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By Jillian Moreno

Available at Amazon	America Knits by Melanie Falick Artisan Books $19.95us (paperback) Before you pee your pants in joy, this is not a new book from Melanie Falick, deity of knitting. But you may be excited, none the less, to hear it is a paperback reissue of Knitting in America. Especially if your copy is as well thumbed and loved up as mine is. For those of you living under a knitting rock for the past nine(!) years, Knitting in America (now America Knits) is a knitting road trip across the US that profiles 37 knitters, designers, fiber producers and other assorted knit folk and features a pattern from each. Really good reading.

Available only at heatherfrenchltd.com	Heather French: Circle Bag by Heather French Ltd. bag: $122us insert: $22.50us Constructed from naturally dyed wool felt, embroidered with Blue Sky Alpaca and embellished with a scattering of Swarovski crystals I would describe this bag as succulent. It begs to be petted, exclaimed over, swung boldly as you walk and twisted and tilted so the crystals catch the light. It's also a super knitting bag. It will hold a magazine or magazine-sized pattern without folding and your latest accessory-to-tank-top-sized project. There are ingenious button-in insert pockets soon to be available -- one each for knitting, baby & work.

Available at Knitwhits	Tigger Toys by KnitWhits $14us For your favorite feline, Knitwhits has developed a kit of three felted cat toys. I can't stop giggling over these toys and I can't stop ringing their little bells. I borrowed a cat to test one and his vote was a definite two paws up. This usually demure cat sort of lost his doo-doo, there was great flinging, running, pouncing and merriment. As with all Knitwhit kits, there is enough yarn to make all toys pictured on the kit, and the directions are smooth and easy. These would also make hilarious holiday tree ornaments and are not intended for two-legged kiddos.

Available at Amazon	Great Knitted Gifts by Andrea and Gayle Shackleton Sterling $19.95us (hardcover) Well, hello, intarsia, I've heard you were making a comeback. If you could assure me that all of the next generation of intarsia patterns would be as well thought out and appealing as the mostly accessory patterns in this book, I'd be out buying bobbins. The patterns are divided into design themes -- circles and dots, flowers, squares and stripes, and kids and holidays. The intarsia designs are feminine but not fussy, and their color palette is earthy and modern. The Shackelton sisters also own Tara designs, a line of knitwear produced, for the past 14 years, in partnership with Association of Craft Producers, a non-profit women's fiber coop in Nepal.

Available at Amazon	The Knitting Way: A Guide to Spiritual Self-Discovery by Linda Skolnik and Janice MacDaniels $16.99 us Linda Skolnick knows knitting. She started Patternworks, the one of the first great mail-order yarn companies, and owned it from 1979-2002. Upon her retirement, she and her friend Janice MacDaniels began discussing the greater meaning of crafts and knitting -- the peace, solace and prayerfulness that can be found in our shared craft. Much more than the new yoga, this books speaks about knitting as a spiritual path for your life.

Available at Amazon	First Knits by Luise Roberts and Kate Haxell Martingale & Company Publishing $24.95 us (paperback) The good thing about having 700,000 beginning knitting books on the market is that new releases keep getting better. Simple yet cool projects? Check. The designers are British? Cool knitwear designing is in their genetic code. Easy to follow instructions? Check. Clear illustrations of techniques? Check, as part of the two technique chapter intros. What else? This is where this book stands out. Instead of illustrations within patterns, they use photographs to take the knitter step by step through the project. This is what a yarn over looks like, this is how your piece should look after the fifth repeat, etc. Very smart for the beginning knitter. The inside flaps of the cover are printed with technique reminder illustrations. Handy.

Available at Amazon	Sarah Dallas Knitting by Sarah Dallas Martingale & Company Publishing $29.95 us (paperback) This book is by a Rowan designer and was developed, designed, photographed by Rowan. 30+ designs by Sarah Dallas inspired by family trips to the seaside. Sweaters, blankets, gloves, mittens, hats, pillows, all in a clean modern style and grouped and photographed by color. It's Rowan...you know you want it.

Available at stitchdiva.com	Stitch Diva Patterns $7.00 ea For all of you searching for gorgeous and funky crochet patterns look no further than Stitch Diva Patterns. For flower junkies, she has a 12-flower pattern. For experienced crocheters, check out the amazing Baroque Ladies Jacket. Stitch Diva does knitting patterns too, all with the same flair as her crochet: part fashion, part art. Her collection of patterns includes shawls, hats, pillows, ponchos, capes, scarves and hats all presented with clear and concise directions. The patterns are printed in color on heavy slick card stock, making the patterns as easy to use as the finished products are to wear.

Available at bonniefranz.com	Stranded Newsletter edited by Bonnie Franz $20 us for one year $5 us for a single issue Did you hear that color knitting, [you know -- fair isle and stranded types of knitting] are the next thing? Stranded Newsletter is a good place to start. Stranded explores color knitting by traveling the globe. Each issue is devoted to a single country. A brief history of knitting in that country is given and all patterns are derived from or inspired by knitting in that country. Along with the patterns in each issue -- at least one sweater and several accessories at varying levels of expertise (there are six patterns in the current summer issue) -- there is a single technique lesson, yarn and book reviews, and an essay by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

Available at Amazon	Pop Ink Journals Abrams Publishing $9.95us (semi-concealed spiral bound) Sometimes the best knitting gear isn't designed for knitting at all. That's the case with these swell journals from Pop Ink. The journals are beyond fab design-wise and the interior layout is a knitters dream with both a spot to sketch & space for notes.