In list form

1. Rhinebeck (NY Sheep & Wool Fest) is this weekend, but I'm skipping it this year. (I went in 2007, and I had so much fun; I went in 2008, and I froze my ass off.) There are lots of people I'd love to go and see, but I can spare neither the time nor the cash this year.

2. I defended my dissertation proposal last week, so I'm finally whatcha call ABD. (Remember I submitted the proposal back in July? Well, it took three months to actually get three academics in the same room to talk to me about it.) So that's a big step. I'd feel more excited and relieved if I wasn't in the middle of writing a paper for a conference that's only a week away.

2. b) My conference presentation is going to involve pie charts, and they're going to look awesome. If you need to make pie charts -- which, I recognize, is unlikely -- I can recommend this site.

3. I got my copy of the beautiful Knitter's Book of Wool, and I am sorely tempted to drop everything (including the pie charts) to cast on for Evelyn Clark's Prairie Rose Shawl. It's beautiful. (Why can I find no photos to share with you? Hmmm. Just keep checking Ravelry.)

4. I've become obsessed with Babybel cheese -- those little red wax-covered ones. I love them. On the packaging, it just says they are "cheese." What are they?

5. It's getting cold here. In response, I am working to finish a bulky wool/alpaca cardigan vest: the Heather Hoodie Vest. Mine is neither heathered nor hooded. It's a solid orangey-red. When I get it done, I'll post photos here. If this doesn't take place within the next couple of weeks, it probably means I've gone ahead with the Prairie Rose Shawl at the expense of all other knitting. This is a distinct possibility.

6. I am now going to resist the temptation to make a pie chart outlining the percentages of my thoughts currently occupied with the Prairie Rose Shawl, my conference paper, and Babybel cheese. Time to get back to work. Have a nice weekend, with or without Rhinebeck!

Which ewe am I?

A Thursday afternoon distraction for you: Which ewe are you? The quiz is part of the promo for the much-anticipated (by me, and probably by you, too) Knitter's Book of Wool by Clara Parkes.

(Remember how many yarn-related quizzes there used to be for knitbloggers back in the day? We were always finding out which stitch pattern we were, or whether we were a pair of socks or a sturdy cardigan...)

Hello? Hello!

Well, I vowed to myself that I wouldn't blog until I'd finished my thesis proposal. I didn't think it was going to take four months, but it did, and it's done. I have to do a little tweaking before formally submitting next week, but it's close enough to finished that I can relax. Hallelujah!

So it's been exactly four months since my last post. Mostly I've been working on my proposal, which included a couple of Toronto library trips and a longer road trip to Bloomington, Indiana, to do research at the Kinsey Institute. I've also done a lot of knitting -- I'll put up a few photos soon. In the spring I was on a bit of a book jag, so for now I'll leave you with a pile of inspiration:


From top to bottom:

- Whimsical Little Knits by Ysolda Teague (so charming!)

- Material Obsession by Aussie quilt-shop owners Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke (beautiful photos of fabulous quilts) (I see there is now Material Obsession Two, Lord help me...)

- Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson (patterns + general how-to)

- Ontario's Heritage Quilts by Marilyn I. Walker (wonderful historical quilts -- so glad I found this in the clearance section at a Chapters store)

- Country Weekend Knits by Madeline Weston (one of those books, like A Fine Fleece that I want to step into and live in)

- Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby (old news, I know -- I finally bought this book not so much for the patterns as for the historical info on lace knitting)

- Stitched in Time by Alicia Paulson (pretty pictures of pretty projects)

- Chatelaine's Gardening Book (published 1976 -- a nice thrift-store find)

- Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts (need I say more?)

- Retro Knits by Kari Cornell and Jean Lampe (great reproductions of vintage patterns and images)

Whew! Blogging takes a long time. That's why I'm not going to be blogging all the time anymore, but I don't think I'll disappear completely, either...

Review: Knitting the Threads of Time

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Knitting the Threads of Time: Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft takes knitting seriously, as a historical practice, a significant economic force, a means of communication, a gathering place for women, and a path to self-awareness. No apologies, no distancing from "grandmas," no deprecation of knitting's pleasures -- indeed, Nora Murphy does the opposite: she actively seeks to locate hand-knitting within a larger history of fiber and fabric production, and she writes of both her own WIP and the craft in general (and the people who do it) with nothing but respect.

