May I Recommend...

To look inside, you have  to go to the amazon.ca site!

Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini?   I just finished eating up this delightful book about Adrienne's self-challenge: to complete a "Mary Tudor" sweater in a year.  The pattern was created by the rather unapproachable Alice Starmore -- hence Adrienne's quest to answer this intriguing question:  

When is a [insert designer's name here] not a [insert designer's name here]?

In other words, if you change the colour of even a single yarn in a pattern, or alter the shape, or the look of the collar or sleeves...does that pattern cease to be a creation of the original designer?

On her quest, Adrienne interviews a variety of knitting greats, from  Amy Singer to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.  And that's all I'm sayin'.  To find out what Adrienne finds out, you'll have to read the book for yourself!  :-)

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!


No -- no snow yet!  But I'm starting to ramp up my knitting for Christmas gifts.  The first project is actually a request/commission of a sort, from the parents of little Kade Benjamin L., for a stocking.  I did one for his sister a few years back, and now it's his turn.  I've decided to go Scandinavian this time, so am making the "Holiday Stocking" from IK Gifts 2006 (Kade's sister got "Snowman at Midnight" from the same issue).

This is two-handed Fair Isle in the round, which makes it much easier than the argyle kilt hose I'm working on (!) but, per usual, the first few rows are always a challenge.   There are 9 rows of a checkered pattern, though, which will give me a good base.  In order to include Kade's name on the stocking, I'm thinking of either making a longer red section below the cuff, so I can knit it in.  This would add a couple of inches to it's overall 20" length, but hey -- more room for Santa's goodies then, eh?  :-)