Choosing between knitting & crochet patterns often comes down to scope: do you want a guided project that builds several skills, or a focused pattern for one garment? Building Blocks Knitting Book and New Sirdar 5118 point in very different directions. The right choice depends less on matching names and more on whether your next project is a technique-led throw or an off-shoulder sweater.
Quick verdict
Choose Building Blocks Knitting Book by Michelle Hunter when you want a broader knitting experience. Its project uses squares to introduce cables, lace, and other techniques before bringing the blocks together into a throw. It is also described as suitable for beginning knitters and knitters seeking a portable project.
Choose New Sirdar 5118 Denim Ultra Off Shoulder Tank Top Sweater Knitting Pattern when you already have a specific garment in mind. The title gives you a clear destination: an off-shoulder tank top sweater, with blue identified as its color. The price gap between the two options is $11.99, but the more important difference is book versus focused garment pattern.
At a glance
| Pattern | Price | Format or focus | Distinguishing details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Blocks Knitting Book by Michelle Hunter | USD 19.99 | Knitting book built around squares and a throw | Size 8 1/2 X 11; worsted wool weight; knitting technique |
| New Sirdar 5118 Off Shoulder Tank Top Sweater Pattern | USD 8.00 | Off-shoulder tank top sweater pattern | Blue color; new condition |
Where each product wins
Building Blocks wins for learning through a larger project
This is the stronger match for someone who wants the project itself to teach new techniques. The description connects cables and lace with a sequence of square-based exercises, then adds seaming as the finishing step for a throw. That gives the purchase a clear educational-and-project purpose rather than pointing only toward one garment shape. Its 8 1/2 X 11 size and worsted wool weight are also concrete planning details for knitters choosing materials and a workspace.
Sirdar 5118 wins for a defined sweater goal
Sirdar 5118 is the more direct choice when the intended result is an off-shoulder tank top sweater. The title supplies the garment style immediately, and the blue color attribute adds a specific visual direction. That focus can make it easier to decide what kind of project belongs next on your needles. It is also the lower-priced option at USD 8.00, making the $11.99 difference meaningful if the single sweater design already matches your plans.
Product notes
Building Blocks Knitting Book by Michelle Hunter
Building Blocks makes sense for knitters who want more than a single finished shape. Its square-based format leads into cables, lace, and other techniques, then culminates in seaming the blocks into a throw. That combination is the concrete reason to choose it: the project has a built-in learning path and a finished object. The tradeoff is that this route asks you to work through multiple blocks and seam them together, which may feel like more process than you want for a quick garment-focused project. At USD 19.99, it also costs $11.99 more than Sirdar 5118. Pick it when exploration and a throw are central to your plan.
New Sirdar 5118 Off Shoulder Tank Top Sweater Pattern
Sirdar 5118 is aimed at a knitter who can name the desired result before starting: an off-shoulder tank top sweater. That clear garment target is its main reason to choose it, while the blue color gives the project an additional stated direction. The limitation is scope. Rather than the technique sequence and block assembly associated with Building Blocks, this choice is centered on one sweater style. If your goal is to practice cables and lace through several stages or finish a throw, its focused format is less aligned with that plan. For a straightforward garment decision, however, the title makes the intended project easy to identify.
Final choice by use case
- For learning cables, lace, and other techniques: Choose Building Blocks Knitting Book by Michelle Hunter, because its square-to-throw structure is built around that progression.
- For making an off-shoulder tank top sweater: Choose New Sirdar 5118, whose title names that garment directly.
- For a portable project with a broader learning purpose: Building Blocks fits the described use case.
- For the lower listed price: Sirdar 5118 is the choice at USD 8.00 versus USD 19.99.
The simplest decision is to choose the project first: Building Blocks for technique exploration and a throw, or Sirdar 5118 for a defined off-shoulder sweater.
