Book Review: Knitting socks with Handpainted Yarn December 17, 2008

The other day I was shopping at Amazon for my sister-in-law’s Christmas present, when I noticed that this book (which I had not seen before) was now shipping.  Since Folk Socks, which I was going to get, had a long shipping time (I ordered it from Knitpicks instead) I got this lovely book.  I’m so glad that I did!

I will tell you right off the bat that I love books about sock knitting for some reason.  Once Folk Socks arrive I will own all of Nancy Bush’s books (she is my sock hero.)  I love Favorite Socks, and even the Vogue Sock Book, errors and all.  But more than sock books, more even that knitting socks, or wearing handknit socks, I love sock yarn.  Perhaps you have noticed, yes?  In fact, today I had an exceptionally good meeting, and as a reward?  I got a skein of one of the yarns used in this book.  But sometimes, of course, we all end up disappointed in our yarn once knit up.  I know I have destashed more than one skein that pooled hopelessly for me (and went on to make lovely socks in someone else’s hands.)  This book helps to give solutions you can work with.

The first part of the book is dedicated to a basic overview of color theory.  After reading the section I looked over my sock yarn stash (and thought about the ones I’ve given away) and realized that the ones I love the most are the ones where the color values are all similar.  Yarns are divided into three types – muted multis, nearly solids, and wild multis.  Patterns are marked as to which ones will work with which yarn.  There is also  discussion of dying methods, and how it affects the yarn’s pooling potential.

Of course, we all came for the patterns, and the book does not disappoint.  There are patterns from some big names (Ann Budd, Veronik Avery, Nancy Bush) as well as lovely patterns from newcomers to me.  Most patterns are written for several sizes, which is unusual for a sock pattern.  None of the patterns look super hard to me, and all are charted (I have discovered that I can’t knit socks without charts because I can’t memorize the pattern.)  Highly recommended, especially if you have a sad sock yarn habit like me (is there a 12 step program?)  Below are some more of my favorites… I have actually knit with two of the colors used before (the heel/toe color of the first sock is Shibui sock, and it still makes me mad how it pools as a semi-solid)  I’ve also used the Red Tail hawk Bearfoot that Nancy Bush uses for her socks (second pair) and I think they would be even lovelier in a different color… I find that Bearfoot obscures patterns because of the mohair, and that yarn is super dark (but comfy I know!)  Oh, and the yarn I bought?  Colinette Jitterbug in Slate, seen in the purplish pair above.  I love Jitterbug, short yardage or no… the feel of the base yarn is excellent, and it isn’t super skinny, and the colors are so pretty… of course, my socks will be shorter because I’m too cheap to buy 2 skeins, but no matter…

Legwarmers started and book reviews! December 4, 2008

I’m sick again this week… icky, but at least I will be well for Christmas (I have a fear of being ill when I have so many singing gigs.)  Dionne shares my sadness.

We both feel like this

We refer to Dionne as the “bad energy vampire.”  She isn’t a snuggly cat in general – in fact, the only time she usually wants attention is when you are either yelling or crying or really sick.  You could be in the middle of a fight and suddenly find a cat, desperate for attention, in your lap, and she will not leave. It’s cute, really, but it’s also really strange.

The legwarmers are going well, and aren’t too boring.  I got 6 inches out of one episode of Fringe, minus commercials, so I don’t think these are going to take as long as I feared.  I’m really glad though that I knit continental… I can’t imagine how 1×1 ribbing would kill the other way!

I frogged my sleeve for Vaila and restarted… my gauge in regular stockinette was just too large, and the sleeve was going to be huge.  So… back to purling for me!  Have I mentioned how much I love the knitpicks Harmony DPNs?  Seriously… I could never stand to knit on larger DPNs because I hated the bamboo, but these are so much nicer because the yarn doesn’t stick to them.  I am getting some laddering, which is unusual for me, but I’ve decided to just go with it.  I am not alternating skeins anymore for the sleeves, since I don’t think it matters for the small diameter, and since this color of malabrigo in general is not too variegated.

Finally, I’m reviving a blog feature where I talk about my other love… books. Lately I’ve been very into victorian and gothic novels, but I branch out into nonfiction sometimes as well!

