Well, the finger is still quite tender (see this post) so I haven't knit too much. However, in the spirit of Christmas I knit through the pain and finished my sister's Amanda Backpack. It came out of the wash Wednesday night and was given to her on Friday night. Barely enough time to dry! And of course I forgot to take a picture.

I did have a wonderful Christmas and I received a few fiber related gifts which I will share here:

First up is Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein which was give to me by Pete. All I can say is WOW! I could spend hours looking at all these edgings. Great source for any designer or aspiring designer. Thanks Pete!

My sister Kristy got me Spinning Designer Yarns by Diane Varney. What an excellent book! I have already learned so much from reading the opening pages. I learned to spin by trial and error on my own and this book explains a lot of the missing pieces. Not only does it teach you how to spin "designer" (ie bulky, slubby, etc. . .) yarns, it also covers the basics which is what I really like. Thanks Kristy!

How sad, no picture for this one. Dot, my mother-in-law, got me Traditional Scandinavian Knitting by Sheila McGregor. Another great book! This one has tons of charts and lots of information (including historical info). Aren't I lucky to have such a great mother-in-law? Thanks Dot!

Since I haven't been able to do a whole lot of knitting, I've been reading quite a bit too. I just finished The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Both very good books which I will review on another day.