No-Bull Book Review: More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

A few years ago, Joelle Hoverson, she of the wonderful NYC yarn shop Purl Soho, brought us the charming Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (STC 2004). This fall, she has written a sequel, called (appropriately enough) More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (Stewart Tabori & Chang 2010; MSRP $27.50; available as of this writing via the link for $18.15). Let's take a No-Bull peek inside...


More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts is, like its predecessor, a hardback book, full of gorgeous color photos by Anna Williams. Like its predecessor, it contains a selection of projects organized by how much time the project takes to knit (approximately, of course). And like its predecessor, you'll find projects that, generally speaking, are approachable rather than complex, the basic made beautiful by being knit in gorgeous natural yarns like Koigu, Spud & Chloe and Jade Sapphire.

Entrelac Baby Blanket

Hoverson begins with a few introductory notes. She sets out what is essentially the mission statement of the book: "[T]here is nothing more satisfying than creating something beautiful and thoughtful without having to labor over it for an extended period of time." She suggests that knitters use yarn choice as a means to personalize the gift for its recipient, briefly discussing color, fiber, texture and embellishment as ways to do so. The last chapter of the book covers ways to wrap your handknit (and other!) gifts -- using a simple premade pouch, opting for a simple box then using strand after strand of leftover yarn, using buttons on gift tags and as part of the wrapping.


In between these sections are the patterns, a total of 30 (not counting variations). First up are "Less-than-two-hour gifts," six projects that are quick to knit and are certainly good choices for less experienced knitters. You'll find a coffee-cup sleeve; a holiday ornament; a pointy elf hat (conveniently sized for the whole family, so that Mom and Dad can wear an elf cap, too); a pyramid-shaped sachet holder; a seed-stich bracelet with button closure; and a linen-stitch bookmark.

Reusable Coffee-Cup Sleeve

Next are the "Two-to-four-hour gifts," again six of them. These items are a teeny bit more complex than those in the prior chapter, but still fall on the basic side: knitted baskets, a small scarf with an opening for one end to pull through, itty-bitty baby socks; a baby bonnet; a chunky lace scarf; ribbed hats sized for every member of the family.

Big Lace Scarf

The "Four-to-six-hour gifts" -- once again, six projects -- may take a bit longer than previous chapters, but are still pretty basic in skill level: fingerless gloves knit sideways, a set of simple coasters, a stuffed toy house with embellishment; mittens with a brioche-stitch cuff; a seat cushion made of I-cord in bulky yarn; a charming baby cardigan.

Easy Baby Cardigan

"Six-to-eight-hour gifts" features a simple beret; a child's vest with duplicate-stitch initial on the front; fingerless gloves shown in a plain and cabled version; a floaty scarf, knit in the round with mohair yarn; a baby blanket knit from the center out, with colorful nesting squares; and a simple roll-neck pullover sized for the whole family and knit in the round.

Very Pretty Lace Scarf

My favorite projects are definitely found in the "More-than-eight-hour gifts" chapter (you guessed it -- six projects total). The yoke-neck cardigan knit in a delicate shade of Koigu is one of those simple-yet-elegant patterns that beautifully matches the subtle color variations of semi-solid Koigu with clean lines and just enough detailing in the yoke without overwhelming the yarn.

Leah's Lovely Cardigan (designed by Leah Mitchell)

(If I ever have time to knit myself something again, this is at the top of the list.) The trio of cowl patterns combine ribbed patterns with elegant cashmere yarn and the men's zip-up vest is classic enough for a man's taste (although it would look great on women, too). The first pattern in the chapter, an entrelac baby blanket featuring bright colors of Lobster Pot bulky yarn, cheerfully reminds me of geometric quilt motifs. The chapter is rounded out by ribbed toe-up socks and another colorful blanket (this one much larger than baby-sized), knit with vivid stripes in the middle.

Bright Stripes Blanket

For those of you who like statistics, of the 30 patterns, I counted approximately 8 home items; three kid's items; five baby items; one men's garment; three items sized for the whole family; and the remainder (approximately ten items) for women. Of the women's items, the breakdown looks like this:

• one sweater (the Koigu cardigan)
• three scarf patterns and the cowl (three variations of it)
• two fingerless gloves (one with 2 variations) & one pair of mittens
• one bracelet
• one beret.

Leah's Lovely Cardigan

The family items include roll-neck sweater, ribbed caps and socks, and possibly the men's zipped vest if you want to wear it as a unisex piece. Kids will make do with the elf hat and pullover vest, while babies can be clad in a bonnet, socks, cardigan or tucked under one of the two blankets.