At one level, the book is the story of a sweater, from conception through finishing. The author decides to knit a sweater for her son, and the project takes her through four winter months in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Any of us who go through a similar "dark season" each year can certainly relate.) This WIP is a device that allows Murphy to weave a number of different ends into the story, so to speak: arriving at the point where her stitch count requires a switch from DPNs to something longer, for instance, she ruminates on the material origins of "knitting pins" (early North African knitters used brass wires, rural knitters in New Zealand used fencing wire, etc.). Such historical information is not limited to knitting but extends to weaving, First Nations beading and quillwork, and other crafts; Murphy also brings in ancient legends and historical events related to handicrafts, fabric, and clothing, showing that such "women's work" has in fact played a very important role in culture and history in many parts of the world.

I absolutely recommend this book. Because I'm bookish and nerdy, KTTOT had me at its index and bibliography (swoon!). It's a smart book about history, a compelling account of a craft, and even -- just a little -- a tale of suspense (Will she or won't she finish Evan's sweater by Christmas?). It has something for everybody without trying to please everybody, if that makes sense. I can imagine I may even pull it off the shelf and read it again when next year's dark season comes around.

p.s. to Nora Murphy: Have you considered making your other son a quilt? Because I'd read that book. I'm just saying...

Hollow book

This is a project I've always wanted to make. I remember discovering that a particular little green book on my parents' bookshelf wasn't actually a book at all, but a hollow hiding place. My mom would sometimes take money out of it before church, for the offering plate. I thought it was the cleverest thing ever, and now I have one, too! A few weeks ago I bought a secondhand hardcover book, and today I followed this How To Do Stuff tutorial. (Let me say that I ordinarily don't believe in the defacement of books. I bought this one at a thrift shop -- a Reader's Digest version of My Ántonia, which I've read before -- and since it was unwanted, I consider this to be repurposing rather than vandalism.)


All you need is a book, white glue, a paintbrush, a ruler, a pencil, and a sharp blade. And some patience. Mine turned out better than I'd thought it would. Here's the finished inside:



I've always been a person who likes to have secret hiding places. (Probably everyone does. Why not?) This was fun, cheap, and easy to make. I can fit my passport inside, or cash, or whatever, and put it on my bookshelf with all my other books. (And two months from now, when I forget which book my passport is inside, well, that's what blog archives are for.)


I hope you're having a good weekend and a happy Valentine's Day! xo

Review: The Expectant Knitter

I'm not pregnant. (If I didn't say it right off the bat, I know you'd be wondering, and I'd get wink-wink questions in the comments. :) But if you are, or if your friend/sister/daughter/partner is, you'll want to pick up The Expectant Knitter: 30 Designs for Baby and Your Growing Family. It's like a knitter's version of What to Expect when You're Expecting. It includes patterns for baby knits, of course, but there are lots of other useful things, too.

The Expectant Knitter is organized into four parts: pre-pregnancy, and then the three trimesters. Each section contains relevant patterns as well as information about conception and pregnancy. For example, in the first part -- "Planning Ahead" -- you'll find notes on prenatal vitamins and adoption alongside a pattern for the "Take-Me-Home Swaddle Blanket" (and other stuff). I learned that breast enlargement accounts for about 2 pounds of weight gain during pregnancy (really?), and that a newborn uses about 10 diapers a day (really?!).

The patterns throughout are both precious and practical. On the one hand, there is a long, delicate christening gown knit in a blend of silk and cashmere; on the other hand, I imagine the pattern for wool diaper covers will be indispensable. In all, there are about 25 patterns for baby -- pants, tops, cardigans, dresses, socks, hats, a bib, washcloths, etc. -- but there are also a handful of patterns for other family members. (The dog-sweater pattern is followed by a page of info on introducing a new baby to one's dog.) My only complaint is that the yarns called for are generally quite fancy and expensive, but of course substitutions can be made. (Personally, I think baby duds should be machine washable, but at the same time, who wouldn't want to wear a cashmere romper?) And to top it off, the book itself is pretty.

(Psst! The author of The Expectant Knitter, Marie Connolly, is also the owner of Stitch DC, and on the shop's website you can find links to two free pdf patterns: a wee sweater (Ravelry link) and little legwarmers (Ravelry link). They're not from the book, but they're free. We like free.)

