Never Enough Stitches

I just picked up the book, "400 Knitting Stitches", by Potter Craft. It was one of the gifts I gave to myself using a Michael's gift card I got for Christmas.

 I've been looking for a stitch dictionary for awhile. They help greatly when you find yourself stuck in pattern design. And just like yarn, you can never own too many.

I love the detailed images of the stitches in this book. On many of the patterns they even show how it looks from the back, giving another dimension to pattern design.

I'm not very fond of the charts used. They are a bit too small for my taste, but I'm able to manage.

I do hope in the new year that I will be able to add a few more of these books to my collection. Already, I have two designs on the needles based on thee stitches found in this book.

Brave New Knits Rocks!

I picked up another gem from the library this week. Brave New Knits by Julie Turjoman. The patterns in this book make you want to go out and buy more yarn, but that is not why i love this book. I love it because of its interviews with many of the  knitwear designers/bloggers that we all know and love.

Interview after interview, I am amazed and inspired by the diverse and often times contradictory backgrounds of each designer that somehow knitting has worked its way into.

Each designer interview includes a pattern from the designer. This gives more depth and meaning to each pattern because after you finish reading about a designer's approach to knitwear and their design philosophy, then you turn the page and see their ideas and concepts in full physical form waiting for you to make.

The overall message in this book is how the internet- and especially Ravelry- has help to make are knitting community a little more 'close-knit' and has been a great platform for new designers and their work.

A great book to read for anyone thinking about becoming a knitwear designer or if you just want to know how a person makes the leap from biochemisrty to sweater designer.

What I'm Reading This Week

My bi-weekly trip to the local library resulted in the find of this wonderful book- "Super Stitches Knitting" by Karen Hemingway.

First of all the author's last name is Hemingway. After reading "The Sun Also Rises", when I was 10, I was convinced that people with the last name Hemingway must be related to Ernest and therefore are cool by association.

So, the point is, that the book was cool before I even opened it. But when I did start to read it, the cool factor increased.

Yes, this is yet another stitch pattern dictionary, but its not set up the way most are.  Instead of endless black and white pages crammed with little window squares showing a portion of the pattern, you get the whole pattern still on the needles! That's right, each pattern is pictured still active on the needles and in nice glossy full color. Karen uses various yarn weights and colors to help bring out each stitch pattern to its fullest.

More then 300 stitch patterns are presented in this book. It's just one of those books that you want to keep going back to when you want a clear idea of how a pattern will look on your needles before you cast on. I may actually cry a little when I have to return the book to the library.

(Hey, Santa Claus, if you're listening, I'm putting in an early request. Please let me get this book for Christmas. If you're still on vacation and don't want to deal with Christmas orders this soon, feel free to pass along my request to the Easter Bunny. He can give it to me in place of the hollow chocolate bunny I usually get. Thanks!)

My Kind of Crazy

I picked up this book at my local library. It was among the books for sale and only cost me $0.75. The author, Cilla Ramnek is textile artist whose name you may already know from the fabrics she has designed for Ikea.

Cilla is a crafter not afraid to cross different disciplines and combine them in creative ways. Her designs are original, daring and always off the grid. In short, she is my kind of crazy.

Her book, "Knitprovisation", is not a pattern book, but an inspiration book. She loosely describes the construction of each garment, but her goal is not to have you copy her work. Her aim is to get you thinking outside the box and give you permission to play. Fearless creativity equals one of a kind kick ass designs.

Jamie Cullum Knits

I have never been shy about my fetish for young british guys. Daniel Radcliff, Robert Pattinson. And my all-time favorite, Jamie Cullum.

How serious is my addiction? I made a group on Ravelry.com dedicated to Jamie love. So, it should come as no surprise that Jamie is my prefered music to listen to when I knit.

The Twentysomething album is great for knitting heirloom garments like baby blankets. The Pursuit is my choice when knitting socks or arm warmers. I have this yarn fantasy of creating some cool knitted garments based on songs by Jamie Cullum andpublishing these garments in a book titled "Jamie Cullum Jazzy Knits". (You know, some people dream about floating in air, others dream about having sex with Donald Trump. I dream about knitting books, so leave me alone!)

Right now, I'm collecting pictures of Jamie in knits to have record of proof  for my obsession. So, if any of you happen to spot Jamie Cullum in anything that looks handknitted, please send the pic or link my way.