FORMAT: HARDBACKK | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
You can pretty much guarantee that if fans love a thing, someone somewhere has tried to make a knitted version of that thing. Knitting is a highly versatile craft and one would be wise not to anger the yarn-loving crowd. They are, after all, armed.
Star Wars: The Knitting the Galaxy describes itself as The Official Star Wars Knitting Pattern book and that seems pretty spot on. No one in their right mind would attempt to prevent knitters from knitting, so what Disney have done here is sought out some of the best patterns they can find from various sources (including the likes of Ravelry and Instagram) and shoved them into the rather heavy and comprehensive book. It’s big, it’s well-informed and it’s full of photos and information. The photography is exceptional.
It’s very, very detailed and filled with extremely eye-catching projects. They are about 28 items in total (which are sure to keep you busy for a while). They’re split into four very broad categories; toys, replica costume, inspired apparel and home décor. The toys are adorable and yes, there’s a tiny Yoda for you to create. (It’s not a baby Yoda, technically, but we’re sure you can change it if you want.). The costume replicas look interesting and because of their very nature, if you’re into stealth cos-play then you’ll probably want to flip through this section for ideas.
Mittens, cowls, socks, socks and scarfs all get the Star Wars treatment. We particularly liked the look of the Ewok Hood, which we are pretty sure would look lovely on anyone. The book goes the full range from the obvious (Darth Vader Pullover) to the ridiculous (Porgs).
This is well-researched and the designs appear to be very well thought out. The knitting community don’t hold back when it comes to being critical, so a lot of care has been taken here. Some of the patterns look extremely challenging and each design contains notes on construction. Every effort appears to have been made to make any project from this book go smoothly. Starburst hasn’t been able to test any of the designs first-hand but we know a well put together schematic when we see one.
On that note, one of the projects here is a big fluffy Death Star. This book literally contains Death Star plans. It looks pretty easy to do, but we advise you keep it away from any X-Wings you may own, just in case.
Over all, this is a good sized hobby manual. Much like the origami book, we suspect a sequel is inevitable, though this tome should provide many of us with plenty to be getting on with for some time.
