Socks, word.

I went to check the mail today and found a package from SoHo Publishing waiting for me.

"Hmm," I thought. "I haven't ordered anything from Vogue Knitting."

I wracked my brain on the way home trying to figure out what it could be, personal, business, a present.

Turns out it most closely fits in the "present" catagorey.

I follow Vogue Knitting on Facebook. What, don't we all?

A few months ago they put a call out on their wall for people to submit sock knitting tips for a special section they were working on for an upcoming issue. If your tip was selected you'd receive a copy of their book "Knitopedia: The Ultimate A to Z for Knitters."

Well, how cool was that?

Since I knit socks all the time, and have had my Rainbow Swirl and my Eyelet & Feather patterns published, I felt qualified to weight in.

I won't tell you what my tip was (that would be stealing the magazine's thunder), but I will give you a hint about the topic.

The tips are in a special advertising section that starts on page 59. I have the last word, which amuses me greatly.

Even more amusing, the tip right above mine is from someone I know!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go flip through my new book.

Book Bonanza

Well, I had quite the exciting weekend. I wasn't sure where to start, but now it's late so I'll start with the easy stuff.

On Thursday I trooped down to my mom's again. My weekend odyssey covered eight hours, five states, and four yarn stores.

Actually, 16 hours if you count the drive home, too.

Anyway.

Since I've realized I have more pictures to take, I'll start with the easy stuff of the books.

Ooooh, the books. A veritable plethora of knitting books.

As I told you back in April, in a moment of insanity I signed up for the Master Knitter program. I've been conspicuously silent on it since then because I haven't actually started it. I bought and set up the binder then hit a wall.

There are a lot of questions you need to answer and that report to write...anyway I convinced myself I couldn't start until I'd bought a few basic, knitting overview type books. Sure I might already know the stuff, but you are supposed to sight references in the report.

Well, right before my trip I got I postcard and email announcing a sale at The Elegant Ewe down in Concord. I figured the books I wanted might not be on sale, but since I'd be practically driving by it wouldn't hurt to stop.

I bought "Knitting in Plain English" by Maggie Righetti and "Power Cables" by Lily Chin. I was aiming for the Righetti book as one of my reference manuals for the MK program. I figure I liked her "Sweater Design in Plain English" so I'll probably like this one. It was not on sale. The Chin book was an impulse purchase because it was on sale. But then I like cables and after flipping through it thought it might also make a good reference manual.

They were out of Lucy Neatby's new book "Cool Knitters Finish In Style," proving I should have bought it when I saw it a few weeks ago.

Back In My Store
I continued on to Westport Yarns to pick up the yarn I'd ordered when I passed through for mom's heart attack. (I still have to take pictures of it.) (Um, the yarn that is. Not mom's heart.)

I had a nice time chattering away for a while, then decided I should get back on the road.

They also were out of the Neatby book. However, I bought a tin of the lavender scent Lavishea lotion bar. It's very pleasant and seems to be doing a good job.

Philly Stores
On Friday mom and I went up to Philadelphia to see the "Knitting Along The Viking Trail" exhibit at the American Swedish Historical Museum.

That is a big post for tomorrow, but here is a taste. The exhibit is from the Elsebeth Lavold book "Viking Patterns for Knitting." This afghan is made from the swatches she knit when researching the book.

How very cool to see the swatches I've mooned over all these years! I like the way there are odd bits of grey knitting to fill in gaps between the swatches. I guess they wouldn't jigsaw together properly and someone said, "Well, just fill it in."

We took a turn around the rest of the museum as well and hit the gift shop. (As Dr. Who says, "I love a little shop.") I wasn't really expecting to see anything, but I found this very cool book called "Swedish Knits" by Paula Hammerskog and Eva Wincent.

I don't believe I've ever heard or seen this book before. I flipped through it several times before I bought it. There are basic instructions, tips, a stitch dictionary, and patterns. Once again, I think it might come in handy for the MK program.

After leaving the exhibit we got a bite to eat and then went questing for yarn stores since I knew there were two within spitting distance. I was still looking for the Neatby book but was also fired up to get the Second and Third Viking Knits Collections books by Lavold.

