick this book up. The book begins with an introduction to the natural fibres used in the projects. The main portion of the book is split into two sections – Natural Nursery Collection and Natural Nursery Patterns.

Natural Nursery Collection is page after page of beautiful photos of the projects & closeup photos of detailing on the projects. Mixed in with these pictures are some of natural settings – the sky and a rose for instance. It feels like you are looking through a catalogue and choosing what to buy - we think this is a very nice touch and adds something a little bit different. Each project photo has a page reference to the instructions & patterns to allow you to find them easily.

Natural Nursery Patterns is exactly what it says – the patterns and instructions for each project. Each project is set out with easy to follow instructions, an introduction and some more photos on a few projects. Each page is edged with a pastel shade of colour which adds a little whimsical touch to the book.

Whilst so many people will love the items made in this book, this really is a bok aimed at people with previous knitting experience and not beginners. Our advice – go and find someone who can knit to make the items for you so that you can still enjoy them!

We would certainly recommend this book to anyone who has or knows someone with a newborn and would like some natural items for their baby.

Natural Nursery Knits is available for £16.99, published by Quadrille.

Karen has a brand new jewellery making project online. Following from her cluster ring, this necklace uses a similar technique to produce this very pretty necklace.

Why not choose some coloured bright beads and get into the summery mood a little early, or choose some pastel shades for a gorgeous spring necklace.

Lisa x