Sideways Fingerless Gloves

As usual, the book is beautifully produced, with clear and elegant photography by Anna Williams and all the amenities we usually find in a STC book: schematics where necessary, charts where necessary, close-up photos of some of the embellishments & design details; photos that show off stitch patterns as well as give the overall look of an item; a section with how-tos for skills like duplicate stitch.

If I had any quibble with the book, it might be that the projects seem a little too basic but it's hard to tell if that is predominantly a function of me being obsessed by immersed in the knitting world rather than a more casual stitcher. It sounds like Hoverson's target audience for the book includes newer knitters, as well as knitters looking for less-stressful projects that can be completely quickly and with a minimum of agita. In that regard, the projects succeed admirably, and are no more difficult than they have to be.

Huggable House

In sum, then, we've got another good-looking book from our friends at STC, filled with gorgeously-photographed, do-able patterns just in time for you to whip out a few for holiday gifts. These patterns beg to be knit in some of the gorgeous yarns in your stash, so bring on the cashmeres, the handpaints, the uber-soft cottons and the exotic alpacas. After all, there are only 70-some days until Christmas!

Happy National Coming Out Day

Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood.

--Coretta Scott King

To all my GLBT friends and readers, Happy National Coming Out Day. I honor your courage in living an open and honest life. I cherish your friendship and can't imagine my life without you in it.

What he said.

A post from Franklin that made me cry, first with rage and sorrow that people treated him like that, then with joy and gratitude that he survived and is my friend.

Franklinapalooza 2010!!!

Yes, the Very Special Guest who will be visiting us in Philadelphia in November is the inimitable Franklin Habit. Author (of It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons), cartoonist, designer, raconteur and all-around bon vivant, Franklin Habit, will be joining me for a very special weekend at Loop in Philadelphia.





There will be classes:

• I'll be teaching "Yarn Substitution Made Simple" on Sunday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Franklin will be teaching "Introduction to the History, Methods and Styles of Laceknitting" on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Franklin will be teaching "Lace Edgings" on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• and Franklin will be teaching "Photographing Your Fiber" on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m.

All of the specifics are on Loop's blog here.

Franklin and I will be at the shop Saturday afternoon and please feel free to bring your books for us to sign or you can purchase copies at Loop. There will be oodles of BBF yarn and patterns and sample garments, too. So please stop by and hang out with us!

Rumors that Dolores will be on-hand to jump out of a cake made by the Cake Boss are, as yet, unconfirmed.

No-Bull Book Review: Entree to Entrelac, by Gwen Bortner

I will begin this book review with a disclaimer: I am not an expert in entrelac, nor do I play one on teevee. That means that I'm approaching this book review at a slight disadvantage, since today's book review focuses on a book devoted to entrelac. However, I'll do my best to give you an overview of Entree to Entrelac: The Definitive Guide from a Biased Knitter by Gwen Bortner (XRX Inc. 2010), one of two new books devoted to the topic (Rosemary Drysdale's Entrelac: The Essential Guide to Interlace Knitting, is scheduled for an early November release). XRX was kind enough to supply me with a review copy of this book, which is hot off the presses, and has a MSRP of $19.99 (available for $13.57 as of this writing through the link above).


Author Gwen Bortner describes herself as someone initially hired by her LYS to help customers with math-related knitting questions -- until she became fascinated by the entrelac technique and immersed herself into learning everything she could about it. "Entrelac," as Bortner explains, is a French word meaning "interlaced," and is used to describe a knitting technique in which a piece is worked "in small sections that are joined as they are worked." Entrelac knitting has a distinctive appearance resembling basketweaving with blocks or diamonds that run in diagonal lines.

Cables & Lace Throw

Bortner has set out to help the complete novice learn the skills needed to create entrelac. The book -- a paperback, about 160 pages--begins with introductory material intended to help with the conceptual background needed before tackling this new method of knitting. One of the skills that Bortner explains is knitting backward: working a row as usual, from right to left, but then instead of turning the work and purling (or knitting) back with the wrong-side facing, knitting the row backward by moving stitches from the left-hand needle to the right. Since entrelac involves a lot of knitting in small sections, knitting backward rather than turning the work make the process, according to Bortner, more efficient.

Argyle Bolero

The remainder of the book builds from there, using a kind of workshop approach. Each chapter starts by explaining certain technical skills, then gives the knitter patterns that use and build on these skills. The idea is that even if you've never done entrelac before, you can study the material at the beginning of the chapter, then use the projects to practice and master the skills. I will tell you straight out that I have not had time to sit down with the book and try out any of the instructions or patterns; if you're really interested in delving into entrelac, it makes sense to take a look at the book yourself to see if the book is a good fit with your own individual learning style.

