Sunday, January 26

a crochet bible of the utmost kind...

yesterday at work (think i have taken up residence there this past week) a new book came in. my yarny buddy Veronika exclaimed it was the one she had been telling me all about. (recall skills, let me down). Veronika is busy learning crochet but as i have said before and i will say it again, she is a knitter of the utmost kind. you may think, ummm, perhaps, perhaps not, but if i told you Veronika makes the knitted garment samples that are used within the pages of published knitting books, then i think you will agree she knows a thing or two. 

V (i think that is perfectly okay to shorten Veronika to V for today) often departs nuggets of information my way. some days i do a terribly good job at listening well and hence slowly but surely i am learning more and more about yarn, its ingredients, what it can and can't do and other such things. on other days i must confess my listening skills are rusty dusty and try as i might within a few minutes, the little nugget so kindly offered to me has disappeared into the black hole in my cogs never to see daylight again. hence i am quite sure V often thinks when i ask yet the same question a day later, "is Tif listening, is she short of a penny or two?!" but never ever says so, no sirree! just kindly responds as if it were the first time i had ever inquired if such and such a yarn can do such and such a thing.

a crochet bible of the utmost kind

hence when V presented me with The Complete Book of Crocheting Stitches i was most intrigued, for i have numerous crochet books upon my crafty shelf but recent times have led me to wish i had a crochet bible. only last week i was hunting around the internet aisles for such a thing, i found plenty of inspiring crochet recipe books of which i placed a hold upon, at my local library, so i may pour over whilst having a cuppa one late afternoon. however what i really really wanted was an indian rubber ball. no, no i did not! that was King John who wanted that! i do not wish for one of those, no, not in the least, what i really really wanted was a crochet stitch bible so i may pour over all the different patterns one could achieve with just a little hook, a length of yarn and a knowledge of a few simple crochet stitches. 

this little sweetie i started before my crochet bible found me, i am muchly happy with how it is working out, i am hopeful i may show and tell later in the week

and so it was to be, the crochet gods had listened and answered my prayers through Veronika suggesting we carry a certain book in the store to Anna. (serendipity once again). as i was working, i did not sit and read,  however, i had a quick flick through and determined it had great potential to become my crochet bible so i parted with my hard earned pennies (this appears to be a recurring theme when one works in a yarn store) and brought my book home with me last night. (or did i, 'bought' my book home with me? i don't know, my dad will know, he will advise me upon reading this)

this morn, with a shed quiet and not even a guinea pig stirring, (my lads of three having left long ago for the Robot State Championships) i took my time to really look through the pages of what appeared to be a most marvelous medley of crochet stitch patterns. i read the foreword learning the book had been written many years before and recently updated by the author Linda P. Schapper and then after 5 minutes i had to put the book down, my crocheting heart had started to race, i saw patterns that had me gasping at their beauty, so many i started to shake... how would i get to them all, how would i mark them all in my little (big) book, what if i lost one amongst the other 500 never to be spied again?

my crocheting buddies, late last night, keeping me warm and shortly after this picture was taken, i overheated rapidly

i have placed my little (big) crochet bible on the side whilst i contemplate how i will recall where each pattern i have fallen in love with, is within the cover. i do not wish to 'highlight' all over the pictorial index in the first few pages, nope, highlighter pen would not do upon its lovely new pages. i dabbled with thoughts of post~it~notes but did not wish to have hundreds of little bits of paper sticking out of its sides, plus i don't own enough post~it~notes. turning down corners would be a crime, torn up bits of paper would finally fall out. and so i am thinking perhaps i may dabble with a pencil, for a pencil is erasable, i would circle ever~so~lightly all the little mini images in the pictorial index and thus i would not forget the ones that made my heart skip an extra beat and in turn i can get to each and every one of them, in an orderly fashion, taking my time, no little pattern left behind and not have to lie awake at night fretting my recall skills will let me down.

footynote: 
just a few more hours to enter my 'little string of yarny goodness' giveaway, you can find the details right over here and tomorrow i will return with a winner! oh yippee!