Friday, October 14, 2011

Knitting Goes Digital? It's About Time!

I belong to a crafting group that meets once a month or so to sit around, gab, and shoot the stitch.  We're a mixture of students, mothers, teachers, and professionals.  A couple of us are expats.  One of the things that comes up time after time (especially among the expats in the group) is the marked dearth of knit and crochet books that are available digitally.

We are craft consumers.  We are the target audience.  We want those hot craft books the minute they come out.  Seriously, though, the titles are just not available to us locally, and buying online means a cost more than double the list price, and hoping that the book actually arrives.

So I just about did a backflip when I got the following video and email in my inbox.  STC Craft | Melanie Falick Books has released eight wonderful knitting titles in digital form.  Happy dance!




Check out this wonderful video which really highlights how special these books are.  It's inspirational!


I had the received a sample copy of Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, which downloaded quickly and perfectly onto my little netbook.  I anxiously devoured the digital pages, and found that although I am primarily a crocheter, this book has much to offer even me.

For one, I was enthused to realize that the author is none other than Joelle Hoverson, the owner of Purl Soho.  I'm about to admit to some serious craft geekery here, but I actually read the entire Purl Bee blog this summer.  Yeah.  I'm serious.  It just rocks, people. That's all that needs to be said.*

Click to see a quintessential Purl Bee posting. You'll bee in love.
Image property of Purl Bee and used with permission.

Last-Minute Knitted Gifts begins with some background information on the store, Purl, as the impetus for the book.  The author goes into choosing project colors and color theory.  I love color, and color theory is of paramount interest!  The author goes on to explain the color choices for a few of the projects in the book and why they are so striking.

Then it's on to the projects!  This book is a winner, and it has an avid following on Ravelry. :)   I don't know about you, but I always check Ravelry to see which patterns are available in the book and just what can be done with the patterns. 

If you are looking for a gift to knit in less than 2 hours, 2-4 hours, 4-6 hours, 6-8 hours, or 8+ hours, download this book immediately.  It's good stuff. As for me, I'm eyeing the under 2-hour gifts. That's mainly because those are the ones I feel I can finish, and also because I have lots of baby friends who would love a hand-knit something to keep them warm this winter! 

The final thing I wanted to point out about this book is that even though it was originally printed in 2004, it remains perfectly relevant with timeless designs and even a beautiful chevron scarf that even Missoni would envy.

photo copyright 2004 Anna Williams | used with permission of the publisher

*As an aside, reading the Purl Bee Blog and watching the entire season of She's Crafty on DVD got me
into this "I'm so excited for Christmas" kick.  I'm still on it.  Not exactly normal for me, but, hey, I'm going with it.

BTDubs, the publisher requested I put the book cover and video in this post.  
Definitely check out the video! There are also other videos on the site which 
are equally as inspiring.