There are two things I really need to tell you about this book.

The first is that the explanation of the different kinds of hand-dyeing, and how to deal with them when knitting with them is, all by itself, worth the book. The second is that there are some lovely patterns in here.

When you can’t find what you need, you make it yourself, right? As knitters, we all understand that impulse–a chance to get exactly what we want in the color, size, shape, fiber that we want. Sometimes, you just have to do it yourself.

Well, that’s more or less what happened to Cheryl Brunette.

It seems like a good time to look back at some (just some!) of the great books that have come out this year, but also to look ahead at some of the ones that are coming!

I just realized I haven’t posted a new book review since last week. Eep! And I’ve got four sitting next to me right this second, waiting for reviews. There is no excuse!

What a NICE book. You might think, with the title “Handknit Holidays,” that’s its main purpose is for making holiday gifts, but it’s not. It’s about the holidays. Period. Honestly, there’s almost nothing bad to be said about this book. It’s beautiful. The patterns are creative and inspired. The photos are lovely and evocative but also give a good look at the knitted items (no weird camoflauge). There is a complete index so you can find patterns when you need to. It’s just lovely.

Well, I did my holiday decorating! What do you think?

And, about time I got around to announcing this, too (grin). With all the extra chances, I came out with 217 entrants to choose from. Then I went to Random.org to generate THREE WINNERS and came up with 75, 92, and 152. I compared those to my excel sheet, and the winners are….

Honestly, I haven’t forgotten about the contest …

Okay, I’ve calculated the numbers of chances each person should have … at least, I certainly hope I haven’t missed anything! Next step? Choosing how many books I want to give away so I know how many winners to pick!

Hats. Bags. Scarves. Sweaters. Afghans. Booties. Even toys. I wouldn’t say that this book has everything, but it has a really, really nice selection. The projects tend to be straight-forward and clean-lined … but then, with last-minute gifts, who has time for extra ruffles and things?

Doing “Contest Math” … I DID know that this was going to get complicated, so I only have myself to blame! I probably should have taken Calculus in school, though!

There is a difference between a knitted jacket meant to be worn as outerwear and one meant to be part of an outfit. Or one that’s a sweater. A daily outfit changes so often, you can switch from casual to dressy to serious to playful all depending on your mood. But outerwear is more constant–it tends to be something you wear every day, every time you leave the house for months at a time. It’s defining. It’s like the difference between buying eccentric, trendy furniture or buying classic furniture and dressing it with eccentric, playful throws, pillows, and artwork on the walls.

So–when you pick your outerwear, do you buy classic “furniture” or the flash-in-the-pan, trendy stuff?

Obviously, I liked this book a lot. It’s a good book to curl up with, with a cup of tea nearby, and maybe your dog on your lap. Or–even better–to have someone read TO you while you sit with your knitting. Because this is the kind of book that you should spend time with. It’s not about rushing through to see how a story ends, or about flipping through to see what patterns you might want to knit. This book feels like spending a long afternoon with Stephanie, just listening to her telling stories, and cracking jokes. Really, an ideal way to spend some time, don’t you think?