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Apparently this is something of a classic, but I had never read it.  It’s the story of a family living in genteel poverty in an old English castle.  Their lives are changed when new neighbors move into the manor house nearby.  I would imagine that when I was a teenager I would have adored this book, and I love it still.  The main character is wonderful, and the ending manages to not be too treacly without being sad.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This book was very popular when it came out, and I am enough of a snob that I had avoided it on that basis.  It kept coming up recommended for me though, and my library had several copies.  I will tell you off the bat that my favorite book is Jane Eyre, and so I simply loved this book. I am a sucker for a good gothic thriller, and this was a wonderful one. I also loved the main character’s musings about books – so similar to the way I think many of us feel about them. I did not guess the twist at the end, and I was interested to the very end to find out more. Highly recommended.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I have a love/hate relationship with Gaiman’s novels.  On one hand he has written some of my favorites (Anansi Boys, Coraline) but I have been very disappointed in others (American Gods, Neverwhere.)  I loved this one.  It’s young adult, but don’t let that stop you!  It’s the unusual tale of a young boy, who is orphaned and then adopted by the citizens of a village graveyard.  It sounds macabre, but really it’s a sweet story, with excellent illustrations.

Inside the Victorian Home by Judith Flanders

The subject matter – the inner workings of middle class victorian households – might seem dull at first glance.  I, however, found it fascinating.  The author focuses on one room per chapter (kitchen, parlour, drawing room etc) and indeed talks about the rooms and their decor/purpose, but she also uses each room to explain a different aspect of victorian life – for instance, in the bedroom we get victorian attitudes toward birth and death, and in the kitchen we learn a great deal about the lives of servants.  There are fascinating charts, such as one explaining the complicated rules governing the wearing of mourning after a death.  This is easily the best book I have read on the subject, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the victorians or victorian homes.  It’s a surprisingly easy read for the subject matter.

Lies my Teacher Told me by James W. Loewen

This book was not what I was expecting.  I thought it would be one of those fun “misinformation in history” books.  It did contain some of that, for instance, pointing out that history texts ignore the adult life of Helen Keller because of her socialist associations.  What I found fascinating though was the idea that our society can be shaped by the way our history is taught, and how we as a nation are presented.  The book posits that our history textbooks discourage critical thinking, and that they present a view of our history that is free of errors in judgement (and certainly, like any nation, we have had many.)  Sometimes it does seem a little outdated (for instance, I was not taught that everyone but Columbus believed the world was flat) but I thought it was a very interesting read, and it caused me to evaluate where my own viewpoints come from.

Book Review: Glam Knits October 15, 2008

Thank you for all the nice comments on my sweater – I’m going to wear it tonight to a debate party (go team Obama!)  I’m still working on my hat, which isn’t a quick knit, being in fingering weight, but I think it’s going to be cute!  I’m about to cast on for my next sweater, Ingenue from Custom Knits (as soon as I decide if my yarn is going to work or not.)

I have a book review for you today, but first you get to admire my new haircut/color.

The color is a little darker than usual (I wanted to be autumnal) and I have bangs!  I haven’t had them since the 7th grade, but I thought it was time to give my forehead a little break.  If I like them I will get even more cut next time.  It also has a lot more layers than normal.

Ok, bad photos of me over, on to my review!

I was about to place a knitpicks orders (I got a whole bunch of their DPNs) when I saw this book had gone into stock.  I loved her previous book, Fitted Knits, so I was really excited to see this one.

Initial thoughts?  Well, it is very different from her last book.  There are fewer raglans (although there are plenty.)  This book focuses on using luxurious yarns in your knitting, and uses such lovely fibers as Malabrigo, Silk Raphsody, and Cash Vero.

The book is basically divided by type of garment – pullover, dresses, cardigans, and accessories.  It should be noted that the dress section only contains one thing I would call a dress (the cover garment,) one skirt, and a few sweaters that I think are not long enough to be dresses… but perhaps that is just me.  One of them (below) is really cute, but I would wear it over pants or a skirt.

Sizing is not as great at the small end of the scale as it could be.  Fitted Knits had the same problem – plenty of sweaters that start at a 35 or 36″ bust.  This one has fewer sweaters that start there, but it is still a problem for a few garments, frustrating if you are considering making one.