First we tracked down Rosie's Yarn Cellar. It was a cute little store with wall to wall yarn. They had yarn I've knit with, yarn I'd heard about but never seen in person, and a few yarns that were new to me.

Which is what you would want in a yarn store, no?

They did not have either the Neatby or the Lavold books I was after. However, having been in the biz (actually, I guess I still am) I always like to make a least a token purchase when I visit an LYS. In this case I bought a handful of the sample size Soak Wash laundry soaps sitting on the counter.

Then we moved on to Loop. This was a little of a jackpot. Once again the yarn ranged from the familiar to the new. Once again they didn't have the Neatby book, but they did have the Second Viking Knits book. score!

They also had a offer on FourSquare. Yeah, I set up an ID on FourSquare. I don't know, it's another social media site. When you go places you check in and can leave tips and see other tips and...yeah, I don't really get it. Probably because I only have one friend on it and he doesn't even live near me.

Anyway, sometimes it amuses me to spend the day checking into places, especially when I'm on a trip.

Well, Loop had an offer of 10% off a $20 purchase for you first check in. Finally, I found a place that actually had an offer I'd be interested in! That, of course, opened the flood gates. I would have bought the Lavold book regardless, but since I was getting a discount I also bought both "Sensational..." and "More Sensational Knitted Socks" by Charlene Schurch. They are good books and I've been thinking on and off for a while that I should have them since I love knitting socks so much, and there they were, so now they are mine.

I also bought some yarn, which I need to photograph.

In the end I bought six knitting books. Combined with the book I bought at the NH Sheep & Wool Festival and the book JelliDonut gave me, I acquired eight new knitting books this month. phew!

Not Knitting
You will notice in the top right corner of the picture that a non-knitting book slipped in as well. We stopped at Barnes & Noble on our way home from Philly because mom had some coupons to use and titles she wanted.

B & N also did not have the Neatby book, but since mom's coupon was going to expire over the weekend I thought it was about time I read "The Princess Bride."

This could be dangerous. I like the movie very much and I understand the book is a bit different. However, William Goldman wrote the book and the movie script, so I hope it isn't too shocking.

One Day Bowl

Since you know that nothing is simple with me you will not be surprised that this little bowl that took me around two hours to make has a very long back story.

We had a staff member at the store named Trudy. (Hi, Trudy!) She was not with us for very long when her husband retired and they moved south.

Before she left she gave each of us a little gift of yummy chocolates and one of her favorite books, "Everyday Sacred" by Sue Bender.

It's one of those quiet, meditative books. Not really a self-help book, but still about looking at the world around you and shifting your perspective on what you see.

This was actually my second attempt at reading it. I had started at one point, but guess I wasn't ready for the message. This time I stuck with it and enjoyed it. I might even troop over to the library to find her first book.

What does this have to do with yarn?
The main image and central theme of the book is a bowl and accepting what is placed in that bowl. Which is all explained quickly in the first few pages, so I haven't spoiled anything for you there.

Turns out I'm fairly suggestible, which is something I already knew about myself, because after spending all that time reading about bowls and looking at bowl drawings I had a sudden desire to make a bowl.

Here, fishy fishy
This is not the first time a book has caused me to create something with yarn, and I'm not talking about patterns or stitch dictionaries.

After college I read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. One of the characters was obsessed with goldfish and spent a considerable amount of time making little metal ones.

That was a much longer book than Everyday Sacred so it might have been more understandable that after finishing it (or maybe while I was still reading it?) I designed a crocheted goldfish. I still have him. I'll have to take a picture for you. He's adorable.

Back to the Bowl
Of course, I've seen patterns for felted bowls. And I made those felted wine cozies a few years ago. So I had the concept.

It made sense to make a bowl out of yarn, since it's my medium of choice.

I cast through my mental stash for feltable yarn. I just wanted to whip out a little bowl to satisfy the urge, so I didn't want anything complicated like making a striped bowl from scraps or something. I also didn't want it to be massive or take forever to make.

The single skein of green Naturgarn by Viking of Norway fit the bill. It even says "for knitting and felting" right there on the label.

[Ah-ha. I see on the website it is labeled "new." This is one of the yarns I received for my freelance project. You should check with your LYS, but it might not be in stock in the USA until the fall. I should check on that.]

