Book Report Time and (Non-Knitting) Eye Candy

Since getting back into the knitting groove, I've added a few books to my knitting library. Some of you may be in the market for knitting books, so I'll comment on my new ones here briefly.

Pub. Date: February 1993
Publisher: Reader's Digest
Hardcover, 318pp
ISBN-13: 9780895774675
(There are a couple editions of this book around, so I'm including the details of mine).
Provenance: Purchased

I've had many handy-dandy knitting guides over the years. The Vogue Ultimate Guide to Knitting (first edition) is one I used to turn to frequently. But as my knitting skills grow, I want a book that has more: more methods for cast-ons and bind-offs, more troubleshooting tips, and so forth. This book isn't perfect, but it has 40 (yes, 40) different methods of casting-on, including 2 variations on the Channel Island cast-on. It calls the Guernsey cast-on the knotted cast-on, but that's a minor quibble (maybe that's a UK nomenclature, since Alice Starmore calls it the knotted cast-on in her books too). Along with the explanations are Montse Stanley's personal observations, such as her observation on one cast-on method: why bother? It has illustrations rather than photos (they are very clear). It's not spiral-bound (too bad!), and it doesn't have nearly enough on fixing mistakes (also too bad). If you are looking for patterns, this book isn't for you, though it has enough essentials to start you on designing your own. The 1993 edition can be found for as little as $13 if you hunt around. Recommendation: It's a good book to have in your library, even if you're an advanced knitter.

Next up is Scarves and Shawls: The Best of Knitter's Magazine

Pub. Date: Jan. 1999
Paperback, 106 pages
Publisher: XRX Books
ISBN-13: 978-0964639164
Provenance: Received from paperbackswap.com

I had some of these in separate issues of Knitter's, in fact I made some of the designs already. I thought it would be nice to have everything in one place. Well, the republished patterns are fine and EZ's explanation on making Shetland shawls is superb, but what's up with the new patterns included in the book? They are not complete. As in, the directions for one Faroese shawl shows you a chart, tells you how long to follow the chart, then tells you to finish as per yellow shawl. Only there are no instructions for yellow shawl. Yellow shawl is a snippet of a chart. If you've made a Faroese shawl, maybe you know how to finish. If you haven't, you'll be stumped. If it's in errata pages on line at XRX, I haven't yet checked (and for the record, I deplore sloppy redac editing that forces you to check a website for every pattern or knitting book you buy). Perhaps this is why the book was up for swap. On the positive side, the Eugen Beugler patterns are lovely (I made the Lace Dream shawl; blogged about it here. Those patterns and the Shetland shawl section make the book worth keeping for me. Prices for used copies start at around $12. Recommendation: if I rated on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give this a 3.5.

I'm awaiting delivery of two more books, Evelyn Clark's Knitting Lace Triangles and Wrap Style by Pam Allen and Ann Budd. I'll write another book report on those when they arrive.

Meanwhile, one of my lab assistants just returned from an extended trip visiting family in India. Look what she brought me as a present:

The pearls are from Hyderabad, a center for pearl jewelry in India. I love South Asian jewelry. I have some Pakistani jewelry sets from a former post-doc whose mother is forever sending me gifts. When I have a chance, I'll post photos of those; they are equally exquisite.

In the meanwhile, Milkshake is nearly up to the armhole in the front. With DD#2 back at college, I think I'll appropriate her bed and pin the edges of the completed back. Don't tell!

A Rogue Post and a (Nearly) Reversible Guernsey Hat

Now I have nothing aqainst Gitta Schrade; she does marvelous designs, and DD#1 did say she yearned for a long cabled sweater with a belt, so way back when (April? May?), I started such a thing out of seafoam SheepsWool. And wasn't liking it, it was not a fun knit, easy but not fun. Then DD#1 flipped through the 25th anniversary VK Fall 2007 that just came, and sighed after the lacey hoodie. She is addicted to hoodies. I can't break her of it. Lace is not her thing or style (good, I don't want to knit a cardi from side to side; did one for her when she was young and the cardi was small). She did mention liking the Celtic cables on Rogue though. So I join the ranks of countless knitters who have made the Rogue sweater (get it here). And fortunately, I have amassed a little stash of Rowan Magpie (heh, heh), including 2 shades of green, one of which is sure to please DD#1. Indeed, DD#1 has been deciding on which green (Morning Dew or a blue-green that's not quite teal, nor turquoise) since Sunday. And yes, a pullover style will suit her, so no "cardiganizing." Whew.
Speaking of my small stash of Magpie, scroll down to my destashing post, which I've been updating. I have 20, yes, 20 skeins of Magpie available. 10 are Rose, a lovely color but no one else in the famiglia wants to wear it (OK, I do, but I already made myself something out of Rose Magpie). 10 are a light pearl grey. I would love to trade for Magpie in other colors like Ruby, Moss, Lagoon. E-mail me (button at left) and we can discuss.
Update: DD decided to go with the Morning Dew (it was tough, took her over 3 days to decide!).

