As a knitter I am always looking for books to inspire me. As a busy impatient person, I am also always looking for books with patterns that I can actually accomplish. Let's just say, skill and attention span are not my forte. But when I found the book Knitted Babes by Clare Garland, I knew I was onto something.

Now I know some of you are thinking "It looks too hard!". I'm here to tell you, that the patterns for the dolls in Knitted Babes are not too hard. In fact they are shockingly easy, even for a totally novice knitter. Not to brag, but I can knit up an entire doll in a weekend. Note: I can only be descibed as an advanced novice knitter at best. You really only need to know basic knit and purl stitching, which makes the yarn babes a wonderful and satisfying (fast!) project. I love using up the spare bits and pieces of my stash on these dolls. But if you would like to try making a yarn babe and do not know where to start or what yarn to buy, the author sells pre assembled kits from her website - Dot Pebbles.

For more ambitious knitters, Clare Garland has written a sequel. Dream Toys includes the basic doll patterns as well as slightly more challenging ones for a gorgeous unicorn with flower saddle, cowboys and mustangs, a fairytale castle, fairies, mermaids and a pirate doll and boat. All the items are utterly adorable.

Even if you gave up on knitting years ago, buy these books for your friend, mom or grandma who loves to knit. Sure it's a little selfish of you to drop such an unsubtle hint. But any knitter is sure to be completely thrilled with the charming projects and fabulously creative inspiration in these books. And hey, if you happen to get some utterly amazing handmade gifts for your kids in the years to come... that's ok too!