New Knitting Books for Summer 2025
- Susanna
- 7 hours ago
- 7 min read
This season's new knitting books can all be summed up with 3 S's: socks, sweaters, and sheep. Let's take a peek at some of the upcoming titles released over the summer months.
Getting Started with Socks
If you've always wanted to try knitting socks but don't know where to start, these first three books are for you.
The first one, Knitted Tube Socks by a trio of German designers, completely takes out the scariest bit of sock knitting: the heel. The book features nothing but tube socks, that is, knitted tubes that have no shaping at all but still result in wearable, comfortable foot accessories.
Forget the fuss of complicated heel turning and embrace a style that adapts effortlessly to any foot. This book introduces you to creative techniques for form-fitting socks, from the spiral sock to fisherman’s rib to the ultra-comfortable banana sock, all knitted circularly in a continuous tube.
The book includes 31 heel-less sock patterns in sizes ranging from kids (EU 22) to adults (EU 46). Translated from the original German Tube Socks Stricken (published in 2023), the English version of Knitted Tube Socks: 31 Delightful Sock Designs without the Fussy Heel will be released on August 19, 2025.
This next book is also intended for those who find sock knitting intimidating. Alleviating all sock-knitting worries, Denise DeSantis a.k.a. EarthtonesGirl is a teacher and designer who specializes in socks on her hugely popular YouTube channel. She has over 25 years worth of knitting experience, and her first book, No Fear Sock Knitting, is a culmination of all that.
Sock knitting can be daunting because it involves using circular and double pointed needles which less experienced knitters can find intimidating. This accessible guide will explain all the main sock knitting techniques in a very clear way so you can get started making beautiful hand knitted socks.
Geared toward absolute sock beginners, the book walks you through all the necessary steps of knitting your first pair of socks whether you want to do it from the cuff down or from the toe up. In addition to teaching sock techniques — such as cast-on methods, heel constructions, or toe types — the book also includes eight beginner-friendly sock patterns for both fingering- and DK-weight yarns.
Along with gorgeous photography, each pattern also includes tips for reversing the knitting direction that I as a devout toe-upper fully embrace. No Fear Sock Knitting: Take the Worry Out of Sock Knitting with This Beginner's Guide comes out on August 12, 2025.
One more book about sock knitting. Veronika Hug from Woolly Hugs is a German designer and dyer. Her first book translated into English, The Little Sock Knitting Book, might be small in stature but packs a punch on its mere 48 pages.
This ideal project book for new knitters is a fun, lightweight way for novices to jump into knitting! Featuring beginner-friendly lessons for knitting basics without confusing frills, you'll find how making a simple, everyday pair of socks will help you to understand how knitting works, whether you want to work from cuff to toe or toe to cuff. Learn cast-on stitches, rib patterns, heel patterns, and more, each with careful step-by-step photos.
The book includes 7 sock patterns, 2 cast-on options, 3 heel patterns, 4 toe patterns, and 6 rib and leg patterns as well as sizing charts for both 4-ply (fingering) and 6-ply (DK) yarns with sizes ranging from kids (EU 22) to large adults (EU 47). Both cuff-down and toe-up constructions are covered.
It's a double whammy: The Little Sock Knitting Book: Learn the Basics with Colorful, Stylish Projects will also hit the bookstores on August 12, 2025.
Sweater Season, Anytime
Moving on from socks, the next three books feature garment designs (and a few accessories) fit for indoors, outdoors, and every climate in between.
First up is the first-ever English-language book from popular German designer Melanie Berg. Better known for her shawl designs under the Instagram handle Mairlynd, she's also quite prolific as a garment designer. Easy Sweaters to Knit is a collection of 13 curated sweater and cardigan patterns that all feature some unique element.
From rummaging through vintage wardrobes to knitting bespoke pieces, this collection is inspired by Melanie Berg's personal journey of discovery and creativity. Each of the 13 designs has been carefully selected for its special features – be it an innovative construction, a clever button trick, or the exceptional qualities of a particular yarn. These patterns are crafted to inspire confident knitters to step out of their comfort zones and try something new.
The 13 garment designs featured in the book come either in 6 or 7 sizes. In addition to the patterns themselves, the book also includes a photo gallery of real knitters' projects made with the patterns.
