I was so excited to see a package in the mail yesterday, and inside was something I've been waiting for for 16 years(!):

Okay, so maybe not 16 years, but close. This is JC Briar's new book Charts Made Simple, and as yours truly states on the cover, "You are holding in your hands the only book you will ever need to teach yourself how to knit from a chart." Period.

The reason I say that I have been waiting for this book for 16 years is because it was about 16 years ago that I first attempted to knit from a chart, and the results were disastrous, to say the least. I finished the sweater, but I think I cried through most of the knitting of it. I really believe that if I had had this book, teaching my brain to work from charts would have been considerably less painful. JC was the tech editor for Twists and Turns for close to eight years, and during that time, she taught me a great deal about charts—the kind of information they present and how to make them understandable to knitters. If you have hesitated to work from a chart because you think it's too hard, please please please run out and buy yourself a copy of this book. And then—because the size and shape and wonderful rounded corners make it perfect for carrying with you—put it in your knitting bag.

I am doubly excited because JC self-published this book and I always like to cheer on my fellow self-publishing knitting designers.

Congratulations, JC, and I look forward to more Knitting on Paper books (oh, and check out JC's blog, aptly titled Knitting on Paper).