Knitting has slowed to a crawl lately because I have been reading Anna Karenina. I was invited to join a friend's book club - just my luck that they read a 900-page book for my first meeting! Anyway, I just finished last night (the group meets on Tuesday). There were some slow parts, but on the whole, it was an excellent read. It covers most of the major issues in life: love, marriage, family, religion, politics, culture...with a few theories on agriculture and political economy thrown in. It's amazing how a book can tell a story so embedded in a particular time and place in history, and yet have such universal themes and truths about people. The end has a few twists and turns, and so I found myself thinking for hours about why things had happened, what the characters must have thought about it all, and whether there was any other ending I thought would make sense. I haven't decided yet.
I was surprised to learn that this was an Oprah Book Club selection. There was a whole page of Q & A about the book, which must have been done by some heavy duty scholars. I consider myself a fairly close reader, but there were so many things I hadn't even considered! It definitely gave me a deeper perspective on the book.
Anyway, for those looking for a little lighter reading, I commend this to your attention: the Pantone Fall 2007 fashion color report. Yay fall fashion! More on this later...
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Monday, July 16, 2007
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Book Review: No Sheep for You
**Hey! Long time no post. Since I heard that Amy Singer is coming to town to promote her new book, I thought I would post a review and some snaps of designs from the book. Happy knitting!**
It was desperation that drove me to pick up a copy of Amy R. Singer's No Sheep for You. I had purchased some Louet sportweight linen yarn for a loose-fitting spring top. Upon bringing it home, I was horrified to discover that according to Louet, "This yarn is more suitable for pattern knitting than for plain knits. Small areas of plain knitting are fine, though." Since I had planned a nearly all-stockinette garment, I was really worried that this was not the appropriate yarn for the project at all. I was seeking Amy's advice (and hopefully reassurance) about my choice.
Amy begins with a fairly exhaustive discussion of each type of fiber, where it comes from, and its properties. Manufactured fibers from natural materials (e.g. like rayon and corn) and synthetic fibers are covered as well. She also talks about how fibers are combined with others to produce stronger, softer, lighter or drapier yarns. Amy's casual writing style makes even the most arcane yarn production detail interesting and clear. The only fiber I would have liked to read about is milk fiber, a component of one of Vickie Howell's new yarns. Maybe it will be included in a sequel (Still No Sheep for You?).
I read the section on linen carefully. Although she discusses Louet’s warning and some gentle advice from Sally Melville on not knitting linen in stockinette, her advice reads, “But what if you don’t expect perfection in your stockinette? What if quirky is just what you wanted? Then knit on!”
The next section of the book is all about swatching. Amy stresses the importance of getting to know a non-wool yarn before embarking on a project. Some fibers, especially linen and cotton, can behave very differently after a "bath." She even suggests hanging a swatch for a day or two, so as to compensate for the "sag factor" common with non-wool yarns.
Of course, there are patterns. Amy's book is filled with glorious patterns for sweaters, tops, socks and accessories, and a beautiful silk shawl. (There is even a tank knit in linen, with a lacy back and a front that is – gasp! – all stockinette! More reassurance that my project will look great.) There is a heavy emphasis on intricate colorwork;perhaps this is what knitters miss most when using wool is out of the question. One particularly impressive pattern mimics the woolliest of Norwegian sweater designs! The book's designs show that non-wool projects can be comfortable year-round.
Amy Singer’s sheep-less book adds something that was definitely lacking from the knitting book scene. She has offered a great resource for non-wool knitting, with consideration of every aspect of the process including fiber history, substituting yarns, swatching, and ultimately knitting some beautiful designs in a wide variety of natural and manufactured fibers.
Amy will be at Loopy Yarns in Chicago on April 4.
It was desperation that drove me to pick up a copy of Amy R. Singer's No Sheep for You. I had purchased some Louet sportweight linen yarn for a loose-fitting spring top. Upon bringing it home, I was horrified to discover that according to Louet, "This yarn is more suitable for pattern knitting than for plain knits. Small areas of plain knitting are fine, though." Since I had planned a nearly all-stockinette garment, I was really worried that this was not the appropriate yarn for the project at all. I was seeking Amy's advice (and hopefully reassurance) about my choice.
Amy begins with a fairly exhaustive discussion of each type of fiber, where it comes from, and its properties. Manufactured fibers from natural materials (e.g. like rayon and corn) and synthetic fibers are covered as well. She also talks about how fibers are combined with others to produce stronger, softer, lighter or drapier yarns. Amy's casual writing style makes even the most arcane yarn production detail interesting and clear. The only fiber I would have liked to read about is milk fiber, a component of one of Vickie Howell's new yarns. Maybe it will be included in a sequel (Still No Sheep for You?).
I read the section on linen carefully. Although she discusses Louet’s warning and some gentle advice from Sally Melville on not knitting linen in stockinette, her advice reads, “But what if you don’t expect perfection in your stockinette? What if quirky is just what you wanted? Then knit on!”
The next section of the book is all about swatching. Amy stresses the importance of getting to know a non-wool yarn before embarking on a project. Some fibers, especially linen and cotton, can behave very differently after a "bath." She even suggests hanging a swatch for a day or two, so as to compensate for the "sag factor" common with non-wool yarns.
Of course, there are patterns. Amy's book is filled with glorious patterns for sweaters, tops, socks and accessories, and a beautiful silk shawl. (There is even a tank knit in linen, with a lacy back and a front that is – gasp! – all stockinette! More reassurance that my project will look great.) There is a heavy emphasis on intricate colorwork;perhaps this is what knitters miss most when using wool is out of the question. One particularly impressive pattern mimics the woolliest of Norwegian sweater designs! The book's designs show that non-wool projects can be comfortable year-round.
Amy Singer’s sheep-less book adds something that was definitely lacking from the knitting book scene. She has offered a great resource for non-wool knitting, with consideration of every aspect of the process including fiber history, substituting yarns, swatching, and ultimately knitting some beautiful designs in a wide variety of natural and manufactured fibers.
Amy will be at Loopy Yarns in Chicago on April 4.
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