That Warm Feeling

I always love that feeling of accomplishment...the big loom is now warped...again...another beetle bookmark woven...and my stuff is all ready for my weekend tapestry workshop with Lynda Brothers on shapes and joins. And I just got a notice from the LA Public Library saying I have some more knitting books ready for pick up. So, let's take a look at a book by Nicky Epstein called Knitted Embellishments:350 Appliques, Borders, Cords and More! : so I can return it before picking up more books.

Knitted Embellishments is like an encyclopedia of stuff - a reference tool. It's similar to Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Knitting Book that my husband gave me for my birthday. So my issue here is - - what interesting things are in this book that are not in Vogue Knitting.

• First of all there are tons [80+ pages!] of knitted flowers plus fruits & veggies - all types, shapes and colors. I'm not the knitted flower type but the upcoming ASCH conference in Visalia has a theme of wildflowers so those chapters might be useful.
• There are about 40 pages on things to do with I-cords...I was intrigued by one comment that said:

  "for some knitters, knitting cord is therapy and they enjoy making yards of
  it."

  This means it may be something I can knit while watching TV. I haven't found any knitting I can do while watching TV - - I still make way too many mistakes when I do not focus, focus and focus. As for I-cords - I have only done them in stockinette. Apparently one can use lots of different stitches - - garter, a reverse stockinette, tube, seed, cable...and the list goes on. Since I was considering using these cords as a design element in one of scarf design this is a useful chapter. There are also lots of tassels & fringes.

The instructions look clear and easy to read. I haven't tried any yet. Although I think I'll try some of the I-cord and see how they come out. The photos are clear, clean and appear non-touched up. The format gives the book a warm comfortable feeling - you end up thinking 'I can go this' vs. that overwhelming feeling of 'wow these look way too complicated for me' one can often get from a reference book with slick photos and small font. I think I will keep this book - Knitted Embellishments: 350 Appliques, Borders, Cords and More! on my for reference list and borrow it from the library when I need it.