DK's Idiot Guides in Full Colour!!

Are you a fan of DK's Idiot Guides? Well, now they are even better. If you are not familiar with the books, now's your chance to get acquainted with them. With new topics, new authors, and new colour photography learning a new skill is even more exciting.

DK is currently revamping their website, but they've just completed the section for these fabulous guides.  Why not pop over to DK's website and take a look?

In the coming weeks, I'll be reviewing two of the titles, so stay tuned!

Needlework Tuesday - 2 projects on the go!

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

This week I was working on two knitting projects. I've made a little progress for the item I started in January from Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month. It's a pink baby blanket and I think it's turning out quite nice. Here's how much I have done:

 

As you can see the pattern is emerging. I took another look at the pattern, specifically the measurements. The finished project is only 29" by 36". Hmmm...that's really small.  Just the right size for a baby blankie, of course, but not much else.  There are no babies here, so I was hoping to use it another way. I guess I'll see when it's done.

I usually finish the month's project before the next one shows up, so it's unusual for me to have one outstanding.  However, the cable and pattern are both a bit complicated, so I still have to keep one eye on the pattern; some rows are easier than others. Also, the rows are quite long and since I'm not totally sure of the pattern, I like to finish a row before putting it down for the day. That means I only do a few rows at a time. In other words, it's slow going.

In the meantime, this month's project has also arrived. It's a scarf and boot cuffs. Here's the project (Sorry about the glare):

I'm not sure about the boot cuffs. Are you supposed to wear them with "fashion" winter boots or with more rugged winter boots? I'm not thrilled that the scarf and cuffs have different cable designs. Surely they were designed to be worn together, so shouldn't they be matching?  Hmmmm....

Anyway, I really like the yarn. It's Mary Maxim Starlette Ragg that I've used before on the Christmas Stockings I showed awhile ago. Of course, I couldn't wait to start it and since I already had the needles (sort of, more about this next week), I figured why not? Here's what I've done so far:

I know the cable pattern is hard to see.  It's hard to see in person, too. 

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts.    If you'd done any crafting this week that you'd like to share with others, please head over to Heather's blog and use the Mr. Linky to link up your post, so others can enjoy your creations.   If Heather hasn't posted an update this week, you are welcome to post links and/or comments here.  ;)