The Knitting Heretic and More Books

Annie Modesitt is coming to Littleton to teach! Here's the email I got...

[Annie's on her way!It's official -- Annie Modesitt will be teaching four classes for us at the end of the month. (We're pleased to report that her husband is doing well after his bone-marrow transplant! For details, check out Annie's blog.)Annie's famous as the Knitting Heretic, and she's the author of many other knitting books, most recently Romantic Knits, which is a current best-seller in Amazon's Crafts/Fashion category, and Men Who Knit and the Dogs Who Love Them (woof!)She 'll be teaching four three-hour workshops, so you can take all four or pick the ones that suit your interests.

Combination Knitting/Cables without a Cable Needle - This is the knitting technique that made Annie a heretic -- and famous! Now dubbed Combination Knitting, it is faster than conventional knitting and creates a nicer tension with less row variation and wrist strain. Experienced knitters will appreciate this refined method, and new knitters will get a head start on smooth, easy knitting. Annie will also cover how to work cables without a pesky cable needle -- yeah!Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 am -12 pm
Embellishments - Accentuate your beautiful projects with knitted embellishments such as flowers, leaves, knots, knit fringes, cord and even knit buttons! Learn to see knitting as a three-dimensional craft with new potential.Saturday, Oct. 27, 1-4 pm
Double Knitting - You can knit socks and mittens on straight needles with no seams with this traditional technique. You'll learn several techniques for creating a reversible, double fabric with or without colorwork accents.Sunday, Oct. 28, 9 am -12 pm
Corset Sampler - This technique sampler will feature lace, ribbing, specialty bind-offs and cast-ons, cables and buttonholes -- all the techniques for Annie's Ribbed Corset top, a sexy little number that can also be made with cap sleeves. A great intro to a multitude of new techniques, even if you're not going to make the corset. Be sure to check out the similar Red Carpet Convertible on Annie's website -- as Annie says, everyone looks HOT in a convertible, and the same is true of this darling top. Sunday, Oct. 28, 1-4 pm

Each three-hour class is $45. To reserve a spot, call us at 303-730-0366.]


Wanna play??? I signed up for the combo knitting class.


All right - 100 Books - Part 3


Scary Stuff

38. The Stand – Stephen King. – Anything by this man is fine by me but this is my favorite.

39. The Skeleton Crew – Stephen King. – This book of short stories was given to me in 8th grade by my best friend, Nikie. It’s what got me started with Stephen King. I’ve read it so many times, I can tell you from memory the order the stories come. Nikie and I are still close and 8th grade for us was in the early-80’s.

40. The Great and Secret Show – Clive Barker. – What a fantastic scary fairy tale of a story.

41. Coraline – Neil Gaiman. – A “children’s” book. A fantastic, dark, sinister story that one critic called the next Alice in Wonderland. I wonder if the critic read either book! While I would read Alice to my little boys, I think Coraline would be too scary.

42. Ripper – Michael Slade – When I was stationed at Ft. Huachuca, I got a second job at a Hasting’s Book Store. I spent most of that paycheck at the store. I had just finished reading some really heavy, long book (can’t even remember what it was) and wanted something light and stupid. I went to my favorite section (the scary books) and was drawn by the red spine that said “Ripper”. Holy shit. What an excellent read. Not really light and fluffy at all and certainly not stupid. It was good enough that I’ve read all the other Michael Slade books. It’s a locked door mystery combining serial killer, detective, and all kinds of other stuff. Reminiscent of the next pick…

43. And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie – Love this book. I read a ton and watch a shitload of TV and movies (old b/w’s, new, doesn’t matter) so it’s hard to surprise me (nothing new under the sun, right?) but the ending on this one shocked me. Brilliant!

44. The Bone-collector – Jeffrey Deaver – another one that was good enough to lead me to read most everything the author has written.

45. The Devil’s Teardrop – Jeffrey Deaver – I think this is his best one yet.

46. Primal Fear – excellent twists and turns. Amazing.

47. The Da Vinci Code – OK, not scary, more of a thriller but damn what a fast read! I’m glad I read this before his previous book. When I read Angels and Demons by him, it was a real letdown and like reading déjà vu. Let’s see, someone gets murdered, they call the symbologist, the girl in the book is related to the dead guy, the person doing the killings doesn’t know who’s really pulling the strings and they’re all really, really smart. The only difference is that Angels/Demons wasn’t paced at the breakneck speed Da Vinci Code was. The rest of the author's books are pretty damn good, too.

48. Dracula – Bram Stoker – read this one in high school. The first scary book I ever read where I actually had to put it down and take a break. Heart-racing! (Of course, I was in adolescence…)

49. The Hunger – Whitley Streiber – this book is an excellent read. It’s also quite racy at times! It’s a great take on the classic vampire story.

50. The Last Vampire – Whitley Streiber – This sequel to The Hunger was written some 20 years after. Another good read but I wish the author had re-read his original before he made the sequel. I read them back-to-back and there were tons of discrepancies between the two books concerning the main vampire’s life!

51. The Thief of Always – Clive Barker – This, like Coraline (#41), could almost be read to kids as a scary fairy tale.

52. Red Dragon – Thomas Harris – No fairy tale here! Like Grisham, Thomas Harris’ first book is still his best.

53. Haunted – Chuck Palahniuk – This book was so gruesome, I actually got nauseous a couple of times. I have an iron stomach so that’s pretty bad.

54. Funeral March – Frank de Felita – This author is much better known for his book-turned-movie For Love of Audrey Rose. The book I’ve listed is a perfect blend for me. My favorite director is Alfred Hitchcock and in this book the killer uses his movies as inspiration for his methods of killing. (OK, I have problems!)

55. Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton – what a nail-biter!

56. Rose Madder – Stephen King – this is one of my favorites from him. It switches between this world and another. I always thought that if they made it into a movie, the other world should be animated. Not cartoony, but like a sharp and gritty animation.

Spooooooky, Ruth!