So I've been thinking and have come up with a few more things. However, I need some advice, particularly from my knitting friends. I'd like to get some books of patterns, but am not sure the best options for a beginning knitter who still wants to do more than basic stockinette stitch. So if you have seen any of these books, or if you have some favorites that you can recommend to me, please comment! Thanks. :)
Here's a couple books that caught my eye on Amazon.
The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes & Gauges (Spiral-bound) by Ann Budd. The description of the book makes it sound like a great basic book to have. "One could knit hundreds of different mittens, gloves, socks, sweaters, vests, hats, and scarves from just the patterns found here. The patterns allow the knitter to create garments in any size from toddler to extra-large adult in any weight of yarn, from fingering to bulky. The knitter has only to knit a generous swatch with yarn and needles of her/his choice and plug the resulting gauge information into the charted instructions and schematics provided."
The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns : Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes & Gauges (Spiral-bound) by Ann Budd. This is the sister book to the first one listed. One of the reviewers says, "You can take a raglan, a cardigan, a drop sleeve pullover or many other traditional styles like yoke-sweaters and knit either the basic pattern shown, or embellish it with your own texture, color or lace stitches. Ideas are given how to do the modifications. The book is spiral bound with hard board covers, and an elastic band to mark your place." Sounds like a great resource, and it has lots of full-color photos.
Then 1000 Sweaters: Mix and Match Patterns for the Perfect, Personalized Sweater (Spiral-bound) caught my eye. Especially when one reviewer said this book is "way more hip than Ann Budd's book." She went on to say, "The 1000 sweaters book is a true find: it reads very easily and the designs are mostly distinctive and modern. I love the idea of choosing a body, a neckline, and sleeves. A mix and match sweater! Brilliant! There are 4 sweaters that I'd like to knit *now*. (There are a few misses though: what's up with the oversized 80s sweaters?!). I understand that Ann Budd's "the knitter's handy book of sweater patterns" has a broader range. Yes, it calculates everything at every gauge. But it has 3 major drawbacks: it reads like an excel spreadsheet, the women's sizes are very large (I'd have to knit one of the children's sizes to fit me and I'm a medium, how would that affect the fit?) and the designs are very plain, conservative and generally... blah. Perhaps a good starting point for a budding designer?" So I wonder if this might be a better sweater book because I don't prefer huge sweaters, especially for myself, and I really like the mix-and-match idea. (Though since the 70s look came back in the last couple of years, perhaps the 80s and HUGE sweaters are on the horizon! Scary.)
Gift cards to local yarn and/or fabric stores (like Hancock or Yarns and Fabrications) would be great so I can afford the supplies needed for all the great projects in the above books, but I think Scott likes to give tangible things. I personally love gift cards. It's like a mini-shopping spree! I love getting to pick out my own stuff. I try not to do that much on a normal basis. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'd rather have a bigger house than _____ (fill in the blank) when I get the urge for instant gratification. Plus, we really need to start an orthodontics savings account to go with multiple college accounts! :) Saving will get much easier once all our college loans are gone - less than a year to go on that! Hurray!
I digress. Just a little pep talk for the days when I am feeling selfish and deprived. :)
Other ideas include gift cards to Burpee and Gear's Nursery or Sharon Nursery so I can buy all the flowers and veggies and seed-starting goodies my little heart desires this year. I'm definitely getting in the gardening spirit since this January has been so warm and I can see some of my bulbs starting to sprout!
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Yesterday I had to wake Anna up from her morning nap early for a doctor's appointment. She did great, and then took a whopping 3 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon! It was great. But today she is fighting her morning nap tooth and nail. She is cutting a second tooth, which may be part of the trouble. But I'm bummed - I thought I had finally figured her out! At this rate, even with an abbreviated morning nap she still won't be ready for her afternoon nap until at least 3.
And that means that I have no chance of a nap myself today. I decided to stay up past midnight last night knitting Elli's sock. Not wise... No, it was foolish. Hmm, yeah, and selfish too. I wanted to stay up and do what I wanted instead of get the sleep I needed to be a good mom and wife today. Therefore I cannot allow myself to be cranky today because it's my own poor choices that resulted in my lack of sleep. Hmmm. So I should NOT complain about being tired and not getting a nap either! If I had gone to bed at a reasonable hour, it wouldn't matter if I got a nap today.
OK, I'm done complaining. And I'm done flagellating myself. On to better things. And a BIG cup of coffee.
(I wonder what my spell-checker will do with the word "flagellate?")