Different kinds of cables

Thanks so much for your birthday wishes and cardigan compliments! I did indeed wear it to the polling booth and, later, to meet friends for drinks, and by the end of the day I was even more in love with my new sweater. And nobody asked if I'd made it myself, which we knitters often take as some kind of compliment (even though we like to take credit, too).

For a while now I've been working on various lace projects: shawls, Grannie Smith, the February Lady Sweater. Recently, however, I've started turning my attention to cables -- back to cables, really, as there have been lots of cabled socks and sweaters in my knitting past. This rebirth was launched with the Autumn/Druid mittens I started last month. Not too much more to do on those; all is finished except for the two thumbs. And now I've cast on for a new cardigan. A cardigan that -- shockingly, to me -- nobody on Ravelry has even started, let alone finished: Mari Lynn Patrick's Soft Linen Jacket, published in March (issue 30) in the Classic Elite Web-Letter. I think it's adorable, and I'm knitting it.


I'm using the ultra-pillable Knit Picks Merino Style, from my stash, in the colour "nutmeg." This is a new kind of cable for me, with the garter-stitch background. Because row gauge is different in garter stitch than in stockinette, the cable stitches are slipped on WS rows. Clever!

And speaking of new kinds of cables, I've had a chance to look at Melissa Leapman's new book, Continuous Cables: An Exploration of Knitted Cabled Knots, Rings, Swirls, and Curlicues. The cables in this book are "continuous" in that they form self-contained, closed-ring shapes. None of the patterns is a must-knit for me, but the book is a great technical resource, with a 60-page "stitch dictionary" of closed-ring cables. I can imagine knitting an otherwise-plain raglan sweater and turning to this book for a cable motif to add to the fronts, or down the sleeves.

I'll be at Rhinebeck this weekend. If you see me, say hello!

You want books? I got books.

Here's what I've learned since my last post: Don't think you can cross those Mason-Dixon ladies quietly and get away with it. It turns out they have strong ties to the blog-commenter mafia, and they know how to mobilize; within hours, your inbox will be flooded -- with hundreds of friendly comments! They will also use their Photoshop skills to create a representation of why you are crossing them -- but they'll put white wine in your hand when in fact you'd rather have a beer when in the tub. (See slightly revised image, above.)

One result of the huge response to my little contest is that, instead of the usual one-in-50ish chances of winning the book, each commenter ended up with just a one-in-370ish chance. However, another result is that I saw the opportunity to unload a few other, older books as well!


The book-to-space ratio in my office is way off, and I just don't have room to keep books that only have one or two patterns in them that I may knit one day. So there is more than one winner today. Drum roll, please...


1. J. (baad medicine) wins Mason-Dixon Knitting: Outside the Lines!
2. Steph (Bits of Happy) wins Twelve Months of Knitting!
3. Anna (photoknitnerd) wins The Yarn Girls’ Guide to Knits for All Seasons! (Anna, please e-mail me, since Blogger won't send me your info)
4. Susan (Our Daily Thread) wins The Knitting Experience: Book 1: The Knit Stitch!

(If you're one of the winners, and you don't want the book you're getting, please let me know!)

I'd asked for your favourite knitting books of the year, and I was very interested to find that Elizabeth Zimmermann is number one by far. Of more recent pattern books, Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters and Lisa Lloyd's A Fine Fleece were recommended most often -- as well as everything written by the beloved Yarn Harlot. These were followed by The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes, Knitalong by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown, Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr, Favorite Socks from Interweave, Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard, Inspired to Knit by Michele Rose Orne, and Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan. (There were many others, too; if you're looking for new books, have a read through the comments.) I'm really glad I asked that question, because there were books I'd never even heard of in there. Plus, even though I'm off socks at the moment, I feel like I should probably look into that Cat Bordhi book. And clearly I should spend some time with EZ.

Thanks for playing, everybody! This was fun.

Review: Mason-Dixon Knitting: Outside the Lines

I've been sitting on this book review for a week, and I'm feeling pretty hesitant. You see, I like Mason-Dixon Knitting, I really do; I even spent at least fifteen seconds chatting with authors Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner at Morehouse Merino during last year's Rhinebeck, so I know they actually are both nice and funny. Also, all the other reviews I've seen are on the gushing side of positive. But me? I can't figure out how to fit this book into my life -- and that's why I'm going to give it away. Would you like it?