Joined Points Hat

What specific topics are covered in the book? Well, the first chapter gives entrelac basics, including basic shapes -- entrelac uses rectangles and triangles knit in different directions as building blocks. Several stitch patterns are also introduced, with diagrams and photos to help you parse out the technique. (Note that the diagrams explaining how to create the stitch patterns go from the bottom to the top, rather than top to bottom, tracking the direction of the knitting.) Scarves and other small items are given for the first projects, then difficulty and size increases a bit with some sweater patterns.

The second chapter is devoted to "Simple Shapes and Zigzag Seams," in which Bortner explores the design possibilities presented by the natural zigzagging lines of entrelac. She explores how changing the size of the units or stitches in each tier or row of shapes can create shaping while preserving the inherent basketweave lines of the entrelac, and pairs entrelac patterns with other stitches (like ripple stitches).

The third chapter looks at "Intriguing Construction" -- using provisional cast-ons, how to join multiple layers of fabric, using the structure of the entrelac to create gussets and other shapes. "Color, Texture and Other Creative Units" are the topic of the fourth chapter. Bortner explores ways to add color (self-striping yarns, adding stripes with a contrast color to entrelac units, switching colors from unit to unit); uses mosaic and other stitch patterns to add texture (and in some places, texture and color); and incorporates lace stitches and cables for a slightly different look. Finally, Bortner addresses design issues relating to entrelac in the last chapter.

If you're keeping track, you'll find a total of approximately 35 projects in the book, roughly broken down into 12-13 women's items, 1 men's sweater, 1 unisex vest, 4 children's items, 6-7 items sized for the whole family, and 12-13 small accessory or home items. (Since several of the patterns have variations, coming up with an exact count is tough.) Sizing runs the gamut from adult women's size small (approximately 32-inch finished chest) through 2x and sometimes 3x, with chest circumferences in the 52-56-inch range. The items sized for the whole family would fit an average elementary-age child through a men's size/women's 2X or 3X size. Given the way entrelac works, sometimes sizing is done by changing the needle size and/or the thickness of the yarn. I liked that the sweater patterns contained a description of how they were intended to fit: standard fit, close-fitting or loose-fitting, which is helpful when deciding what size to make.

Market Scarf

As for the individual items, I counted the following:

• two scarves (one contains a stockinette stitch and a garter stitch variation; one is also shown in a large throw version);
• one unisex vest sized for the family;
  
• one unisex yoke sweater sized for the family;
  
• one sweater for men shown in button-front long-sleeve cardigan and v-neck vest form;
  
• two hats (both sized for the whole family);
  
• one pair of slippers and one pair of mittens (both sized for the whole family);
• six bags of various shapes and sizes -- a messenger bag, drawstring, a felted purse, a clutch, a small bag with attached wooden handle, and a small backpack;
• approximately ten or so women's sweaters (short-sleeved cropped bolero; two sleeveless tops; one long-sleeved trapeze shaped jacket; one short-sleeve tunic; one long-sleeved jacket; one crew-neck shown in short-, 3/4-length and long-sleeve versions; one short-sleeve sweater with matching skirt; one long-sleeved cardigan);
• one child's hooded sweater,
• one baby bunting, one baby blanket (with matching stuffed block) and one baby sweater;
• and a mishmash of small projects -- business card case, cell phone case, eyeglasses case, felted "cups," coffee-cup sleeve -- that allow the knitter to try a new technique without a big investment of time or yarn.

Envelope Clutch

As I often say, you'll have to take a look at the patterns yourself to decide if you like them enough to want to make them, although this book is certainly intended to be as much an entrelac resource as it is simply a selection of patterns. Patterns come with schematics and most have multiple drawings and diagrams to assist with construction; there are also columns containing the individual units or "modules" that the pattern uses.

Arlis' Sweater

If you're looking at the patterns without having done entrelac, keep in mind the many challenges that entrelac presents the designer with. The fabric has a tendency to bias; it tends to be stretchier than regular knitted fabric; it features a very distinctive textured look; the surface of the fabric isn't completely flat and won't drape the same way other knitted fabric can, given its structure; and it can be harder to accurately measure gauge. Bortner does address many of these issues throughout the book, particularly in the last section which focuses on design. But the challenges presented by the technique, and the way entrelac fabric behaves, may affect your opinion somewhat of the finished designs. (For example, if you don't like basketweave-style patterning or checkerboard motifs, you may not be that enthused about a book full of basketweave-y patterns.)

