the blue blog archives: I can read too

I've gotten a few new knit books in the last couple of months and have acutally managed to squeak out an hour or two to look through them. Here are a few of my new faves! I've found that all these books really recharge my knitting batteries and get me excited about knitting when I'm either run down by a long day and feeling too tired to knit or stressed out by deadline knitting and overwhelmed by how much I have to knit.

Alterknits by Leigh Radford - What an amazingly beautiful, inspirational knitting book. This is definitely a book that I'll pick up and look at again and again for new ways of thinking about my knitting. I still can't get the one question out of my head: "what would you attempt to knit if you were guaranteed not to fail?" (answer: probably a more shapely version this sweater). And there are some neato patterns, like the felted bulletin board and the custom cushion. I love all the lace-up designs and adore the recycled sweater totes. I don't know if I'll ever really make anything from the book and I'm even more certain that I'll never be hosting a knitting party like she describes, but the suggestions she gives for exploration and experimentation are still swimming in my head. I like that.

Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush - Another beautiful book, and it's all about socks! I have yet to get Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Simple Socks Plain and Fancy (a book I know I'll use and love), but I have looked at it and, like it's title, it's pretty plain looking. Nancy Bush's Vintage Socks book is the total opposite. It's gorgeous, with such lovely pictures of the socks, it's like looking at a beautiful catalog. And there's plenty of info there too, like different traditional heels and knitting methods and historical background into the old knitting patterns. I think this book will also end up being more inspirational than instructional, but I keep cracking it open to take another look.

Yarn Harlot by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - This one is on everyone's favorite list, I'm sure. And not for no reason - it's funny, and serious, and true, true, true. I must say this is what I was hoping her first book was going to be. The first was funny, but I didn't find the tiny little entries that satsifying. This one's exactly what I was hoping to read from Stephanie! So far, my favorite chapter is the one on sock knitting. I've already found myself referring to it when customers in the yarn store ask about whether a particular yarn would be good for socks, or when my mom told me she hasn't worn the socks I knit for her very much, so as not to wear them out. Well, I tell them, Stephanie says that knitted socks are "an unmistakeable expression of love, simply because they do not last forever.... a knitter will have invested an average of twenty thousand stitches in the name of love and warm feet, knowing full well that...the recipient will walk big honkin' holes in them."

Confessions of a Knitting Heretic by Annie Modesitt - I must confess, I really, really, really enjoyed this book. I can't say exactly why, but I think it was just such a nice surprise. I held off getting this book for a long time because I couldn't decide if it was a how-to book or a knitting memoir type of book. And of course, as it is self-published, it doesn't have the beautiful, glossy, designed look of books like Vintage Socks or Alterknits. It ends up that the book is both memoir and knitting guide (and it works!) and the content is plenty good enough to overcome the homemade look (and honestly, as knitters, we can't really have anything against the homemade look, now can we?). I just love Annie's attitude that we should all knit whichever way works for us. I try very hard to convey this same sort of idea to my beginning knitting students. We're supposed to be having fun, relaxing, and sharing joy at making something and when we turn knitting into some sort of precision drill or judged competition it kinda ruins it. Thanks, Annie, for reminding us.

Next time when I start blogging about reading about knitting, I'll be looking at Vickie Howell's new book and then maybe I'll review some of my favorite knitting books of all time. That is if I can find them - the best ones are too often used to ever just be sitting on the bookshelf!

posted by alison at 10:49 am | in blogging about reading about knitting

Comments

Well, I've read three of the four, and agree with just about everything you said. I don't know what, if anything, I'll be making from Alterknits (though those recycled totes sound perfect), and I did like this book of Stephanie's more than the first one. Yep. Pretty much agree with everything you said!

Posted by: --Deb at December 1, 2005 11:22 AM

Felt the same way about Alterknits. I have tons of ideas swimming in my head because of that book...that's the point of it I guess. Also, there's a finished Weaseley on my site. Thanks for such a great pattern Alison!

