On the Bookshelf: Weekends are made for magazine reviews, knitting and spinning!

It’s been a lovely day for me. Hubby and I did a bit of antiquing early this morning and then made a stop at Barnes and Nobles for our ritual of coffee and perusing magazines.

I was thrilled to see the latest issue of Vogue Knitting on the stand, which came home with me today. I have to honestly say this is the first issue that I would actually knit every single pattern that has been featured.

It’s hard to say if I have one or two over-all favorites, but I might say that I truly love the shawl designed by Lynette Meek, who based the shaping of her semi-circular collared shawl on Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Pi shawl. I also love the Lace Panel Pullover designed by Laura Zukaite that features short dolmen styled sleeves, a center lace panel and garter stitch border.

This issue, Spring/Summer 2012, is full of gorgeous lace projects that are delicate, yet practical, colorful, yet soft. If you haven’t already done so, check out the fashion preview on Vogue Knitting.

I also picked up the Spring/Summer 2012 Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine that also has many designs that I look forward to knitting. I really like the cover design, a simple striped pullover knitted up in Debbie Bliss 100% organic cotton. For me, this a-line styled top is perfect to wear for the summer and I will be able to use up my newly acquired stash of cotton yarn.

I also like the Boat Neck Beauty, that is another simple pullover that features stripes. I have a stash of Debbie Bliss Amalfi that will be perfect for this project. I’m thinking the main color would look perfect in my stash of tan and the stripes in my stash of denim and khaki.

All in all, this issue has great designs, including ones for children and the home! To check out what’s inside, visit Colorful Stitches online, then click on each name to view a photo. This website does not contain all photos, but contains quite a few.

So I mentioned I was also doing a bit of family research and started my journey on Ancestry.com.. This weekend I also purchased a special issue by Family Tree Magazine titled Family Tree Magazine Presents Discover your Roots. Even though it was a bit pricey at $12.99, I have found that it contains many wonderful online resources and more. I’ve also took a moment to view the Family Tree Magazine website and found that they offer many online tools, including a monthly podcast!

I was very excited to pick up old photos from my in-laws this morning, along with more information to correlate with what I’ve been uncovering. It truly is fun and so fascinating!

As for knitting, I’m still working on my pair of Vorticity socks. I’ just turned the heel and I’m now working on the gusset of the first sock. I really like how the design is taking shape and the color is perfect for this pattern.

I’ve also been spinning my stash of Romney Wool from the Fiber Factory and I love how it spins. I have 2oz of Romney in five colors that I plan to create a 2-ply yarn. My goal is sport weight, fingers crossed, and I think this batch of fiber would be perfect for a colorwork project. I found a great online article by Sarah Mombert entitled Spin Your Own Fair Isle Kit, which has given me the idea to do the same thing. I don’t think I want to tackle a hat, but I think it would be fun to spin for a Fair Isle cowl.