Russell Yarn

Two Reviews (kinda)

So, my order of Knit Kits for the Julip Store FINALLY came in...it's received mixed reviews over on Ravelry mainly because of the size (which IS bigger than I expected, but it's not the size of a dinner plate or anything)

Sorry it's blurry, it was taken with the Crackberry at 6:30am.

There are also some people who are disgruntled because it's plastic.  Which I'm pretty happy about because weight-wise, I don't need more heavy stuff in my knitting bag.  I only ordered twenty (and one is for me), and haven't decided yet if I'll order more.  I guess I'll wait and see how they do.  In terms of the functionality, I LIKE it a lot.  The only thing it's missing is a darning needle, so I'll be including one of those for anyone who buys one of the Kits.  I don't intend on this replacing my other self-assembled notions kits, but I like the idea of it being a handy all-in-one notions Swiss-army-knife deal.  Especially since fashioning emergency stitch holder/crochet hook out of straightened paper clips gets annoying after a while.

My other review (kinda/not really) is of the Twilight book series...yes, I unashamedly caught the bug and just finished up Breaking Dawn last night. 

SPOILERS AHEAD 

I agree with Cleolinda that it seemed like David Cronenberg wrote the middle section.  Maybe they can hire him to do the movie, because I genuinely don't know how they can  a) squash it all into one two-hour movie and  b) make that anywhere remotely close to PG-13. 

So even though I grudgingly love the four-and-a-half books, liked the movie, and LOOOOOOVED the movie soundtrack, I have to admit I love the internet versions more.  Because speaking of Cleolinda, you really must read her Twilight Movie in 15 Minutes:

EDWARD: SAY MY NAME, BITCH

BELLA: EDWARD

EDWARD: NO, THE OTHER ONE

BELLA: ASSHOLE

EDWARD: NO, THE OTHER ONE

BELLA: VAMPIRE, OKAY? VAMPIRE

EDWARD: ARE YOU AFRAID?

BELLA: NO

EDWARD: Wait, what?

Seriously, read all her Twilight stuff, even if you're a die-hard fan, it's screaming-out-loud funny (or in my case, muffled-snorts funny since I was reading it at work).  Growing Up Cullen is good too (although somewhat NSFW).

Knitting?  Eh, not so much of that in a while.  Hopefully over the next two weeks.

Me vs. Timtex

Believe it or not, on October 15th my little Lily will be one year old!  She's having her first birthday party on the 12th, which (hopefully) gives me time to make her gift (since I'm crafty that way)...and since I can sew faster than I knit, yesterday I trotted over to Borders and picked up this...

This book makes me want to have a nursery.  Not a baby, mind you, just a nursery that I can decorate with things like this:

But hey, who are we kidding?  This is ME we're talking about, what I REALLY want to make is:

and possibly this:

There are  three diaper bag patterns total (the monkey bag is a laundry bag), and I want to make all three!  Diaper bags = excellent knitting bag/purse combo, methinks. 

The only problem I foresee is that Amy Butler patterns live and die by the motto "More Timtex!" while I loathe interfacing generally and Timtex (which is like sewing with tree bark) specifically.  These patterns often include more than one kind of interfacing and always enough layers of it to patch the Hoover Dam.  I should probably stock up on needles and line up a cocktail or three before starting.

While I'm complaining about Amy Butler patterns* and Timtex, here's a really awesome blog I found called U-handblog.  It is a FABULOUS bag/purse-making blog, with lots of tips, pics, and giveaways.  It is primarily geared towards those who sew their own bags, but if you are looking for some really good handmade bag eye candy, this is the place for it.

In other bag eye-candy news, the Gabrielle Lace Keeper got a mention on Lime & Violet's Daily Chum in the Goodies section!  Needless to say I was thrilled, and was up until 1:30am last night making more, until I finally went face-down on the cutting table.  Good thing I'd already put the rotary cutter away, eh Kristi?