Schematics are clear, and the instructions appear to be detailed.  I will confess to you that I bought this book primarily to get the pattern for the sweater Stefanie was wearing in her author photo for Fitted Knits, and it does not disappoint.

I will be getting yarn for this one immediately.  Smallest size is a 33″ bust, perfect for me.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book otherwise.  I think I will need to see some FOs – the highly stylized and posed way this book is styled is distracting for me, and makes it difficult to imagine the garments in real life.  The use of luxury fibers is nice, but it does make substitution a challenge sometimes.

I quite like the hoodie (knit in Malabrigo) I think, but again I find myself unable to visualize it outside of the book.  The kimono cardigan, knit in Lorna’s laces angel, looks pretty, but is hard to see.  Same with the others pictured below.  So, a mixed review at first impression, but I may revisit my thoughts later.

Items in my queue for now: the author sweater, the hoodie, and maybe the first sweater above (knit in Malabrigo aquarella,) but maybe I just like the yarn.

I suggest checking this one out for yourself!

Book Review: Custom Knits October 8, 2008

I haven’t bought a lot of knitting books lately, but since I found so little to love in the newest IK I thought it might be time to add to my library.  Custom Knits is written by Wendy Bernard, author of the “Knit and Tonic” blog.  I have previously made three of her designs – fad classic, the not so shrunken cardi, and something red.

I was predisposed to like this book, but I have to admit that at first my feelings were mixed.  I am not always a big fan of top down or one piece sweaters.  I don’t like having so much on the needle at once, and feel the designs are necessarily limited.

Having said that, I love this book!  There are so many designs that I want to make.  The patterns are divided into sections – top down raglans, top down with set in sleeves, round yoke, and a chapter with a few other ways of knitting.  I have not, in the past, had great luck with set in sleeves on top down sweaters.  I have small shoulders and have found the cap to inevitibly end up looking rather like a drop shoulder.  But I’m willing to give it another try!

The size range in this book is great – every sweater comes small enough for me, and sizes extend up to (I believe) a 52″ bust.  Almost all the sweaters are presented with two options, and a little box telling you how to customize the sweater that way that you want it.  I found this information very useful.  The back of the book includes formulas for the types of sweaters in the book, so that you might design your own sweaters.

My only real criticism of the book is a superficial one… the styling.  Although I haven’t shown any of them, I swear to you that half the sweaters in the book are modeled without pants – sometimes swimsuits, sometimes underwear.  Seriously, who lounges around in a swimsuit and a wool sweater?  It just seems strange to me…

That’s minor though.  I love the book, and I have already started a sweater – the lion necked cardigan in RYC Soft tweed.  This is a strange yarn – it’s like knitting with strips of a blanket or something.  But I’m happy to use up stash yarn, and I hope it will work out.  The sizing looks teeny, because it isn’t supposed to close in the front.  I’m knitting a medium, but my gauge is a little small, so we will see where I end up.

Swatch day and library day May 8, 2008

Thank you for all the nice comments on my tuxedo top – I wore it out last night, and I am happy to report that it experienced no stretching or wrinkling (I was worried about both.) Now that the tuxedo top is finished I’ve been swatching, trying to figure out what my next sweater will be.

Yarn: Ella Rae Bamboo silk in grass green

Gauge: 5.25 st/in on US 5s

Notes: I love this yarn, and wish I’d bought more while it was on sale. It’s a very smooth soft yarn with a nice drape. I’m planning on using it for the Wallis cardigan from the new IK. It has a listed gauge of 20 st/4 in, but I think it knits up nicer a little tighter than that. I also swatched at 5.5 st/in and it was nice. Curiously, it has the same stats (yardage and fiber content) as Vickie Howell Love, but it is much cheaper. I haven’t used Love because it’s so expensive, so I can’t say if it’s really a copy, but I would consider this yarn first because of the nicer price point.

