Pattern Book Review

As I have mentioned before, I collect the Bouton d'Or layette pattern books and I was looking forward to seeing this year's new book. Last year's book was absolutely fantastic, with 8 knitted soft toys and a wide variety of great-looking garments to knit and crochet for babies and children up to age 10. I love these books. In my opinion, if you only have one layette book, it should be one of these. So, naturally, I had great expectations.

I was in a very great hurry the day I stopped by my local yarn shop in between errands to see if they had the new book yet. When I found it had finally arrived, I quickly paid for the book, grabbed it up and dashed out the door. I didn't look at it until after I returned home.

The quality of the patterns is all that I have come to expect from Bouton d'Or, wonderful designs with fine details, a mixture of classic styles and fun, trendy pieces. A good variety of items to choose from to suit many tastes, great for gifts. There are some new non-traditional color combinations here as well, some that I like and some that I don't, but they encourage you to try new things.

Here are some of the models that I would like to try:

#39 is such a great looking little dress that I just have to make one.

Sweater #27 has a cute car theme that my little boy would just love, but I am not fond of the color scheme. I'll choose different colors for this one.

Sometimes I find that the yarns I have to work with are too close together in color and don't give enough contrast for some of my favorite designs. #11 is a very attractive way to solve that problem and still end up with a classic garment with wide appeal.

#34 is a little tunic top with puffed sleeves that would be perfect for summer wear. There's even a pattern for matching bloomers.

There's a crocheted afghan that promises to be a quick project for last-minute gifts. The photos of #12 aren't very clear, so the finished look will be something of a surprise.

This cardigan, #19, is gorgeous. I just love working with color patterns. During my first browse through the pages of this book I thought to myself, "Hmm, I may knit this one first." After a more detailed inspection, I have changed my mind. While I would like to knit this design at some point, it will have to wait for a while. This is the most difficult pattern in the book and is worked using more than 2 colors per row, and in some places up to 6 colors are used in a single row. I simply don't have much time or concentration to work on a pattern this complicated right now.

This book has great things in it, but I have to admit to feeling a bit disappointed. The layette books that Bouton d'Or has published the last several years were thicker, each containing between 70 and 80 patterns for children from infancy to age 10 or 12 years. This new version offers about half that number-37 designs for ages 0 to 6 years.

Bouton d'Or has a lower price on the cover for this smaller booklet, 6 Euros compared to last years 9 Euros. It's just too bad that my local yarn shop isn't paying attention to it. They are charging the same $20 price as the previous issues.

Spring Cleaning

I really must apologize to my readers for neglecting my blog. Some think I've abandoned it and moved on to other things. After all, we see it happen so often in blogland. I assure you that isn't the case. The reason I haven't been posting for the last few months is simply that I haven't had the time to do much in the way of knitting or other crafts. The sharing of these creative projects is the sole reason for this blog's existence.

The reason for my lack of free time? My mother was diagnosed with cancer and I have been quite busy helping to care for her during chemotherapy and the other assorted indignities of modern medicine. I won't go into details, that isn't the purpose of this blog, but suffice it to say that it has been a rather life-altering experience.

Now that things are a bit less hectic, I hope to resume my blogging activities.

We seem to have caught the spring cleaning bug at my house. Most of our free time is being spent on sprucing up the exterior of our home. I don't know about you, but I think that nothing improves a home more than a fresh coat of paint and a few pots of flowers.

We are painting the house a bright, clean white. Simple, uncomplicated and always a good choice in a hot climate, it has brightened up the feel of our covered patio already with the reflected light it provides. The trim will be in earthy brown and tan tones to help offset that almost artificial looking appearance of the bright white base color. I must say it's a real improvement over the dull rose pink color chosen by the previous owner.

The one drawback to my paint color choice is that the house no longer provides a contrasting background for some of the flowering plants in the landscape.

The 2 most prevalent flowers in the yard are confederate jasmine and white lantana. I could rip them out and replant, I suppose, but I'd rather not do that; the jasmine perfumes the air all around the house, and the lantana blooms profusely and repeatedly year-round, all without attracting bees or wasps to our yard. That's an important consideration if you have an allergy to stings, or are concerned about africanized bees in your area.

I think I'd rather add more flowers in brighter colors to the existing plantings. I don't think there is such a thing as too many flowers in the yard, do you?

Spring Already

My goodness, how time gets away from one! It's been over a month since my last post. I must apologize to my readers for neglecting the blog. Because, by golly, I do have readers-between 1500 and 2000 a week! I never expected so many people to take an interest in my little website. Since I started this blog in January of 2005 there have been over 100,000 visitors, can you imagine? Boggles the mind, I tell ya.

Every now and then I get an email from a reader asking where they might find one of the pattern books I have used and mentioned on the blog. Several of these pattern books are out of print and no longer available at the local yarn shop (unless the shopowner really stocks up on their favorite brand of books). There are places where one can find these items. Ebay is probably the most well-known place to go to find almost anything you might be looking for. An internet search will reveal many other places to look, depending on what specific item you're looking for. There are businesses that specialize in used knitting and crochet patterns; some of them advertise in magazines and others may be found in the link sections of knitting websites, such as About.com or Knitting Pattern Central. I have spent time looking at the vintage pattern books at some of these sites and been pleasantly surprised to discover several of my mother's really old books listed.