*Lest anyone take me seriously, if you have actually visited my Etsy store you know that I worship at the altar of all things Amy Butler and hope to be just like her when I grow up.  I love you, Amy!

ETA: here's a great link for those who love making Amy Butler bags, regardless of how you feel about interfacing.  Might as well learn from the designer!

Spring Cleaning, cont'd...

I am the type of person who likes for things to be useful.  This is why there's a fight between JP and I every time I suggest serving lemonade out of our Tiffany handblown crystal Lily-of-the-Valley pitcher. He is smart enough not to point out that being a somewhat clumsy individual, there's a very good chance I would drop the handblown crystal pitcher, but I know it's true...so the pitcher sits on top of our wine cabinet.  I look longingtly at it, take it down and wash it every so often...because one day I WILL make that pitcher useful. 

My point is (if I have one), is that I don't like to have stuff hanging around that isn't useful.  Perfect example: the Annie Modesitt Silk Corset I cast on for last year.  It was my Amazing Lace project, and it's over halfway complete.  But my interest in it waned...partly because I came to the realization that it would never fit over my chest, and partly because I never even got an honorable mention for what I felt were my witty and competitive Amazing Lace posts (I mean, I was going to eat muskrat.  Hello?!?).  So the corset was stashed away, taking up a perfectly good Addi Turbo that I really need back, but my guilt over the silk yarn investment fooled me into thinking I'd pick it back up someday.  Well, that day is today...but it's to frog the corset.  I resent it sitting there, holding my Addi hostage, miles of gleaming silk yarn that isn't doing anything but gathering dust.  For shame!  I don't want to think about how long it will take me to frog and hand-wind all of that slippery silk onto paper towel rolls, but I'm cheered by the fact that I can make a big gorgeous shawl out of all that yarn!  Spring cleaning rules! 

So how do I celebrate throwing Stuff out?  By bringing more Stuff in, naturally!  On to the book reviews!

I picked up both Knitting Lingerie Style  and Runway Knits at Borders this week.  I'd had some reservations about KLS, based on books like Naughty Needles and the inclusion of a knitted silk THONG in the last Interweave Knits, but I was curious.  I love lingerie-inspired clothing...camisoles, corsets (until they piss me off, see above), stockings.  I DON'T love wearing actual lingerie as clothing out in public.  So I was happily surprised to find that, despite the cover shot, there's very little actual lingerie in the book.  Most of the patterns are public-friendly lingerie-inspired clothing.  Beautiful!  I want to make almost every non-lingerie pattern in this book!  The only pattern that through me for a loop (hey, is that a knitting pun?) was the camisole with straps made of real freshwater pearls.  Strung AND dyed to match the yarn by YOU.  I'm all for having a few pamper-me luxury items, but that seemed a bit extreme.  If you DO own Naughty Needles and DID knit the IK thong, you're probably wondering about the actual lingerie patterns.  Most of them are very pretty, very feminine, and very tasteful.  Had I the time and money, I might think about knitting one or two of them.  But then again, I'm not the type to wander around the house all day in my best knitted lingerie, which is what all the models in this book seem to be doing. 

Runway Knits was another pleasant surprise, since based on the...whatever that is on the cover...I was expecting to see stuff that was way too "out there" for me.  Haute couture and Fashion Week don't interest me.  This book is stuffed full of beautiful sweaters, very fitted and very stylish.  Right up my alley!  I can admire the colorwork of a Starmore sweater or Kaffe Fassett design, but I don't like busy, boxy sweaters.  There are a few misses, yes, and I still haven't figured out if those are mannequins or real live people modeling the knits, but this was another good investment.  The other thing I really liked about this book was that although the recommended yarns are all Karabella, the author thoughtfully supplies a mini-guide to yarn substitution in the back.  The designs are fairly creative, although by the third coat of this style (see below)  it was getting a little old. 

