No pictures! :-( My new camera hasn't arrived yet and my mom just mailed my card reader for the old camera on Friday.
In a fit of unfamiliar organizational energy I went through all my fabric and got rid of the stuff I didn't want and found a lot of extra space in my hall closet. I also cleaned out the pantry and got another one of those dish-stacker thingies so I almost doubled my shelf space. I feel so accomplished.
Friday night I stopped at Borders to pick up the new Vogue Knitting and take a look at the new knitting books. I was hoping the book by Twinkle would be out, but I haven't heard a thing about it since the mention in IK a few months back. If anyone knows anything, drop me a line, will ya?
I did get a good look at Suss Cousin's new book Home Knits
. If you can grasp the basics of knit and purl AND can properly identify a rectangle, you too can be a knitwear designer! A small rectangle is a sachet! A medium rectangle is a pillow! A large rectangle is a throw! Most of the stitching is very plain and uninspiring, too. Check it out at your local library first if you really feel the urge to add this one to your collection.
One of the two books I was really impressed with was Naughty Needles by Nikol Lohr (who has one of those blogs/sites that make you instantly interested in her life). The knits look like big time fun, and if I ever get back to work full-time again I will definitely add it to the list. There are some free patterns here. And if you're running around in your cave girl panties under your suits, well it's your little secret.
Saturday Night Hat was another fun book. I don't think any of the hats were knit, but I remember reading an article about Eugenia Kim in Lucky or InStyle and I was fascinated by how she started her business. Basically she was a millinery student and a Soho shop owner spied her wearing one of her own designs and asked her to make some more for the shop. And just like in Naughty Needles, the pictures are fun to look at.
This may be old news to y'all, but if anyone else is a little behind the times like me, you might be interested to know that Garnstudio/DROPS design has some free English translated patterns on their site. I'm especially pleased that the pattern for this cardigan is available:
I saw it in an issue of IK, but hadn't purchased the book yet. It's one of the things I hope I get around to making this year.
Yesterday was a mad shopping day and if I wrote all the places we went you'd fall asleep immediately. I didn't find anything at the garage sales, but my friend, Priscilla, was very happy with her heart-shaped crystal dish for a buck.
Next stop was Amvets Thrift store where I FINALLY scored on the proper buttons for the eyelet chemise. I bet you thought I forgot all about that little gem, didn't you? But I was stumped with for buttons. There's not a lot of good choices out there. But I'm not going to let a little thing like that stop me! I found two blouses at the thrift and now have 12 abalone-type buttons for the chemise! And they cost me $4! My friend Cathy got a little grab-bag happy and had to be forcibly removed from the store.
Other nifty things that happened yesterday was my first San Diego Chick-fil-A sandwich, Beef n Bun's last eggnog shake of the season and I pet a wolf! Beef N Bun is this little place in El Cajon on Fletcher Parkway that has the best shakes ever. The chocolate-banana being particularly tasty. Every December they have eggnog shakes and I was lucky enough to get the last one until the end of the year. And when we were in Home Depot I spotted I big doggie that I said looked like a wolf. When I was petting the pretty doggie (and yes, saying, "pretty doggie!") the owner informed me he was actually 100% wolf and a not-full-grown one at that! His name was Silver and he had the softest fur ever. If I had a camera I would have snapped a photo for you, this is a pretty good representation
Only Silver's collar was fluffier and lighter in color. And I'm pretty sure he was taller. Almost to my waist. And even though I'm allergic, I could resist petting him. I wonder what living with a "domesticated" wolf is like. What was especially funny to note is that I was petting the doggie and another woman was petting the doggie (sounds like a dirty euphemism, doesn't it?) and yet another woman was waiting to pet the doggie. There were big strapping men looking at the doggie from a safe distance. So what did we learn? If you're a dude looking for a babe magnet, get yourself a wolf. If you're gay and looking for big strapping men, you're going to have to find another breed - perhaps a Labrador?
BTW, if you ever Google for wolf images, be prepared for a lot of scary close-ups of wolf spiders that look like Aragog in Harry Potter. Creepy!
I'm also (in between all the organizing) taken a more than passing interest in knitting books. Knitting history books, to be more precise. I love the evolution of lace as told in Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby. Next is a book of Guernsey and fair isle patterns. Who knows, maybe I'll design a sweater one of these days....
instead with acrylic scraps. I think it's called Kim's Hat. I wish I could show you the colors - green, brown scarlet with a bit of blue. But I really think my camera has bit the dust. Farewell. So long. That's all she snapped. Also, I decided not to do the 