Yarn: Rowan Denim in Memphis

Gauge: 5 st and 7 rows/in on US 4 needles, prewashing

Notes: Denim is a surprisingly nice knitting experience. Of course, with a name like denim I expected it to feel like knitting with a pair of jeans, and it doesn’t exactly. It’s not soft, but it’s not unpleasant to knit either. And I just love this color to death – it’s so vibrant, and the way it’s faded in parts gives the swatch a more interesting look than a plain blue. This swatch has been shrunk, resulting in the promised row shrinkage and an ever so slight width shrinkage (the label says it doesn’t do this, but my swatch did.) I may use size 5s for the actual sweater, I will have to make another swatch! This is for Joy from Nectar.

Yarn: Rowan 4 ply cotton in Aubergine

Gauge: 7 st/in on US 1 (2.25 mm) needles

Notes: Curiously, this time last year I tried to make a 4-ply cotton sweater and utterly failed to get gauge on even the tiniest of needles. Since then I had given up on the idea, but I really want to make Jasmine! It would seem that in the past year I have learned to control the looseness of my purl rows, and now I can achieve gauge only going down 1 needle size (or is it 2? I’m not sure if this is the smaller of the US 1 needles.) At any rate, not bat at all. This yarn feels distinctly different in this dark color than the light green I used before – maybe the darker dye makes the yarn feel smoother?

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton fine in Rue

Gauge: 6.5 st/inch in stockinette on US 2 (2.75 mm) needles

Notes: I’m swatching for the Apres surf hoodie here, but I’m not sure that I like this yarn for that purpose. It works ok, and the gauge is fine, but it feels rather thin and doesn’t have the softness the cashcotton would have. I also think the definition in the lace could be nicer. I’m just worried that the cashcotton might set off my allergies. I could make it in a wool silk blend though, making it a little more of a winter hoodie. I’m not sure, and at any rate I won’t get to this design for awhile, so I can mull over my choices. I think the Cotton fine would make an excellent summer scarf or stole…

I was hoping to start the Printed Silk cardigan now, but my yarn is not here. I’m a bit annoyed with the store I ordered it from… they have had my order for almost a week with no word, and they have yet to respond to my email inquiry either. If it’s backordered I would like to know so that I can order it somewhere else. Ugh… so annoying! In the meantime I can always start another short sleeved project to tide me over… I prefer to knit all my short sleeved sweaters early so that I can wear them all summer. Come autumn I get cold in a hurry, so they have a limited wearing season.

Today is Thursday, which also means the day that I go to the library! Since I was sick all week I read an embarrassing amount, some of it really bad, but I do have 2 books to recommend.

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell, is a sort of humorous travelogue, written as the author travels around visiting artifacts of presidential assassinations. Sounds grim I know, but I really loved this book! The author is a commentator on This American Life, and Marc and I are big NPR junkies (oh yeah, we’re cool!) and that’s why I initially picked this one out. It’s a strange book, and a little hard to explain, but if you like humor or travelogues or both I suggest picking it up!

Girl in a Box by Sujata Massey is one of a series of mysteries starring a half Japanese detective named Rei.  This is the first in the series I have read, but I’m planning on picking up another at the library this afternoon.  Rei goes undercover at a Japanese department store in this one.  There is a mystery, involving laundered money and gangsters, but what kept me interested was the detail about Japanese life, particularly the workings of the department store in question.  I have to admit I have a weakness for mysteries, but there are so many poorly written ones that finding anything decent can be a real trial.  This book was well written, and I really cared about what happened to the main character.

Frogging is such sweet sorrow May 1, 2008

Thank you for the sympathy on my gauge tragedy. I’m in the process of frogging Manon, and it isn’t easy to frog a Norah Gaughan design, let me tell you. I want the yarn for (possibly) Honey from the new Kim Hargreaves book, so it needs to get a nice bath. Last night I sat with Marc and watched a few episodes of “How I met your mother” while I worked on Tuscany. Tuscany is a little frustrating because you are increasing every row, resulting in a scarf with very long rows quickly, but not much length to the shawl. I’m still committed to finishing though – my shawl love shows no signs of diminishing anytime soon! Besides, I think it will be nice to have a shawl that’s long enough to tie easily.

