Here is my collection of knitting books. On the left on the second photo is my collection of Spin-Off issues. Usually I just cut out projects that interest me from magazines and file them.
I'm generally a small project, small needle, colorwork knitter. I finish about 30-40 projects per year. I currently subscribe to three knitting magazines and two knitting newsletters. In the last year of these 5 magazines and newsletters I've found only four projects that I want to do. I often worry there are just are not enough knitting projects currently being published to keep me knitting. I'm working through my stash of old knitting patterns more and more to try to find future projects. I've been buying more and more patterns off the web individually and I am going to start collecting vintage patterns which may help.
What is the one knitting book that really turned you on to knitting? For me it was Homespun Handknit. My knitting friend Nancy and I made most of the projects in there between us. My real first pair of socks was the colorwork Holiday Socks (of course they were way too big) from that book. I look through it now and it has both easy and complex lace and colorwork projects, big and small needles, and techniques galore - double knitting, twined knitting, fingertip down gloves, bohus knitting. Some of the projects look a bit dated now but I always recommend this book as a great book for beginning knitters who want quick projects to help them learn new techniques.
On the knitting front the first Peruvian Patterned Glove is almost finished and they DEFINITELY are gaudy. They are fun to knit though. You could easily make these gloves without the gauntlets although I suspect they'd still be gaudy in the chosen colors. The directions for the fingers are kind of weird - you actually knit the ring finger first. I've written up a few glove knitting tips and I'll put them on the blog tomorrow.
Does anyone know what is going on with Brown Sheep Nature Spun yarn? Patternworks stopped listing it in fingering weight in their catalog last year after about 10 years of carrying it - although they do list 15 Super Bulky yarns on their web site. sigh Herrschners is selling off their entire line of Nature Spun in all weights (I should know - I keep buying it when it goes on sale on Thursdays). I would really be upset if this yarn was discontinued. There is no other inexpensive wool yarn in many colors and three weights.
