Knitting Green by Ann Budd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are a ton of cute projects in this book, well written, charts as needed. Some cables, some lace, some basic, some more complex. The yarns used are all "green" yarns, like Eco Wool (yarn is neither dyed nor chemically processed) or Schulana Sojabama (bamboo & soya, a fiber from soybeans, that is similar to silk in feel).

There's smaller projects, like Sustainable Bamboo Scarf & Soap Nut Vessels (a little bag to throw your soap nuts into). There's wearables, like Organic Sprout tank, which uses Classic Elite Sprout yarn (organic cotton), or the classically styled All (North) American Hoodie, using St Denis Nordique wool yarn (a yarn grown, harvested, processed, & distributed all in North America).

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Around the Corner Crochet Borders: 150 Colorful, Creative Edging Designs with Charts & Instructions for Turning the Corner Perfectly Every Time by Edie Eckman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying I am an Edit Eckman fan, and this book delivers as usual.

This is not a pattern book, it's a crochet resource book for edgings. There are a ton of border ideas here, and it's very easy to customize the borders still more. They are all charted, which is always a plus, and include directions for making edgings on straight items - like the edging on a cardigan - or going around corners, like on an afghan. I love the fact that there are both lacey & textured borders.

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book review: Sanna

Sanna, Sorceress Apprentice by Roxanna Matthews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Sanna!

Sanna has all of my favorite things - knitting, magic, witches, young adult, fantasy, & in a vaguely historical setting. Author Roxie is a knitter, and you can tell this in the book, from how Sanna fixes injuries by "knitting" the bones (love the pun), to knitting magical self-heating socks & mittens to keep a friend warm. Sanna & her classmates are a bunch of girls, just out to have a good time, who are just happening to attend a magical school.

There's a bit of a mystery, there's a bit of romance, but all in all it's just a good fast read.

I only have one negative about the book, which isn't really a negative at all. I felt a couple of parts - especially the ending - were written a little abrumptly for my tastes, but I think it's more written for young adults, which of course, this book is. As an adult reader, I would love liked to have seen those parts a little more fleshed out, but I completely understand why Roxie wrote those parts the way she did.

I was thrilled to pieces to find out that there is another book in the series, too!

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Crochet It. Love it. Wear It.

Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! (Leisure Arts #5058): The Ultimate Collection for Every Occasion by Drew Emborsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First of all, let me just say I love Drew, & I have enjoyed watching his "rise to fame" in the crochet world.

This is a small, LA book, featuring 16 projects. Some are a little weird for my tastes... like the open, lacey skirt Vashti, or the poofy ruffled cardigan... but there's the two gorgeous short sleeved sweaters, Saugatuck Summer & Antebellum, which would be so easy to change this up or down, make more casual or dressy. I also adore the Pencil Skirt, thoough I'm not sure I'd ever make or wear it.

I love the fact that, as LA usually does, the patterns use yarns easily found at Big Box stores & are, for the most part, actually affordable. Sure, I love my alpacas & silks, but I can afford that stuff once or twice every five years, usually one ball for a shawl.

Conclusions: add this to your crochet library!



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mini book review: Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life by Lela Nargi

Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life by Lela Nargi


OK, like any short story book, some stories were great, and some stories were only good. Worth a quick read, works great as a summer or vacation or beach read.

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book review: Incredible Cardboard

Incredible Cardboard! by Instructable Authors
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I picked this up for free, and didn't realize it was put together from Instructables. Anybody who does DIY projects is aware of this site, one I don't really frequent because the vast majority of the projects posted there are poor quality, with even poorer instructions and photography.

This "book" is simply a compliation of projects from the site, which includes frequent advertising for the website. The directions are complete with typos, nothing is edited and the projects shown are those only suitable for children.

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Crochet So Fine: Exquisite Designs with Fine Yarns by Kristin Omdahl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been oogling the designs from the book on Ravelry since it first came out, & I finally borrowed the book from the library to see for myself. I was hoping to have time to actually make something out of it, but alas, that will have to be another time.

There are so many gorgeous designs, I wouldn't have been able to just pick one. If I was doing the Ravelry blogging challenge, where you work through all the projects in a book... this would be the book for me (or maybe one of my sock books, but that's another topic for another day). I don't think there is one project in the book that I wouldn't want to make, and there are many projects that I'd love to make more then once, in different colors & / or for gifts (such as Cascade sweater, or the Skinny Flower scarf, or the Diamonds shawl...)

My absolutely favorite project, however, is Pearl's Cardigan, which is made with the easily available, easily affordable, and/or easily substituted for a more expensive yarn, if you'd like.

This is another must-buy for your crochet library.

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mini book review: Back on Blossom Street

Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very quick read. It definitely wasn't as good, in my opinion, as the other books in the series, but it was another light, fluffy book to read & that seems to be all I can read lately.

