Fahrenheit 451

For those of you who aren't familiar, Fahrenheit 451 is the Ray Bradbury tale about a futuristic society that bans books, encouraging society members to have large television panels on their walls to pipe in the "party line".  The movie, made in 1967, was on TV the other night, and I couldn't help but rewatch it.  Julie Christie plays dual roles; the detached wife of one of the "firemen", and the neighbor who seeks the company of the same fireman, curious as to how he can burn books each day and not wonder what he's missing.  (Eventually he comes over to her side and starts hiding and reading them...only to end up, at the end of the movie, seeking solace with "the book people"...an encampment of refugees whose lives have been dedicated to memorizing the text of his/her favorite book, in order to pass it on in an oral tradition to future generations.)

What on earth am I talking about this for?  Because I'm one of those people who can't own enough books, not unlike many of you.  I have them piled in bookshelves, lying sideways on the shelves where they no longer fit, in stacks on my nightstand, on the floor next to the bed, on the kitchen tables, and yea, on the treads of my treadmill (now you have a clearer picture of my exercise program, as well). 

Watching this movie brought the question to mind:  if I narrowed it down to knitting books only and could only have one, which would it be?  I love all things from Elizabeth Zimmerman.  Mary Thomas's Knitting Book is another favorite.  Sally Melville's books will always be good to have on one's shelf, beginner or not.  My latest conquest from our shelf:  "Knitting with a Smile", by Inger Fredholm, sharing a rich history of Swedish knitting and photos of Sweden that make me want to book a flight.

So, my fellow knitter, I ask you:  if you could only keep one knitting book, which would it be????  I'll spend some time on this and let you know what I've decided, but am truly curious about your responses.   If you'd like to comment back to this posting, please do.  Otherwise feel free to e-mail your response to me at the shop:  martie@taossunflower.com.  Please put "451 answer" in the subject line.  Looking forward to hearing from you...I'll post the results on July 15!

Martie