If you aren't looking for a specific book, you can usually find a lot of great patterns at thrift shops, garage sales, library sales and Salvation Army/Goodwill/St Vincent de Paul stores. If you are looking for a particular item, however, you will need to Google it. Many used pattern merchants can be emailed with your wish list and they will do their best to find the items you want-sometimes these merchants are well-connected and know where to find items quickly.

If you're looking for out-of-print Bouton d'Or books, you may find more success if you can speak French and seek out French websites.

The new Bouton d'Or layette book is due to come out this month. I can't wait to see it. I hope it will offer more patterns for boys than the last 2 books did. You can browse the current layette books at the official Bouton d'Or and Anny Blatt websites.

Afghanalong

Larissa has a new knit-along for you to join, but you must hurry, the deadline for signups is January 20.

The new project is afghan squares for possible inclusion in a special afghan in her upcoming book Knitalong. Any squares not used in the sample afghan will be donated to Warm Up America. I love an opportunty to try out a new pattern, especially when it's free and for a good cause. Sign up here!

6 Weird Things About Me

Egads, I've been tagged!

Carole has tagged me (and several other unsuspecting souls) for the 6 Weird Things About Me meme.

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Hmmm. One of the things I've learned in this world is that weird is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes we do things that seem to make perfect sense to us, but others find a bit odd. So, I will share some of my quirks with you here.

1. I alphabetize my spices.

This seems to me like a reasonable thing to do, but I have been told that it's the hallmark of the neat freak. Well, if you can count your spices with one hand, that may be true, but I have 54 jars to keep track of.

2. I don't consume caffeine.

My doctor thinks this is a reasonable thing for everyone to do, but you tell that to the grocer.

3. The space that my craft supplies occupies is 10 times larger than the space my wardrobe occupies.

This is a common problem among crafters not shared by the rest of the population.

4. I like to wear wacky earrings.

I once overheard a friend of one of the teenagers, "What is your mom wearing on her ears, fishing lures?"

5. I make wheezing and squeaking sounds when I laugh really hard.

This may be genetic.

6. I actually like anchovies, but dislike peppermint.


Now, the 6 people I've chosen to tag with this meme:

1. Kelli at AfricanKelli
2. Finny at Finny Knits
3. Michelle at Lighthouse Designs
4. Elisabeth at Curls and Purls NYC
5. Missy at Knit Wit
6. Joleen at Love, Joleen

Hot Artichoke Dip

I found a recipe in a magazine for a warm dip to serve during the holidays that I wanted to try. It looked like a promising recipe, but it turned out to be rather disappointing. "There's something missing" one family member said, "It's a little bit too bland" said another. So I experimented until we found a version that was satisfactory. I share it with you here and wish you a Happy New Year!

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 leek, washed well and chopped
1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 4-oz. jars sliced pimientos, drained
1 cup mayonnaise (not fat free, or it will be runny)
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F. In skillet, cook leek in butter or olive oil until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in artichoke hearts, pimientos, mayonnaise, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, Italian salad dressing mix, pepper and 1 Tablespoon of the parsley.

Spread mixture into a 9" pie plate or casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1 Tablespoon parsley.

Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. (You may microwave the dip instead for about 6-8 minutes at 70% power, turning the dish halfway through if you don't have a turntable.)

Serve with vegetable dippers and torn bread.

Holiday Activities

It's always busy this time of year, so many things to do. Whether baking, decorating or shopping in preparation for get-togethers with friends and family, our to-do lists are full.

I am trying to simplify my life (and my list) to make more room for just enjoying time with family. I have a houseful of family members staying from out of town this year and it is tempting to over-schedule myself trying to make everything 'perfect'. I am resisting by scaling things down a bit. For instance, I chose a small tabletop tree instead of the traditional 6-footer because it takes much less time for the group to decorate and is more enjoyable for the folks with shorter attention spans.

I am also taking fewer shopping trips and choosing more enjoyable places to visit. I refuse to participate in the frenzy that has become all too common at popular retail stores with mega sales that encourage people to push and shove and fight over this bargain or that. Instead, I take my family to responsible stores like my local scrapbooking shop. A creative bunch, they hosted a 'Make and Take' event that even the 3-year-old could enjoy. Hubby and teenagers all had fun with foam stamps and acrylic paint decorating little canvas bags that we plan to use as gift bags.

This effort has paid off. I've had much more time to spend with my loved ones, and I've even had time to knit a bit in the evenings. Here is my new fair-isle wheel tam. I have decided to follow Mary Rowe's lead and give it a title- Snowflakes.

The pattern is my own, but it is inspired by the work of many people. I have studied books, magazine articles and examples on the internet. Some good books on the topic - Knitted Tams by Mary Rowe, Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila McGregor, 45 Fine and Fanciful Hats to Knit by Anna Zilboorg and 1000 Great Knitting Motifs by Luise Roberts.

Find the pattern here.