In sum, then, you'll find comprehensive technical background and a generous selection of projects intended to help the new entrelac-er to master the intricacies of this unique style of knitting. Bortner's love of entrelac shines through on every page, and her enthusiasm is bound to entice many more knitters into giving entrelac a try.

All photos copyright 2010 by XRX, Inc. & taken by Alexis Xenakis

September Book Report

And another month flies by. Here's what I read:

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann, was an interesting look at a British explorer named Percy Fawcett who made extensive trips mapping the Amazon of South America. Fawcett was a colorful character, and at the age of 57 -- a bit old for the physical hardships of trekking into the jungle in 1925 -- he began what would be his last expedition: a search for a lost city of gold that he was convinced lay hidden in the rainforest. Fawcett sent bulletins updating his family (and the public) on his progress, but then one day, the bulletins stopped coming. Fawcett was such a larger-than-life figure and had survived many dangerous treks before, so it was some time before his family and friends began to truly worry. He was never seen again, and exactly what happened to him remained a mystery.

Fawcett's disappearance led many subsequent explorers to attempt to follow his trail and either "rescue" him or discover exactly what happened to his expedition. None were successful, and over time, many others disappeared too. "The Lost City of X" is the attempt by the author, a New Yorker writer, to follow in Fawcett's footsteps and conclusively answer the questions surrounding Fawcett's disappearance.

I enjoyed reading this book, not the least because I knew nothing about Fawcett, and am completely ignorant about trekking through the Amazon. Grann alternates in the book between telling Fawcett's story and telling of Grann's own journey in Fawcett's footsteps. An interesting read, especially if you are interested in explorers, the Amazon, or man-against-nature struggles in general.

A few weeks ago, my oldest kid was looking for some new books to read. He was flying through the Lemony Snicket series and wanted some other books to intersperse with the various books in the Snicket series. He'd read many of the books I remembered loving as a kid, although some of them were less appealing to him since they featured girl protagonists ("Anne of Green Gables"?). So I started looking around for more recent preteen and young adult books that he might like. One of the books that kept coming up again and again was Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I love reading and rereading children's books and had never read any of this series, so I decided to give it a go. "Inkheart" tells the story of a book repairer who is able to read books to life. By reading a book aloud, a character in the book may appear in the real world, or an inanimate object from the story may appear. The book repairer and his daughter embark on a series of adventurers when a villain from a book who has been released into the world seeks out the book repairer, wanting him to call forth riches and other powerful things by reading them out of books. I really enjoyed the book, and am giving it to my kid for his to-read list; in the meantime, I'll probably tackle the sequel (Inkspell) at some point soon.

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd. Regular readers know that I've read pretty much every book in Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge series of mystery novels, set in post-WWI England. Todd has begun a second series featuring a woman detective named Bess Crawford. I scored a free review copy of this book from Amazon Vine, and very much enjoyed this police procedural. Bess Crawford is a nurse on the front lines of France in WWI; while on leave, she sees a woman involved in an emotional scene at a train station. A week later, she sees the woman's photo in the newspaper; the woman has been murdered. It turns out that Bess has a more personal connection to the victim; Bess nursed the victim's husband on the battlefield, where he clutched a photo of his wife while in hospital. A quick read and although maybe not quite as intense as the Rutledge series, it was nice to enjoy a somewhat less angst-y read (although given the WWI setting, it isn't exactly Carnivale).

Charmed by "The Graveyard Book," I decided to read another Neil Gaiman book, and chose Neverwhere. This is a fascinating read, full of colorful characters with a real breadth of imagination. Gaiman creates a parallel world that exists in the underground of London -- the underground meaning "under the ground," in tunnels and sewers, but also in the London Underground as in the subway. Once again, I heartily enjoyed the book. Gaiman has amazing creativity in creating this underground world; I loved the numerous puns he created from various Tube station names, as well as his very direct and engaging style of writing.

Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout, won the Pultizer Prize for fiction, and I know Ms. Bridget Clancy enjoyed reading it a while back. This is another book that bridges the novel form with short stories, but it does so beautifully. Each story focuses on a different period of time, in which the main character, Olive Kitteridge, appears, either as a main character or occasionally as a minor character. Either way, we see a new side of Olive and learn more about what makes her tick. At the beginning of the book, I wasn't sure I liked Olive very much, but the book was so well-written that it kept drawing me back to read another chapter. By the end, I'd found that Olive had grown on me. Definitely worth checking out.