Pattern Recap
Naturgarn is 100% wool. 50 meter/55 yard skein. At a suggested gauge of 12 sts to 4 inches. The recommended knitting needle is a 8mm/US 11. It has just a wee halo and is what I believe is called "singles" as the structure is just one fluffy, loosely twisted strand. My color, Lime #632.

I was planning to crochet my bowl, since it is faster and more structural than knitting.

Although I'm not a big felter, I understand that working at a looser gauge is desirable. I guess so the water can really get it between the stitches.

My crochet hooks jumped from a 6.5mm/K to big, plastic, mystery ones aren't imprinted with a size.

I went with one of the mystery ones. Perhaps a P. I'm really not sure.

I started the bowl with six single crochet in the starting loop. After working the bottom in single crochet I suddenly got bored and switched to double crochet.

I fiddled around a bit with working a back-post dc to turn the corner, but the sides were curving up naturally, so I ended up ripping that out and just working plain dc.

Really, this bowl took just over 2 hours to crochet. Let's see, we watched an episode of Dr. Who on-demand, two episodes of Jeopardy! off the DVR, and an episode of Justified off the DVR. So, taking out commercials, but I did fold a load of laundry...so call it 2 hours.

How is that for a fast project?

After I finished it I thought it looked a little more open than I anticipated.

This was not an issue because we were all getting together at Pam's house for a knit night, so I dragged it along.

She figured it would be fine with a few runs through the washer. I said I was going to hand felt it. Margaret and Laura both cried, "Are you insane?!" or something to that effect with the point being that's why washing machines were invented.

Machine felting it seemed like a waste of resources to me, since it was just one little bowl, but by the time I got home I had come around.

Two quick trips through the agitation cycle and viola! A bowl.

I stretched it over the bottom of a big canister of Quaker Oatmeal to shape it.

I forgot to measure the dimensions of the pre-felted bowl, but the finished one is about 3.25" tall, 5" across, and 17.5" around.

The light does shine through in places, which I think is a combination of the overly big hook and the double crochet stitch. The bottom, in single crochet, is much less, um, translucent?

Still, I think that adds to the charm of the bowl. I mean, it's not like I'm going to eat soup out of it. Of course, part of my attitude might be in the spirit of Everyday Sacred's message of accepting things as they are.

More bowls! More Bowls!
This bowl was so quick and satisfying that I have a desire to make a second one. This urge can be satisfied because I have a second skein of Naturgarn in color 670, which is a blue/purple multi.

This time I think I'll go with the K hook. Still might stick with the dc though. If I switch to a smaller hook AND a shorter stitch the second bowl might end up too small.

Can't wait to see how the variegate looks felted.

Schleppy Sweater: Say That Again?

You know how sometimes when you are learning something you can read the instructions or have someone explain it a dozen times and just not get it?

Then someone else comes a long and explains it just a little bit differently and it suddenly clicks into place?

Well, I had that happen this morning. Not that it does me much good at the moment.

Got My Book
Yesterday I stopped at Westport Yarns on the way home from work and picked up my copy of Shirley Paden's new book "Knitwear Design Workshop".

The other staff members were circling it like sharks. Turns out some copies came in damaged and they were waiting on replacements. In a situation like that the priority is customer orders, of course, the sales floor, and then staff orders. Apparently someone kindly decided that my need to have a copy was more urgent. Probably based on my current feeble (pathetic?) attempt at sweater design.

I'll do a review after I've had a few days to look at it, but I can tell you a few things right off the bat from my breakfast perusal.

Again With The Ease
It has a really nice table of contents. The sections are broken down and each subsection has a page number listed.

You might not be surprised to hear that I flipped straight to the section about ease.

There I read that "standard fit" is 1 to 2 inches of ease. Of course I had just figured that out for myself last week so I wasn't terribly impressed.

Then I read the commonly heard advice to "measure a sweater you like and use it as a guide" and a light bulb went on. Most of the sweaters I own, and all the sweaters I've made, are close fitting. So of course when I measured them to use as a guide I ended up designing a close fitting sweater!

