I won the first door prize contest in the KBTH Virtual Conference now being held. My prize is a neat kit to make the Bearly Knits teddy bear sweater kindly donated by Caroline Laudig. I can't wait to make the sweater, find a bear it fits, and donate it to DH's place of work. DH works is Clinical Director of an agency that does outpatient counseling and treatment foster care for kids. There is a play room with toys for the kids and the Bearly Knit sweater and bear will be quite welcome there.



Here is the list of 10 favorite non-Starmore knitting books I used for the contest.



1. Elsebeth Lavold's Viking Patterns for Knitting - This book is essential for anyone interested in texture work. The designs are the author's interpretation of Viking artifacts such as rune stones and swords.

2. Janet Szabo's The "I Hate to Finish Sweaters" Guide to Finishing Sweaters - I'm particularly impressed that the author teaches you how to read a knitting pattern and adapt it for the best finishing methods BEFORE you start knitting.

3. XRX Books - Socks, Socks, Socks - I haven't found another sock knitting book with this variety. There are so many sock patterns

fascinating for advanced knitters in here from the all three-colors-per-row Best of Show socks to Debbie New's garter swirl socks. Where else can you find patterns for free form socks or socks made of licorice?

4. Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Knits - Fassett really revolutionized the knitting world with his colorful intarsia sweaters. This book is full of eye candy for those who enjoy working with colors.

5. Intarsia: A Workshop for Hand & Machine Knitting by Sherry and Keely Stuever - There is no other book that details explicitly how to do intarsia well. It includes pattern for a sampler to learn the techniques along with some excellent information on doing duplicate stitch properly.

6. Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Ethnic Socks and Stockings: A Compendium of Eastern Design & Technique - The first book I've seen that even discusses knitting intarsia in the round along with an excellent chapter on the historical roots of knitting and some gorgeous folk socks.

7. Vibeke Lind's Knitting in the Nordic Tradition - On the back of this book there is a quote from Elizabeth Zimmermann that I agree with 100% - "One is strongly tempted to call this all-embracing book the ultimate in historic Northern knitting." The book includes patterns for all types of garment along with hundreds of photographs.

8. Anna Zilboorg's Magnificent Mittens - Even if you have no need for gauntlet-style mittens knit fingertips down, this book has a wealth of charted designs. Zilboorg is hugely talented at using colors and she

often shows alternate colors for the patterns.

9. Linda Ligon, editor - Homespun Handknit - This is a book every new knitter should have as it has a wealth of excellent patterns

for knitted accessories.

10. Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia: A Garland of Symbolism,

Tradition and Technique - This book includes patterns for traditional

folk knitted designs. The Events in Life chapter is fascinating reading and her techniques section is worth the price of the book alone. Color photographs show original historical garments that inspired the patterns for gloves, mittens and socks.







I finished both sleeves on the Dale baby sweater and needed to order a needle to do the body. So I started the Dale Kashmir sweater in the Tiur yarn shown above. I'm reserving judgment on whether or not I like it until I finish an entire repeat of the chart. I did have to go down a needle size to get gauge.