Ishii is known for her knitted miniatures, and readers may recognize her style from her other books of small-scale knitting patterns. Here, inspired by her lifelong love of ocean and beach, she offers 25 patterns for fish and other sea creatures, mermaids, sailors, even a yellow submarine. These creations are meant to be fun characters rather than to-scale accurate representations, and the reader is encouraged to use whatever yarn they have stashed, regardless of fiber content or weight. Each of the items is knitted, some have crochet elements (mostly fish fins), and only a few specific knitting techniques and basic crochet instructions are outlined. All the patterns are written only, with the exception of the Blue Tang, which also includes a chart. As all patterns in the book were created with U.S. size 2 (2.75mm) knitting needles, needle size is not listed in the patterns themselves, and there is no reference to gauge. This book is a good fit for knitters comfortable working without rigid parameters.
— Anne Heidemann Booklist 2016
Introduction 8
Materials and tools 10
Basic knitting 14
Abbreviations 15
Sewing up and stuffing 16
Key techniques 21
Basic embroidery 24
Basic crochet 25
Knitted Ocean
Anglerfish 32
Pelican eel 34
Spookfish 36
Fangtooth 38
Deep sea divers 40
Clownfish 42
Blue tang 44
Yellow-stripe fish 46
Black-and-white fish 48
Boxfish 50
Scuba divers 52
Ray 54
Great white shark 56
Pufferfish 58
Catfish 60
Flat fish 62
Hammerhead shark 64
Dolphin 66
Orca 68
Sea lion 70
Walrus 72
Mermaid’s grotto 74
Fishermen at sea! 80
Yellow submarine 90
Ship’s crew 94
