Birthday Books.

It’s my birthday today, and thanks to the power of the Wish List I am now the extremely happy recipient of (amongst other things) a veritable mountain of books, CDs and DVDs.

I think this picture tells you more about me than you could ever wish to know!

Swinging Sixties belongs to an exhibition that I went to see at the V&A a couple of years ago. I took lots of photos while I was there, but I didn’t take any notes. Now I can use the book to remind me of all the details I’d forgotten.

Design your own knits is everything I’d hoped it would be, and more! Whereas Ann Budd gives you all of the measurements you could possibly need, Debbie Abrahams gives you the tools to work those measurements out for yourself. I’ve already come unstuck once because the gauge of the yarn I wanted to use didn’t match anything on Ann’s charts. Hopefully by the time I’ve read this one, I’ll have the confidence to use my rudimentary maths skills and work out my next design.

A Fashionable History of the Shoe turned out to be a children’s book, which I didn’t realise when I added it to my list! As it turns out, it’s really useful. It explains a great deal about ancient and modern techniques of manufacture, both by hand and machine, and has lots of pretty pictures. I’m quite tempted to add some of its companion titles to my list as well.

The Savage is a very interesting children’s book. I collect pretty much anything that’s illustrated by Dave McKean, and he’s worked on some fabulous projects. From a quick flick-through, this one seems to be about a boy who writes a book of his own, and it’s been done partly as a traditional-looking illustrated story book, and partly in the style of a graphic novel. I’m really looking forward to reading it, and finding out what’s going on. I’m also very much looking forward to watching the Keanoshow DVD.

Knitting Rules! I’ve actually read before. We went on holiday with some friends last winter, and Nicola was using the sock instructions. I snaffled the book and stayed up half the night devouring it, before I had to give it back so that Nicola could finish her sock! I’m really looking forward to taking my time over reading it again.

I read the whole of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off in one sitting this morning, while I was eating my breakfast birthday cake. I refused to get out of bed until I’d finished it, and I laughed and cried all the way through. Paul got out of bed when he became bored of me giggling and reading passages out loud to him. I keep telling him that he obviously needs to take up knitting (mostly to prevent him from fiddling with his iPhone while we watch telly), but he remains steadfastly immune.

I’ve been thinking of making a post for a long time, about how I came to learn to knit again, and how much I’ve changed in the past few years, since knitting’s sneaked its way in to become a very important part of my life. Every time I start typing, it sounds over-emotional and faintly ridiculous.

Reading Stephanie‘s book this morning has reassured me that knitters will understand.