[Knitting] Planning a vest/tank top/whatever you call them over here!

You know, since I started designing jumpers for the teddy bear jumper classes, it now seems the most natural thing in the world to design filceolaire's fair isle vest by first knitting a sample for Cody, my very patient bear (who is, incidentally, spending the week in Peterborough with friends).

I'm going to knit the Cody version in the green Kauni that G from I Knit London gave me last week. I'll still have plenty left over for a pair of socks. J's vest will be in a series of dusty blues and greys; these are some of his favourite colours, they bring out his eyes, and they're good for the office, unlike some of the other things I knit. ;-)

( The ever-fascinating design process )

[Knitting] The weirdness, man. It's everywhere.

So, since sometime over Christmas, I've been convinced that my copy of Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting, which last I heard was out of print and selling for a bomb on ebay, was missing. I also somehow misplaced The Knitting Answer Book, a present from mokatiki that I use all the time.

After checking out the Eunny Jang pattern mithranstar recommended to get my head around neck steeks for filceolaire's fair isle vest (screw it; I'm using the American term; at least I know which one to use!), I went upstairs, secure in the knowledge that the Starmore was missing but knowing I have a lot of other resources on stranded knitting. So, sure. I pulled down the Pearson, the Gladys Thompson, the McGregor, Sarah Don and Ann Feitelson, plus The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, even though I know it'll be no help. And as I was sitting on my Pilates ball (don't ask!), pondering the other knitting books that have gone mysteriously missing and considering whether or not I should post to LJ to find out if I've actually lent any of these books out to my knitting friends — some books fell off the shelf. And there, in plain view, on the shelf, with its bright red cover clearly visible in a 'how on earth did you miss that' kind of way, was the Starmore. And The Knitting Answer Book.

The gods must love me. But why couldn't they have loved me six weeks ago when I was tearing my hair out looking for this book? On that very bookshelf?

OK, fess up. Who put the boggart in my bookshelf?