Last week I got a review copy of this new book:

This is Design It, Knit It: Babies by Debbie Bliss. Not only does it contain adorable patterns for wee ones like this:

And this:

But is also a book of design how-to.

After the pattern section, there is a “design workshop” section.

Debbie goes into detail about the best shapes for garments for little ones and discusses sizing small garments. There are pages of sketches of basic designs, like this one:

You are encouraged to photocopy the page to add your own embellishments.

There are also a couple of pages of knitter’s graph paper suitable for photocopying. There is a charted alphabet and some charts for cute motifs for babies that you can add to a plain garment for a bit of colorwork. There is even a page of very pretty gift tags that you can cut out and use on your gifted baby knits.

And in the back of the book, there is a nifty little insert. On one side, it has rulers in inches and a guide to the standard yarn weight system:

On the other side, the ruler is marked in centimeters, and has information on needle sizes, as well as a list of abbreviations. A very clever and handy addition to the book.

Who would like my review copy?

Respond with a comment on this post (and if you don’t know how to comment on a post, read the instructions here) by noon Eastern time on Sunday, June 27. The all-knowing, all-powerful Random Number Generator will select a winner from among the comments at that time.

Lucy sez:

“I’m pretty and I know it.”

Yes! I made some good progress on my sweater yesterday afternoon and evening.

I am now past the armhole and am motoring my way up the back. I now have 4 more inches of linen stitch done, and I am about to switch to the simple lace stitch and do that for 4 inches.

It’s nice to have a positive sign of progress.

In other news, the Gothic Spires Stole/Scarf pattern is now available for sale in my Ravelry store here. Five bucks for the pattern for both stole and scarf. Such a deal.

Pardon my brevity, but I’m not at my best today. I need to return to my furry nurse.

On Friday night. Lucy watched a movie.

On Saturday, she hogged the remote control.

On Sunday, she was worn out from her busy weekend!

Meanwhile, I’m still knitting linen stitch.

Today we have winners. Two give-aways this week!

First, the winner of the free copy of the Gothic Spires pattern (from me) and the yummy yarn to make the pattern (from Zen Yarn Garden) is Lisa D. in Upstate NY. Lisa, you have been emailed!

Next up, the give-away for the Needlecards. I have 4 cards, therefore there are 4 winners. (Did you see what I did there? Math. Go, me.)

The winners are: Gaye, Sandy in NJ, Ellen, and Linda. You four have been emailed.

As usual, thank you to everyone who entered both give-aways.

Me? I’m knitting along on my linen stitch — see?

Since I am at home this weekend, I hope I’ll have a lot more progress to show you on Sunday. We’ll see. I’ve also got a stealth project with a deadline I am currently working on, so I am dividing up my knitting time between the two projects.

Thanks to everyone who left such nice comments on yesterday’s post about my clean eating lifestyle. (P.S. to Tam — yes I did buy the purse from Bloomingdale’s during their sale — can’t beat a sale like that, eh?)

In answer to other comments, yes indeed, exercise is an important part of any diet regime. Given that certain parts of me are falling apart at an alarming rate and I been given limits on what I am allowed to do, my exercise regime is not great. But I do the best I can.

Lucy wants someone to throw her paper ball for her!

Just in case you wondered . . .

Yes, I am still working on the Elemental Boatneck, or as I have been calling it in my head, “The Never-Ending Linen Stitch.”

But seriously, I don’t mind The Never-Ending Linen Stitch because the fabric it creates is so very pretty! I think the wrong side is pretty too — see?

The gauge for the linen stitch is 6 stitches and 9.5 rows per inch. That’s a whole lotta rows per inch, but because of the way linen stitch is worked, what with all the slipping of stitches, it does compress the fabric. So I knit and knit and knit and don’t seem to make a whole lot of progress.

But this project is green and green always makes me happy. The yarn is pleasant to knit, so that makes me happy too. I need 13.5 inches completed on the body before I divide the piece for the armholes. I’ve got 8 or so inches right now, so I’m getting there.

Clean Eating Update

At my last official weigh-in, I am pleased to report that I have lost a total of 50 pounds since I started clean eating back at the beginning of December. Go, me! There have been long stretches of time when I’ve been on a plateau, but persistence has paid off. Well, it is really not so much persistence. It truly is a lifestyle change. I feel pretty sure I’ll be eating like this for the rest of my life. I figured it out — I’ve been doing this for about 26 weeks, so I’ve had a weight loss of almost 2 pounds a week, which is a good slow rate of loss.

Of course, I had to buy myself a present to commemorate the 50 pound mark.

This is a Carlos Falchi purse in fuschia python.

With a tan suede lining.

Excuse me, for I must swoon with delight.

Lucy sez:

“I’d rather have a paper ball to play with!”