August 2009

Review: Design It Knit It

by --Deb 08.30.2009
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I love books that give me a look into what an author or designer is thinking. How they working things out. How they get inspired. How they made decisions.

Well, here you go–a look into the mind of Debbie Bliss as she makes design decisions.

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Review: The Knitter’s Book of Yarn

by --Deb 08.23.2009
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So, picture this: You’re a knitter. (I didn’t say this was going to be difficult.)

As a knitter, or crocheter, or anybody who uses yarn, you already know how important it is to match the right kind of yarn with your projects. Designs meant for flowing Alpaca won’t work with unresilient cotton. Designs meant for cotton might stretch out in wool.

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New and Upcoming Books: August 2009

by --Deb 08.16.2009
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Here are some of the new books coming up, as well as some of the recent ones that have come out in the last couple of months. (Click the titles to see details–they’re all links)

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Review: Seven Things that Can Make or Break a Sweater

by --Deb 08.13.2009
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The object of this book is to focus on the seven, specific things that can make a huge difference to the quality of your sweater. They’re not mind-blowing things. No secret tricks that only the author knows. No Ninja mind-tricks that force your knitting to behave. They’re not even fancy or complicated things.

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Review: Knitted Gifts

by --Deb 08.09.2009
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One of the things I’m enjoying most about this gig of writing book reviews is having a chance to look through books just like this. As I flipped through for the first time, I kept smiling and saying, “Ooh,” “Pretty,” “Nice!” from one pattern to the next.

There are a lot of them, too. I count 37 patterns, and that’s not separating out the ones that are listed as sets, like the hat/mitten set on the cover. Thirty-seven patterns. That’s huge!

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Review: Spinning in the Old Way

by --Deb 08.06.2009
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Almost every other spinning book I have tends to be broad in nature. They discuss everything from where the fiber comes from, to how it’s prepared, to the parts of a spinning wheel, to drafting, to finishing … everything. It’s all in there, like that old tomato sauce commercial.

This book (if you’ll forgive me for referring to the pair of them as if they were one and the same) is refreshing because it focuses on making yarn with one tool only–the high-whorl spindle.

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Review: Knitted Comfort for the Sole

by --Deb 08.02.2009
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I was looking for something creative, something that wasn’t the “same old, same old” sock book, and when I saw this one, I knew it qualified.

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