Colorful Stitchery
by Kristin Nicholas
Storey Publications
$19.95US/$27.95 CAN

Kristin Nichols' name is synonymous with eclectic, colorful, never-go-out-of-style knitting patterns. A superstar knitter she may be, but her great love is embroidery.

This is a beginning-to-intermediate book that takes you from the baby steps (choosing fabrics and stitches) to bigger thoughts (dyeing your own fabrics and threads, crewel work). Why review an embroidery book in a knitting magazine? Almost every pattern and technique can be used as embroidery on knitwear or felted/fulled projects.

Even if you don't plan to embroider, this is an inspiring book. Everything (especially color) works together in unexpected ways to fan the creative flame in your brain.

Extra added bonus: The book was photographed in Kristin Nicholas' home, so you get a little peek into the domain of this creative goddess.

-JM

Yarn Pirate Tote
by Anatomy of a Skirt
$60 CAN

This bag stopped me cold in my tracks at the DUDE [that's the Downtown Urban Design Event, possibly the coolest name ever for a craft collective show -- held twice a year in Toronto]. Hanging quietly off her display rack with a pair of needles and some yarn dangling out the side.

This, my friends, is a beautiful handmade bag. It's fully vegan, and really sweet. Black vinyl outside, with the yarn pirate subtly machine stitched to evoke his yarny origins. Needles crossed below, tauntingly.

My favorite: hard to pick. I love the stripy cotton lining. I love that the shoulder strap runs diagonally, so it stays on your shoulder better. I'd say both.

It's pocket-free inside. A pocket wouldn't hurt, but there's plenty of room for your pattern, needles, yarn and project. Like plenty. Two snaps at the top keep stuff in.

Anatomy of a Skirt makes lots of most excellent vegan gear, including totes with silver squids on them. Seriously, squids. Go. See.

-AS

Toys to Knit
by Tracy Chapman
Potter Craft
$19.95US/$27.95 CAN

Knitted toy books seem to be coming out of the woodwork. And dang, if there isn't something cute to knit in each one. This book has captivated my family. The husband has requested the fetching monkey on the cover. And my girl, well. let's just say I spent the afternoon knitting doll parts, while she planned an extensive wardrobe for her doll wit the book & my stash.

The book has 30-ish patterns of varying sizes; there is a basic doll and a multipiece wardrobe (including the all important fairy outfit), 10 personality-rich animals and a chapter with knitted toys.

-JM

The Knitting Answer Book
by Margaret Radcliffe
Storey Publications
$14.95 US/ $19.95 CAN

The Knitting Answer Book is similar to the Knitters Companion and Vogue Knitting Quick Reference, but much friendlier than the others' just-the-facts-ma'am style. Chapters include Yarn, Basics, Pattern Stitches, Fitting, Finishing and Embellishments. Like the title indicates, the meat of the book is set up in a question and answer approach. There are a ton of questions I'd asked (or wanted to ask) when I was a new (and newish) knitter, and the answers are much more thorough than many I received. It's like having a knitting teacher you can tuck away in your pocket.

-JM

The Knitting Experience Book 3 : Color
by Sally Melville
XRX Publishing
$24.95us

I wish that I could Vulcan mind-meld Sally Melville & instantly know everything she does about knitting. Until my Vulcan powers are up to speed, I'll have to settle for reading her books. In her latest, Sally explores the sometimes daunting topic of color in knitting. She is able to distill color knitting techniques (Fair Isle, intarsia, working with stripes and variegated yarns, choosing and mixing colors) into simple explanations, but not so simplistic that you feel you'reback in kindergarten. She offers up directions in a way, that makes a knitter (well at least this knitter) sit back, relax and say "why did I think this technique was so hard/scary/undoable?" There are a handful of Sally's meditations on knitting and creativity, too. True ideas for knitters to think about, not the prepackaged greeting card type crap that many books are wrapping themselves in these days.

I would buy a book from Sally that had just technique and words of wisdom and creativity, but as usual she also offers up patterns, 40+, ranging in color, style and technique that befit a creative knitting designer and her equally creative knitters.

-JM

New Knits on the Block: A Guide to Knitting What Kids Really Want
by Vickie Howell
Sterling
$14.95us

I'm a child of the '80s, so I think this book is fab just for all of the puns.

Plethora of pithy puns aside, this book is a great, well-executed idea. It's filled with the best kind of childish stuff, toys -- blocks, memory cars and a bowling set; loads of dress up -- a mermaid, a viking, capes, wizard and princess hats; and some just for fun stuff -- a tooth fairy pillow, a robot PJ bag, a guitar pillow and a pirate bath set. Why not knit the kiddos (and not so kiddos) in your life stuff they'll actually like and use and wear? Brilliant.

-JM

Knitorama: 25 Great & Glam things to Knit
by Rachael Matthews
MQ Publications
$16.95us

Rachael Matthews and the gang of knitters known as Cast Off remind us, with their needles & tongue firmly in cheek, that knitting (and crocheting) is fun.

And fun it is in the wonderful world of Knitorama. Knitted and crocheted food abound (a personal weakness of mine), including fried eggs that can worn as earmuffs.

A brilliant knitted hand grenade (drop stitches not bombs) is there and a knitted pint of stout. There are wearables too, socks, shoelaces, a cardi made from gauge swatches and some seriously gorgeous lingerie.

