My new knitting books!!!

I recently got a much anticipated package in the mail!  New Books!  Up until now I relied solely on my local library for knitting reference books, but I decided it was about time I had some of my very own.  I love new books, especially knitting books!  I just love the shiny newness; the crisp, glossy, untarnished pages; the way the spine makes a cracking sound when you first open them; the new book smell.  Have I told you, I love getting new books!  The only thing that compares to getting a new book is getting new office supplies, but I will save that topic for a later blog.   The only thing I like more than getting new books, getting new yarn and needles!  After receiving them, I spent a few hours admiring them in all of their glory.

I got Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book , The Knitting Answer Book , The Principles of Knitting , and Finishing School: A Master Class for Knitters .

 I have only had a short time with my new books, but I can tell you The Principles of Knitting is like the bible for knitters.  It has well over 600 pages of solid information, just about everything you would ever want to know about knitting in one convenient location.  The author of this book, June Hiatt, is well known in the world of knitting and was kind enough to compile much of her knowledge into one convenient book.  Her book has been around for a long time and has recently been revised and updated, and now I am the proud owner of her revised edition!  Yayyy!!  

Vogue Knitting has great, easy to follow illustrations, which is helpful if you are a visual learner like me.  I think that the detailed body measurement charts and Knitting Worksheet will prove very handy for designing.  Browsing this book has inspired me to get a little more organized.  I now have reason to revisit my giant folder of tiny scrap papers and notebook full of chicken scratch and attempt to make sense of it all.

Finishing School is a book I have been looking forward to getting because that is an area I really want to improve.  I really want to learn how to make my knits look more professional and good finishing techniques can make all the difference in the world. The first section I turned to when I opened this book was the section on blocking.  I have read and heard so many conflicting opinions about blocking.  When you should or should not block?  Which method is best?     Many knitters swear by blocking and will block anything and everything they knit.   Secretly, I had held the opinion that not everything needed blocking.  I had kept that opinion to myself for a long time, not wanting to hear the gasps of dismay from other knitters, but so far this book has helped to reassure me that my opinion might  not be as blasphemous as  I thought.  On the very first page of the chapter on blocking Deborah Newton states, "I believe less is more when it comes to blocking."  Now that I know there is an expert in the field that shares my opinion on this I am no longer ashamed to say, "I don't block everything!"  Now that my dirty little secret is out, I want to shout it from tree tops!  

I ordered the Knitting Answer Book for one simple reason, when I am in a knitting bind I want a quick solution to my problem.  We have all been there, up all night trying to finish something and then you realize you have made a terrible mistake and do not have the time to undo hours of work and start over.  I really hope that this book will have the answers I need to get me out of trouble in a hurry.  

I love my new books!  I have a few more I want to get, but I think these will keep me occupied for a while. And the best part is, they are all mine!!  I don't have to return them to the library; I can do whatever I want with them.  I can highlight, write in the margins, fill them with bookmarks that I never have to take out, and I don't have to panic if I spill a little of my morning coffee on them (not that I would ever let that happen!)