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hi, my name is Susan

and I’m a biblioholic.  Yesterday I made a reference to the absurd number of books populating my shelves.  And dresser tops.  And nightstands, and table tops and windowsills, and my children’s rooms.  And until I find  a better spot, my floor.  This past weekend I went to a delightful event at my favorite hometown bookstore in Kendallville-Summer’s Stories) and this is the result of that trip.

 

books, Books, BOOKS!!

I must confess that I had no idea how many books we had collected until Sunday when I finally unloaded the bags. I must also admit that this display doesn’t count the books that we are already reading, or the bag of books that my nephew took with him.  It also doesn’t count the book that my son accidentally stole- that I returned today.  I suppose that if I am confessing I should  go ahead and tell everyone that while I was there returning aforementioned book, I ordered another.  I can’t help myself.  I love getting lost in a good story. Getting to know the characters; cheering for the underdog, crying with the heartbroken, rejoicing when a wrong is righted. I love to read aloud to my kids and feel the words roll around in my mouth and drip off my lips like sweet, sticky honey.  I get a kick out of watching my kids’ faces as they react to an exciting, scary, funny or just plain silly part of the story.  I truly believe that books have a played a large part in the empathy and compassion, humor and intelligence that my children display.  So, there you have it.  My name is Susan and I am a proud biblioholic.

p.s.  please do not interpret this confession as a plea for help.  I do not require an intervention.  🙂

 

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Books that have captivated me

I couldn't put it down... must learn more!

It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a book fiend.  At one time I counted over 1000 books in my home.  I quite counting because knowing how many books I really have would be like knowing what’s in my stash.  If I truly knew how many books/much yarn I have tucked here and there I run the danger of facing the fact that I just may have *GASP* too much.  Pah!  Not likely to happen but still, it is a very real danger.  Two recent additions to the Knitting Today bookshelves have me fascinated.  I can’t even guess how much time I spent poring over them as I was getting them in the system.  Purely research for the job, you understand.

The first you see to the left: The Complete Guide to Natural Dyeing by Eva Lambert & Tracey Kendall.   Ever since I bought a skein of camel yarn that had been dyed with Pokeberry (that berry weed that turns bird poop purple every summer) I have been intrigued by the natural dyeing process.  You have to understand that I was on a field trip with my daughter’s class and actually abandoned my post and shoved (albeit, politely) my group of children onto another parent in order to run back to the little fiber shop and get this yarn.  I had seen it earlier and almost had myself talked out of getting it, silly girl that I am.  We were waiting to board the bus to come home when rational thought got hold of me and I literally ran to buy the yarn.  Not because it was camel, not because it was so well spun, but because it was such a vibrant purple and it had come from POKEBERRY!  I have never been able to get the thought of dyeing out of my head and along comes this book and it is such a comprehensive guide that it has me thinking that even a relative twit such as myself might be able to do this.  I could go on and on about how it starts with the bare bones basics before delving into different fiber content and dyeing techniques and recipes and all that but you would tire of reading long before I ran out of words so suffice it to say that I am hooked.

13 projects inside!

The other book that has me hooked (yes, poor pun intended) is Get Hooked on Tunisian Crochet by Sheryl Thies.  I am not very familiar with Tunisian Crochet (or afghan stitch, or whatever term you prefer) so I was pleased to discover the variety of stitches used and the textures created.  The only Tunisian Crochet garment I had seen (I think) is the store sample we have using the Cotton Classic Lite.  The projects in this book are equally contemporary and attractive.  There is an Entrelac shawl that is particularly cool.  It has a detailed tutorial in the beginning, with illustrations for each step.  Long story short, I want to try it! 

Quick side note:  for those that are still waiting, we finally have cowlgirls in stock! This has been so hard to get our hands on…

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Just call me Speedy Gonzalez!

Wow, I feel so productive.  Take a look at the New for May 2009 Category.  The new colors of Ty-Dy Sock and the new books are in and ready to go- including Debbie Macomber’s newest.   Keep checking back, though…. I still have some Chic Knit patterns to get in and they are so very cool!

Hope you’re all enjoying this very summer-ish weather! – Susan