All of the Knitting Daily galleries for summer are up, resulting in me deciding to make the hoodie after all – I can’t help it, it looks cute on every single person in the gallery! I think I will use Cashcotton, as really it isn’t too expensive for my size. I have a complicated relationship with fine gauge knits. One one hand, my fine gauge knits are some of my favorites, because they are so light and easy to wear, and I think they look more polished than chunkier things. One the other hand, I will not be winning any awards for patience any time soon, so it’s hard for me to contemplate anything knit in 4-ply yarn. I have 4 or 5 knits like that in my queue already, so I decided to get started with one.

This is the tuxedo tank from IK Summer 07. Yarn is Berroco Naturlin in Cinnamon. You may recall that I tried to start this one before but had gauge woes. This time my gauge is fine, mostly because I scrapped the crochet cast on. I don’t think it will roll that much, being mostly linen, and if it does I’ll just crochet around the bottom. I hate doing crochet to start anything because it seems to take forever, so I avoid it whenever possible, and in this case it was making the bottom flare a lot more than I wanted.

After adding the Apres Surf hoodie to the queue I realized I now have 3 of Connie’s designs in my list. I have yarn for the diamond lace tank from the spring IK, and it will come up soon in my queue – I’m just waiting for the weather to be a little warmer. I have been on a mission to find yarn for the printed silk cardigan, but so far I have been thwarted. Last night I swatched three different yarns, hoping that one would work. I have a photo, but it’s just sad… none of them were right. I’m about to break down and buy the Pima Silk that a few people on Ravelry used, as all my subs seem to not be working, and I really want to knit this sweater! I have this weird thing where I don’t like to use the same sub as someone else because I don’t want it to seem like I’m copying their sweater, but never mind that now – I give up! I have swatched that diamond pattern at least 10 times, and I can admit defeat. Nothing in my stash will work, I will have to actually buy yarn (oh what tragedy, right?)

Marc has had a cold all week, and I seem to have caught it from him (it was inevitable.) I’m sitting here obsessively eating zinc lozenges (I don’t know if they shorten a cold, but they do seem to keep it out of my throat, which is usually my goal.) Thursday is one of my days off, and usually we eat dinner out somewhere (to avoid the weekend crowds) and go to the library afterwards.

I think this will be the week I try to learn to read and knit at the same time – the tuxedo tank will be adorable I think, but man that’s a lot of small gauge stockinette! I finished two books this week, which is a little under my average – I can usually do three, but I had a hard time with one of them. First I read The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, which I really enjoyed. I love books which are set in an alternate version of our own world – it’s fun to pick out the differences. I also love anything involving time travel, so this was a great book for me! I highly recommend it for classic literature buffs, as it takes place in a world where the complete works of Shakespeare are required in every motel nightstand along with the Gideon bible, and the characters attend a performance of Richard III that brings to mind the Rocky Horror Picture Show . I’m looking forward to reading more of the series.

I also read I’m a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson. I’ve read several of his travel books and really enjoyed them, but I found this book, a collection of essays written for a British audience about returning to America after 20 years abroad, to be a bit of a slog. It takes me forever to read books without an overall plot because I have no motivation to move to the next chapter.  He also came across as a bit more curmudgeonly than in his other books (he is cranky in his other books, but hilariously so) Not recommended, but I would highly recommend A Walk in the Woods by the same author.  It’s the story of his walk on the Appalachian trail, and it’s much better than that description makes it sound.

Reading and knitting, and 7 more things about me! April 19, 2008

I was always shy. When I was growing up I would go to great lengths to avoid having to meet new people, and sometimes even to avoid talking to people I already knew. I’m still an introvert, although I doubt that it’s very obvious to people I meet anymore, and certainly no one I know well believes it. I find social situations exhausting, and I require a fair amount of time to myself to recharge. Knitting fills that time now, but it used to be reading. I was a voracious reader as a kid – the kind who could check 10 books out every week and read them all. Grown up life and other hobbies have cut way down on my amount of reading time, but lately I’ve been trying very hard to get back into things. I’ve probably read more books in the last month than in the whole previous year.

Are you all on Goodreads? Wouldn’t you like to be my friend (I’m Stitchywitch there too.) I really like having a place where I can notate everything new that I read, it appeals to the crazy listmaking part of my brain (seriously, nothing makes me happier than crossing something off a list.)

