Knitting Friday

A messed up day. I had a routine blood test early this morning. Early for the lab, that is, (at their opening, 7:30 a.m.) but late for my early rising of 4 a.m. Not to get hungry (no food since dinner last night) I didn't awaken till after 6 a.m. Therefore, my blog, which is is usually written in the wee hours of the morning, wasn't.

It's amazing how humans get into routines and then get so messed up when they change. But I'm back in the normal world now (well, I was back by 7:45) and here's my Knitting Friday.

I got an e-mail for a 40% off coupon for one regular priced item at Border's last Friday. That one I printed out. Usually, I leave the 20% or 25% off ones since we have a 7% sales tax in NJ and Amazon is usually cheaper until you get to 30% off or more.

Borders by me (central NJ) was pretty dreary looking last Friday. Open areas, ballroom size; scads of products not book related; empty shelves. I didn't know then that they were in bankruptcy but I knew something wasn't right.

My first swing around the knitting books section was not very successful. They were missing a lot of the staples like Oberle's shawl book but full of the basic stuff like one million basic knitting stitches.

There was one shawl book which I had seen and left at A.C. Moore months ago. There were two scarf books: one had very avant-garde scarves and the one was Ocean Breezes: Knitted Scarves inspired by the Sea. It had a couple of strikes against it. First, it was scarves and I wear shawls (the scarf/shawl length may be the same for me but the width is at least 18") and second, it sold retail at $24.95 and that was too pricey for a scarf book for me. I walked away.

I got about half way through the store and maybe the desolation of the place hit me because I decided: What the heck. I went back and told the other woman looking at knitting books: Well, I guess I'll save the economy. I bought the book and it turned out to be a great decision.

A review of Ocean Breezes:

Some particulars: The author is Sheryl Thies; it's a softcover book and not spiral bound (the only minus); it's 80 pages; it has 23 scarf and 2 shawl patterns; and there is an error in the Mermaid MESH pattern with a correction to be found at the publisher's (Martingale Company) website.

Why did I buy this book? Because every pattern except Snails comes with the stitch multiple for the pattern and this means, every pattern, except Snails (and I'm going to work on that one) can be modified into a shawl. So, I got 25 scarf and shawl patterns. You can't beat that.

The patterns all come with an explanation on how they were inspired by the sea; Green Seas Turtles does look like their bony outer shell; Fish Scales (which I am making from a variegated Homespun-type yarn) does look like scales; and you can see a wave pattern in Ocean Currents.

Patterns have both airy and tightly knit qualities so you can easily find but summer and winter wear here.

There are no charts (which I know is a big negative for some) but the pattern row instructions are short or medium-short and none come even close to the length of lace pattern rows.

While this is not a beginner's book, it's also not a distant dream wish book. Nothing looks experienced plus.

Amazon.com sells the book for about 33% off retail price at this time.

If you're into scarves and shawls, give this book a look. It's worth a place in your library.