The patterns are certainly the stars of this book, but there's a ton of useful how-to too. All the basics are there, but some things I've never seen in a knitting book, a discussion of the different ways to hold yarn and needles for speed and a how-to on darning.

This book reminds me of an episode of HR Puff N Stuff (who's your friend when things get rough?), in the most spectacular possible way, of course.

-JM

Della Q Bags
by Della Q
Small project bags: $36-40us [green bag shown: $38]
Large project bags: $42-56us [striped bag shown: $42]
- matching accessory pouches available

Hi, I'm Amy and I'm a silk ho™.

Oh. What are these? Knitting bags...made of silk? Sorry, I can't afford them. Look at those smooth solid wood handles. The pretty embroidery. The shimmery silk fabric. And they're well made, all done by hand in Vietnam. Not heavy, but sturdy. And they have pockets inside. And a little magnetic closure? Hmm.

Do I have to give up yarn to be able to afford one of these bags? I won't do it. Even if the little one is just right to carry my sock-in-progress around, and not look the least bit like a craft bag. And I could easily fit my sweater-in-progress in the big bag. But then I'd have no money left for yarn.

What? The little one is less than $40, and the big one is just a few dollars more? That's amazing.

[This made-up scenario has been brought to you by the original Bag Ho™, temporarily driven happily mad by two sweet, silk knitting bags. To drive yourself similarly mad, visit the Della Q website to see their full, beautiful range. Enjoy.]

-AS

Soak wool wash
Jacqs-hats.com
425 ml bottle: $16cdn
Starter Kit [3x 130ml bottles, one per fragrance packed in box]: $29cdn

Three fresh, light scents make up the Soak line of wool wash: Flora, Aquae and Citrus. It's about time someone made our knitwear smell as good as the rest of us.

I tried the citrus on some cashmere that had a lot of machine oil on it (yes, the stuff from ebay). Before washing, it felt stiff and greasy & smelled more like a car than an animal. A brief soak left my swatch oil free and smelling barely citrus-y with an animally undertone -- lovely. I like that it's no-rinse product because I'm lazy. It's also biodegradable and phosphate free so it's earth happy and not too sudsy.

-JM

Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy
by Jess Hutchison
jesshutch.com
$8us

My cute-o-meter just blasted off into space. Have you seen Jess' stuff?

Adorable, and cutie-pie without being cloying. How does she do it? Who cares? I'm just glad she decided to share the patterns with the rest of us.

Her patterns all are knit out of worsted weight yarn (mostly Lamb's Pride... I'll pause while you rummage in your stash) and are a real huggable size, no dinky minkies, most are 9-10" in height.

Look at those faces! Wouldn't it just make your day to come home to a couch full of those guys?

-JM

Straight needle storage tube
by Jordana Paige
jordanapaige.com
$29.00us

If you use straight needles, how do you store them? They're pointy. They could be dangerous!

A vase can be handy to just dump them all in, but what happens when you go out and want to bring your needles with? Wouldn't you like something sturdy, functional and has a little sass?

Meet the straight needle storage tube from the nice folks at Jordana Paige. It's a super-thick cardboard tube, decorated with cuteness outside [artwork by Marcin Baranski] and lined on the inside. There's a dividing wall to separate two sets of needles -- the tall ones on one side and the shorter ones on the other, or maybe your bamboo on one side and the aluminum on the other? Whatever you like. A handy inventory chart on back helps you keep track of what you have so you don't duplicate and the strong rope handle lets you take it to your next stitch party. Tidy and functional. Nice.

-AS

Spin-Spin
by Heidi Kenney
mypapercrane.com
$4.00us

I didn't think it was possible to cram so much beginny spinning info into a 44-page half-size zine.

Somehow Heidi Kenney of mypapercrane.com manages to take a newbie through the entire process of making and using a spindle, finding (cheap & free), cleaning and preparing fiber to spin, dyeing your fiber, and making using a niddy noddy. What else is there to know?

All this know-how is illustrated with Heidi's wonderful spinny illustrations. And Amy? She talks about spinning non-animal yarn, including how to spin 100% cotton balls.

-JM

Bags for people who stitch - Paris, Sherlock,
by KnitOne
$68us

More delights this season From KnitOne! First, the classy Paris [top left], done in a pale blue and soft taupe brocade. This fabric is lovely and substantial. Very elegant, and just like its namesake city.

The Sherlock bag [middle left] is a clever beast, done in cream herringbone fabric, lined in a red and cream shimmery plaid. Love the toggle clasp!

Finally, the last addition this season is a real tiger -- Furberry![bottom left] Or leopard, actually -- a little furry beast ready to take anything you want to put in it. And keep it safe.

Read our original review of the KnitOne knitting bags for the rest of the story. We think they're great!

- AS

Knitter's Lib: Learn to Knit, Crochet and Free Yourself from Pattern Dependency
by Lena Maikon
Ten Speed Press
$17.95us

This is a cool book from Russian designer Lena Maikon who sells funky fashion under the name Leninka. She combines knit and crochet in most of her patterns and they're cool and interesting.

The meat of the book lies in the discussion of knit and crochet in design. She teaches you not only how to use each but when. She discusses the merits of needle and hook; then you practice by doing her patterns.

In the section called Key Elements of Design she illustrates some basic techniques in kntitng and crochet, then teaches, coaches and dares you to see that by mastering a few techniques and stretching your brain that "every design you ever see will be at your creative mercy".

-JM