Since I’m still sick and looking like a chipmunk (although I am feeling a little better, I finally got to sleep at 4 last night) Marc was sweet enough to go to the downtown branch of the library and check these books out for me!  I just love the “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series, I’m sure that reading them will help me to feel better!  Now I just have to master the art of reading and knitting at the same time (those of you who do this, how does it work?  How do you keep your pages open?)

Finally, I was tagged again for the 7 Things meme, and I figure there are always plenty of random things about me, so I’ll make another list (mmm…. lists.)

1.  I was so happy last summer when I finally got to own my dream car… a Volvo.  Yes, you heard that, I always wanted a big boxy Volvo.  Marc already owned one when we met, and when the time came to get a car for me I knew what I wanted – we bought a used S60 and I love that car to death!

2.  My eyesight is really bad, and what makes it especially bad is that my left eye is 2 points worse than my right, making seeing out of a pair of glasses nearly impossible due to distortion (I do see fine with contacts though.)  I envy all the cute eyeglass styles I see now and actually own a pair that are not prescription so that I can fit in… but I feel like a fraud when I wear them!

3. My all time favorite TV sitcom is “The Bob Newhart show.” Not the 80s one, the one from the 70s set in Chicago.  I love their fabulous 70s decor, and I think Bob and his wife act just like Marc and I.  I was so sad when Suzanne Pleshette died recently.

4. Although I really dislike most contemporary christian music (I think it’s usually pretty bad musically) I have a secret love of gospel choirs.  I listen to them all the time in the car!

5. My hair is naturally blonde, although I have been dying it red for most of the past 8 years.  I did have a very brief experience with black hair, after an encounter with a box of black cherry (read: purple) dye.  I tried keeping it natural after that for awhile, but I just felt washed out.  I love being a redhead!

6.  I am not a vegetarian, but I prefer vegetables and will usually choose the vegetarian option.

7.  I cry more easily than anyone I know – I cry when I’m sad and when I’m happy, at books and movies, and when I even hear about someone else being sad.

Wow, that’s still a fun meme.  If you want to do it, consider yourself tagged!

Everyday Crochet: Book Review February 9, 2008

I’ve had several kind people email me to ask me about how Leon is doing, so I thought I would give an update.

He turns out to have crystals in his urine (poor kitty!)  We’ve had to switch him to special food, and he promptly went on a hunger strike for 3 days.  I can’t say I blame him… the name “urinary so” does not exactly seem appetizing.  In fact, the only way he was willing to eat for awhile was if I actually fed him the new food.  But he’s better now, if not exactly happy, and we’ve bought him one of those kitty water fountains to encourage him to drink lots of water.   I’m just glad we got him to the vet before the condition got really serious.  If you have a cat (especially a male) be aware of this condition – I wasn’t, because I’ve always had female cats before.

Thank you to everyone who asked after him – I’m sure he appreciates it when I tell him people are worried!

I was really happy to get my copy of the new IK yesterday afternoon.  I’ve already posted my thoughts on most of the designs, but I do have a few surprising dislikes and likes.  I don’t really care for the cover sweater – I think it’s all that reverse stockinette, plus it is similar to several other sweaters in the issue I like better.  I surprisingly like the Aleita shell, and I’m trying to think up a good yarn substitute.  The hexacomb cardigan is even prettier larger, as is the printed silk cardigan – I must find a sub yarn for that one, I simply love it!  I love the flutter sleeved cardigan as well, although I do have a dilemma… do I go with the smallest size (36) or try to make a smaller one?  I think I will wait to see it modeled in the Knitting Daily galleries (don’t you love those?) so I can see if it will fit me.  It is a pretty forgiving style.

I liked the camisole enough to assign it yarn.  I know the lace panel is impractical, but I love the style, and I won’t wear it without a tank underneath anyway.  All in all it may be one of my favorite Interweave issues ever!

I’m still knitting on my sweaters, and getting nervous about running out of yarn for the lush cardigan – but that’s ok if I do, I can always find something to order from WEBs, right?  For instance, I’ve been amassing  Mission Falls wool for an afghan for awhile.  Here’s what I have so far:

I’m still not sure if I want to do the block a month CAL yet or not… I like the idea, but will I like the finished product?