This is both a pattern book and a humour book; check out the subtitle ("Patterns, Stories, Pictures, True Confessions, Tricky Bits, Whole New Worlds, and Familiar Ones, Too"). The patterns come from Kay and Ann as well as from other familiar designers (e.g., Bonne Marie Burns, Anna Bell). There is, literally, something for everyone, with projects for women, kids, babies, and the home. (OK, not so much for men -- or, specifically, for men who don't use a Swiffer.) (Of course, the socks could be made for men.) There are patterns for clothing, accessories, kitchen items, and holiday decorations. My favourite designs are the red-and-robin's-egg-blue Liberty blanket and the Super Eggplant-inspired Kiki Mariko rug. Lovely!

Alongside the thirty-odd patterns is plenty of sassy Mason-Dixon writing. These are funny ladies. They use terms like "Loonyville," "Bathrobe Syndrome," and "the holy crap moment." The best part about these sections is that they are actually useful, providing tips about calculating ease when knitting a sweater, steeking, felting, knitting in the round on two circs, and so on. There's a lot of practical info in this book, and it's fun to read, to boot.

So... what's my problem? Sounds like a good review, right? Here's where my hesitation comes in. It is a good book, but as I mentioned at the outset, it just doesn't fit me. Strictly as a pattern book, it contains only a couple of patterns I actually want to knit. On the other hand, as a knitting info/humour book, it's too big. That's right -- I have a problem with the size of this book. Much of its content is the kind of stuff I want to read when I'm in the tub, or in bed, but it's in this huge hardcover book. That's my problem.

If you'd like to take this enormous* book off my hands, just leave a comment telling me what your favourite knitting book was/is this year. I'll draw a name in some random way on Monday night.

* I exaggerate. The book measures 9 inches by 11.5 inches.

Entry cut-off is 6:00 p.m. Montreal time!

Two books and a give-away

1. The keeper: A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd

Every time I look at this book I love it more. My first impression was that it is beautifully designed and includes lots of nice cabled sweaters; after spending a little more time between its covers, I'm now ready to queue at least four projects the minute they show up on Ravelry.

I don't spin, and I almost passed on this book because of its subtitle -- "Knitting with Handspun Yarns" -- but for each pattern (and there are 26 in total), there are photos of and instructions for that project in both a handspun yarn and a commercial yarn. Most of the projects are intricately cabled sweaters (pullovers, cardigans, and vests), but there are also socks, scarves, and a hat. This book will be available April 8; by April 9, I hope, I'll be queueing the Portland pullover, the Harriet cardigan, the Twilight scarf, and the Narragansett Bay socks. (No photos because I seriously am on my way to the library, but trust me: it's a beautiful book filled with some beautiful stuff.)

2. The give-away: Tweed by Nancy J. Thomas

Some knitters have a thing for tweed yarns, but I don't have any particular feelings about them one way or the other. The 20-odd projects in this book are perfectly fine (in fact, there's a Central Park Hoodie-type jacket that I think will tempt more than a few knitters), but nothing really jumps out at me as something I'm going to knit, so I'm going to send this book to a good home. Of course, you don't have to knit these projects in tweed yarns, but for the knitter who is interested, there's lots of info about the history of these yarns and how they are made, so I'd prefer to send the book to someone who really appreciates tweediness. If you want this book, please leave a comment about why I should care more about tweed yarns, or about your favourite tweed, or about something tweedy you've knit or someone else's tweedy knits that you've admired. I'll pick a winner sometime next week.

Review: Twelve Months of Knitting

I like this book, and the more I look at it, the more I like it. Designer Joanne Yordanou offers three designs for each month of the year; of the 36 projects, most are garments for adults, from January's snowflake-motif Cross Country Ski Sweater to a bikini in March, to August's summer shawl, to the Evening Festivities Cardigan in December. Non-wearables include a lace bookmark and a felted bag (April), cotton placemats (July), and cute felted Turtle Dove Xmas ornaments. There are also two kids' sweaters (sized for ages 2 to 10) and one fancy Fair Isle dog sweater.

