martinimade

Given that I review books for Locus (and have for a variety of other periodicals), I usually have a stack of comp copies that I am unwilling and unable to keep. I've tried donating to the library but they don't seem to want them. So I take them to Popek's.

When I dropped off the most recent batch, I puttered around in the craft section and scored a copy of Alice Carroll's Complete Guide to Knitting and Crocheting, initially published in 1942.

I love the embossed cover:

I love the stylish, hand-tinted knitted suit:

(Said suit is fabric for the blue parts, then the red parts are knitted. It looks fascinating but I have doubts about its practicality.)

I love that it has a knitted kid's sun suit (and I love the expression on the kid's face):

I love that there are a dozen basic mitten patterns and an equal number of sock patterns, including an argyle. I love that there is a chapter devoted to making your own designs. I also love that there is a chapter titled "Army and Navy Regulation Knitwear," which is something you just won't see today. There are patterns for garments I've never heard off, like a "Gilet" or a "Calot." I now have a pattern for a crocheted snood, which is something else to love, even if I don't have enough hair to fill a snood.

I can knit a "One-piece dress for the Older Woman" that starts with casting on 332 stitches in 3-ply yarn on size #3 needles for the front of the skirt, which seems like a Herculean labor when you consider how long the average skirt for an older woman is. Here's the picture, which makes me question their definition of "older woman" or proves how forgiving black and white photography can be:

Was this book worth $15? Oh, yes. I have gotten more than $15 worth of amusement out of it and it will become a much used reference guide. The bits on how to shape sock heels is well worth every penny.

But the picture that made the sale was this one:

Because who hasn't found themselves sitting on a fencepost in their knitted bathing suit while hailing passing cowboys?