Today I am wearing my “Not so shrunken” cardigan made of Silky Wool.  Everytime I wear it I get to wondering why I don’t use this yarn more, since I think it’s so lovely to wear.  I now have 3 sweaters worth of the stuff, but I do have plans!  Tangled yoke cardigan, the feather and fan sweater from the new Classic Elite “Make it modern” book, and… something.  Maybe a shawl.

Ok, enough of the pretty, and onto my book review!

Everyday Crochet by Doris Chan

I didn’t really get Doris Chan’s last book, Amazing Crochet Lace, so I approached this one with some trepidation, fearing more giant doilies (I like doilies, but I like them in their proper size.)  This book was a real surprise to me – it’s full of lovely wearable designs, without an exploded doily in sight!  In the forward to the book, Doris Chan explains how the garments are constructed – top down – and talks a bit about how to tailor them to your body type.   She also explains why all the designs in the book use some variation of the shell stitch, something which in my opinion is the limitation of the book.  She comes across as very enthusiastic and encouraging in the introduction, and I was anxious to get along to the designs.

There are (IMO) very few missteps in the book.  Nearly all the designs are tastefully done, made of smooth yarn (not a fun fur in sight!) and are well fitted to the models.  Many of the designs share the same beginning steps, and she then explains how to vary the designs to get different sweaters.  It’s very approachable for the crocheter looking to branch out into wearables for the first time.

The yarns used vary from expensive (Tahki  new tweed) to cheap (Simply soft shadows) but in general probably fall more on the pricey end.  This, for me, is really nice, because it breaks the stereotype that crochet must be made of acrylic yarns.  She even talks about the properties of different types of yarns, and I am intrigued (for instance) by the thought of using a bamboo yarn to crochet – think of the nice drape!

The book is divided into several sections – pullovers, cardigans, vests, jackets, and belts.  All except the last section are excellent.  The pullover section contains 2 nice tanks, variations of one another, and a few pullover sweaters, including one (Jewel) which I have seen a really pretty version of on ravelry.

The cardigans are my favorites, which is unfortunate because it is here that the sizing breaks down.  Most items in the book have a finished small size of around 33″, which is fine, but the cardigans are several inches larger.  I can probably get around this by using a thinner yarn, but it is disappointing.  Fortunately, the ones I like are somewhat versatile in fit.  They all employ either ties or a type of button hook that the book shows you how to make.  I love Mei Mei (the cover sweater above) as well as the two cardigans below.

These sweaters are from the vest section, and are (imo) just lovely, especially the one with the cowl neck (this is the simply soft shadows sweater… how lovely, I would totally wear that!)  I actually have 2 balls of that yarn, in that exact color, although I don’t know that I really want a simply soft tunic.

Was anyone else as big a fan of the Mary Tyler Moore show as I was?  I still love watching it, and I always wished I was a Rhoda, although truthfully I’m probably a Mary.  This may explain why I am so attracted to the vests below:

I don’t say that in a derogatory way… Rhoda would have totally rocked that vest to the right, and she would have been fierce, yes?  I, however, as a Mary… not so much.  I could probably handle the scaled down version to the left.

I’m giving this book a firm recommendation.  The sizing isn’t the greatest at the smaller end, but it isn’t terrible.  Most of the garments are pretty and wearable.  There are a lot of shells, but she varies the treatment enough that it doesn’t get repetitive.  If you’re a crocheter looking for pretty, wearable sweaters, this is worth a purchase.

I’m planning several sweaters, starting with the first cardigan I showed (the one with the ties) out of Valley Yarns Southwick (I really want to try crochet with bamboo!)

Book Review: Rowan 43 February 1, 2008

Thursday and Friday are my days off, and while usually I am anything but an early riser, I found myself awake at eight this morning, happy to sit around with my coffee and knit.  This Friday is for swatching – I am trying out several new yarns for Spring, and I will post about those once the swatches are blocked.  Later on I’m going to walk up to the coffee shop (Marc has the car today) and then walk over to a house we might go to see, in order to decide whether it’s worthwhile (exciting news for yesterday: we are finally dealing with a realtor, and I am so relieved to not be in charge of everything.)  I’ll go to the grocery and buy ingredients to make this chili for dinner – after all, it is snowing a little today (well… in a vague sort of way, it won’t be staying) so we need some good warm food for dinner, and it will taste even better if I have to walk in the cold to get it!   In short… it is an excellent way to spend a day off.

