I really enjoy knitting Diagonal Seed Stitch, this week's stitch of the week. It's basically just Stockinette Stitch with a bunch of purls that make diagonal lines across the fabric, but since the diagonal makes which stitches are involved in the diagonal shift every row, it's a heck of a lot more entertaining than Stockinette.

There are several variations of this kind of stitch that you can use on different numbers of stitches, and once you get the hang of it you could easily add the stitch pattern to any basic Stockinette pattern to give it a more interesting look. Right now I'm seeing a cute coat or cardigan in this stitch and worked in a multicolored yarn for even more interest, but it also looks nice in a plain solid yarn, as shown.

I really love pillows. I have a pillow in my computer chair, several on each couch, and others that just float around for whenever they might be needed. Pillows are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to change the way a room looks and feels, and this striped pillow will bring a lot of personality to any room you put it in.

Knit in two colors of two yarns and two stitch patterns (Stockinette and Reverse Stockinette), this pillow almost couldn't be easier, but its impact is dramatic, and not just because of the hot pink yarn. The varying widths of the stripes make this more interesting than many striped projects, both to knit and to have in your home.

This one ended up pink and white because I got both of these yarns in a yarn grab bag, but you could make it from any two colors and any two similarly weighted yarns you have in your stash. And it's such great TV knitting, you might want to make more than one.

I finally finished a good chunk of that reading I was planning to occupy myself with last weekend and have just posted a review of the new Mason-Dixon Knitting book. Just like the first one, this book is a lot of fun to read and contains plenty of great patterns you'll want to try.

This book focuses on developing knitting skills you might have been afraid of before, things like knitting lacy stuff, Fair Isle, knitting for kids who can say no, and making gifts and holiday decorations. Of course there are also plenty of projects for the kitchen, including knit cuffs worked onto purchased rubber gloves.

There are so many patterns in this book I'd love to knit given the time, from a very colorful rug to a lacy shawl made of two colors to look like plaid (I really almost bought some Kidsilk Haze earlier today so I could do just that). If you love those sassy knitting ladies, you'll want to pick up this book.

And if you need an introduction to their style, check out their hilarious music video for their country knitting song, "Pardon Me, I Didn't Knit that for You." Enjoy!

I've enjoyed Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's writing for a long time. I read her At Knit's End about the time I was really starting to get into knitting again after a hiatus and I felt like I had found a kindred spirit. I wanted to be this woman's friend, to have a beer on the back porch with her and talk about our knitting while we were knitting.

Her latest book, Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again feels a little more introspective and maybe not quite as funny as some of her older works, but I found the maturity (that's all I can think to call it) of this book really nice. This book is more personal, more about the people in her life, than the other books have been, and it gives us more insight into her world and, by connection, the world of all knitters.

Usually I read Pearl-McPhee's books really quickly, in an afternoon or over a weekend. I spent more time with this one, savoring and thinking about how these essays relate to my own knitting life. Maybe I'm maturing a bit as a knitter, too. That can only be a good thing.