WIP report: Clementine Shawlette is almost halfway finished (should I compose a sonnet about how much I love this pattern??); Icarus is on hold again until I can find the silver polish to clean and slick up the needles; U-Neck sweater actually got a few rounds completed this week; and the Nantucket Jacket is VERY UNHAPPILY on hold, being that I evidently didn't make a copy of the last page of the pattern, and the magazine has disappeared.  I did a cursory sweep of the house, but will have to wait until this weekend for a more exhaustive search.  If I can't find it, I may have to beg a loan of the magazine from someone.

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby!  I'll be swilling Maker's Mark and devouring Derby Pie all day!  Before that, though, there will be the little matter of Me vs. The Tree...I'll bring that story to you later!

Deep Thoughts by Amby

This will be a photo-free post, as I'm at work and our CEO is lurking around somewhere, gloating about someone calling him "darlin'."  Ehhh...congratulations?

Anyhoo, I finished reading the Yarn Harlot's latest book (generously gifted to me by Dana) last night, and felt compelled to share my thoughts about it.  And not all of them are positive, so it may be that I will be virtually burned in effigy or skewered with red-hot knitting needles in the comments, but it's my blog, so I'll be honest. 

I love Stephanie's blog.  She is a hilarious and gifted writer.  I only wish I had that kind of ability.  I LOVED her first book, I remember buying it and trying to only read it a bit at a time, to make it last longer, but giving up and reading it cover-to-cover.  I remember laughing out loud, and sharing bits of it with my bemused husband.  It's still my favorite of her books.  The second was pretty good too, and the third was pretty decent...even though I need another knitting instruction book like a hole in the head, there were some good tips inside.   

I was among the throng that went and waited five hours to see her in Ann Arbor.  I started perusing Casts Off then, and have been pecking away at it since.  There are a few parts that I got a good laugh from, specifically the plight of the poor knitter who, having finished an enormous project, has temporarily lost the desire to knit but is bewildered because she KNOWS NO OTHER LIFE!  Yep, been there! 

Now I'll just throw blogging caution to the wind and say this: I sincerely hope she doesn't write another book anytime soon, and here's why.  She's got serious talent.  And it seems her publisher is milking it for all it's worth, to the point that some of her funniest points and stories are being reworked and recycled for republishing.  Some of the anecdotes have started sounding too familiar from book to book, and from talk to talk.  I would guess that the publisher would like for her to keep cranking out books as long as they keep selling, and far be it from me to say she shouldn't make money at something she's good at.  And not to say that there isn't always going to be something new and funny to write about knitting (or at least us crazy knitters), but she's covered a lot of the bases already.

Maybe my feelings about this stem somewhat from that whole bandwagon effect I ranted about a while back, where random people popping out of the woodwork churn out "E-Z Chunkee Knits for Hipsters!" books.  As long as those books sell, publishers will put them out.  And maybe I wonder if Stephanie will be commissioned to write book after book, each one funny in the same way the last one was funny, until it's all been read (and laughed at) before, and her genuine talent is considered played out, watered down, or old and tired.  Her blog continues to shine with humor and wry observations on the love of our fiber lives, maybe that's the perfect forum for it.  Not book after book after book, where she (by her own admission) desperately tries to come up with something funny AND creative for us all to enjoy. 

Hmm, I guess this wasn't as much a book review as a general getting-off-the-chest.  Not to mention, I feel pretty sorry for Stephanie...it sounds like she spends a lot of time away from her family, and if what's-her-name the wonder publicist can't get her better transportation from Cleveland to Ann Arbor (about a three hour drive) than a flight necessitating her getting out of bed at 3am (?!?), maybe our beloved Yarn Harlot deserves a break from booking and touring.  Not blogging, though.  Never the blogging. 

Happy Book Reviews!