With innovative constructions intended for "confident knitters", the title seems a bit of a misnomer. Whatever the case, get your hands on Easy Sweaters to Knit: Stylish Knitting Patterns for Sweaters and Cardigans on August 19.
This next book focuses on a trend that's been quite popular in recent years: decorating your knitwear with embroidery. First published in 2023 by Laine, Judit Gummlich's Embroidery on Knits features a primer on getting started with embroidery, a small stitch dictionary of the most common handsewing stitches as well as 18 nature-inspired templates with which you can decorate your handknits.
Transform your knits with a handful of simple embroidery stitches: a cosy cardigan embellished with bright flowers, a dragonfly on the front of a sweater and mittens with plants climbing up the back of the hand. Embroidery on Knits is an in-depth guide to contemporary stitching with and on wool, explaining every step of the process — from planning to finished project. It is a source of inspiration and knowledge for crafty beginners and savvy stitchers alike.
The majority of the embroidery projects are demonstrated on knitted garments which gives a larger canvas to work on. But there are also two accessory projects in the book: one hat and one shawl. Each project, such as the Millepora corals featured on the cardigan on the book cover, includes a full-scale embroidery template detailing which stitches are to be used. You can also download the digital templates from the Laine website.
Note that this is fully an embroidery book; no knitting patterns are included. Embroidery on Knits: 18 Nature-Inspired Templates for Stitching on Wool is set to come out on August 5.
Finally getting an English translation after five years is Linka Neumann's Wilderness Knits for the Great Outdoors. Originally published in Norwegian in 2020 as Villmarksgensere 2, this book is a sequel to the original Wilderness Knits, and continues the saga of hardy outerwear knits featuring both Scandi and indigenous colorwork motifs.
Knitted with Norwegian and Icelandic wool fibers to repel water and cold, and featuring designs and colors inspired by the wild north of Norway, this is the ultimate knitting book for outdoor adventurers. The 23 timeless designs feature polar bears, the Arctic sun, Hopi dreamcatchers, snowflakes, sled dogs and falling snow, all inspired by the Scandinavian climate and indigenous people of best-selling author Linka Neumann’s native Norway.
The book includes colorwork patterns for 12 adult garments (sizes S to XXL) — among them the fan favorites Hopi, Alasuq, and Føyka — and 6 matching kids' sweaters (ages 1 to 10 years) along with a few cold-weather accessories in Neumann's inimitable style.
The height of summer might be a tad too warm for knitting bulky-weight wool garments. Wilderness Knits for the Great Outdoors: Stunning Scandi-style Patterns for All Ages will have you sweltering on July 15, 2025.
Know Your Sheep Breeds
Let's end this post on a sheepy note. Breed-specific yarns and minimally processed wool have been gaining attraction for nearly two decades ever since Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Wool came out in 2009. Hitting the same nerve from a UK perspective is Justine Lee's and Jess Morency's The Wonder of Wool.
Knitters, spinners and weavers have never before been so interested in sheep breeds. At yarn shows around the world they can be found seeking out skeins of yarn from their favourite sheep breeds. Provenance is increasingly important to yarn lovers alongside sourcing yarn from farmers using regenerative methods. The UK has more ancient breeds than any other country and the rich diversity of breeds and the unique characteristics of British wool are valued worldwide. This is a guide to the pure breeds of sheep found in the UK, exploring their history, habitat, appearance and, of course, their fleece and the resulting yarn.
Part field guide, part pattern book, The Wonder or Wool explores the rise and fall of the British wool industry, examines the characteristics of the 62 pure sheep breeds found on the isles, and discovers which ones make the softest, most beautiful handknits.
The book includes a breed directory of the 62 sheep breeds, categorizing them into primitives, longwools, and downs and shortwools. Each breed gets its own page with a brief history and description, an illustration, wool characteristics, a swatch, and tips for knitters and spinners.
The 10 included patterns, designed by co-author Justine Lee of Ossian Knitwear, spotlight the unique properties of each featured breed. Carefully matching desired wool characteristics with the project type, the patterns include six sweaters, two cardigans, one shawl, and one hat.
This an essential book for both wool lovers and breed-specific yarn enthusiasts! The Wonder of Wool: A Knitter's Guide to Pure Breed Sheep comes out on August 19, 2025.
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