Knockdown Knits - review by Angela

As a fellow roller derby girl, I’ve got to admit, I was excited about Toni Carr AKA Joan of Dark’s book, Knockdown Knits before I ever even got a copy in my hot little hands. But now that we’ve got it in stock and I’ve seen it in person, I’m head over heels for this new knitting title. The patterns are clear and easy to follow, there are tons of color photos of each project, and the projects are accompanied by photos of real roller derby girls (not models) and little facts and tidbits about derby and the everyday lives of the derby girls who modeled the finished projects and came up with the patterns. Best of all, 5 of the patterns in the book use Knit Picks yarn, including one of my favorite patterns, the You’re a Star Tool Bag.

Now, it’s technically called a tool bag but it would be equally adept at holding your car keys, wallet, cell phone, and anything else you want to toss in there, which brings me to my next point. Yes, the book is called Knockdown Knits. Yes, it is written by roller derby girls. Yes, there is a lot of cool information about roller derby in this book. But this is by no means a book that only a roller derby girl would want to add to her collection. The Frozen Peas for Bruised Knees are the perfect knit for anyone who plays sports, bangs into coffee tables on a regular basis, or has kids at home who might get bumps and bruises from time to time. The Hide the Helmet Hair hat and Know Your Jammer Hat beanie are both cute caps for winter. And if you throw a tee, tank, or button down shirt under the Golden Tickets vest, it’s suitable for office wear. View the inside images here to see what I’m talking about, this is cute stuff. Lots of the projects in this book appear to be pretty quick knits too, which makes them great gift knitting. I’m already plotting to make Know Your Number Arm Bands for my Guns N Rollers team mates during our upcoming off season.

So while I’m sure any derby girl who knits (or who wants to learn!) would LOVE this book as much as I do, it’s also a great read for the derby curious or for anyone who would like to expand their knitting repertoire. Check it out! And three cheers for Joan of Dark!