I love books that give me a look into what an author or designer is thinking. How they working things out. How they get inspired. How they made decisions.

Well, here you go–a look into the mind of Debbie Bliss as she makes design decisions.

So, picture this: You’re a knitter. (I didn’t say this was going to be difficult.)

As a knitter, or crocheter, or anybody who uses yarn, you already know how important it is to match the right kind of yarn with your projects. Designs meant for flowing Alpaca won’t work with unresilient cotton. Designs meant for cotton might stretch out in wool.

Here are some of the new books coming up, as well as some of the recent ones that have come out in the last couple of months. (Click the titles to see details–they’re all links)

The object of this book is to focus on the seven, specific things that can make a huge difference to the quality of your sweater. They’re not mind-blowing things. No secret tricks that only the author knows. No Ninja mind-tricks that force your knitting to behave. They’re not even fancy or complicated things.

One of the things I’m enjoying most about this gig of writing book reviews is having a chance to look through books just like this. As I flipped through for the first time, I kept smiling and saying, “Ooh,” “Pretty,” “Nice!” from one pattern to the next.

There are a lot of them, too. I count 37 patterns, and that’s not separating out the ones that are listed as sets, like the hat/mitten set on the cover. Thirty-seven patterns. That’s huge!

Almost every other spinning book I have tends to be broad in nature. They discuss everything from where the fiber comes from, to how it’s prepared, to the parts of a spinning wheel, to drafting, to finishing … everything. It’s all in there, like that old tomato sauce commercial.

This book (if you’ll forgive me for referring to the pair of them as if they were one and the same) is refreshing because it focuses on making yarn with one tool only–the high-whorl spindle.

I was looking for something creative, something that wasn’t the “same old, same old” sock book, and when I saw this one, I knew it qualified.

Suppose you wanted to take a fresh look at sock knitting, and come up with a new approach to a basic shape that has been around for centuries. The human foot hasn’t changed all that much, and knitting itself has been more or less consistent for a couple centuries now. So, barring new techniques like Magic Loop and short-row heels … how much “new” can there be?

The DVDs–there are two in the package–are basically a spinning lesson from Maggie Casey (author of the companion book) to Eunny Jang, with just a few thousand of their closest friends watching over their shoulders.

New poll on the front page–is the warm weather affecting your knitting choices?

I don’t honestly know what took me so long to get this book. I love Wendy’s blog, liked her last book, have met and even interviewed her … why would I possibly dawdle about buying her book devoted to toe-up socks? Especially when they’re my personal favorite style of socks?

Yeah. I don’t know, either. Because I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I wanted to love this book. I admire Annie Modesitt, and love her Knitting Heretic book. Her patterns are creative and clever, and … this book just didn’t do it for me.

It’s lush. It’s beautiful. The photographs are rich and evocative while still giving a good look at the actual knits (a huge, huge point in its favor). And, with a title like “Romantic Knits,” it’s not like I was expecting a book full of practical sweaters, or cute little cardigans to throw on for a chilly day.

Now, this is not a glossy, glamorous, slick book. The photos are black-and-white, and it’s got a very basic kind of feel. It’s not trying to woo you with atmospheric photos and lush backgrounds. Instead, it’s showing you what really counts–the knitting, and the people who make it (and the musk ox who grow the fiber).