Score!!

Oh yeah!  After a busy week with little knitting (Who am I kidding?  There was no knitting.), I finally scored some crafting stuff.  Seriously!

Cute crochet kit

First off, a cool crochet kit.   Isn't it neat?  There's enough yarn for one Beatle, but the book has patterns for all 4 Beatles in their early years AND patterns for the Sgt. Pepper versions (I know, right?).

Sgt. Pepper's version

Besides the kit, I got my hands on two knit books.  One is a book on children's top-down knits (check out some of the patterns over at Ravelry.com). By far, top-down is my fave way to construct a sweater.  There are some cute items (and I dare confess that I've photocopied a pattern or two in the past . . . ). The only drawback is that the photos in the book are all B&W--but that's a small drawback.

Book on top-down kids' knits

View of more patterns

The other book is a re-working of vintage knits (check out more over at Ravelry.com).  And while I might admire the patterns more so than make them, there a few accessories that caught my eye (scarves, a hat, bolero and 2 shrugs).  It'll be a neat addition to the crafting library.

Vintage Knitwear book

Circular knit vest/bolero

Cute bolero

At a dollar a pound, we made a steal!  In total my husband and I spent about $37.00 for over 25 books (including the crochet kit, 4 gardening books, half a dozen kid's books, quite a few paperbacks and over-sized hardcovers.  All the items had been donations from the local community).  Seriously, we scored big time!  And all the proceeds go to funding our local library (seeing as our provincial government has frozen current funding, local libraries need as much as they can get in the way of fund-raising.  See CBC news for more details).

Now I'm off to peruse my finds.  
Later,

Score!

Our local library held a book fair where books were a dollar a pound.  Many of the books had been donated from the local community. Hubby picked up quite a few cookbooks, and some novels from favorite authors.  

I found some items too.  Curious to try out some of the techniques in this how-to-watercolour book.

Instruction book on watercolour painting

I also found a couple of lovely gardening books, both of which were quite new.

Gardening books

The biggest score: knitting books!  Happy to have found a couple of knitting books.

Stitch dictionary and book on baby knits

There was a Harmony Guide stitch dictionary and one on vintage baby knits.  Hard to pass these up.  Excited to leaf through these this weekend.

Still Summer

Coneflowers in bloom in big garden under the honeysuckle

Yup, still summer, although the air feels crisper and the evenings are definitely cooler. There's still lots of growing left in the season: plenty of flowers left to bloom and I'm eagerly anticipating my red sunflowers.

Tall tiger lilies on the other side

Certainly can't deny that school is right 'round the corner--less than 3 weeks!  That'll mean work for my boys and me (although this year I'm excited 'cuz I've transferred to another institution that will hopefully be a better "fit' with my professional goals).

Wildflowers growing in garden along front deck

Meanwhile I can enjoy the loveliness blooming in the garden beds.  I love watching the seasons change and noting the season markers, especially the wildflowers.

Detail of poppies amongst the wildflowers

I found some great books on wildflowers in Nova Scotia.  One (Wildflowers of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & PEI) has been out for a while, but I love the photography.  While not exhaustive, it's a lovely tome to peruse.

Great coffee-table book with lovely photos

Excellent field guide for wildflowers in NS

The other one (Wildflowers of Nova Scotia) is a recent publication and quite exhaustive.  It's a great primer and handy reference for those of us who go for walks in the woods or near fields (the same author has a similar book on trees and bushes which I may have to pick up at some point).

How goes your summer? 

At Long Last!

Finally!  I got my hands on that iconic and definitive tome on all things top down: Knitting From the Top by Barbara Walker.  I've been itching to own this book for ages!  It had been available in the US at Amazon.com for a number of years, but sadly "out of print" on the Canadian Amazon.ca (and I wasn't prepared to pay $200 plus for it).  So imagine my surprise when I saw it was available . . . and me with gift cards to spend!!  Oh joy!!

Walker's Knitting From the Top

I also ordered Ann Budd's collection of top down sweaters, but that hasn't arrived yet (part of my order shipped from Ontario and the rest came from British Columbia.).  The two will complement each other nicely: one focusing on theory and the other on patterns (for any size, any gauge and any yarn). 

Budd's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters

My other acquisition was the third collection of patterns from Wendy Bernard, Custom Knits: Accessories.  I've always liked Bernard's patterns and how she gives the knitters suggestions for modifying and customizing the pattern.  So it was a no-brainer for me. 

Bernard's Custom Knits Accessories

Happy inspirations!

Vacations and Homework and Books

Yup, its a mish-mash this week!  First off I'm on vacation.  You'd think I'd have loads of time knitting or crocheting.  Not so much.  Not even a little bit.  Instead I'm watching online lectures and reading my textbook in-between excursions to the beach and park with the kids (well at least I'm getting some fun time with the kids).  Instead of knitting and crocheting, I'm dragging along my textbook and binder.  At least my hard work is paying off: my first test mark was good--very good.  Not bad for an old broad working full-time, living on a farm and caring for her family.  I still has "smart-itude"!


At least I can spend my nights perusing some craft books I forgot to share.  Absolutely love Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits 2--well worth owning!  There are some cute patterns, but more important she addresses how to modify and change the pattern to suit size, age and even gender.

The other book I got was Shirley Paden's Knitwear Design Workshop.  Fair warning: there's a lot of math, but there's a lot of useful information about how to design your own sweater (based on your measurements and your swatches).  She starts with basic patterns and then teaches you how to modify and change the design.  My only complaint is that the book focuses on sweater pieces rather than knitting in the round.  Still, it is a useful primer.

I fear that for now my craft time is nil.  Maybe once I've finished my course at the end of August, I can squeeze in some knitting--at least until my next course starts in September!