Between the snowstorm yesterday and feeling the twinges of a cold coming on, I took to my bed along with my knitting and Warehouse 13 episodes on Netflix.  Such an old-fashioned phrase – “I took to my bed” – but it worked; I feel much better today.  Not well enough to go out in the seven-below degree weather and shovel snow, mind you, but better.

I don’t usually buy books at my local yarn store, but I saw this one (Botanical Knits by Alana Dakos) and immediately had to have it.  The patterns are the sorts of things that I wish *I* had designed.  Very lovely and feminine and earthy, all with leaf-related motifs that would be nice to wear while hiking around in the woods.  Also, the book is quite well-designed for the knitter – there are both row-by-row instructions as well as charts for the knitting, which I find helpful.  I primarily use the written instructions, but like having the chart to refer to for a visual of how things are supposed to be shaping up (literally and figuratively).  I’ve only partially knit one pattern, but so far it’s been error-free and while a little tricky in a few spots, I’ve been able to use the Techniques and Abbreviations sections to get myself over the hurdles.  It’s also a lovely book to look at, at least for those of us who have a thing for leaves.  I also love that its self-published.  (Though, the model makes me miss all the hair I had cut off this summer.)

Pattern:  Oak Trail cloche; Yarn:  Berroco Vintage in (I think) Charcoal…I had the yarn shop wind the yarn for me, and accidentally left the ball band behind.