Therefore, I would alter that classic advice to be "measure a sweater you like with the fit you want and use it as a guide." This way it is spelled out for ninnies like me. You want to design an oversized sweater? Well use an oversized sweater you like as a guide. So simple, yet I didn't figure it out until now.

The irony is I have this size medium hand-me-down rugby shirt making it pretty big on me that I tend to reach for when I'm cranky. It is kind of what I had in mind when I decided to make the Schleppy Sweater. Only every time I thought of measuring it I thought, "Naaa, that's too big."

Some part of my brain was working against me. Although I did say I want this sweater to be a little tailored/attractive and I don't think the ruby shirt interpreted in yarn would have been.

Raglan Lightbulb
Then I flipped to the section about Raglan shaping. There was a call out box with bullet points.

One says that the sleeves and body have to have the same number of rows, but not necessarily the same number of decreases.

I had to read that sentence several times since my brain kept refusing to acknowledge it.

It meant that all of my panic when I was first knitting the sweater was unnecessary. I didn't have to rework the numbers after all.

I thought you had to have the same number of rows and work the same number of decreases at the same time on both the sleeves and the body. In all my scenarios to avoid recrunching the numbers it never occurred to me to try to decrease more stitches in the sleeve proper (I debated underarm cast offs).

Of course I don't know what that would do to the look of the decrease line. One of the nice things about Raglans is that nice sharp line along the decreases and increasing or decreasing the frequency might mess it up.

Oh well, at this point I'm not going back to the old numbers.

But next time, next time things will be different.

Sock Club: Join the Knitting Adventure

I won't even pretend that this is a legitimate book review since I'm not going to be unbiased at all.

Because I have a pattern in this book! Squeee! Right there on page 50 is my Rainbow Swirl sock in all its glory.

The colors are quite vivid and fetching as well.

I also like that they maintained all my little notes about how to read the stitch pattern to in case you make a mistake, and how to re-establish the pattern on the instep after you've picked up for the gusset.

Really, it doesn't look like they've changed the pattern much from the way I wrote it at all.

Turns out there are 22 other very nice patterns in this book as well.
Sock Club: Join the Knitting Adventure, edited by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott (Martingale & Company, 2010) B1010, $24.99 (CAN $31.99), 80 pages, 8 1/2" x 11", full color, paperback, ISBN 978-1-56477-936-6.

A Sock What?
A sock club is a subscription plan for knitters, sort of like a book of the month club. Only instead of books you get yarn and a pattern (and sometimes a gift) every month or every other month.

Sometimes the club has a theme, sometimes it is run by an independent dyer and/or spinner. In that case the color is often exclusive to the club.

The book is composed of patterns that were originally for a sock club as well as a new pattern from both Charlene and Beth. This is exciting because sock club patterns are usually exclusive to the club members for at least several months, if not in general.

My Rainbow Swirl Socks were for the first year of the Knitting Central Sock Club through the store. Our hook was members received an exclusive pattern designed by the staff members they knew and trusted from the store, often using sock yarn they were already familiar with. This cut down on bad surprises. AND we allowed them to tell us a color they didn't like so we would know to avoid it for them. Often everyone in a club gets the same color.

We also focused on tips, tricks, and techniques to improve their sock knitting. Mine technique was a discussion of fit and negative ease.

More Than Patterns
Of course my club letter isn't in the book, but there is still very useful tips and techniques information included.

The beginning of the book has a discussion of resizing sock patterns based on changing the gauge using different needles or yarn, changing the pattern elements, background stitches, or repeats. Each method has a code, which is reflected on the sock patterns.

At the same time, most of the patterns reflect stitch counts for multiple sizes when possible. Some of the designers had to rework their patterns for the extra sizes, my pattern was already written for small, medium, and large.

Most of the patterns are rated as Intermediate or Experienced based on the Craft Yarn Council standards.

That surprised me, but then I realized that sock clubs are usually for experienced sock knitters, so of course they would want challenging patterns.

I like that one, and that one, and...
Aside from my own pattern, ahem, I think my current favorite is the I Love Gansey pattern by Janine LeCras. Actually, I'm wondering whether I can upsize it to fit Hubby. I've been wanting to make him cabled socks and I like foisting socks with heart motifs on him.