I got an e-mail last night that my NEW WHEEL will be delivered tomorrow, so I figured I'd better get this post in before I start blabbering about that!  I also need to get some pics up of the unbelievable Spin-to-Knit package I received from my upstream pal, Rhonda, but there just hasn't been enough sunlight to get any decent pics! 
Since my last post was growling about two books, I figured I'd offer up some GOOD book reviews!  I went on a mini-LYS crawl on Saturday and hit Heritage, My Craft Room, and HYAW.  And I didn't buy ANY YARN for...myself.  Um, let me qualify that...I DID buy bags of fiber: bamboo, hemp, and cotton carded with reclaimed denim.  I haven't spun any of those before, so I feel my purchase was completely justified.  At HYAW I bought Organic Cotton to make more baby sweaters.  So, no yarn was procured for myself.  But I'm not made of stone...I bought myself BOOKS! 

Where to start...at Heritage, I snagged their last copy of Lace Style.  Oh my goodness, what a beautiful book!  You all know I love lace, but I don't really incorporate it into garments other than shawls.  This book is packed with some gorgeous lace items, and I can't wait to start one!  The link is to Knitpicks' site, since they give you a preview of the pics every time, unlike Amazon.  I'm in love with the Lacy Waves Top, so I may end up going from one Norah Gaughan pattern (Nantucket Jacket) to another.  I took it to the 'bou last night and passed it around, everyone agreed that this sweater is a winner.  Some of Norah's designs tend to go a little overboard on the textures and patterns (IMO), but this one is perfect in its elegant simplicity.  And whaddyaknow...I've already got yarn in my stash that would be perfect!
My next stop was My Craft Room, where I have 15% off everything until March 15th.  If you've never visited this store, I'll tell you flat out that the yarn selection is EXTREMELY limited and somewhat overpriced, but I was looking for BOOKS!  I got Minnies, which is packed with really adorable baby knits.  Such as this "Baby Genghis" hat.  Maybe not so much in those colors, but tweak it a bit and your child too can be a rampaging Mongolian barbarian!  There are also several nice sweater patterns.  I really wish I'd known about this book earlier!  The second book I got at MCR was One Skein Wonders...now most of these quick-knit books (aside from Leigh Radford's One Skein) don't really float my boat, but this actually has some really nice patterns, including quite a bit of baby stuff.  Yeah, some of the patterns look a lot alike, but I can live with that.  Also, in a nice touch, it's arranged by yarn weight so you don't have to slog through the entire book looking for a worsted-weight pattern to knit.
After this, I thought about going home, I really did.  I didn't have to spend any more money.  I reminded myself that for a woman with no children, I sure spend a lot of money on baby patterns and yarn.  I was hungry. 
Yet somehow I found myself at HYAW, picking out more Organic Cotton.  If you've never used it, it's wonderful for baby stuff.  Just make sure you knit in a well-ventilated area, since it sheds like a Russell in the springtime.  And here I bought my last book of the day, Natural Knits for Babies and Moms.  This book, as the name suggests, uses all-natural yarns for its patterns, and stays away from the overly cutesy/somewhat tacky over-the-top patterns that I refuse to knit for any baby I love.  It also has a couple of elegantly simple sweaters for mom, one that allows your sweater to grow along with your front, and another that brilliantly conceals its true function as a nursing sweater (in pic at left).  This would be a wonderful book if you have a lot of babies to knit for, OR as a wonderful gift (with a couple of skeins of Organic Cotton, of course) for a knitting mother-to-be. 

Tomorrow...pics of the wheel.  Hopefully I'll be able to put it together for Knitters Night Out!

Grumpy Book Reviews

In honor of this cold, dark, sleety, messy Michigan day, I present to you reviews of two books that I can't say anything nice about.  I promise I didn't plan it that way, my knitting book karma must be temporarily tweaked or something.

