Tuesday's Temptation

Hey all!  Sorry I missed last week, but I have a wonderful book for you this week.  It just arrived in my mail box and I am already enamored with it. I am sure that you will be too.

Cowl Girls: The Neck's Big Thing to Knit contains 41 designs and I want to make 40 of them!  Cowls, gaiters, balaclavas, and more grace the pages of this incredible text.  Also you will find tips on how to convert from B&F knitting (back and forth) to ITR knitting (in the round) in case you have a favorite stitch pattern that you would like to incorporate into a cowl.

I must admit that I am partial to cowls and gaiters.  I much prefer them over scarves.  Scarves dangle in my way, get caught on things or have to be repositioned over and over.  My cowls and gaiters stay right were I put them and provide amazing warmth which is very important during a Maine winter.  Equally important is that they are small to mid size projects that work up quickly, so if you need a last minute gift that will really be appreciated, think COWL.  

With all this going for it, I imagine you have already clicked the Amazon link to get a copy for yourself.  Enjoy!

Spiral Bead Crochet

I recently received a wonderful new book in the mail, Tapestry Bead Crochet by Ann Benson.  It is full of incredibly lovely projects and I chose what I perceived to be the most simple to do, spiral bead crochet.

If you look closely at the full picture of the bracelet you can see the difficulty that I had in the beginning, but once I established a rhythm, the project was easy and very fulfilling when completed.  I have also made a necklace to match but I need to get a clasp for it. 

I look forward to wearing this set on many occasions.  I can see how this will not only make beautiful jewelry, but I will be using this technique in the future to make purse handles.  

A book and a KAL

I have started reading a book, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. My sister-in-law had read it and has now lent it to me, for which I am grateful. I have wanted to read one of the many knitting themed novels out there for quite some time. Though I have only just begun the book, I must say that I am already enjoying the familiarity of the LYS and the way the knitting group evolved. The characters are coming to life for me and I am looking forward to seeing where they will take me.

On a different topic, the Knitting Purls Winter Warmies KAL has begun today. For those of you who may not be familiar with what a KAL is, it stands for Knit-A-Long. Several knitters commit to knitting something within a time frame. What they knit may be all the same pattern, or the same yarn/fiber, or perhaps, as in this case, all the same theme. The Winter Warmies theme means that the participants simply have to knit something that keeps them warm in the winter leaving the choice of pattern and fiber up to each knitter. I am helping to organize and moderate it, so in the spirit of the KAL, I have cast on a basic mitten pattern that I have made many dozens of times.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I bet my neighbors heard that squee and with as much noise as they have made in the middle of the night and early mornings lately, I really don't care if they did hear it. After all, I squeed with glee when the mail arrived at 2 in the afternoon, not in the wee hours of the morning, when their disruptions of my sleep occur. I know this is not a very mature attitude, but I am cranky from the constant loss of sleep.

What did I squee about? I won! A few months ago, Vicki Howell (yes, the Vicki Howell) ran a contest on her blog. She had just put out a podcast that included an interview she did with Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude, and then asked her blog readers, "What was Drew's former profession, before becoming a crochet designer?". To which I replied, "He painted pet portraits!". She drew winners from the correct responses, of which mine was one. What did I win? Look what came in the mail today!

You would squee too, wouldn't you? I must say this book is incredible. Not only is it well written by Annie Modesitt and Drew Emborsky, but it is just a beautiful book. It is a hardcover with very hefty, sturdy pages and great photography. I am not sure what I enjoyed looking at more, the two-legged models, the four-legged models, or the patterns. Eye candy for everyone!

I must admit to having a couple of favorite patterns in the book which will be making it into my queue. One of them is the Man's Rasta Hat, which I find is a free pattern now that I own the book! I am hoping that one of my nephews will enjoy wearing this hat once I make it. Also, there are a couple of very helpful charts in the book. One showing mens size measurements up to 4x! The other of note is the doggy size chart. Where else are you going to find one of those?

Here's a quick update on my Ravelympic knitting. I did finish the Rainy Day Scarf at 12:34 am on Aug, 18th, 2008. This is a nice easy pattern that I will most likely make again. I think it would look better in a variegated yarn than the solid color I used.
Finally, I have cast on for a pair of mittens and I will try to get a picture of the WIP up tomorrow. I hope that you find something to squee about today!