Book Review: Noni Flowers

I got a few books at TNNA, and one of them was Noni Flowers by Nora Bellows. This book includes 40 patterns for knit patterns. Some are more realistic than others, but all of them are amazingly beautiful. I was so excited about this book that the first thing I showed my husband after he picked me up from the airport was this book. Even as a non-knitter he was impressed. The photography is beautiful, and honestly this would make a lovely coffee table book when you're not knitting it. Each flower starts with the stem, and then the different parts of the flowers are worked. She uses the correct biology terms for each part of the knit flower, so in addition to knitting beautiful flowers you also learn a little about plant anatomy.

You can see the entire collection of the beautiful flower on the Noni Flowers website: http://noniflowers.com/ . You can also order the book from amazon: Amazon.com

TNNA Columbus & Hiya HIya Needles

When I left for Columbus my bag weighed about 25 lbs. On the way back it weighed 45 lbs. I didn't go shopping for clothes or shoes, but got a lot of amazing stuff at TNNA.

Here's a photo of all the knitting related stuff I brought back:

During Sample It I also had the chance to buy a set of the Hiya Hiya interchangeable needles. I have a set of the Knitter's Pride interchangeable needles, and I really love them because it is so convenient. I love that each set has it's own little spot, and it's so easy to find the needles you want.

However, the Hiya Hiya interchangeable needles may be my new favorite. What I love about the Hiya Hiya needles is that each needle is marked with the mm and US needle size. This is great because I am constantly losing my needle size measuring tool (I have no idea what the proper name for them is). I also find the join to be smoother on these than my Knitter's Pride set. 

At the top of the photo are a set of the Hiya Hiya Sharp circular needles. They are very similar to Addi Lace needles, but not as expensive.

Want to find Hiya Hiya needles near you? The Hiya Hiya North America website has a great tool on their website to look for the nearest retailer. Fine it here: hiyahiyanorthamerica.com

I'll be posting more product reviews in the upcoming weeks!

Yarn U iphone app

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to try out Mary Beth Klatt's updated Yarn U app.

Yarn U is a reference database of yarns. There are 34 different brands included, however for most of the brands the lists are incomplete. For each yarn there is a photo, yardage, yarn weight, stitch gauge, suggested retail price, suggested needle size, and fiber content. There are links on where to find the yarn, and the address for the distributor/manufacturer. Also included are the authors opinion of each yarn, and for some suggested patterns.

Pros:

• This app works offline, so you can access all the info on the app without internet. It would be great if you were yarn shopping and wanted to compare the price to suggested retail. 
• Colorful photos of each yarn and finished objects with featured yarns that load quickly
• There is a built in way to leave your comments for the author, and Mary Beth seems dedicated to making this app better and better. 

Cons: 

• In my opinion the app isn't very intuitive. There is a short tutorial which introduces you to all of the features which is helpful. 
• The list of yarns included is limited, and can't compare to the yarn database on Ravelry.
• The reviews of the yarns are subjective, and only reflect the authors opinion. 

There are a few parts of the app which seem incomplete. There are pro and con sections for each yarn, but for most of the yarns they are empty. I'm also not sure the purpose of knowing where each yarn company is based, there is a map that shows you where different manufacturers/distributors are located, but personally this isn't information I would use. 

For the time being I'm much more likely to use the yarn search feature on Ravelry. However I think there is great potential for this app and as it continues to include more yarns it will become a stronger tool.