treasures in the post

I splashed out on some knitting books this week and, after I grabbed them from the startled postie, I have been thoroughly enjoying three very different books:
Little Red in the City  by Ysolda Teague is a tremendous book for showing you how to get your sweater to fit your body properly. Let's face it, how many of us have catwalk figures? I have an ample bosom and narrow hips and am only 5' tall. I struggle to find clothes that fit me: petite sizes, to suit my height don't suit my bust line; those sizes which fit my bosom overwhelm my waist and hips. Knitting my own sweaters makes a lot of sense, but only if I can put shaping in the right places. This book looks at shaping in depth. The technical detail is outstanding and Ysolda Teague has produced a truly beautiful and incredibly useful book. I love the way her designs are shown on 2 very different body shapes and in various colours as well. I like 3 of the patterns too: Angostura, Leika and Melia.

Brave New Knits by Julie Turjoman looks at the best of the indie designer bloggers and has an eclectic mix of designs and patterns. I love the socks by Chrissy Gardiner (Chutes and ladders) and Sean Riley (Helix), Woolly Wormhead's Lenina hat and the Foxgloves by Clara Parkes. I'd love to be able to find the time to make Connie Chang Chinchio's tulip peasant blouse and Angela Hahn's Seaweed vest. This book is a lovely treasure chest of new designs and very inspiring.

All Wound Up by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is a collection of the Yarn Harlot's essays and has had me snorting with laughter and wide eyed with surprise as she writes about trying to move a new washing machine through a too narrow doorway, and how to survive a walk outside in temperatures of -20C.

So now, I want to cast on loads of new projects, but I need to finish Seraphina for my mother. The weather is getting chilly and I want to keep her old bones warm!  So this week I've been redoing the neckline and shoulders of the front and I'm determined to finish the damn thing this lovely sweater for her.
 
as the Doctor would say "allons-y!!"