You know, to remind him how I feel in case hand knit socks are a strong enough sign.

As a side note, he was wearing his I Heart Husband socks over the weekend. They have little hearts on them.

I also like the Celtic Spirit pattern by Judy Alexander, because it has nice cables.

And I notice that Charlene's Havana Lace pattern has a Cuban Heel! In one of the pictures it looks like the lace pattern continues down the heel flap, which is intriguing.

And, of course, the Indiana Jones socks by Emily Johnson are awesome by virtue of being about Indiana Jones. Sadly, the colors are achieved by using specially dyed yarn whose availability is unknown to me. There is a note about just using two complimentary colored yarns, so that might be the route to go.

Of course, I could find something nice to say about all the patterns in the book, but I have to shut up sometime.

Book Review: The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch

Odd indeed!

If you are looking for a simple, unique critter to knit The Knitted Odd-Bod Bunch by Donna Wilson (128 pages, 200 color photographs, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-906525-42-2) is your book.

There are cats, dogs, owls, and....critters. These are not the anatomically correct teddy bears that have been filling knitting books lately.

Um, that didn't come out just right. Let me try again.

These stuffed animals don't have true to life forms. They are more along the lines of a child's drawing in 3-D, complete with in-line legs and rounded edges.

In fact, in the introduction Wilson says she was inspired by children's drawings.

I poked around online, and it turns out she has a line of interior furnishings. You can see some of the animals in the book in the designs on her items. (I like the cloud pillows. Which aren't in this book. There is, however, a doughnut in the book that looks rather delicious. )

The patterns all look approachable, with simple shaping, so they might be good for both beginner knitters and first toy projects. At the same time, there are a few with fair isle bands, one with cables, and another with beads if you want something a little more challenging.

"Mitten Kitten" here is one of the fair isle ones. You can also see the in-line leg shaping I was talking about.

Another thing I like is there are a range of gauges from fingering through worsted. I have to imagine most of them are on the small side, so they will probably work up quickly.

People on Ravelry have made 15 of the projects in the book. There are comments about using up stash to make some of them. That makes total sense since the quirky nature of the patterns lends themselves to unusual colorings as well.

It's a cute little book to have around. Especially if your kids are open minded about how stuffed animals should look.

Getting Closer

Remember when I told you that my Rainbow Swirl Socks had been accepted for a book of sock club socks being edited by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrot?

Well, yesterday Beth sent the contributors an e-mail with a link to the pre-order page on Amazon!

It's so cool.

As you can see, the book title is Sock Club: Join the Knitting Adventure. And the publication date is January 2010.

I was looking at the pictures on Amazon and it looks like there are going to be some pretty cool socks in here. Other than mine, of course. And, as a contributor, I get a free copy.

Of course, pre-ordering the book would ensure you receive it in a timely manner. But don't forget the advantages of picking up a copy at your Local Yarn Store, where you will also be able to get the yarn you need to make the patterns, and help when you get stuck.

And supporting your locally owned bookstore is always a good idea, too. Even if they don't sell yarn.

Other Projects
Just to remind you how cool (and modest, or is it humble?) I am here is a refresher on my other empire building activities.

The Eyelet and Feather Socks there in the sidebar are going to be in the new One-Skein Wonders book from Storey Publishing. This time the theme is garments made from sock yarn. You'll remember my Top-Down Alpaca Mitts are in the last OSW book, which had a luxury yarn theme.

I'll probably have to stop selling the pattern individually soon, but I haven't been told when. I don't know when the publication date is. By the way, Storey's blog is kind of fun.

The Heart Harf is still at Aslan Trends being judged for their Knitter's Challenge 2009. Really, they should save themselves the trouble and just name me the first place winner already. Then they just have to worry about selecting second and third place winner. Because, of course, I'm going to win first place. They won't make the official announcement until Nov. 11.

That's about it. I have some other patterns I really need to write up already. And I haven't made much progress on my current projects.

Ok, lunch time is over. Back to the grind.

Book Review: Debbie Bliss Baby and Toddler Knits

I have been totally slacking on the book reviews I'm supposed to be doing for CICO Books.

Bad Blogger!

