Heroes For The Holidays

I am pleased to report that I received the company of two of my knitting heroes for the holidays: the commemorative edition of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac (complete with an Introduction by Stephanie Pearl McFee, a third knitting hero of mine!) along with Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

I have already delved into both volumes, and am happy to report that I am already busy incorporating one of the patterns from Walker's tome onto the sock currently in progress on my needles.

I always enjoy reading EZ as well....she is so liberating!! One cannot help but become more self-confident as a knitter after reading her encouraging words. (I think that confidence spills over into other areas as well.)

In non-knitting (and non-photography) news....DS and I went in search of our first geocaches today. I also received a Garmin GPS unit for the holidays with which we can now take part in the fun that is geocaching. We did an earnest search for three caches today, finding two. (I am convinced the third one was not meant to be found in the winter with snow on the ground. We will have to try again in the spring.)

If you don't know about the sport/game/fun, check it out at Geocaching.com!

Here's another photo from my forray into the woods a few days ago. (No caching involved...we were only out to take photos!)



Happy knitting and shooting and caching!

On The Shelves

Barbara Bretton's new book, Spun by Sorcery, was released yesterday!

This is the third book in the series and I am excited to read it. I'm also excited because I believe my Basic Sock pattern (which I use when teaching sock knitting 101) is included in the appendix at the back of the book!!

It's too bad our book store closed a few months ago. I have to wait until I can get to "the big city" to find a book seller and pick up a copy.

No More Yarn!

Some people have little or no appreciation (and even less of a sense of humor) for yarn collections (a.k.a. "stash"). Some of these people may even live with me. Unfortunately they are also the ones who tend to pay the bills and balance the checkbook. Thus, this person may have some small sense of the "problem" (his word, not mine!) incubating (he may have said "overtaking") in the guestroom. (I may definitely have to go Yarn Harlot on him and start hiding it in the piano!)

I'm trying to be good about the "request" that a moratorium on yarn purchases be put in place in our household. Instead, I've recently managed to acquire some books *about* yarn. Surely that doesn't count, does it?

Of course I bought The Harlot's new book:



It's a delight, as are all Stephanie's books! (And, when reading at night after a long day at the computer, I get the chance to wear my new reading glasses! For a 42 year old who's always wanted glasses, this is actually fun, not a drag!)

I was also enticed by these:



AND



I've read my way through *Knitalong* and it is a lovely book. The paper, the photography, the writing, the patterns....love, Love, LOVE it! I can tell I'm going to feel the same way about *Knitting For Peace.*

Do I dare tell you there are two more on their way from KnitPicks? An Elizabeth Zimmerman book along with a spinning/knitting handspun book.

Oh yeah, and one of their "sampler" kits of the new, summer yarns. (Hey, it came with five free patterns....how could I NOT order it??!!!)