Posted by: sharlyn at December 1, 2005 11:26 AM

I had been on the fence about getting "Yarn Harlot" (why would I want to buy a knitting book that doesn't have patterns?), but that sock quote - and a few weeks of reading Stephanie's blog - has convinced me. In my case my mother refuses to use any dishclothes I make her. I tell her that they're more durable that what she's using now, that they didn't take much time or expense to make, but still she insists they're "too pretty to use". Now I know how to respond!

Posted by: Manda at December 1, 2005 11:27 AM

I also bought Alterknits because of it's inspirational-ness. The felted sweater throw really hit a chord with me. Also, as a graphic designer, I really appreciated the good design of the book.

Posted by: D R E W at December 1, 2005 1:52 PM

I want that sock book sooooo bad! :p I have the Simple Socks book, and while it has been informative, it is very dry and instructional. Her short-row heel is a thing of beauty, but I want more information about different sock constructions.

I find myself quoting Stephanie's books all the time. Enough that I sometimes stop myself for fear that I'll become one of those people who is unpopular at parties because I won't stop talking about knitting.

Posted by: BzzLaraBzz at December 1, 2005 2:16 PM

I like the screen door cover in the alterknit book. I would love to find an old wooden door and knit a screen for it. My apartment gets so hot in the summer!

Posted by: Christie at December 1, 2005 2:41 PM

I'm reading and enjoying "Yarn Harlot", too, and have "Knitting Heretic" on my Amazon wish list (hear that, Santa?). I hear Annie's newest book is also good, and it has a chapter in it written by Crazy Aunt Purl's Laurie, I believe, so you know it'll be a fun read.

I do look forward to seeing your list of all-time favorite knitting books, (especially the reference-type books). It's too easy to get sucked into buying every knitting book out there, (I've fallen into that seductive trap with several of my other hobbies), so I'd really like to keep my library trimmed to just the very best quality knitting books.

Posted by: Mary at December 1, 2005 2:50 PM

Your comment on Yarn Harlot is not surprising. From what I understand, the format of the first book was the publisher's idea. They wanted a knitting spoof of the daily mediation books. Now that Stephanie has established herself, this book is more truly her own.

Posted by: Laura at December 1, 2005 5:54 PM

Great reviews. You've inspired me to check out all them in fact. Thank goodness it's nearly present time. And that Grandma gives me money to buy a present and act surprised rather than trying to pick something out. :)

Posted by: Vicki at December 1, 2005 6:36 PM

I keep picking up the Knitting Vintage Socks book - it's so beautiful. I also need to get the Stephanie's latest - and I agree, I was really hoping that her first book would be more like her second, but still, it's Stephanie, and so it's all good!

Posted by: elisa at December 1, 2005 9:02 PM

Thanks for the book review! I liked reading your oppinion about them. I do have one of those books... Alterknits, I feel the same way about it. The questions and excersizes are the most valuable part.
I can't wait to see your all time favorites book list!

Posted by: Trina at December 2, 2005 9:12 AM

thanks for the boook reviews! i think if i started reading about knitting too... hubby would think i've totally fallen off my rocker lol

Posted by: rebecca at December 2, 2005 11:29 AM

Isn't Alterknits great? When I first picked it up (due to other knitbloggers' raves), I didn't think I was going to make anything from it, either. But I then discovered that Leigh is from Portland, and I managed to get into a class she's teaching. The store where she teaches has a bunch of stuff from the book on display (including the screen door) and it's just so cool! She is so darn creative, and she's been sharing how she came up with the ideas in the book, and they're really growing on me. I think this is the kind of book that needs to sit and stew in the back of your head for awhile, and then you just have to knit from it!

Posted by: Chrissy at December 2, 2005 1:09 PM

Thanks for the thoughtful book reviews. So many knitters panned Alterknits that I'd removed it from my radar. You've inspired me to reconsider it.

Posted by: Margot at December 3, 2005 9:54 AM

I love Confessions of a Knitting Heretic! Have you read Knitting for Anarchists by Zilboorg? A little harder to get through (at times it reminded me of reading for school), but when my brain finally wrapped around the concepts, I was very pleased.

Posted by: Chris at December 7, 2005 5:52 PM