Just enough kink

I have to admit that I compulsively purchase something whenever I go into a bookstore. It doesn't matter where they are, if they're a chain or independent, or what their selection is like. It takes all of my willpower NOT to buy something. Last time I walked into a bookstore, I walked out with Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape.

I had browsed through it before, and this last time I was checking out Nikol Lohr's Naughty Needles. For me, the choice was obvious. Naughty Needles goes straight for the kink. It doesn't shy away from what it purports to be. It embraces kinky subculture.

Not Domiknitrix. It's about mastering knitting, and the author takes a serious look at how to make your knitting work. To be honest, I'm sick of seeing books that spend half of their thickness explaining the most rudimentary of knitting techniques. I wish the industry could figure out that that phase is passed (besides, Debbie Stoller's books cover technique well enough that I see no need to recommend other books to beginners). Despite that, this book's approach to educating the unexperienced knitter is refreshing. Her "Knitting Principles: Eight Rules to Knit By" is straightforward and sums up all knitters really need to care about, with an emphasis on planning with swatches and knowing knitting not just mindlessly going on.

Her patterns are attractive and simple. Aside from the yet-to-be-Internet-published pattern, Elfin Bride/Gothlet, each pattern is elegant in its execution and achievable for even the most novice of knitters. Her Swizzle vest is my personal favorite, and it's a pattern that even the newest of knitters could tackle as her first major FO.

All in all, it's a great book with great pictures and good graphic illustrations.

Get it. Master it. Love it.

The virgin post

I'm starting this blog to document my love of knitting, crochet, and other forms of crafting. The plan is to share my crafts with the internet and give my two cents on publications concerning crafts. I've been knitting for 2 and a half years, and my first book was the infamous Stitch 'n Bitch by Debbie Stoller. This was about the same time I discovered Bust magazine (co-founded by Ms. Stoller).

My take on SnB is that it's a great beginner book especially for the younger set of knitters. It's got great diagrams and pictures, projects to introduce you to each stage of your knitting skills, and a sense of humor and geek-like excitement about the craft. This was my earliest reference book to knitting techniques, and I took Stoller's personal recommendations for other knitting books and magazines to build my knitting library. Consequently I plan on sharing my reviews of that library with you.