I have worked on some projects…

 

To the left are the gloves I posted in my last entry – they are from Louisa Harding’s Knitting Little Luxuries for all the people who asked!  They are knit flat, but could easily be adapted to be knit in the round.  I did not do the picot cast on, because I really did not like how it was coming out, so I will add on the picot edge at the end, or maybe just do the picot bind off (which is easier) and leave this end plain.  The yarn is Grace, a wool/silk blend that is simply wonderful to work with, although I think these will pill in about 10 second flat.

Wednesday, to my surprise, Rowan Magazine 43 came in the mail.

My overall impression is just… blah.  It’s not a negative review because most of the designs just don’t register that strongly with me.  Bland colors, bland styling, bland designs.  There isn’t much that’s awful (except for the 2 granny square tops… seriously Rowan?  If it’s going to say “Knitting and Crochet” on the top we deserve better.  There is a dress, but I don’t think it looks very well fitted either.)  Most of the designs are just kind of boring to me.  Sizing in general seems a bit larger, with plenty of designs (such as the cover) which are oversized in ways which would not be at all flattering to me.  Not hugely oversized, just… not fitted, in a way that reminds me of the way I dressed through most of the 90s.

I do like the bamboo soft sweater below (1st sweater) but I shudder at the thought of all that stockinette.  I also like the striped sweater, but it’s a bit too expensive for me… it is nice though.
   

Of course, YMMV, as always with these reviews, but I would take a look at this one in person before I bought it.  As for me, my queue is long enough as it is, so I’m not too sad that I won’t be making anything from this yet!

My next post will include swatches!

Book Review: Knitting Little Luxuries January 2, 2008

Knitting Little Luxuries: beautiful accessories to knit by Louisa Harding

I have always loved Louisa Hardings’ designs.  She has a feminine, romantic aesthetic that really appeals to my own personal sense of style.  She also appears to love capelets and little shoulder wraps as much as I do, however impractical they may be.   However, I have never bought one of her books.   Her sizing tends to run very large, resulting in several books in which I would have had to adjust all of the patterns smaller if I wanted to make them.  Since this book is mostly accessories, I knew this would not be a problem, so I asked for this book as a Christmas present.

Knitting Little Luxuries contains roughly 21 patterns, mostly accessories (scarves, hats, mittens, wraps and bags) with two simple little sweaters, once of which is excerpted in this Winter’s Interweave Knits.  Many of the projects are presented in more than one yarn or color combination.   There is a focus on embellishing your knits using embroidery, buttons, and beads.

The photography in the book is lovely, showing many of the designs in a chilly looking beach setting.  Each item has more than one photograph, and you do get a clear idea of what they look like from many angles.  The instructions seem clear, and charts and schematics are included where necessary.  Since this is an accessory book sizing is not so much an issue, but I will note that the two sweaters range from 33″ to 45″.

The book is divided into four sections; eclectic and quirky, textured and modern, pretty and feminine, and traditional and folk.  The last section includes a fair amount of color work, while most of the others use single colors or stripes.  All yarns used are Louisa Hardings’ own line, but each design includes a substitution guide, always a nice touch I think.

I liked several of the patterns enough to purchase the recommended yarns, which I can’t necessarily say about all the books I got for Christmas.  Since the projects are small, this isn’t a large investment, and I am interested in trying out her yarns.  Some of her yarns are more unusual, and since they are often combined it would be a little more difficult to substitute, even with the guide.   I’m planning to make the fingerless gloves below, the angora scarf (a 1 skein project,) and the cardigan sweater.  My only real dislike in the book is the hats – many of them are the sort that have tassels hanging off the top, and I really don’t care for those.

Whether you will like this book or not probably depends on whether you like this sort of feminine aesthetic.   It really appeals to me personally,  and I can see that I will make many of the projects  in the book.  Many of the patterns are fairly basic, but I think most of them are unusual enough to justify a purchase.