A library that I frequented almost daily throughout my grades 11 and 12 years of high school recently reopened to the public after undergoing extensive renovations (it’s really pretty inside, but you can tell that they’re not quite done yet as none of the shelves have signs!). So, of course I had to go, even though the grand reopening isn’t until later (the place still smelled like fresh paint – probably because when I walked in, I passed two guys wearing those white overalls and hauling paint around…). Due to the fact that none of the shelves had signs, it was a pain for me to find what I was looking for, but I eventually found the craft books (yay!) and I picked out a few books to read.

Things I Learned from Knitting …whether I wanted to or not by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (i.e. The Yarn Harlot)
Anticraft: Knitting, Beading and Stitching For the Slightly Sinister by Renée Rigdon and Zabet Stewart
The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches from Reader’s Digest
The Crafter’s Guide to Pricing Your Work by Dan Ramsey

And yes, I do knit. Even though it doesn’t seem like it… I learned how to knit (and purl! The only two real stitches in knitting.) before I learned how to crochet. However… While crochet may take up approximately twice as much of yarn as knitting would for something that’s the same size in terms of area… Crochet’s a lot faster. And I’m less likely to drop stitches (… I do that a lot). And I just find it easier (which is really odd, because most people who learn one before the other almost always find the first one that they learned easier). Plus, you know… amigurumi.

That being said, I found an awesome page in the first book (the one by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee). The book has no patterns and it reads more like a list… With a lot of stories. And there was one page in particular that I really liked. It’s on page 122. The page is titled “5 Ways That Knitting is Better Than Video Games”. Numbers 2, 3 and 4 I really like and they apply greatly with crocheting as well (Number 1 doesn’t work for me and number 5 doesn’t apply to crocheting at all).

2. I decide how many points I get and for what.
3. I can do it even if the power goes out.
4 I never lose something because I forget to hit “save” before I go do something else.
– Things I Learned from Knitting … whether I wanted to or not by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (page 122)

It’s a really quick read, but some of the humour would be difficult to understand if you’ve never been in some of the situations (i.e. really screwing up a pattern, working on something with an intensive deadline, frogging an entire project due to something you messed up in row 2…). I finished the book today (I read a large majority of it while walking home – it’s a fairly small book and I really like it, I’ve never seen it in a bookstore before though, which is why I thought it was either very old or very new – until I saw who it was by, then I knew that I’m either just blind or it’s new).

I’m planning on finishing up my English paper today, printing it out and reading it over tomorrow on the bus. It now has a title! Before it just had “Working Title”, highlighted in red, at the top of the page (and centered). Now it has a title and it is… Paving a Road to Hell. Which is kind of ironic considering my paper is a) about hell and b) about hell isn’t a literal place. Still have have of the conclusion to go, hopefully I’ll get it done.

Oh, plus, I’ve been in the process of designing (ohemgee, I used the d-word!) a crocheted hat. I keep on seeing hats with cat ears everywhere. And, while I do like cats – I really do think that they look best knit. The last time I knit anything was when Goose’s wife was about to have their baby girl. And, well, that was last year. Plus, I don’t really want a cat hat, crocheted, knit or otherwise. Or rather, I don’t want to make one. But I shall post photos when the hat is done! I’m hoping that everyone will be able to tell what it is when I get photos up… Let’s see how good I am at mimicking nature.

Questions

1. How often do you go to your local public library?
2. What kinds of books do you normally borrow?
3. Do you think the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

My answers

1. Used to be frequently, then dwindled down to about once a month or so (which makes me sad, but keeps my reading in check – what with school and all).
2. Craft books, romance (paranormal romance, the smutty romance), chick lit, fantasy, sci-fi (depends on the author though), literary fiction (usually the teen stuff only – it’s quicker reads).
3. Yeah, pretty much