So let's get back to it

Today we have Debbie Bliss Baby and Toddler Knits. (96 pages, 100 color photographs, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-906525-37-8)

If you don't know who Debbie Bliss is, you either haven't been knitting for very long, or you've been knitting in complete isolation.

She is a prolific British designer with her own yarn line; many, many books, pamphlets, and patterns to her name; and last year she even started a magazine.

Really, the woman must not sleep.

Which is good for people who like her patterns as she designs really cute stuff.

This book is a case in point. It has patterns ranging from a scarf with a Fair Isle design, to a cute little pleated dress, and a sweater with an interesting shawl collar. There are also booties, blankets, and some hats as well. Knitters of all skill levels should be able to find a pattern they can execute, as they range from a simple garter stitch cardigan to aran sweaters and many in between.

I am rather enamored of this little double breasted number. The pattern is called "Baby Reefer Jacket and Hat."
(I see now that there is actually a better picture in the book I could have used. Oh well, you get the idea.)

One thing I like about this book is that while a number of the patterns call for her Baby Cashmerino yarn, which works at around 6.5 sts/inch, several of them call for DK weight yarn and have gauges of 5 or 5.5 sts/inch.
Meaning you might actually get the project done while the baby is still small!

It's a good book to have on hand. Especially if you have younger relatives who keep reproducing.

Book Review: Beautiful Hand-Stitched Jewelry

Wow.

I mean, wow. There are some creative people in the world and the things they come up with just boggle my little mind sometimes.

Take the stuff in Beautiful Hand-Stitched Jewelry: Crocheted, Embroidered, Beaded by Emi Iwakiri (128 pages, 200 color illustrations, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-906525-36-1) for instance.

I was all prepared to mock the first half of this book to cover up my own feelings of inadequacy since I can barely sew on a button.

But after spending some quality time together, I realized the poor book doesn't deserve my sarcasm. No, it wants to be my friend and invite me into its textile world.

There are 35 projects in the book, some of which are variations on a main project—such as a bracelet based on the principles introduced to make a necklace.

The first half of the book features items constructed out of beads that are either sewn out of fabric or created from strips cut from old cashmere (!) sweaters. Which is a really environmentally sound method, when you think about it, and should be good for people who like to pick up old sweaters at thrift shops.

The directions seem clear and easy to follow, without going into excruciating detail, and include both illustrations and explanatory text. As many of the projects have only five or so little steps, they appear rather achievable, even for someone such as myself who can't sew her way out of a paper bag.

Well, at least until I got to the line that says, "Make 78 balls." And I realized my attention span isn't up to the challenge.

Flower Power!
Oh, but the back of the book is where all the action is.

The back of the book is all crochet patterns!

The patterns again cover necklaces and bracelets with fibers ranging from raffia and lame to silk and cotton.

And so cute that I just had to make these adorable rings right away. The patterns called for silk yarn and No. 8 pearl cotton, but I used some Luster-sheen that has been in my stash since, oh, 2002 or something.

I made the blue flower first on Thursday. This is why I needed the C crochet hook, and the yellow bead is the other bead I bought that day. So the blue ring cost me all of 50 cents for the bead.

Then on Friday I made the yellow ring with some of my beloved hematite beads in the center. I fancy this one looks like a sunflower. Then I made the white one, which is actually a different pattern from the first two. I was going to use a variety of colors in the center, but it turned out they didn't harmonize, so I just went with the red.

So the yellow and white ones basically cost me nothing because it was all from my stash!

I have pink and lavender Luster-sheen as well, but I had to draw the line somewhere. (Although I might break down because I'm wearing a purple shirt today and the first thing I thought was, "Drat, none of my new rings match.")

They each took about an hour, with the most fiddly part being sewing the little bitty beads in place and then attaching the flower to the ring. But Hubby was at a graduation party on Friday, so there was no one to stop me. hehehe.

Well, that is, the blue one would have taken a hour if I had remembered to work each petal in a different foundation stitch and didn't have to rip back. And if I had refreshed myself on how to work a double treble, rather than working three normal trebles and thinking "Hey, that doesn't look right" and having to rip back, again. But, really, once I got over being me they just zipped along.