If you monitor Amazon's list of upcoming knitting publications, you can see there are a lot of very interesting books on the horizon.  One I'd been eyeing was Party Knits...the pattern on the cover was beyond cute, and it sounded like it was full of fun/flirty/sophisticated party knits and accessories.  The description on Amazon read in part: "Knit one of these fabulous patterns, and go party! Match a satin skirt with the shimmering copper top or a pretty summer dress with the ruffled-edge bolero to make a terrific summer ensemble. Or keep warm at a winter party without any loss of style wearing the latest in shrugs, wraps, and vests. This great new collection of 24 up-to-the-minute patterns will allow you to go wild with bold and bright colors or stay chic with black and white. Making your own party pieces allows you to set just the right tone for your party."  Sounds good so far, right?  I noticed that the Birmingham Borders had it in stock, and had them place a hold on it so I could pick it up behind the counter.  Yes, I essentially bought it sight unseen (duh)...big mistake. 
There are twenty-some patterns in this book and I would consider knitting MAYBE three of them.  The rest of the book is filled with such awful fug that I wish I'd taken pictures of the patterns before returning the book to Borders (which I did).  There is a Gigantic.  Red.  Fun.  Fur.  Pimp.  Coat.  Words cannot describe the awfulness of it.  The other gawdawful pattern that sticks in my memory is this knitted blue jean jacket thing that was BEDAZZLED!  I don't think you could pay me enough to wear something like that to a party, even if it was a "Wear Your Tacky Best of the 80s" party.  I was so disgusted I even posted a review on Amazon.com, which I rarely do.

The second book I'd been waiting for was Couture Knits.  The title alone sounds fabulous, and with the lovely pattern on the front (bad move alert!) I was hooked and ordered it from Amazon.  Now, when I think of a book called Couture Knits, I imagine it being filled with stylish, tailored, modern, classy clothes.   Granted, maybe someone else thinks "Betsey Johnson" when they hear the word couture, but we'd both be looking forward to some form of haute couture, right? 
The description reads "As one of Britain’s foremost knitwear designers, Jean Moss has been creating her own collections for 25 years, as well as designing for Rowan yarns and many international fashion houses. Here, she brings together an exclusive selection of 24 of her classic couture designs, and demystifies the techniques needed to knit beautiful pieces. She provides simple but effective secrets for everything from casting on to simple finishing techniques, and shows how anyone can achieve a professional-looking garment with only a basic understanding of how to knit and purl. Whether you are a beginner looking for easy-to-handle but elegant patterns, or a more experienced knitter who wants to make something chic and glamorous, you’ll find what you’re looking for!" 
With this book, it's not that the contents are ugly, but I was genuinely stunned at how unoriginal and generic the patterns were.  This author designed for Rowan, for pete's sake, known for their outside-the-box patterns.  There was nothing remotely interesting enough for me to consider knitting: there was colorwork, but nothing fantastic.  There was texture, beads, and admittedly gorgeous yarn, but nothing jumped off the page...it was all just kinda...bland.  So this one is boxed up and going back to Amazon, also something I've never done before.  Now, in all fairness I will point out that the one review on Amazon for this book is extremely enthusiastic, so all I can recommend is that you look through this one before you consider buying it.  Or make sure you hang onto the receipt. 

