Nov 23, 2016 BOOK REVIEW: Comfort & Joy My dear knitting friend, Melynda has recently published her first knitting book, Comfort & Joy and today I'm honored to be part of her blog/book tour! Before I get into how wonderful this book is, I'd like to take a little trip down memory-lane… Melynda and I randomly met in 2010 online via Ravelry. She commented on a cute little boy sweater I had just finished (Tweezie) and that is all it took! That comment sparked a virtual conversation and we quickly realized that we lived just a couple of hours away from each other! Days after we met online we were already meeting in person and carpooling to Detroit to meet The Yarn Harlot. - The first of many knitting road trips to come! - Melynda and I hit it off from the get-go and we've been friends ever since. (I can't believe I was able to dig this pic up. Lol! This is me, The Yarn Harlot, & Melynda, circa 2010) Now, 6 years later, I'm posting today about her first, published knitting book, Comfort & Joy! This book is a heart-warming collection of handknit Christmas stockings. The inspiration behind the book came from the beautiful stockings Melynda has created over the years for her own family. After many have oohed and ahhed over her beautiful stockings, and after many have asked for the patterns, Melynda has finally had the chance to turned all those stocking patterns into publication in the most perfect way. Comfort & Joy is a great book to add to your knitting library. The patterns are well written, the layout and charts are easy to follow and the photography is beautiful! Knitting the Christmas stockings in this book are sure to be a treasured heirloom for years to come! The words below are an excerpt from Melynda's book that I really wanted to post, they beautifully capture the love and intention behind, Comfort & Joy… "As a young child, my favorite gifts on Christmas morning were the ones that were stashed in my stocking. Little puzzles and trinkets could elicit as much excitement as the larger gifts that had been adorned with bows and placed prominently under the tree. These precious stocking treasures could easily be packed up for long car trips to relative’s houses, where we would be welcomed into cozy homes with warm fires for evenings of family, and creating memories. As an adult, I still look forward to a full stocking on Christmas morning, but now, I enjoy unpacking our family stockings from their boxes even more. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, our holiday decor goes up. Fresh evergreen hangs from curtain rods, the crisp white lights surround the front porch, and the handknit family stockings adorn the fireplace for an entire, magical month. And once the house settles down each evening, I find myself indulging in the most silent and peaceful nights as I welcome the new season that is approaching. The stockings are where it all starts for me. Each year, this comforting tradition reminds me that a time of family and rest and warmth will soon be here. My hope is that this becomes more than a book on your shelf. My hope is that the love stitched into each stocking you create starts a new tradition that kicks off a season of togetherness in your own life." To see all the patterns from the book, check out Melynda's Ravelry page HERE. Also, you can buy a hard copy of the book HERE or you can get a digital, downloadable copy HERE. Lucky for us, Melynda has generously offered to give away an ebook copy of Comfort & Joy to one of you! To enter the giveaway, please comment to this blog post. Maybe you can share a story with us about what makes your Christmas stockings special or you can simply tell us what your favorite stocking pattern is from the book. Tuesday, November 29th, I'll randomly draw a winner and post it here. Thank you all, happy knitting, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
