Ok, I admit it. I sat down and read the book cover to cover in one go, about two hours. I did stop midway for a dinner break and had to put the book down so as not to get Kraft Dinner on it!
Not quite as LOL funny as the first two, not quite as "useful" as the third, but this fourth book, in my opinion, gets us (the reader/knitter) more into the head of our beloved Yarn Harlot. Casts Off is - contemplative? Reflective? In some places it's a manifesto - "mess not with knitters, for we are many and carry pointy sticks." In some places it's a paean to the knitting goddesses (and we, their humble servants). And, in some places, it is downright ROTFLMAO funny, as one would expect from Steph. Well worth the little happy dance I did at the mailbox yesterday when it arrived. :)
Overall, enjoyable reading. Although I do have one minor quibble: there is an ongoing epistolatory 'story' of how one knitter came to be a knitter, and her thoughts on this, and so on. And the text of it is quite good. However, the fonts and backgrounds on some of the 'letters' made for very difficult reading - the image of a slightly crumpled-up or folded piece of paper with shadows, etc. I found detracted from the actual story. Actually, come to think of it the whole book is kind of "busy" with different fonts, artwork, etc. and a lot more whitespace than I would have liked, perhaps. I guess it's meant to be picked up and put down, not read straight through. Just an opinion, mind you - I'm not a graphic arts person or a book editor! Please don't flame me, JUST AN OPINION!!!
Like I said, on the whole, I liked the book a lot. I do think in general that I prefer Knitting Rules, but that's because it's got so much reference material in it, and I'm lazy when it comes to looking things up. :) Kudos to Madame Harlot for another successful tome!
PS - I sewed the second sleeve on Peter's sweater last night, and "dry-fit" it to him before sewing up the sides. It's going to be snug but I think it'll work. He has, however, decided he doesn't want the zipper in the collar after all, so I don't have to figure out zipper-sewing-in. woohoo! I should have finished pictures by Sunday night.
2 comments:
Thanks for visiting.
I was laughing out loud at Casts Off.
Excellent review - it sounds like a library lend rather than a purchase for me...unlike her last one which was worth the price alone for the sock recipe. Thanks for saying hi in my blog!
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