Today I have the opportunity to share a new and unique title to the fibre arts community with you called Our Maker Life: Knit and Crochet Patterns, Inspiration, and Tales From the Creative Community from Jewell Washington and Our Maker Life. I just finished reading this title, that launched April 20, 2021 and I’ll be sharing my review of Our Maker Life with you today and giving you some insight into this book.
Thank you to Abrams Books who provided this book to me free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.
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If you are unfamiliar with Our Maker Life, it is an online “movement for makers, by makers”. Our Maker Life is an online community of fibre arts creators committed to contributing to the fibre arts industry and provides opportunities for those makers to network and connect with eachother. Before the pandemic hit, they hosted in-person events for makers to connect in-person and to network. Unfortunately the pandemic put a stop to those activities but I hope they will resume them again when it is safe to do so. You can learn more about Our Maker Life (OML) on their Instagram account HERE.
OML is broken down into two parts. Part one of the book, is an amalgamation of maker stories to inform and inspire. I enjoyed reading each maker story for each fibre artist – some of which were familiar to me and some were new. The stories were brief and described each maker’s unique story they wanted to tell. This book is about highlighting each maker’s unique story and contribution to the fibre arts industry. There are 17 different maker stories included.
Part Two of Our Maker Life is a collection of knitting and crochet patterns from a variety of different makers. Of the 15 patterns included in the book, 7 are crochet and 8 are knit. This book and its patterns are geared towards experienced makers. The resource section for pattern support is 2 pages of written instruction and does not contain image support. If you are an experienced maker or a resourceful beginner that will source support online, this isn’t a big deal. The patterns included in the book offer a variety of different project types and include:
- A Knit Scarf
- Sweaters: A Knit Baby Sweater, An Adult Knit Sweater and 3 Crochet Sweaters
- A Knit Headband
- Two Knit Hats
- A Crochet Dress
- A Crochet Wrap
- Knit Socks
- A Knit Cowl and a Crochet Cowl
- Crochet Pajamas
If you’re excited about the prospect of all those garment patterns in the book, you’ll need to know that most of the adult garments in the book are graded from sizes S to XL. There are two garments in the book that are more size inclusize: The Traveler Hoodie, by Evelyn and Peter is a crochet cardigan that includes sizes from XS to 4X and the Oversized Turtleneck crochet pattern from Ariel Thongsaly of The Knitted Sisters is graded in sizes XS to 5XL. I found all the patterns, both knit and crochet to be clear and easy to understand.
If you’re looking to get to know some of the stories or inspiration from a variety of makers (possibily discovering someone new) that comes with the added bonus of some fun projects to make, you may enjoy adding this book to your library.
If you’re interested in purchasing Our Maker Life, you can find it for sale HERE.
If you enjoy crochet pattern books, you can check out some more of my crochet book reviews on my blog:
