Tuesday Ten: Ten Books I'd Like to Own

Sorry I'm late tonight. Here's your Tuesday Ten.

KnitPicks had their summer book sale recently, but I skipped it because I was trying to save up money for the (now canceled) yarn crawl and for my next trip to California.

I'm not as pattern crazy as I used to be when I was little, so I'm pickier about the books I purchase. I love flipping through them at the bookstore and checking them out from the library, but I usually want something I'll refer to again and again before I actually buy. Here are 10 books I'd love to add to my collection.


1. More Big Girl Knits by Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer - I already havet the original Big Girl Knits, and I have knit the Cherry Bomb tank. This one has even more advice and several promising patterns. Besides wanting to support all things plus size and all things Amy Singer, I want to knit the Susie Hoodie, which looks a lot like A Cardigan for Arwen.


2. Son of Stitch 'n Bitch by Debbie Stoller - I've missed two chances to meet Debbie Stoller. Once I made the mistake of asking my boss for the day off to see her in Tampa when I lived in Florida. My boss wouldn't let me, even though I had plenty of vacation days, and ended up losing some of them because I didn't take them. Everyone who hears that story tells me I shouldn't have asked, and just called in sick. But that's what I get for trying to do the right thing. (Not that I'm bitter.)

Anyway...

The other was time stupid. When she was at Hill Country Weavers, I didn't open the e-mail about it until it was over.

At any rate, the Stitch 'n Bitch series has helped set the tone for knitting today. They have great patterns, great tutorials and interesting cultural tidbits. Son of Stitch 'n Bitch has some background about the history of men and knitting, and I really want to knit the double knit argyle scarf on the cover.


3. The Yarn Lover's Guide to Hand Dyeing by Linda La Belle - I've been looking for a good reference for hand dying. I almost bought this one, Along with More Big Girl Knits, at the KnitPicks book sale. After listening to the review on KnitPicks and flipping through it at the bookstore, I was sold.



4. The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes - From the good folks at Knitter's Review, this book incorporates all the same close detail to fiber and construction that is discussed in the website, and gives an overall view of fiber and yarn.


5. ColorSense: Creative Color Combinations for Crafters by Susan Levin - Another area where I want to learn more is color theory. I'm looking for more resource, especially related to knitting, crochet and fiber in general.


6. Knit with Beads: Stunning Shawls and Wraps by Scarlett Taylor - This is another book that I want after hearing the KnitPicks review. According to the review, this books goes into great detail about the different techniques for working with beads. I have a couple of ideas involving beads, and I think this book would help.


7. Intertwined by Lexi Boeger - I'm borrowing this book from the library right now, and I want to own it. There's so much good information and inspiration. I was sold after reading about the yarn spun to represent Reagan's trickle down economics. It was designed to be knit from the top down, so the top is white and sparkling and the bottom is dark and dirty. I love this stuff!


8. The New Knitting Stitch Library by Lesley Stanfield - I've already checked this one out of the library twice, and I want to check it out again. There's a lot of great stitches in that book.


9. Aran Sweater Design by Janet Szabo - I was really inspired by the Stash and Burn interview with Janet Szabo. Her accounts of the swatching that goes into her designs inspired me to swatch every Sunday. (Although I need to get back on track with that now that the Ravelympics are over.) According to the KnitPicks review, this book goes into great detail, not just about the cables, but how they work together.


10. A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker - This is the grandmama of all stitch dictionaries. Walker's stitch treasuries are almost a religion. The Walker Treasury Project is dedicated to preserving and sharing her work. Eventually I plan to get this one, along with A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns and A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Day One

Today was officially day one of my list for the 101 goals in 1,001 days project, and I think I'm off to a good start. (You can see my full list here.

I sketched out some ideas for number 1 and number 39, I read a book I checked out from the library about eBay for number 10 and for number 62, I asked about tough yarns on Ravelry to get an ideas for yarns for the Susie Hoodie in More Big Girl Knits. (Although I may still decide to pick something more luxurious and be more gentle with it.) I realized number 62, knit the Susie Hoodie, will work nicely with number 60, sew a zipper into a sweater. I don't think the original hoodie has a zipper, but I want one on mine.

The big one was working on number 7, organizing and decluttering my apartment. I rearranged the closet so I could fit some more stuff in it. I put my board games on my shelves and put my Christmas decorations in the closet. I even broke out the vacuum cleaner I got for Christmas. It works great. Too bad I didn't have it when I had more carpeting.

I also finished my Clapotis this evening. Pictures to come tomorrow.

No Amy, we aren't going to laugh at you

Sorry for the lack of meaningful knitting content recently. It seems like all my spare time is going towards decluttering, cleaning and budgeting. I plan to swatch tomorrow.

In the mean time, here's Amy Singer promoting More Big Girl Knits. When she posted this clip on her blog, she said "don't laugh at me." I think she did a good job.

Things that cut into my yarn budget: Being responsible with my tax refund

After much flipping through paperwork,deciding to file online, looking up pin numbers, deciding not to file online, etc, I got my taxes done. I'm getting back about $400, which will go towards...

(dramatic pause)

...the dentist. I still have dental work that I've been putting off until my insurance rolls over. (Or it might go towards health insurance deductible. Whatever I have to pay for after my FSA runs out.)

I was hoping that I could use some of it for a washer and dryer, but it doesn't look good. It doesn't look like any of that will even be going into the savings, much less to buy yarn.

More Big Girl Knits
In other deprivation responsible news, More Big Girl Knits is on the shelves, and I have not bought it yet. I did stop Borders to take a look, and there they were (on the top shelf, so I had to ask an associate for help), two crisp, clean copies. Of course, I didn't have my camera, there are hardly and pictures on Ravelry and I still can't download pictures from my new camera phone, so I don't have any pictures to show you.

Definitely the must knit item for me was the Susie Hoodie, which is eerily similar to A Cardigan for Arwen. I've looked at several cabled hoodies, including Mariah, Central Park Hoodie and A Cardigan for Arwen, but I have been too lazy busy to adjust the patterns to fit me.

Modular Spirals also looks good, except for the curly edges, and the low cut neckline. There's nothing wrong with low cut necklines, I just don't know how much I would wear something like that.

The cover sweater looks nice. So nice that I wish I designed it myself. There's also another modular knit called "Pastille" (I think) that looks good, except I'd want bolder colors with more contrast. The Summer Chevron also looks like a nice quick knit, but again, I'd want different colors. I also like the fact that there is a Boo, Too has been rewritten with larger sizes than the original.

Contest
If you're poor like me, you can visit Cass Knits and enter her contest for a free copy of More Big Girl Knits.