My kid's language arts class began their fall reading with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Oddly, I'd never read the book, so I decided to give it a go and read it along with my kid's class. I dutifully read the first few chapters in tandem with him, but got quickly sucked into the story and ended up finishing the rest of it all in one night. The book is about a group of "greasers" in the 1960s who are picked on by the "socs" (the preppy rich kids), but it really touches on a lot of things -- adolescent yearning, family ties, bullying, social class, appearances vs. substance, what is heroism, the essential unfairness of life -- and I was shocked to learn that the author was only around sixteen years old when she wrote it. While the slang and certain aspects of the book feel a little dated (had to explain to my kid what a drive-in movie was!), the book still manages to have a lot to say.

An Advancement of Learning by Reginald Hill, is the second Dalziel and Pascoe mystery in the venerable British police procedural series. Again, I liked the book but didn't love it; I suspect the series will continue to grow on me and since it's so well-regarded, I'm going to continue on as soon as I can find No. 3. This particular murder mystery takes place at a college in England. When a statue is dug up to be moved as part of a construction project, the old corpse of a former headmistress is discovered underneath it. The book was written in the early 70s and does feel a bit dated with its look at the 70s counterculture.

So that's what I read this month; you know the drill: tell me what you thought of these books, or recommend some to me, or tell me what you've been reading lately.

Save the date

This time I really mean it: block out the weekend of November 13-14, 2010, for a special BBF extravaganza at Loop in Philadelphia. There will be lots of BBF yarn, all my BBF patterns with lots of samples to look at, kits, all the beautiful stuff you normally can find at Loop, a class taught by moi -- and as if that weren't enough, A Very Special Guest.

More details coming soon...

Oh dear. More fabulous yarn for me to covet.

You've probably heard already, but just in case you knit under a rock, Brooklyn Tweed (a.k.a. Jared Flood) has just released his own yarn line, with a beautiful tweed offering called Shelter. You can go right to his website for all the details, or if you live in Philadelphia, you can go to Loop to see the yarn in person (and, I have no doubt, leave with a big bag full). The colors are luscious, no? What a wonderful way to start the month of October.

Josephine Socks

Now available for download: the Josephine Sock pattern.



Knit in BBF CashSoft sock yarn, they would work just as well in any of the fingering-weight BBF yarns (like Superwash Merino Classic, Tight Twist, Plump, Bamberino and so on).



They feature a lace panel set off by vertical lines of textured stitches. To get the maximum impact from the pattern, best to pick a muted multicolor or semi-solid handpaint, or a solid yarn (plenty of which are in stock at the BBF store!).



The model was an absolute joy to work with; I won't identify her unless she wants to "out" herself in the comments. But allow me to say that the camera LOVED her. All the way from her pretty face (which alas you cannot see here) to her beautiful toes.

You can purchase the pattern from my Ravelry shop or via Patternfish; hard copies available soon at the BBF on-line shop.

Don't forget

Tomorrow from 12 to 3 p.m., author Julie Turjoman will be at Loop in Philadelphia, along with a trunk show of items from Brave New Knits, her recent book. I'll be stopping by -- I am very eager to see some of those lovely patterns in real life. And I'll be bringing a restock of Black Bunny yarns, including some of the new base yarn that debuted today, called Plump:

Harlequin

Bewitched (L) & Cornucopia (R)

Costume Party

After Midnight

It's up on the website right now!

The road not taken (with apologies to Robert Frost)

I had occasion yesterday to be in the company of a number of lawyers. Some were people with whom I used to work, back in the days when I was an associate at a large law firm. Others were friends who are still practicing law. The event was (at risk of sounding melodramatic) thrilling: a good friend, someone who I first worked with way back in the (gulp) late 1980s, was sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the top federal prosecutor for this part of the state.

As I looked around the room, I felt out of place. I had dressed up, and although it felt funny to be wearing a dress, I certainly didn't look out of place. But it felt very odd to be in a courthouse again. It felt very odd to be in a roomful of lawyers again. And it felt very odd to see people who once loomed so large in my daily life now fumbling because they couldn't remember my name.

I had wanted to be a lawyer all through college, and although I didn't particularly love law school, I knew that being in law school was an experience that wasn't anything at like practicing law was. I liked my summer jobs -- some at law firms, some at government agencies -- just fine, and I could do them well. After graduation, I deferred the decision about what to do next by taking a one-year clerkship with a federal judge. At the time, my co-clerk and I would frequently talk about how great being a law clerk was, and what a shame it only lasted a year. And then that year was nearly over, and I had to decide what to do next.

What I really wanted to do was be a federal prosecutor. But it's hard to get those jobs; they're very competitive, especially in a large northeastern city like Philadelphia, and there was no way they'd hire someone who didn't have at least a few years' experience in the legal world. So I accepted the offer I had from the large law firm where I'd worked summers. It was a logical choice: the salary offered me a chance to pay down my student loans while getting some training and experience.