Another project that intrigues me is a chain made out of lame yarn which reminds me of a smaller, crocheted version of those big, knit chain scarves that were in Loop d'Loop.
I wonder, if I made a really long one, would Hubby let me use it as a Christmas tree garland? Considering the way he balked at the Wee Hats, probably not.

And a Techniques Section
The waaay back of the book covers equipment and techniques you will need to make the projects. There are illustrations of the embroidery and crochet stitches used and instructions for making pompoms and tassels.

I haven't seen this book or any of the patterns on Ravelry yet, but it only just came out in March, so people might not have caught up with it yet.

If you are into sewing and textile crafts, I think you'll really dig this book. Crocheters will find a lot of inspiring stuff as well. And knitters, well, it's about time you got with the program and learned more about the other craft. Then you can have cute flower rings, too.

PS—My profile picture is me, in pigtails with the blue and yellow rings. snicker. The loops are two small for a full ponytail. But now I'm plotting...

Book Review: Love to Knit

The books I'm going to review arrived in the mail yesterday! It was very exciting.

I have five titles to play with, and thought I'd start with Love to Knit: 25 Quick and Easy Projects You Will Love to Knit by Bronwyn Lowenthal (128 pages, 200 color illustrations, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-906094-03-4).

This book was actually first released in 2007, prompting me to ask both, "How did I miss it?" and "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

Lowenthal's profile says she is inspired by vintage clothing, so I figured it would be right up my alley.

To be honest, when I first opened the book I thought, "Uh-oh, what have I gotten myself into?" because the first pattern isn't very much my style.

Actually, it's those fingerless gloves you see on the cover, and I'm of the thin yarn/fitted gloves school when it comes to fingerless mitt. But nine people have made them on Ravelry, and they all look lovely, so what do I know?

Happily, things improved rapidly from there and I can truthfully say there are several patterns I'd like to make.

From Head to Toe
I know it's a cliche, but the book really does cover that much territory, with some home accessories thrown in for good measure.

And can I just veer off again and say I always know when I'm looking at a British pattern book because of the egg cozies?
Seriously, do you guys really use them? Because I don't remember seeing a single egg cozy when I was on my Junior Year Abroad in England (although I did eat several soft boiled eggs).

However, these cozies have cute faces and embellishments, which make them stand out. Since they are reminiscent of those adorable Wee Hats I was obsessed with back in December, I quickly turned the page.
In contrast to the Wee Hats, the cozies are knit flat and seamed, making them good for a beginner.

Good Gauge! You are quick!
As you might suspect with the "quick" in the title, the patterns do tend toward accessories.
But, really, you don't get a "quick" sweater, unless it is those Twinkle ones at 2 sts/inch that were popular the other year.

The yarn gauges called for range from around 5.5 sts/inch to 3 sts/inch, with many of them in the 4.5 range. Even the patterns that call for Kid Silk Haze have you hold it doubled.

I think all these 4 to 4.5 gauge patterns are very nice because, despite this being a common yarn gauge, I always seem to have trouble finding nice patterns at this gauge when someone comes into the store. It's also nice because they should work up quickly with out all being super bulky.

The patterns also seem to be a nice mix of appropriate for a beginner (the egg cozies and some of the arm warmers) to interesting for an experienced knitter (the lovely shawl on the cover, among others).

My Choices
There is an adorable pair of "Two-button Small Socks," (pg 28) which I've already added to my Ravelry queue for Summer of Socks 09. I think I'll try to use my stashed Panda Cotton. But be warned, these socks have a sort of argyle construction, with the instep and sole worked separately flat and then seamed. I think it must have something to do with the lace pattern.

Based on the two sock patterns in the book, I'd like to track down Lowenthal's Love to Knit Socks book to see what other designs she's come up with.

I'm wondering whether I can combine the "Cute Bow" (pg 38) with the "Ribbed Belt" (pg 40) and make a new set for my Ultra-Femme sweater. Currently I'm using a black satin ribbon that I cobbled together from my meager ribbon stash. It's already starting to look beat up, so a replacement is needed.

