Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Cast Iron, Cast on – Book Review and Giveaway


I recently received the book Cast Iron, Cast On: Cooking and Knitting Through the Seasons by Becky Herrick and Calley Hastings from Cooperative Press to review. I am not being paid for this review. The book is for sale on Amazon for $26.95 or $16.95 for the Ravelry download.

To begin with, I loved the Table of Contents which shows pictures of each individual project. Chapters are divided into seasons and by the month showing the knit project(s) and recipe(s). Each season is also designated with a specific color which makes it easy to view. Recipes and patterns fit the New England climate.  There were 16 patterns and 22 recipes.

The back of the book includes links to the yarn sources used in the book and also a list of abbreviations and their meanings used in the patterns.

There was a wide variety of the types of patterns from gift bags, accessories, to garments. The patterns were easy to read including the required skills needed to complete the project. Included were great photos of each project. Size ranges for garments were from XS to 5X which was fabulous along with how much positive or negative ease was expected. Schematics were give which are extremely handy especially when blocking. There were 11 of the 16 patterns that I would definitely want to make.

Some recipes were a little too advanced for my simple cooking skills but some were easy enough that I could be successful with them. Some of the recipes were intriguing enough that I might give them a try and expand my horizons.

I think this is a fun book to have and a great addition to any collection of knitting books. I believe it would help me grow as a knitter and a cook.

If you like the book and want to enter to win a digital copy, please leave a comment below by March 9 along with your Ravelry name or email address.  I will draw a name on March 10 using a random number generator and the winner will get a digital copy of the book. Please check it out and let me know what you think! 

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a book I need and would enjoy!

Kknittink (Ravelry name)

😎

Anonymous said...

Maybe you could have regular posts about your adventures cooking and knitting your way through this book! Throwing my needles in the basket for a chance to win! ;-) Happy Thursday.
---StarMeadow

Anonymous said...

I love Becky Herrick and was thinking of getting this book when it came out (I'm on her mailing list)! Thank you for your excellent review, which was wonderful in giving me a clear idea of what is in the book! And how awesome you are having another drawing :)

HeavensJoy (Rav name)

Becky said...

I really like a lot of these patterns! Such cute tops and the skirt is adorable! Thanks for the great review Pat!

Lori said...

This book sounds great from your review. I love the idea of a book having both recipes and knitting patterns. Sign me up for a chance to win this one!

Ravelry Name
SugaryBeanz

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a great book, just for the recipes alone! I'd love to have a chance at winning a copy :-)
fiatknitter on ravelry

Heston Folks said...

Wow, this looks like a great book! I love cast iron cooking, and knitting of course. How fun to pair recipes with the patterns. My current favorite of the patterns is Bluegold. That is what I call the wild blueberry crop in our neighborhood. Thanks for the review and the opportunity to win a copy.

gunflintknitter (rav) aka Barb G

Suzybcool said...

Looks like a book I want to look into further.

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a neat concept! I would enjoy having it in my library as well!

Han*Knit

Anonymous said...

This looks like such fun!

My Ravelry name is: kaywyn

knit one, knit two said...

Ooh, I love books that have both knitting patterns and recipes! Thank you for sharing!

I'm 5hearer on ravelry. I found your review in the Lutherans group.

Nancy said...

Sounds like a great book

Ravelry: scknitter

xxferretgirlxx said...

Two things handed down to my from my grandmother and great-grandmother was their cast iron pans and a love of knitting!

Ravelry: NinjaBunnyStudios

loonyhiker said...

And the winner is Han*Knit! Congratulations! I will pass your name on to Cooperative Press.