knits, notes, etc.

Though really it was a short week for me, it's been a very busy and satisfying one. Now, here I am sitting in a hotel in Waltham, MA, at 1:30AM EST typing an entry quickly before my posts get any more outdated.

If you've read Hilary's blog post, you may already know that I spent a delightful Wednesday evening first knitchatting over tea at Samovar and then attending a reading and book signing at Imagiknit. Heck, even Craft Magazine has already blogged about this! (the reading, not my knitchatting)

But, yes, I am referring to Sabrina Gschwandtner and her new book, KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects from Knitting's New Wave. Here, Hilary holds up her copy:

The truth is, I knew very little about this book and had not even heard of KnitKnit, the zine. I had flipped through the book on at least one occasion, because it was eye-catching. But, as a pattern book, I wasn't really inspired to buy it--simply because there isn't much in there I would knit. (A giant fiberglass teddy bear?) However, after hearing Ms. Gschwandtner's motivations for writing the book--really, just hearing her relate her experiences with the designers/knitters/artists involved in the book in her charmingly well-spoken way as she answered questions--and reading a profile, I was persuaded. I had to have the book. And, yes, Hilary has a picture of me holding the three books I purchased, each of which Ms. Gschwandtner kindly autographed.

I actually have my copy of the book with me while I am in the Boston area this weekend. It's interesting reading. I just feel that some understanding of the knitter/designer/artist's motivations behind or intentions with a pattern or style has really helped me to appreciate the designs more. I'm so glad I went to the reading and had the chance to meet the author. This is a book I will treasure amongst my [too many] knitting pattern-type books. Though, I still doubt I'll knit much from the book--Anna Bell's Bridie was already in my [mental] queue since I saw her post pictures of it on her blog last year.

Speaking of Anna Bell's patterns, I'm glad Hilary isn't annoyed with me for calling attention to her working project, Flicca. She had just shown it to me while we were at Samovar, and really, how could she not show off her amazing knit-manship.

I didn't notice until I uploaded the picture that my index finger was smeared across the bottom right corner. But, hopefully, people pay more attention to Ms. Gschwandtner, Hilary, and flicca. Ah, but the Craft article has a much better picture of this from another angle.

Also, another pleasant part of the evening was that I had the chance to talk to [one of?] the owner(s) of Imagiknit--a nice chat over the Manos del Uruguay woven blankets and scarves on display. (I love LOVE the plaid blanket and deep purple shawl.) More often then not, on my [frequent] visits to the shop, there is just no time to chat. And, well, I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to do so.

Ah. It's 2:15AM EST, now. Tomorrow, I will be shopping in Harvard Square with a friend for luxury yarns to knit sweaters for a naked cat.