I found myself having to spend a minimum of $30 at Borders Books (King Street location) in order to get free parking in the their "validated" lot. Nice eh? A fucking $30 minimum, I think that's outrageous! So I'm now officially boycotting Borders. The gift I was buying was $25, so what, should I try to buy a $5 latte to make up the difference? I was already strung out on caffeine that a.m. and I had to pee, so more coffee was out. of course I decided to head toward the craft section knowing damn well I'd spend more than $5. I did so much page flipping searching for something I liked I was starting to run late. I struggled to find any knitting books that were worthy of a minimum purchase. There's such a dearth of interesting, inspiring, and stylish knitting books. I can't stand all the chunky, shapeless sweaters, knitted chair covers, hideous tea cozies, and endlessly ridiculous fuzzy pda and felted cell phone covers. Who knits these let alone wears them? I was hoping to find the one book I really want which is Teva Durham's Loop d Loop, but they didn't have it. The reviews for this book are you either love it or hate it. Some critics say the models look too stoned (and that matters because?), the designs are too edgy, and the patterns run too small. Others say the designs are radically inspired and cutting edge. Either way it's the most passionate knitting design discussion I've read. So I did finally came across a book I could settle in with since it had three sweater designs I liked for boys sizes 3 to 10 years old. Seeing that Max is only 14 months old, I’ll have plenty of time to knit them. The book is by Debbie Bliss, titled Junior Knits. I’m considering starting the beginner pattern Woody (see today’s image). I’ll probably stick with the grey merino aran No.301 which it calls for, since the only other color I like is the deep watery blue No.203. I’ll see what Imagiknit has in stock before deciding. I gave the patterns a deeper read through last night and I’m not sure I like her writing style. It’s not terribly detailed...or I really still don't know what I'm doing? I’m going to have to jot down the confusing directions and find an experienced knitter to guide me. Maybe I can sneak a question or two in at the end of the glove class I’m starting on Thursday.