So Far, So Good

The AC and furnace are installed, all the gas appliances are working, and the new system provides not only a new level of climatic comfort in my home, but a much more quiet atmosphere. It's a little eerie, in fact, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. All this was not accomplished without at least one more mishap: a step on the ladder to the attic broke while one of the worker bees was climbing it. I heard a crash and shouting, and ran into the garage to find the poor man hanging practically upside down from what remained of the ladder. Fortunately, he was not hurt, just shaken up.

Meanwhile, I picked up a copy of Family Knits, by Debbie Bliss, from the library. Debbie Bliss is a familiar name in the knitting community, but I hadn't seen her patterns up close and personal. As is usual everywhere, the garments for the rugrats are the cutest, and several are generously sized so the wee ones can wear them for more than four weeks before outgrowing them. But there is one item for grownups, the patchwork aran jacket, that will defy boredom in even the most jaded knitter. The photography throughout the book is lovely, and there is even a picture index in the back, so you can find a given pattern easily.



Which brings me to the question of just how often patterns in books are actually knitted by the knitting lay public? I have knit many things from the Stitch and Bitch series, but I pick up most patterns for free online. The only current exceptions are projects from Glamour Knits, by Erica Knight, and Sensational Knitted Socks, by Charlene Schurch. Oh, and some from Mason-Dixon Knitting.



And in the Knitty Coffeeshop, there appears to be support groups for No Sheep for You, Big Girl Knits, and Knit Wit. I guess that answers my rhetorical question.



*sigh* So many projects, so little time.