Read any good knitting books lately?

I have!

First, here’s a NEW new book — just published last week.

Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together.

This book explores the history and tradition of knitalongs (no, not just an internet phenomenon — wartime Red Cross sock knitting drives, anyone?) as well as today’s explosion of knitting together all over the world; and shares 20 patterns to boot!

As a part of the book, the authors, Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown created knitalongs and a forum for discussion; which I ran into one day while messing around on the knitter-net.

Result?

That white arrow is pointing to my square!

I sent in two squares for this knitalong, one exciting and one plain-Jane cocoa-brown, but there were obviously lots of other exciting squares, and my dull neutral square was one of those picked for the blanket for the book (extra squares were put together into blankets for charity).

There’s a little blanket anecdote. Upon reading Larissa’s blog a couple months ago, she had a post about how “it’s a very good friend who hides your bingo wings with a blanket when photographing you” and a link to another blog. The link proved to have a photo of Larissa at TNNA with the above blanket, with my square on one end peeking out at me. Color me surprised! I didn’t know it was THAT blanket. So I left a breathless ohmigosh comment about being blindsided by this sight, as I wasn’t expecting it, with some other blathering. Well, the blogger answered my comment; it was Shannon Okey, knitgrrl.com.

Well, now color me REALLY surprised!

Anyhoo, the authors graciously acknowledged all those who knit or otherwise contributed to the book; there’s my name, on the inside cover:

Which is exciting, true. But I’ve been waiting for this book to come out, not only for the thrill of seeing my knitted square in print (my name, I have seen it in print before, but my knitting as part of a gorgeous photo — awesome!!) —

but also this pattern is in the book, which I saw pre-release on Ravelry and have been waiting for ever since.

Entomological Mittens (& Hat). Design by Adrian Bizilia. Photo copyright Michael Crouser for the book KNITALONG

I know a little Gothlet girl who might like bug-themed accessories.

Do check out the book, there are more great patterns. It’s well-written, interesting and beautifully photographed.

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The rest of my reading list perhaps is not quite as thrilling.

But exciting enough, being new to me!

I mentioned that I bought books at Bonnie’s yarn shop in St. Cloud, being on a yarn fast (now over! Some charities have definitely benefited.).

Here they are (click to embiggen, not everyone will care so much):

The Harmony Guides: (I purely love stitch dictionaries.)

A Lopi and a Dale pattern book:

Here’s a pattern in the Lopi book which reminds me a lot of my first colorwork sweater, but certainly not quite:

It’s very possible that it was modified, as a number of the older Lopi patterns were ‘updated’ (by Norah Gaughan & Susan Mills) for the book.

An Elsebeth Lavold book (my second, because someday I’m going to knit a sweater like Chell’s*), and the Dale book open for Citrus’ perusal.

*Hers is Ragna, from Elsebeth’s Lavold’s Viking Knits, the other Elsebeth Lavold book I have.

So far, I’m liking all the books I bought. Should keep me busy for a bit. I love reading books about knitting almost as much as I like knitting!