Things didn't work out exactly like that. In the end, two years of big firm practice (read: stress, accounting for every quarter-hour of my time, long hours, little job satisfaction) was enough for me, and I switched to a small law firm with a similar type of legal practice but vastly improved hours and a reduced paycheck. Along the way I got married and then before I knew it, I ended up at home with my kids and stumbling into a second career in the knitting world.

I'll admit it: for just a second yesterday, I felt kind of wistful. I looked around at the suits, at the judges sitting on their dais, at the enthusiastic face of my friend being sworn in to, as he puts it, "fight the good fight." For that second I wondered what if. What if I'd continued to be a lawyer.... what if I'd become a criminal prosecutor instead of a civil litigator ... what if I'd ended up as a judge someday... what if I'd ended up committed to fighting the good fight...

The ceremony was over pretty quickly and we mingled for a bit at a reception. I caught up with some of my ex-colleagues and my lawyer friends, and then we were on our way. On the way home, I had to stop at Loop to pick something up (hey --I really did "have to" stop there; quit snickering!) and I had a chance to check out some of the new yarns, and be around fiber people once more.

I remembered how it felt being one of a dozen people working on a big case for a big company, spending years slogging away on paperwork, getting a trial date set, and then the case settling. I thought about the stress of practicing law when the stakes are high (whether due to the dollar amount involved or the fact that someone's life or liberty was at stake) and the way it used to churn up my guts. I remembered how out-of-place I always felt around gaggles of lawyers; how I wasn't really interested in the things they were (sports; the Wall St. Journal; legal cases; sports) and how hard it could be to make small talk with them, to find a connection.

And then I thought about the smell of lanolin, about the little thrill I get when I pick up a beautiful skein of yarn. I remembered the pride I feel when dyeing yarn and the colors mesh perfectly. I thought about how wonderful it feels when one of my customers takes a skein of yarn I've dyed or a pattern I've written and turns into a beautiful scarf or shawl or pair of socks. I thought about the luxury of being captain of my own ship, of making my own decisions about where I want this little business of mine to go. I thought about the pride I feel when I see my name on the page of an article in Vogue Knitting or the spine of a book. I think about the creativity, how it energizes me, how I feel like I'll never get to try all the things I want to try, knit with all the yarns I want to knit with, turn all the ideas in my head into real garments that are made and worn by real people. I think of the way I feel when I'm at TNNA or a fiber festival or even in a yarn shop: that feeling of belonging, of being around my people. And not least of all, I thought about the luxury of meeting my kids at the bus stop each day, of never having to worry about who'll look after them if they're too sick to go to school, about each story book I read to them and each batch of cookies we baked and each nasty-ass diaper I changed. I wouldn't trade any of it in for a navy-blue suit and matching briefcase. Not one day of it. Every speck of wistfulness was gone.

Maybe my former colleagues don't recognize me when I'm wearing a hand-knit scarf instead of a pantsuit. So what if their eyes glaze over as soon as they hear that I'm no longer practicing law, or if they look around the room for someone "more interesting" to talk to when I say I write knitting patterns for a living and we don't travel very much. Maybe they even say behind my back, as I have been told they do, "what a waste that Carol doesn't practice law anymore."

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Yes, that has made all the difference in the world.

Brave New Knits trunk show & signing

It has just come to my attention that Julie Turjoman, author of Brave New Knits: 26 Projects and Personalities from the Knitting Blogosphere -- see my recent book review here -- will be in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 25th, from 12 to 3 p.m. at Loop. I'm going to do my best to stop by and if you're interested in seeing some of the lovely sample knits -- and pick up an autographed copy of the book -- I suggest you do the same. . .

Please tell me

that this new ad campaign does not feature two characters that consist of solidified cat urine.

No-Bull Book Review: Brave New Knits, by Julie Turjoman

I have to admit I've been kicking myself ever since I got a review copy of Brave New Knits: 26 Projects and Personalities from the Knitting Blogosphere by Julie Turjoman. I was caught up in something when the call for submissions came due and didn't submit anything. But lucky for us, 26 bloggers and designers did. It's hot off the presses, so let's take an in-depth, No-Bull look at Brave New Knits.


Brave New Knits (Rodale 2010; available as of this writing for $15.63 via the link above), is, in a nutshell, about knitting blogs. A devoted blog-reader and visitor to sites like Ravelry, author Julie Turjoman has collected 26 projects from participants in the on-line knitting world, along with profiles of their creators. You'll recognize many of the most famous names -- Stefanie Japel of Glampyre Knits, Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic, Clara Parkes, of Knitter's Review, to name a few -- but you may also find one or two bloggers that you've missed or haven't visited in a while. If you are fascinated with the world of knitting blogs, you'll enjoy reading the profiles describing how these bloggers got started, their knitting background, what they hope to achieve by blogging, and background about their designs.