I certainly don't like everything in the book, but the things I like, I really like. Also, I appreciate that a good variety of yarns (and yarn weights) are suggested, many of them relatively affordable and/or easy to find (e.g., Patons Classic). Fans of Manos del Uruguay will find six projects to knit. There's even a calendar to help you plan your knitting, based on "general timelines for completion," which may or may not be useful. (The Doggy Doodle sweater will take you two weeks to knit, so don't wait till your dog absolutely needs it!)


Again, I must complain about the absence of cable charts. Don't people want their cable projects charted? I know I do. There are several cabled garments in this book, and some look rather elaborate, yet none includes a chart. I can't imagine it saves that much space to describe the stitch patterns in text rather than to provide a chart. Honestly, people.


(What do you think about the lack of charts? Do you care?)

Anyhoo, it's a pretty good book. Definitely worth checking your local library catalog, and maybe worth buying if you like the pictures above. Here, I'll show you my favourite project (will I ever knit a vest like this?):



Speaking of vests, I've almost finished knitting the front of a Gilmore Vest -- the back is finished, too. I'm using teal wool, thrifted and previously blogged here. So far, so good. It's really wonderful yarn, and once the 40 (!) rows of 1-by-1 ribbing (!) are done, it's a quick knit.

Review x 2: Classic/Glamour Knits at Home

   

These two new books by designer Erika Knight are ... fine. I give them a resounding ... meh.

On the plus side, each contains very pretty photos of 15 projects: pillows, throws, pillows, slippers, pillows, and a few other things. On the minus side, however, these pretty photos don't always show enough, and schematics are provided for only a couple of projects. For example, CKaH includes a pattern for a lace throw made from 10 balls of Kidsilk Haze; it measures five feet square and is worked in four pieces, plus an edging; yet there are neither charts nor a photo of the whole throw, so the project requires quite a leap of faith by the knitter.

For me, each book contains just one excellent must-have design: the Jacquard Cushion shown on the cover of GKaH and the Houndstooth Cushion in CKaH (both with charts). Overall, though, neither is a must-have book for me. That's why I'm going to give them away. They're nice, and other bloggers like them, but they're just not for me. Would you like them both? Just leave a comment telling me what you're knitting right now, or why you feel the need for a dozen pillow patterns, or who you want to win Project Runway -- whatever you like, as long as it's more than just "send me the books!" I'll draw a name sometime next week. See you then!

Review: The Knitter's Book of Yarn

First impression: this book is beautiful. The layout and design are beautiful; even the paper feels beautiful.

Beyond first impression: Yay! The content is good, too.

In The Knitter's Book of Yarn, Clara Parkes (founder of Knitter's Review) sets out to demystify the world of yarn: "how it's made, who makes it, how it gets to you, and what it longs to become in your hands." There's tons of information here, and it's presented clearly. (The glossary is very helpful.) I feel like this book was written for me: I'm not a spinner, I'm not very knowledgeable about different fibers -- I really just learned at Rhinebeck two weeks ago that wool from one kind of sheep can feel noticeably different than wool from another. I don't know crimp from loft. But even though I've really only skimmed TKBOY so far, I can see that it's going to be a useful reference book, like a handy dandy yarny encyclopedia.

To give you an example of the kinds of information in this book, let's say you're thinking of knitting something with cashmere. In the space of a few pages, you'll learn that cashmere is a protein fibre that comes from a goat, probably from China; that the fleece was probably dehaired and the fibres are short and delicate; that U.S. manufacturers may not label a produce "cashmere" if the average fibre diameter exceeds 19 microns; that it suits any weight of yarn, but requires a definite twist; that if it's good-quality stuff it should, according to Parkes, "make you stop dead in your tracks and emit at least one 'ooooooh' as you touch it"; and that while it is good for nearly any garment, it will, sadly, pill and thin over time.

And TKBOY is an encyclopedia with patterns, which is even better. Patterns are arranged according to yarn type; patterns for single-ply yarns are grouped together, followed by those for two-ply yarns, those for textured yarns, and so on. Most of the patterns are for accessories: bags, mittens, hats, socks. There are a few simple tops, too.

My two favourite patterns just happen to be mittens designed by mitten queen Adrian Bizilia. I figured there's no time like the present to figure out continental knitting, and I cast on for the Double-Thick Mittens.


