Between Ewe and Me

top five knitting books

KJ:

Ok XJ, what are your top 5 knitting books to recommend? 

XJ:

Oh man, this is like favorite movie, there are so many different types I don’t know that I can narrow it down. Also I am not sitting in front of my library. 

I’m going to have to start with Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting. The woman is an unadulterated genius. The pictures alone make the book worth it. 

Next is The Complete Book of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila McGregor. Mine has a different cover but I’m pretty sure it’s the same book. This one is good for the history and the patterns. I take it every time I go on a boat, it’s just that good. 

Now we move onto lace. I’m a huge fan of A Gathering Of Lace by Meg Swanson, but I think Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby might be even better. It has more history and I like more of the patterns. 

I loves me some lace and don’t have, but do really want, Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. That woman can do no wrong. She is really into folk knitting and I love folk art in all forms. I have heard excellent things about this book and want to knit most of the patterns I have seen. 

To satisfy my humorous knitting side I love Toilet Roll Covers by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer. Some of the patterns are so damn funny I can’t wait to make them. I love the idea of toilet roll covers because they serve no real purpose. Not many people actually store their toilet paper out in the open, and if they do they aren’t that worried about people seeing it. I just think the idea of a polar bear protecting your toilet paper is too good to pass up. 

Lastly I’m going to have to go with New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi. Like all my favorites Cat can do no wrong. This book has amazing patterns as well as the building blocks to pretty much do whatever you want. I think I could knit from this book alone for years to come and not get bored at all. I did all of my Christmas socks from this book and they all fit like a charm. 

KJ:

That’s 6!

And wait, what exactly is a toilet roll cover FOR? I mean, do you put it on the “active” roll on the toilet roll holder? Or is it for the ones that are hypothetically sitting out in the bathroom looking decorative? 

XJ:

A toilet roll cover is for the inactive standby roll. The one that is waiting should you run out, but isn’t on the holder. The cover is to make this necessary but sometimes not attractive roll seem more beautiful. Really the toilet roll cover is completely superfluous and that is one the main reasons I love it.

TPig Cover and Sheepy roll cover, knitted by XJ

quilt show

XJ:

In other news I went to a quilt art show, quilt as art show, whatever, the other day and it was AMAZING. I think that now I am a quilter. One of the girls on the boat right now is making a baby quilt and I am totally enamored. Makes me miss my sock yarn blanket more than is really necessary. 

XJ’s hexi puffs made for the beekeeper’s quilt by tiny owl knits

Perhaps I will really have to take up quilting, if only to take over the other half of my mother’s craft room. 

Beyond Cotton

KJ:

I’m intrigued by these Beech blends, which I found on Knit Picks: 

• http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Natural_Fiber_Knitting_Yarn__L30010211.html 
• http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Shine_Sport_Yarn__D5420122.html 
• http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Shine_Worsted_Yarn__D5420140.html 
  

Beech Wood Fiber? Know anything about this? Sounds amazing. 

XJ: 

You’ve gone and done it again. I was feeling good about the yarn I have and the projects I am working on and want to work on. Now all I want to do is buy cotton yarn and knit lovely washable cotton things. 

I just bought yarn to make my nephew a washable cotton sweater for summer and fall wear and now I want to buy more and make more sweaters. While I am sure that my baby nephew will ooh and aah (did you know you can misspell aah? I just gave it three a’s and Google kindly underlined it for me as misspelled) appropriately I don’t know that my budget will say the same. 

Also with all the things I want to knit myself that I both have yarn for and don’t have yarn for I don’t know that there is time in the schedule for more than one sweater for a baby that is just going to grow out of it at an alarming rate.

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by things that I want to knit that I get depressed that I won’t get to it all. Then something new and shiny comes along and I get inspired all over again. 

I am determined also to knit with more cotton. I have used cotton before, but not in any large amount. I have an idea in my head that cotton is horrible to knit with, doesn’t keep it’s shape, and is super heavy. Somehow though I don’t think this is necessarily true. So my goal is to knit more things with cotton. 

Linen is good too, I do love linen.

Easter Dissection

XJ: 

http://www.rose-kim.com/rose-kimknits/2009/04/thursdays-are-for-what-hell-is-this_09.html

This blog definitely has its moments. 

KJ: 

Omg, that’s amazing 

XJ: 

I love it, I think I will make it for next Easter.

Afghan Angst

From May 2009:

KJ: 

So after all that angst about working out pattern repeats on excel and so forth I still hate the afghan I’m working on. I think I’m going to rip it out all over again and instead make essentially a cable sampler blanket: find cool cables, knit up a scarf’s worth, then sew all the scarves together. 

Here’s a blogger I found who looooves cables:

http://smariek.blogspot.com/

my favorites so far are:

• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/04/beaumonde.html
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2006/12/persephone.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/04/ariel.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/06/miranda-scarf.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/11/bernadette.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/04/shadow.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/08/hera-scarf-pattern.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/08/triumph-cable-scarf-pattern.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/09/ezra-cable-scarf-pattern.html
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/10/sihnon.html and similarly
  
• http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/10/londinium.html
  

 but I’ve also got that Aran pattern book we have and so on and so forth. (actually, I notice that smariek girl links to that exact same Aran book) 

XJ:

I like it. I think that’s a great idea. Is it all going to be the same color? I also like the idea of squares of all the same size with different patterns in them, but I can see how long strips would be good too. So many options. This way will keep it interesting as well. 

