Liesl the Second

So my second (ok, well, third really) Liesl is coming along just swimmingly. I'll likely break out the arms today and start down the body. One of my favorite things about this pattern is how fast it knits up. It's such a blast to knit, and the feather and fan pattern is super easy (but looks complicated as hell).

I've been reading Clara Parkes Knitters Book of Wool which is amazingly informative. I've been deeply enjoying reading about the science and molecular structure of wool.


One thing she hasn't sold me on is the concept of crunch in wool. She writes about softness being overrated, and that sometimes we need to look for yarns that have a nice healthy "crunch" to it for various projects. Which I understand. I'm a big fan of Noro Kureyon (very crunchy) and I realize that you do need crunchy yarns for felting, etc. However, I'm not really sure that I'd want to make a garment with crunchy yarn. Even if it's not going to be against the skin.

All told though, this is a fascinating book and an excellent resource. It also has some good patterns in the back. I'll probably pick up her other book soon. And I'm also reading her newsletter.

Additionally, I'm listening to the unabridged Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. It's an exceedingly cool book, and unlike many other authors who get pressed into service reading their own books for the audiobook release, Eric used to be a correspondent for NPR and reads out loud very well.

Although the first day I was listening to it, I forgot to take my iPod off shuffle and didn't realize it. I was very confused about the structure of the book until I realized what I'd done. Heh.