Toe-Up Socks for Every Body: It's a keeper

In another life, one of my jobs was writing book reviews. Since I was only an admin assistant and not one of the "real" writers, I got the books nobody else wanted (or understood.) I was pretty good at making the mundane sound downright sexy, but it's been awhile. Fortunately, I don't need that skill to write a review of Wendy Johnson's new book, Toe-Up Socks for Every Body. I was pretty sure it would be worth buying; I wasn't prepared to love it. Did I say love? When I buy a book of patterns and I want to make at least half of them NOW, that's love. Colorwork, cables, lace--this baby has it all. Yes, there are things in the book I will probably never knit, and rightly so. My thighs in thigh highs? I will spare DH the sight of that. But I can totally see myself in the Wrought Iron Kneesocks. I'll make a pair for DD, too, if she stops pissing me off long enough for me to knit them. Kneesocks are a commitment, no doubt, but when they're this cute, it's worth it--even for a cranky teenagers.

I've been wanting to expand my sock repertoire to include colorwork, but I can't decide which to make first, the Norwegian Rose Socks, Sneaky Argyle, or Stjärnblommesockor. They're all gorgeous, and there's a sock for every skill level. WoOt!

One of the great features of this book is the chart at the beginning of each sock category. It lists the degree of difficulty for each pattern and any special techniques that are required. There are lots of illustrations and the index has a thumbnail page of all the patterns, something I find very helpful. The charts aren't written out, but I consider that a plus. I don't know if/how many corrections will eventually be posted, but I'll take my chance with a chart any day. A chart doesn't lie.

Wendy, you hit this one out of the park. Toe-Up Socks for Every Body--Adventurous Lace, Cables, and Colorwork, is gorgeous. My only problem is deciding which pair to knit first.