De-Stash 2007, Part I

I know I haven't posted in a while, so let me first reassure everyone that the following post in no way, shape, or form means that I'm dropping out of knitting or blogging.  Cryptic, eh?
I have been doing a lot of housecleaning in my life lately...figuratively, that is.  The literal housecleaning involving Pledge, Windex and Swiffers has picked up a bit lately too, but I'll save that for another post.  My life has felt like a tornado recently, and the idea of streamlining gets more and more appealing...coming home from a stressful job to a stressful personal life is definitely taking a toll on my mental and physical health.  So I'm jettisoning Stuff that is stressful to me, and Stuff I don't need.  While I'll leave the personal stuff out, part of this includes culling my collection of knitting books and yarn.
Regarding the books (which is De-Stash 2007, Part I): I love books, I always have, I always will.  I read constantly as a child, and still have some of those kid books which are dear to my heart.  Then I went to college and, while forking over hundreds of dollars for ONE book, didn't have the cash flow to buy new ones.  The library was a good option, but I tend to be kinda forgetful about due dates.  After I graduated and started working, I promised myself I would never feel guilty about buying books for pleasure, as long as they were something I would read and use.
My knitting book collection is pretty huge.  I adore my knitting books, and know exactly which ones have what pattern.  Most of them I've used, or knit from, or definitely plan to knit from.  Some of them, though, I bought because I thought I MIGHT knit such-and-such, or because I had $20 in Borders Holiday Cash to blow.  Some of them, I'm sad to say, I bought just because I thought I HAD to, and now I've realized I don't need them at all. 
So, long story short, the books below are for sale.  There are quite a few new knitting books coming out this spring that I'm interested in, and I need the space on my bookshelf.  Terms are as follows:
1. First come, first serve: whoever I get an e-mail from first gets the book.  I'll mark it as "pending" on the blog, and "sold" when I receive payment.  If I don't hear back from you within 48 hours of writing you back, you lose out and the next e-mailer gets it. 
2. Payment in full through Paypal, money order, or cash only.  If in cash, it needs to be exact change.  My e-mail address is kamcneil AT juno DOT com
3. Prices do NOT include shipping, I'll let you know how much that will be in my e-mail to you.  Of course if we live in the same town or you're a regular at the Troy 'bou, I'll deliver. 
4. All the books are in excellent condition, and all but one have a 4-5 star rating on amazon.com.
5. No returns.  I'm not running a Wal-Mart here.
6. I included the "new" book price for comparison, and provided links to the books on amazon.com.  The second amount  is what I'm selling it for.  I'll leave these up until interest has petered out, then I'm taking them to a second-hand bookstore to swap.

*Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet ($21.95 new) - $13.00
*Felted Knits ($21.95 new) - $13.00
*Viva Poncho: Twenty Ponchos and Capelets to Knit ($16.95 new) - $8.00
*The Knitted Teddy Bear ($19.95 new) - $13.00
*Mason-Dixon Knitting ($29.95 new) - $18.00
*Knitting Nature: 39 Designs Inspired by Patterns in Nature  - PENDING
*Special Knits for Babies: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies ($25.00 new) - $16.00
*Bags: A Knitter's Dozen ($15.95 new) - $9.00
*Exquisite Little Knits: Knitting with Luxurious Specialty Yarns ($19.95 new) - $13.00
*Handknit Style: Contemporary Sweaters from Tricoter ($34.95 new) - $21.00
*Luxury Knits: Simple and Stylish Projects for the Most Desirable Knitwear ($25.99 new) - $16.00

It's still Tuesday!

It's Blogging Tuesday, goshdarnit, so if I want to post twice in day, I WILL!  Just had to share that I stopped by Borders and picked up both Doggy Knits and the new Holiday Vogue Knitting.  DK is just too adorable for words, and the little pooch sweaters are actually stylin' instead of tacky and hideous.  Therefore Mickey and Beau (my mom's Yorkie) are at my mercy!  Jerry escapes wearing a sweater because he loathes sweaters and will chew one to pieces trying to get out of it.  Mickey likes them because it means he's going for a W-A-L-K.  Beau is small so he just doesn't have a choice in the matter. 

The Vogue Knitting is absolutely fantastic, I want to make almost everything in it!  Everything except the entire Gold Rush and second half of the Big Color sections, that is.  Got into some scary fug there.  A lot of light feminine patterns, delicate sweaters, and the cover scarf is really nice, although appears to be one of those mind-numbing projects that just goes on forever.  Some of the sweaters are a little fussy on the details, but it's a holiday edition and fussy details look nice for Christmas parties and such.  If I could just FINISH MARILYN (she and I are having issues) I could cast on for another sweater.  Right?  All three pics posted here are from Vogue's site, which doesn't have all the pattern pics up yet. 

Finally, have you seen this?  It's kind of the sewing sequel to Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  Sewing is something I really enjoy but don't do enough of any longer.  I'm thinking about picking it up on the way home...I don't mind buying piles of books this time of year, since it pads my Borders Holiday Account (which means Christmas gift buying for FREE!).