Sockstravaganza, by Kirsten Kapur

In addition to presenting profiles of her subjects, Turjoman asked each of them to design a project. It's fascinating to see this collection of items, ranging from the small accessory (knitted pins) to full-size sweaters, with a range of styles and techniques presented. (More on the projects in a minute.)

Krookus Cardigan by Mari Muinonen

As for structure, the book begins with a forward by Ravelry's own Jess, followed by an introduction by Turjoman, where she describes how she got hooked on Knitting Blog-land, and why she chose to write this book:

Clearly, blogging has changed knitting, yet knitting has influenced its little corner of the blogosphere in equally potent ways. The knitting community is one of the most fortunate subcultures to benefit from the rise of social networking sites on the Internet. I wondered why no one had assembled the staggering talents of this group in book form. It struck me that the most successful designer-bloggers have compelling personal stories, and that the larger knitting community would love to learn more about them.

The remainder of the book is divided into two sections, the first containing sweaters and other full-size garments, the second devoted to accessories. In the first section, you'll find thirteen profiles and designs, ranging from this lovely cabled sweater-jacket

Jennifer Hagan's Global Knit Coat

to Stefanie Japel's short-sleeved wave-cable pullover.

(It Comes In) Waves Pullover, by Stefanie Japel

All but one of the garments are designed for adult women (there is one child's tunic), and I counted a grand total of 3 short-sleeved pullovers,1 full-length sweater-jacket, 1 vest, 3 short-sleeved cardigans, 1 3/4-length sleeved cardigan, a camisole with ruffles, one long-sleeved jacket-cardigan, and a shrug, in addition to the child's tunic. Interestingly, all but one of the sweaters are knit in the round (at least partially), with only one knit in pieces.

Seaweed Vest, by Angela Hahn

The accessories section contains 13 patterns and profiles, and among my personal favorites are Jared Flood's lace-edged scarf

Jared Flood's Woodsmoke Scarf

the lovely socks with fair isle panel shown on the cover, Wooly Wormhead's cable panel cap,

Lenina Cap, by Woolly Wormhead

and Sean Riley's swirling Helix socks:

Sean Riley's Helix Socks

The breakdown of accessories is as follows: a tam and mitts set, three pairs of socks,

Chutes & Ladders Socks by Chrissy Gardiner

three scarves/neckgear, two hats, one pair of gloves, a blanket, a pin and a shawlette. Most of the accessory projects are likewise designed with women in mind, although a few could be more unisex in nature, depending on taste and the yarn/color used.

Hydrangea Neckwarmer by Anne Hanson

The book is a whopping 240-plus pages, and the vast majority of it is devoted to the profiles and patterns. (There are a few pages in the back with the typical information -- contact information for the designers, abbreviations, explanations of special techniques, and so on.) It's worth mentioning that photography was done by the talented Brooklyn Tweed, Jared Flood. The book is nicely designed, and includes schematics and charts (all black and white except for the sock chart, which is color). It's a paperback, with fold-in book covers, and the size is just right for popping into your knitting bag.

So Brave New Knits gets two thumbs up, one for fans of the knitting blogosphere and one for fans of lovely knitting patterns. Just promise me, Julie, that if there's a sequel, you'll send me another call for submissions, 'kay?

Photographs copyright 2010 by Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed.

A new year starts

For me, the new year doesn't start in January; it begins on the first day of school. In these parts, that's usually right around Labor Day. Even through the years when I was working and not following an academic calendar, the real start of the year felt like September, and now that I've got kids in school, that feeling is stronger than ever.

This particular summer seemed long and hot-- lots of sun, too many above-90-degree days and little rain. For the first time in a while, my kids did not have any formal activities during the summer -- no day camps, no sports camps, no mornings at the local art center. I'd love to suggest that this was a high-minded philosophical decision about the value of free time for children, but really, it was just because we needed to save money and that seemed like an obvious way to do it. I think the kids did really enjoy having lots of unstructured time. We did do various things over the summer -- several sleepovers at my mom's, movies, fruit-picking, swimming -- but the kids seemed to revel in being aimless.




Now they are back at school and we're trying to ease into our routine. You'll be pleased to know that a certain someone is very happy that there is some peace and quiet during the days:

August Book Report

This past month, assisted by a week of vacation, I tackled three books that have been recommended to me numerous times, which left me feeling somewhat virtuous.