I haven't used DPNs in a while, so my Fair Isle is a little shaky on that cuff. Now that I'm into the solid-gray hand of the mitten, it superfun -- the hand is stranded, too. (Hence the Double-Thickness.) So I figured out how to "pick" with the yarn in my left hand, and now I'm alternating one stitch from each hand. Crazy! I'm not fast at it, by any means, but I'll get faster.

Anyway, if you're looking to buy a book, this is a good one. It's the whole package: beautiful design, useful information, a few great patterns. Highly recommended.

Review: Romantic Hand Knits

You've probably already come across reviews of this book in blogland, maybe at Claudia's blog or at Wendy's or [Jen]La's or, well, there have been lots. (Thanks, Random House/Potter Craft for sending out so many copies to the bloggers!) Romantic Hand Knits, by Annie Modesitt, is a beautifully designed hardcover with 26 patterns and loads of pretty pictures. It's also a bit of a niche-knitting book. These are ultra-feminine garments -- mainly tops, skirts, and dresses -- with lots of lacy details, ruffles, and figure-conscious shapes.

In the book's introduction, Annie explains her take on "romance": rather than being all sexy lingerie and rose petals in the bathtub, she writes, romance is "about dreams. It's an idealized vision of something ..., a belief that a certain type of perfection is possible within our imperfect lives." This notion guided my reading of the book, in that -- for me -- these designs aren't for knitting. They're for dreaming. That is, I'm not going to make anything in this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading each scene-setting pattern blurb (e.g., "you'll swear you've drifted into a Dorothy Sayers novel in 1930s London when wearing this vintage-styled shirtwaist dress"). The thing is, if I were to knit, say, the Bishop's Wife dress (which I quite like), and if I were then to put it on and go out for the day, I might feel like a Dorothy Sayers character for a few minutes until I realized I wasn't standing in an English garden with a wispy hairdo, but rather that I was sitting on the bus with a big backpack and feeling oddly inappropriate in my lovely long sport-weight dress. This doesn't mean it's not a good dress. It just means that I'm more of a realist than a romantic, and that this book has more value for me as a pretty picture book -- "an idealized vision of something" -- than as a practical collection of patterns.

Figure 1: The Bishop's Wife

As for the actual mechanics of the patterns, it's nice to see a wide range of sizes: the West Side Story skirt, for example, can be made to fit a 22-inch (!) waist, a 48-inch waist, and four sizes in between; the Notorious top can be made for a 25.5-inch (!!) bust and a 56-inch bust alike. The photos are generally good at showing the garments, and many patterns show more than one view. When we get to accessories toward the end of the book, though, photos are somewhat lacking: Vertigo is described in the text as a "long scarf," for instance, but in the single photo it appears to be some kind of shallow wrappy-tube. Too bad, because there are probably a lot more knitters willing to knit lace gloves or a scarf than will commit to, say, a full-length skirt.

Figure 2: Vertigo

I've had some excellent luck this week, winning a couple of blog draws, so I'm going to pay it forward. Would you like my copy of Romantic Hand Knits? Leave a comment, and on Monday night I'll randomly choose a winner. Meanwhile, have a good weekend!

Review: How Sassy Changed My Life

I can't remember whether it was in regards to movies or books or something else, but I remember hearing once that people are really only dissatisfied with said product when it is out of whack with their expectations. That is, a movie can be fine in and of itself, but I won't like it if it was marketed as a light comedy and I expected lots of laughs and it turned out to be a dark tragicomedy. I kept thinking about this concept as I read How Sassy Changed My Life. The book is fine, but I feel dissatisfied somehow, or at least a little confused about it.

I was a Sassy reader, and my copies of the magazine are prized possessions of mine today. My friend Jen introduced me to Sassy in 1989, when we were in Grade 12, and it coincided with -- and probably also spurred -- my awareness of indie culture. (I grew up in a small town before the Internet, so give me a break; I was a late bloomer.) The subtitle of HSCML is "a love letter to the greatest teen magazine of all time." I'm full of love for Sassy, but after reading this book, I'm left wondering who the authors had in mind as their audience. At times it seemed to be women like me for whom Sassy was an important part of growing up; at other times it seemed to address readers who were not familiar with the magazine. I know they have to cover their bases, but for me this approach seemed confused rather than comprehensive.

