[.ca] Quick Baby Knits: Over 25 Easy Designs For 0-3 Year Olds (ISBN 0312202512)

Not so quick:
The designs are very traditional and sweet, but not very quick. They are still done on US6 needle or smaller. The designs are worth making, but save the $ and go to the library. Debbie Bliss does nice things, but she seems to do the same nice things only slightly different in many of her books. She also only uses her brand of yarn, which is pricey and very skimpy on yardage!

instructions wrong:
This seems to be a nice book. I still love some of the sweaters, but on my first attempt to knit one (the ballerina top featured in the cover) I got stucked on some mistakes in the neck shaping instructions.Very dissapointing...I had to figure it out myself and that was very boring, specially when you really want it to be a quick baby knit. I tried to reach contact Debbie Bliss (or somebody) via their web page, but they don't answer questions regarding patterns. They do have an errata page, but they only feature some of their books, and not this one. No way out I guess.There's couple books on the errata page that have tons of mistakes though. Probably not a good sign. I agree with previous reviews in that there is no charts or plans or really good instructions.Some of the sweaters still look very good.What to do...

Technically lacking:
While this book has many very cute designs for children, there are some very aggravating aspects as well: the way the directions are presented, the lack of clear pictures or diagrams of the designs, and cryptic explanations of some techniques. The baby slippers pattern does not even include the gauge or finished measurements. It was very disappointing to read through the book, because there are cute designs that I would like to make, however, I know in advance that the knitting and garment construction is going to be confusing and painful. A little extra effort in putting this book together would have made it a joy to use.

From a newer knitter:
This was the first Debbie Bliss book that I have purchased. In part I chose this one because the title said "quick" knits. As another reviewer mentioned, I don't really see these as "quick" patterns and not only because I am a newer knitter. The first pattern I chose used such small needles and had such a fine pattern (the cover design) neither rows, nor the whole pattern worked quickly. My only other complaint was too few pictures of the actual patterns themselves. While the photos are quite enchanting and truly move you to begin knitting the patterns, they are not very detailed, nor are they very clear in some instances. (I love the way the Rowan books show other views of the patterns with the instructions at the back after the glitzy photos in the front). That having been said, the patterns are functional, adorable and very worthwhile to have in your "baby knitting" repertoire. The pricing was good for the number of patterns that you get, and although it is a soft cover it is sturdy, good quality.

Between 3 and 4 stars:
I am not generally a Debbie Bliss fan--she tends to recycle patterns from one book to another, changing perhaps the color scheme or color pattern, which an experienced knitter could quite easily do on her own. Her books also tend to have errors and I am never fond of books that specify a specific brand of yarn rather than just listing the weight--it makes things quite difficult when the yarn is no longer available or if you can't figure out what yarn weight was used. THAT BEING SAID, there really are some adorable designs in this book. I would not call them "quick" by any standards, and I am a fast knitter. Debbie Bliss does provide unique designs that are worth exploring, but I think this book would frustrate an inexperienced knitter, and maybe a few experienced ones. Buy it on sale, or check it out from the public library before purchasing.