Currently Taking Residence in the Freebie Box:

All those things that Zabet kept putting off reviewing because she wanted to give them lots of time and a long thoughtful review, now condensed for your digestive reading pleasure. Brevity is the soul of wit!

Knitting

The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design by Shannon Okey
Just do what Shannon says. Seriously. This is an enormously helpful book, and I'm not just saying that because I like her.

Twisted Woolly Toppers: 10 Original Hat Designs Featuring Cable, Bias & Twist Techniques by Woolly Wormhead
Woolly's hat patterns are deliciously fabulous as usual, but I was disappointed to the point of feeling embarrassed for her in how Arbour House Publishing produced the print version. Save yourself the heartache and by the PDF.

The Enchanted Sole: Legendary Socks for Adventurous Knitters by Janel Laidman
These socks made me weep from their beauty. They are based on folk tales, massively complex, and I will never knit one. I kind of feel guilty for even asking for a review copy, to be honest, but they are SO PRETTY LOVE THEM NOM NOM DROOL. My favorite are the ones based on a Russian fairy tale about the Firebird. NOM NOM NOM DROOL!

Jelly Yarn
We had such grand plans for this yarn, but it is not exactly fun to work with (I kept flashing back to one of my redneck uncles chasing me with fake wormy things from his tackle box) and herding AntiCraft editors is sometimes like herding cats. There's a good chance we'll give this stuff another stab post-hiatus, include it in some projects and the like. If nothing else, Kathleen Greco (the creator of Jelly Yarn) is an enormously kind woman and interacting with her while we were trying to get this to all work out was a pleasure.

From Web to Tree

Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF by April Winchell
While I stand staunchly behind the public service that is regretsy.com, I really can't get into this book. It's the website, but on paper. WTF? Buy it for a technophobic elderly relative who likes to tell inappropriate jokes, perhaps one who hides her Busch Lite in the back of the fridge and tends to exclaim, apropos of nothing, "So my brother is the mayor, well, whoopty-fucking-doo!" while flipping two birds. (Hi, Gran-aunt June!)

Fiction

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
I was not looking forward to reading this after Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but my friend Monica really enjoyed it. She also had just finished copyediting a factual book on Lincoln and was ready to shake things up.

Android Karenina by Ben H. Winters and Leo Tolstoy
I have a degree in Russian. I hated Anna Karenina, so unless they melt this android bitch down à la T2: Judgment Day within the first 10 pages, I won't be picking it up.