Perhaps it's because everything I read these days is academic, but I just wanted this book to be more serious somehow. I wished there was some explanation of the authors' methodology; for instance, so many random fans are quoted, but who are they and where did they come from? And -- cue "Petty HSCML Criticism Corner" -- it bugged me that some sources are referred to by first name and others by last name.

I don't want to be too hard on this book; I'm glad it exists. Overall I enjoyed reading it for its gossipy take on the Sassy staffers, and it inspired me to pull out and reread a few old issues. The problem may be mine, in that I expected and wanted something else. Something weightier, more substantial. But in and of itself, HSCML is fine, and if you were a Sassy fan you should probably read it for the nostalgia value. You probably won't learn much, though.

Reading material

Thanks so much for all of your lovely comments. I'm very excited at the prospect of finally getting to focus on my own work -- even though I'm not sure exactly what that will be. So, yeah, it's not like I get to sit back and rest for the summer -- next step: comprehensive exams -- but I'll have a little more control over the pace and content of things. And I definitely have plans to spend more time doing fun things like knitting, sewing, and reading things I don't have to read. And look -- part of my celebratory thrift shopping the other day included book gathering!


(Now that I look at this stack of books, I wonder how many other people would be looking forward to doing some recreational reading on murder, Degrassi, murder, and knitting. Anyone else? or just me?) From top to bottom: Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, from Value Village; Growing Up Degrassi from the library; The Last Dance: Murder in Canada and Feminism and the Politics of Difference from a used bookstore (J. Westcott Books, at the recommendation of The Daily Protagitron); Under the Bridge: The True Story of the Murder of Reena Virk from that corner of the Faubourg that sells discounted new books; and The Friday Night Knitting Club, sent by the publisher to be "reviewed."

Below the books is evidence of mid-paper-writing shopping: brand-new fabric destined for kitchen curtains and a new dress. And to the left, celebration Twizzlers -- which clearly resemble last week's package of paper-writing Twizzlers, and are equally necessary.

Review: When Bad Things Happen to Good Knitters

I was sent this book, and my first thought was, "How can there possibly be a need for yet another how-to knitting book? I hope it's not terrible." So I read it, and I was pleasantly surprised; mostly I thought how great it would have been to have this book when I was a beginner knitter. Still, there are a few things in here that are useful to me as an intermediate knitter, too.

It's a small book that holds a lot of information. It seems pretty easy to navigate, but I'd recommend having a read-through before your knitting crisis, to familiarize yourself with the book's contents and organization. Besides the main text, in which info is presented as answers to questions (e.g., "My pattern doesn't say what kind of increase to use; does it matter?"), there are sidebars with extra info (e.g., "Six Rules on Weaving Tails"), charts (e.g., US/UK/CDN/metric needle conversion), and lots of illustrations. The first knitting resource book I bought for myself when I was starting out was the Dummies book, and I remember feeling overwhelmed by it (and thinking it had an ugly layout). This book is cute, it's small, and it contains solid info on the basics and a little bit beyond the basics (e.g., knitting on two circs, holding a different colour in each hand to knit Fair Isle).

The book doesn't claim to be absolutely comprehensive, but a few notable techniques are missing. There is no mention of lace knitting, for example. There are three pages on Kitchener stitch, including good illustrations and a paragraph on Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener (who knew?), but nothing on turning a heel. There's nothing on buttonholes, or short rows. What it does have is a nice, casual (but not forcibly clever or sassy, thank god) voice that continually reminds the reader that you're the boss of your knitting and that the world will not end if you don't rip back 10 rows and fix that purl bump that was supposed to be a knit stitch. This might be frustrating to perfectionists or more advanced knitters -- for instance, we all know it's (usually) possible to drop stitches down to a miscrossed cable and fix it, or to cut, fix, and graft the yarn, but the authors only say to rip the whole piece back to the mistake, or to "deliberately cross another cable or two in the same wrong direction and create a new design" -- but those knitters probably have other, more serious resource books at hand.

I'd definitely recommend Bad Things to beginner knitters, and intermediate knitters might consider it, too. I can tell you that I've always avoided mattress stitch, opting instead to knit selvedge edges for easier seaming, because no matter how much I read about how to do it, I just didn't feel comfortable with it. But I think I get it now! (It's the same as the "side-to-side join," right?) When I need to do it next, I'll have this book beside me.

(Click on the book cover above to read the introduction on the publisher's website.)