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Sweater Quest

Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously by Adrienne Martini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book about Adrienne's tale in knitting an Alice Starmore sweater, the holy grail of knitting. Though Adrienne does try to explain some knitting things to the muggles, aka non-knitters, it's obvious that only other crafters will really understand what it takes, and why, we would undertake a project such as this. She does a great job of explaining everything that goes into making a project of this size - from the little things like getting an audible subscription so she has something to knit to, from the larger things like finding substitute yarn.

Along the way, Adrienne is lucky enough to do a lot of traveling & meets lots of other knitters, including Ann & Kaye from Mason Dixon knitting, who are among my personal knitting favorites. She also gets into some history behind both Starmore & fair isle knitting, the latter which I was familiar with & the former I was not.

In the end, the result is something that probably wouldn't surprise any knitters & is something we've all gone through with any knitting or crocheting project near & dear to our hearts.

I may or may not have received a review copy for free - I have no memories of receiving or buying this book, & there are no price stickers on it anywhere.

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book review: Tunisian Crochet

Tunisian Crochet by Sharon Hernes Silverman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anyone who reads my blog regular knows that I've been rather hooked (pun intended) on tunisian lately. Besides devouring the net for patterns, hints, & tricks, I've been taking out books from the library, & so far I've been really disappointed with what I've been able to find. Most of them show the same 3 or 4 stitches that are easily found on the internet, & most of the projects are pretty much the same things: the scarf, the placemats, a plain bag, blah blah blah, using the same 3 or 4 stitches. They've all been so similiar I haven't even bothered to blog about them, because I had nothing positive to say. So when I took out Silverman's book, I wasn't expecting anything great.

but I was wrong & pleasantly surprised! Of course, there's the usual primer section with the same old boring basics & stitches that are in every crochet book on the market, it seems. But... the projects... are ones you'd actually want to make - using yarn you'd actually WANT to use!

yes, there is the usual scarf & bag (though the spin here is a felted clutch) -- but there's a very cute skirt, some nice wraps / shawls, a gorgeous duster (why are they called dusters, anyway? It's a cardigan) that I would actually wear, using affordable & easily found Lion Brand Cotton Ease. There are some very nice afghans & other wearables, too. I like this book enough I ordered one from amazon to keep in my personal craft library - and anyone who knows me, knows that's saying something!

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book review: Astounding Knits!: 101 Spectacular Knitted Creations and Daring Feats by Lela Nargi

Astounding Knits!: 101 Spectacular Knitted Creations and Daring Feats by Lela Nargi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a fabulous little inspiration book for knitters & crocheters alike. Any crafter worth her salt will recongize at least some of the projects within this book (like the infamous yarn bombed bus & tree, projects that are overshared within the craft world over & over again), but there is so much in here - 101 projects to be exact - that there will be something new for everyone to enjoy. From tiny, tiny sweaters smaller than your finger, to a giant flag knitted with machines (and not a knitting machine, either), this book is a great inspiration.

I'd also recommend buying this book for the loved ones in your life who just don't get why you knit or crochet.

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mini review

Things I Learned From Knitting by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fluffy book, that I read in about an hour & a half. Another book you'd only enjoy if you were a knitter!

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book review: The Very Easy Guide to Lace Knitting: Step-by-Step Techniques, Easy-to-Follow Stitch Patterns, and Projects to Get You Started by Lynne Watterson

The Very Easy Guide to Lace Knitting: Step-by-Step Techniques, Easy-to-Follow Stitch Patterns, and Projects to Get You Started by Lynne Watterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love lace, both knitting lace & crocheting lace. I'm a big fan of bright, bold, color, too, but there's just something about lace that makes my heart beat a little faster.

This was a new to me book, that I randomly found searching through the online interlibrary loan system. Having never heard of it, I immediately had to request it. Apparantly I'm not alone in this; this book or any projects found in it are not to be found on Ravelry.

If you've never knit lace before, there's a good primer in the beginning. Having knit some lace, other than flipping through & looking at the clear, close up photos, I skipped that section & got right to the meat of the book - various lace stitches, with some projects thrown in for good measure. There's a plain, short sleeved lace tee that I liked, using an arrowhead design, but it's not anything any good knitter couldn't figure out on his or her own.

There's a few edging patterns at the end of the book, but they aren't anything new to me or terribly exciting.

All in all... I give the book 3 stars because it's laid out very well, the photos are great, the instructions look very clear, but there's nothing very new here. Of course, it is called the Very Easy Guide to Lace Knitting, and that's exactly what's here.

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book review: Practical Duct Tape

Practical Duct Tape Projects by Instructables
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I picked this up for free, and didn't realize it was put together from Instructables. Anybody who does DIY projects is aware of this site, one I don't really frequent because the vast majority of the projects posted there are poor quality, with even poorer instructions and photography.They put out several others, different titles and subjects, all are equally horrible in quality.

This "book" is simply a compliation of projects from the site, which includes frequent advertising for the website. The directions are complete with typos, nothing is edited and the projects shown are those only suitable for children.

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