good mail

A few stolen hours - a quiet morning, because I worked late last night to finish up the shop's weekly newsletter. I finally refilled the bird feeders. I took my personal knitting out of the bag I haven't opened since the end of September. I might even make tea!

Lest you think my life is beautiful and organized, I am also looking out on my snowy backyard that I didn't get to rake, and the garden I hardly had time to weed this past summer. Time doesn't improve weeds, and now they have gone to seed. It will mean so much more weeding to do next spring and summer. Or maybe I will just get goats and be done with it.

Yesterday a lovely A2 boxboard envelope was waiting for me at the breezeway door. Return address: Reading, Berkshire, UK. Finally - good mail!

There are many wonderful things about owning a yarn shop - discounted books is one of them. However, when a book you want is not available from a US distributor, you order straight from the source - overseas postage be damned!

Knitsonik Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook is one of those books a stranded colorwork knitter will want with every fiber of her being. Felicity Ford demonstrates how to turn everyday details into stranded colorwork. Her photography is beautiful, her narrative voice is lively and personable. I want to read it cover to cover and devour it.

This winter I want to try her system of moving from points of inspiration, to a color palate, to a design, to swatching. I won't have quite the color range she works with, as she uses Jamieson & Smith yarn, and I will be using my US Shetland wool source - Elemental Affects, but I hope some careful editing will still yield beautiful swatches of my own.

You can buy her book digitally through Ravelry, and I urge you to do so. However, if you want the printed book, order from Felicity.  Each book is imprinted with a unique download code so you may have a digital copy as well.

To see more about Felicity Ford and her beautiful new book (and buy it if you wish), check out her blog: Knitsonik. I also urge you to listen to her soundscapes that capture the world of fiber.