Thursday, January 17, 2008

A Darned Good Question

Someone posted a question to the blog, wondering if anyone taking the Lady E class has to buy the book. Darned good question! And one I ought to have covered yesterday, before I got off on my rant about patterns and how they are written today. What we say is that you have to have access to a copy of the book.

What that actually means is that one either needs to buy the book, or borrow it from the library. If you borrow it from the library, you can make a 'working copy' of the pattern. You may have a friend who will loan the book to you.

Because of copyright laws - which as a designer and a writer I have great respect for - we cannot make copies of the pattern for you. Friends cannot make copies for you.

Why, you might wonder, should you buy a book for one pattern? Oh, my. Wait til you see this book. It is filled with gorgeous patterns that will challenge you to try new techniques on quick projects. Cables, Fair Isle, Lace, Free-form knitting, Intarsia, Beaded knitting. Shawls, shrugs, scarves knit sideways. A cape. This book is the knitting version of Lay's potato chips, I defy you to knit just one thing from this book, and no more. You can't do it. It is my go-to book for quick gifts.

And, right now I am almost finished collecting the yarn for the Color on Color Scarf. This little free-form beauty requires 48 different colors of Paternayan needlepoint wool - which I have been buying a bit at a time at The West. I have lusted after this thing for the past two years, at least, and was delighted to learn this fall that The West carries the yarn.

Anyway, I blither on. The answer is Yes, and No. No, you don't need to buy the book, you can borrow it from the library. But yes, you will want to have your own copy once you peek inside.

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