As promised,a peek at the Guernsey hat featuring Channel Island cast-on that I modified:

The tree motif is mine, the cable is a 3-st mock cable, and the diagnoals are the familiar motif known as "marriage lines." This is the way I'm knitting it; Guernsey patterns being traditionally on a purl background. But just look at the reverse side: I like it better; certainly the marriage lines show up crisper. Dang! if I hadn't done a cable but stuck to a traditional ribbing pattern, I could finish this hat to the reverse-side out. I like the Channel island cast-on this way too, 'course if someone were to turn the brim up, this side would not show. Remember folks, this cast-on does look a bit different from either side. I recall EZ wrote an article on it for VK, and she said she couldn't decide which way she like it better (I think I recall that, or maybe Meg Swansen wrote it). I agree, both sides are too pretty to ignore. So what do you think? Which side looks better to you? I'd be interested to hear your opinions.

**Sigh** That Skye is definitely the problem child Dog in this household. See what he did? He flipped his dog bed onto Rocky- and is lying down on Rocky (Rocky is busy chewing a Nylabone toy). We have no idea what possessed Skye.....

I'll be offline until Sunday, Saturday being the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur); spent in synagogue in fasting, prayer, and repentance. To everyone fasting, have an easy fast, and for everyone, may you be sealed in the Book of Good Life for the coming year.

Happy New Year & Insight on the Channel Island Cast On

Well, it's officially 5768 on the Jewish calendar. Can't believe Rosh Hashanah came and went, and today I am cooking already part of the pre-fast feast for Friday (split pea and barley soup today, to be followed by pot roast later this week, if the butcher ever gets a silver tip roast in, that is). Between work, back to school for DD#2, and getting ready for the holy days, I feel as if I live in a whirlwind. Not to mention helping DD#2 apply for college (she's applying to my alma mater early decision, ED in the lingo of today). AND - most important- DD#2 is concertmistress (Konzertmeisterin, if you're really picky) of the wind ensemble in high school the most elite music group. Not bad for a kid with perfect pitch and absolute pitch......

Some knitting did get done- check out the hats completed for Ships Project:

From left to right, starting at top: out of Lamb's Pride, a 2-color version of Blueberry Waffle and Smariek's Utopia hat out of some leftover Galway. Next row: red Beaverslide Dry Good wool/mohair in Smariek's Asherton pattern, middle is the debut of my own gansey-patterned hat (used the anchor motif I found in Gladys Thompson's book on jerseys, guernseys, and arans; debating how to publish pattern-stay tuned), and last but not least another shot of Claudia in the round.
I'm doing another guernsey-motif hat, but using my own motif, and a Channel Island (CI) cast-on. This truth came to me yesterday, probably because i was up at 5 am to eat before the minor fast and then take DD#2 to Brooklyn for her ACT exam. Since DH had to work after Sabbath, then came home in time for SNL (and had to watch it), I got only 4 hours of sleep before heading to the Big Apple. I just bought Beth Brown-Reinsel's gansey sock pattern (it's at www.theknitter.com, btw), in which she uses a CI CO. OK, I figured I should a CI CO for my new hat. Which is being made out of Moss Magpie from Rowan, once again I deplore Rowan's decision ever to discontinue this marvelous wool. Now, for CI CO, you make a slip knot to secure (remove it later), then doing a little wand, er, needle waving to make the YO secure, then scoop up the multitude of strands wound 'round your thumb. Remember I am left-handed, and have trouble looking at images and doing the mirror-image (try it sometimes, it's not easy). I really, really was not liking my YO's at all. How to make nicer YO's? Well, why make YO's in the first place? Why not just use the ol' thumb- and do the simple CO instead? Or do the same motion with the index finger (the more orthodox CI CO). So I did both ways, and now the YO's come out right, and the index finger does its dance just like in the descriptions, and the little knots I nudged into places and voila! the Channel Island cast-on. Truly, not for the faint of heart.

On other fronts, one new piece of jewelry was completed:
See the nice Czech button of vintage glass used for the clasp again? I love these buttons, I may make necklaces featuring them in front. The purply beads coming from the weaving really match the rest; they are color-change vintage Lucite beads, with exceptional clarity. you'd swear they are crystal, if you saw them. This color change is seen in a lot of jewelry from the '40's and '50's; Swarovski called the color Alexandrite. It's real unusual in Lucite.

And one collie distinguished himself with some pathos:
See Egmont the bunny lying face=down on DD#1 knapsack? Egmont is the treasured toy of the older collie, Rocky, who treats stuffed toys like puppies - bathes them, asks us to let them out for the bathroom, etc. Skye, however, treats stuffed toys like any other chew toy.
See Skye, the younger collie? He spent the previous day with DD#1 at work (she's a surgery vet tech, or animal nurse). Rocky knows where Skye has been (he has a nose!). We think Rocky put Egmont the bunny in DD#1's knapsack so she'd remember to take Rocky along to work.

Oh the soup! Must run.