I also think the "Lacy Shawl" (pg 46) shown on the cover is lovely. It calls for eight balls of Rowan Kid Silk Haze. I don't know if I'm feeling ambitious enough to make a project of this size ( it's 63 x 25 inches!) at the moment, but I think it would be nice in denim blue, or maybe green because of the leaf motif.

Some of the hats and tops are nice as well, but these are the three that I'll be adding to my Ravelry queue for more immediate consideration.

Other Stuff
In addition to the expected section on technique, which covers casting on, working the stitches, seaming, etc., there is a fun section on embellishing your knitting with directions for sewing on sequins and Swiss darning.

Oh, and there is a good, clear discussion on the importance of gauge and how to do the math to figure out how much yarn to buy if you substitute.

In the end, Love to Knit is a nice addition to the library. I suggest you at least check it out.
Fifteen of the 25 patterns are in the Ravelry database, so you can get a look at some of the patterns from the comfort of you home.
You can buy it from Amazon, or check with your local yarn store or book shop.

Dateline: Books, Books, Books

On Friday, Boss Man and I headed into NYC to attend Book Expo America.
(That is a picture of the main floor from a balcony on the floor above. There is another floor just for childrens books.)
This is a conference for the publishing industry. There are educational sessions, and a show floor where publishing houses show off their titles and their authors. Review copies are often available, the authors do signings, and people can "network."
All of that ink and paper in one place makes my little heart beat as quickly as a new yarn store, or the Market Place at Stitches.
Ostensibly, we were there to find management and leadership books we can review in the magazine, but really we each had our own agendas.

Review Books? For me?
First order of business was to stop by CICO Books, which is an imprint of Ryland Peters & Small. This is the company that contacted me the other week about reviewing their knitting titles on my blog.
She showed me an number of lovely titles that I can't wait to get my greedy little hands on. I think you'll really enjoy them, too.
I told her I crochet as well, so there will be a mix of knitting and crochet ranging from garments and afghans to toys and accessories.
In fact, I e-mail her yesterday and she said I should have them today or tomorrow! So you can expect to start seeing my reviews soon.

Why should you listen to me?
Because I'm a blogger!
And bloggers type with authority!
Everyone knows blogs are the future.
(Actually, don't believe that at all. As a professional journalist the idea of citizen journalists makes me feel lightheaded and break out in a cold sweat. I believe in the authority of the neutral observers. Fortunately, reviews can express an opinion, so this should be fun.)
As with any critic/reviewer, I suggest you figure out how my views/tastes line up with yours.
Wander my blog and look at my project. If you belong to Ravelry, take a run through my profile.
If you don't want to work that hard, I can tell you my tastes seem to run to traditional/classic/timeless. So if you like trendy/cutting edge/high fashion you might want to do the opposite of what I say. :-)
I also stopped by the Storey Publishing booth and told the nice lady there my Top Down Alpaca Mitts pattern is in Luxury One Skein Wonders. She was amused and said she'd pass my greetings on to the editors.

No, You Can't
I ended up bringing home a half dozen books.
On the bus ride back to Grand Central, Boss Man and I compared our loot.
(That picture above right is out the bus window. It's actually a reflection of the building across the street. Well, I thought it looked cool.)
One book I had snagged is about making your own all natural cleaning products.
Boss Man said something along the lines of, "Since, by your own admission, you never clean house, can I have that for my wife?"
I was like, "Nooo" in a snotty tone of voice, of course, and snatched it back. I would like to point out my self-restraint in then not whacking him with said book. But he is my boss and I think that would fall under the "violence in the workplace" poster in the break room.
The bus stopped cold a block from GCT. Eventually someone convinced the driver to let us off.
There were police cars lining both sides of the street and blocking traffic.
We heard people saying Prince Harry was in town, but we didn't see him. Of course, this information was backed up by news reports later that evening about his visit.
All in all, it was a pretty exciting day.

In Current News
I worked on Nell a little last night.
Today I mailed the Heart Harf away for the contest, the Damn Doilies away to my MIL's friend, and the Frothy Yellow Thing away to my mom (whether she wants it or not).
The guy at the post office asked the standard question about fragile, liquid, or hazardous items. I wanted to say the Frothy Yellow Thing is kind of blinding and obnoxious, but it didn't seem appropriate.