Thursday, August 10, 2006

Books, books, books

I recently checked out two knitting books from my library. Despite its very 1980s cover fashion, The Knitting Experience: Book 3: Color by Sally Melville has some great patterns in it. I am not crazy about the sweaters (which do tend to be boxy and a bit out of style) but there were two skirts, several bags, and some placemats that I loved. And the instructions? Phenomenal. The photos for working intarsia and Fair Isle were in color, so you could really see what yarn was supposed to be going where. I think when I am ready to tackle these types of knitting, it will be to this book I turn. It is on my “to buy” list.

The second book I checked out was Debbie Bliss’s Special Knits for Babies: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies since I have a few cousins and friends with babies and some good stash yarn for a wee one. The designs are lovely. But, I admit to finding it frustrating that every pattern called for an expensive Debbie Bliss yarn. I know, I could swatch with what I have and figure out all the math, but... is it so hard to list several yarn options? Maybe I was just in a grumpy mood, but I ended up just feeling very blech and lazy about it all and will be returning the book w/o having made a single item.

Besides knitterly books, I am reading volume I of Samuel Pepys' diary. I don’t know if I really have the desire to read all ten (he kept a yearly diary from 1660 to 1669) but I am enjoying this one. I love reading old letters and diaries. I am so nosy!

And I am taking breaks from Pepys with an “easy on the brain” mystery by Ngaio Marsh called Dyed in the Wool. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any knitting in it.... just a corpse in a bale of wool! eeeeeewwwww.....

2 Comments:

Blogger DAWN said...

Oh, the handknits for babies book looks great! I have no babies to knit for right now, but I just love tiny things. Plus, yarn for babies is always so velvety soft.

4:25 PM  
Blogger Katherine said...

You know, I've wondered about the boxy nature of the sweaters in Melville's books. Great instruction, very clear pictures, etc, but the fashions are kind of meh. Not really my scene. Now I just have to convince my co-worker [Library] -in-charge-of-the-knitting books to order Color, as I've been curious about this whole fair isle/intarsia stuff. Cheers!

11:50 AM  

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