 I may have gotten a one day a week job at a yarn store. I am super excited for several reasons, including the fact that I get 30% off and they have all kinds of fabulous yarn that would be really good for the owls sweater. I saw some red that I am going to have to investigate. Stoked.

Twist Collective

From March 2009:

XJ: 

Have you heard of Twist Collective? I haven’t knit any of their designs, mostly because I have so many other things I want to knit already. They charge for their patterns, but a very reasonable price. Their argument is that there are plenty of forums for free patterns already and patterns come from a lot of hard work that deserves to be rewarded. I can get behind it. 

 My problem is that I have so many free patterns or patterns that I already own that I want to knit that it is hard to spend the money, though I certainly do think that designers deserve to make a wage from their designs. 

Anyway, there is an article in the most current one about raising sheep for fiber that I think you might like. You should check them out, there are three or four issues and I think some really good patterns in there. 

KJ: 

Hmm. Haven’t heard of them, and I too am anti-paying-for-patterns at this stage (have I mentioned I’ve started walking 2 hours to work because I can’t afford the subway any more? Yeah. It’s like that), but they have some great articles there. 

I particularly like Painting Knitted Lace with Dye – makes me want to knit lace and dye it immediately!! 

[later]

Ugh. Damn your eyes, XJ. I couldn’t resist another peek at their designs, and while some are a little cheesy, others are so beautiful it makes me want to cry that I can’t afford the $7 it would take to have them sitting in my “patterns that I pretend I’ll have the time to get to eventually” binder. Sob, sob. 

XJ: 

I love them, though I haven’t given the site the time it deserves. I think the articles are good and a lot of the patterns are very pretty. I also really love the idea of it all. The patterns are very affordable and reasonable in the grand scheme of things. 

I too am still lacking in desire to pay for patterns when I can get them for free but I also firmly believe that a lot of work goes into the making of patterns and people should be compensated for that work. There are definitely some very pretty ones in there that I would totally wear. My list of things to knit is longer than my list of books to read and I just don’t have the time. Luckily I have plenty of life ahead of me to knit and knit and accomplish my goal of having a closet full of fabulous handknit sweaters.

Christmas Knitting

KJ: 

Question: When you knit for people for Christmas, do you tell them in advance what they’re getting? If trying to keep things a surprise, how do you handle finding out their measurements? 

XJ: 

I do knit most everything for Christmas. At this point I actually have everyone’s measurements so I don’t tell them what they are getting. I didn’t even when I didn’t have their measurements though. There are charts that say how big to make socks depending on shoe size, or height. I would generally ask spouses about that, or just look if I lived in the same house. Then one Christmas I got everyone’s pertinent measurements and went from there. I generally only make socks for people though, if I were to do a sweater or something I would ruin the surprise and get proper measurements so that it would fit and not be a waste of time.

Holidazed by Anne Hanson

This has nothing to do with knitting

KJ: Hey, remember Waldorf Salad? that stuff is good.
XJ: I love Waldorf Salad. A lot. I would marry it if I could.
KJ: Me too! I hope Waldorf Salad is binogomous. Bi.. what’s the word? My brain isn’t working much good.
XJ: Bigomy. Bigomist.
KJ: Riiiight.
XJ: So much chopping of ingredients, though.
KJ: Seriousy. Prefabricated bigomistal Waldorf Salad: the wave of the future.

From February 2009:

XJ: 

Brooklyn Tweed’s latest post is pretty much why I knit. I feel like that man manages to look into my knitting soul and see exactly what I need on any given day.

KJ:

You’re totally right about that post on Brooklyn Tweed. Every time I see this picture my stomach flips:

[Picture via Brooklyn Tweed, in case that’s not obvious]

on sheep and pigs and sheep pigs

KJ: how are you?? you’ve been so off the planet lately!
XJ: I know
XJ: Not enough hours in the day to work, sleep and check email.
XJ: Also I want to get [SUPER SECRET, NAME DELETED]’s socks done before my next sock club comes, cause they will likely use the same needles.
XJ: Also we are watching Babe on pretty much a continuous loop, so that takes time too
KJ: Ha!!!!
KJ: Oh man.
KJ: If I had words to make a day for you, XJ…
XJ: That is my favorite part
XJ: We watched it last night, rewound it and watched it again
KJ: Sooo good
XJ: I got the tape (we still have VHS on the boat) for a dollar.
XJ: Pretty much the best dollar I have ever spent.
XJ: Ever.
KJ: Oh my god, yes.
KJ: Such a good movie; now I want to watch it.
XJ: You should.
XJ: We finished it last night, so today I am going to rewind it an watch it again.
XJ: This will be the fourth time since I bought it in January.
KJ: Ha!
KJ: You can never have too much Babe.
XJ: You can, however, have too much Babe: Pig In The City.
XJ: Truly terrible.
XJ: It’s like they took all the things that make Babe good out and made another movie.
KJ: I was too offended by his toupee in the movie poster to ever watch that movie.
XJ: Don’t bother, not worth your time, not even worth the time we just took talking about it.
XJ: By the way, I just learned that yearling sheep are called hoggetts, and yearling sheep fleeces are called hoggett fleeces, like famer hoggett!
KJ: My goodness!!
KJ: LIFE IS SO CYCLICAL
XJ: I know!
XJ: Now I want to marry Farmer Hoggett even more than I did before.