First up was The Glass Castle, the bestselling memoir by Jeanette Walls. This was a difficult book for me to read. Walls describes a childhood in which individualism and eccentricity cross over into abuse, neglect and chaos. Rex Walls' alcoholism and eccentricity caused him to lose job after job. Rose Mary Walls fancied herself an artist and although she was certified to teach, refused to do so most of the time -- even when her children were starving and clad in rags -- simply because she didn't want to. The Walls siblings were used to moving in the middle of the night, piling into whatever wreck of a car they had so Mom and Dad could avoid bill collectors, or a bench warrant.

You can already sense my frustration. There are heart-wrenching scenes: kids eating margarine because it's the only thing for dinner and they're starving; a mother who doesn't comfort or stand up for her daughter when a relative tries to sexually abuse her; a father who steals the money his teenage daughters bust their butts earning so he can buy booze; a little girl whose mother resists getting her eyeglasses because that would be mollycoddling weak eyes that should be working harder (the scene where Lori Walls gets her first pair of glasses, and walks around struck by the beauty of the objects she can now see made me want to cry).

But what frustrated me so much about these awful scenes were the needlessness of them all. Rex Walls needed to go to AA and dry out, but if he didn't, Rose Mary Walls was able to teach school and could have supported her children adequately, if not luxuriously, on a teacher's salary if she'd kept working. She had assets she could have sold to provide for her kids -- land in Texas, valuable jewelry -- but refused to for no good reason. The selfishness, the lack of maturity, the refusal to put one's own needs second behind that of one's little children, it all just infuriated me. I had to pick up and put this book down, since reading it in large portions was just too upsetting.

I can't say I enjoyed the book. Walls' childhood was fascinating in that it was so far removed from what most people experience, and I was left with tremendous admiration for her ability to stay focused on getting away from her family and creating her own life. I also admired Walls' generosity of spirit in that she writes her memoir in a matter-of-fact tone, without any whining or self-pity, no small feat given what she experienced. I can't decide if Walls just came to expect so little from her parents that they no longer had the ability to disappoint her, or if she consciously chose to trim her anger and other negative feelings from the book and deal with them privately.

After such a bleak story, I turned to some escapism. First up was The Bee's Kiss by Barbara Cleverly, another Joe Sandilands mystery set in 1920s London. Lots of nightclubs and flappers and British nobles and stiff martinis as Joe Sandilands -- back from India -- solves the murder of a pillar of society who is found dead in her hotel suite.

Bad Boy by Peter Robinson, is the latest entry in his Inspector Banks series of mysteries set in Yorkshire. In this installment, Inspector Banks is away on vacation when the action starts, and his able sidekick Annie Cabot gets to take over. While the case lacked some of the mystery and complexity of past Banks novels, it was still an enjoyable read if you like the characters. This was an Amazon Vine pick that I scored for free.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffennegger was the second book that was recommended to me. It's the story of Henry, a man who travels back and forth in time to different parts of his life. During each episode of time travel, the current Henry meets the Henry of whatever time he's traveled to. Much of the book revolves around Henry's love for his wife Clare. It took me a little while to get drawn into the story; the beginning is a bit jarring and the frequent chronological shifts were hard for me to get used to. Overall,I enjoyed the book more than I expected to, although it was a bit melodramatic and breathless at times. Several of the plot elements were a bit too clever by half, particularly Henry's death and several scenes involving his daughter. I probably would have liked the book more if I'd seen fewer gushing reviews of it. I wasn't terribly impressed with the quality of the writing: the strength of the book lies more in the originality of the plot rather than the skill of the writer.

Dark Mirror by Barry Maitland was another Kolla and Brock mystery set in London. Another enjoyable read for fans of that series.

Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker was a book I happened upon and ended up enjoying a lot. The main character is the "chief" (only) police officer of a small rural French community. The village's first murder case is politically charged and complex. Part of the charm of the book was the backdrop of French country life and the unconventional hero Bruno. I will look for the sequel which came out this summer.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. The last book that has been recommended to me; I resisted because I am a bit leery of a lot of fantasy fiction -- so much of it seems like a bad Star Trek episode. This book appeared on Elvis's summer reading list as a possible choice, and after he enjoyed it, I decided to give it a go. I was knocked out by how much I enjoyed it. The story sounds odd -- an orphaned toddler is "adopted" by the residents of a graveyard -- but Gaiman's imagination and skill made this enjoyable and exciting reading. There is a certain timelessness to this book that I think will make it a classic. I might even pick up one of Gaiman's other novels....

Tell me what you're reading in the comments, or share some recommendations with me! I try to respond in the comments when people ask whether I've read something, and I do really enjoy hearing your suggestions.