Show and Tell is a fun feature of our magazine which showcases knitting or crochet-related products, as well as handcrafted products for children. A limited number of products are reviewed personally by Brandy or Allegra for each issue, to ensure that each product is evaluated with the utmost time and care. If you are interested in having your product reviewed, send it to us! We'd love to check it out.

1 » Knitterella Gift Tags, Bags, Cards Gift tags with attitude "Yes, I did make it and No, you can't return it" with fun new project bags availible with equal humor. 2 » 9144 Wee Ones Classic Elite Yarns We've seen this booklet in almost every yarn shop around, it has perfectly adorable baby patterns with easy to knit directions.3 » Sewing For Boys If you love to sew and have been looking for a modern book of boys patterns, this is the book for you!

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Growing Up Sew Liberated

by Meg McElwee
Interweave Press LLC
US $24.95

Meg McElwee has been a Petite Purls favorite as well as a past contributor. We loved her first book, Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist and you can only imagine how thrilled we were to learn of her second book, Growing Up Sew Liberated: Making Handmade Clothes + Projects for Your Creative Child. Meg has created a great collection of sewing patterns for our young ones that are constantly on the go, both physically and creatively. She divides the book up into five categories: Greeting the Morning, Bread Sharing + Homemaking, Inside Play, Outside Play, and Good Night, Sleep Tight. Just from the chapter titles alone, you know that this book is full of thoughtful, beautiful projects.

Some of my favorite projects include the Envelope Tees and Sleeping Johns, Embroidered Placemats (teaching the child where the utensils go in relation to the plate), Irresistible Numbers (inspired by the sandpaper numbers found in Montessori classrooms), Dress-Up Bucket and the Art Satchel (excellent for art supplies on the go). The wonderful patterns are plentiful in this book, too many to choose favorites from, really. I love how Meg included some words of wisdom and activities for creative learning, stemming back from her background in Montessori teaching. The book includes wonderful pictures and full patterns in the back.

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Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi

by Anna Hrachovec
Potter Craft
US $19.99

Could anything be cuter than Anna Hrachovec's teeny tiny toys?? I think not. We loved Anna's first book, Knitting Mochimochi, but this is just truly adorable. This book includes more than 40 bite-sized projects that will keep your size 1 needles in business. Excellent stash busting projects found in this book and most can be completed in as little as an hour.

A few favorites, although this is really hard: Tiny Chickens, Tiny Fried Eggs and actually all of the food stuffs, Tiny Mermaid, Tiny Rainbow and of course Tiny Gnome. We love Anna's quirky style and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

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Bambeanies: 20 quick & quirky Hats to knit for the little people in your life

by Woolly Wormhead
www.woollywormhead.com
US $23.00

Bambeanies is a new collection of 20 fresh knitted hat designs for boys and girls by Woolly Wormhead. Woolly is an incredibly talented knitwear designer whose main focus is on hats.

This children's collection is fun, whimsical and full of color. She has included beanies, beret, earflap hats, you name it, with great coverage for the ears.

The hats are sized from newborn to adult, with schematics included for each size. Woolly also includes a techniques section, giving you the basics and much more. This book is now available in print as well as in e-book form.

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The Close Knit Gang

MillaMia

Sister owned yarn company, MillaMia's style is based on the Swedish aesthetic-- clean, contemporary, yet with a fun and bright edge. These are the perfect elements to have in children's and baby garments. Their newest collection, The Close Knit Gang is an adorable and timeless collection that has a vintage feel.

Using their Naturally Soft Merino (100% extra fine Merino), which has beautiful stitch definition and is machine washable, the garments are excellent both for children on the go as well as for special occasions. The collection includes a variety of sizes, from baby to toddler and older children.

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The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons

by Amanda Blake Soule with Stephen Soule
Trumpeter Books
US $19.95

When I received this book to review, I put my daughter to bed and read it cover to cover that night. I enjoyed Amanda Soule's past books immensely and knew that I would enjoy this one just as much. Well, I loved it even more and it resonated more with me than many books of its nature. Amanda and her family are pure sources of inspiration, from the everyday tasks that they do, to the hopes and dreams that they share. This book is divided up into months and focuses on the changing of the seasons. So many craft projects, recipes, and other creative ways to help families slow down and truly connect with nature and with family.

I loved that this was a collaboration with Papa Soule, Stephen, and thoroughly enjoyed his writing as well. I expect this book to be a go-to book for me and my family when we are in need of some new inspiration. I plan to read each month's chapter at the beginning of a new month to refuel and welcome the change of the seasons.

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Preschool Parties: Easy Ideas for Princesses, Pirates & Other Little People

by Colleen Mullaney
Sixth & Spring Books
US $17.95

I received this book just in time for me to plan my four year old daughter's birthday party. This book definitely came in handy. Colleen Mullaney, lifestyle expert provides us with 15 fantastic parties for children ages 1-5. The parties include Fairyland, a Pirates, Big Top Circus, Sea Princesses, Medieval Times and Baseball.

Each party includes fun yummy treats, crafts and games, and of course the decorations to make these great scenarios come to life. This book is an excellent and fun resource for anyone planning parties for toddlers to bigger pre-K kids.

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My Grandmother's Knitting: Family Soties and Inspired Knits from Top Designers

by Larissa Brown
STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book
US $22.50

I was a big fan of Larissa Brown's first book, Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together, so I knew that when this book was released, I would love it. I love Larissa's passion for the knitting community and shows us how thoughtful and necessary our craft is to nourish our souls.

In My Grandmother's Knitting, Larissa celebrates the link between generations, and the ways our families shape the crafters and artists we become. She shares the stories of 26 influential knitters and those who influenced them the most from their childhood. Accomplished designers such as Teva Durham, Ysolda Teague, Wendy Bernard, Pam Allen and Jared Flood are included in this book, among many others.

Wonderful family stories are shared by those such as Meg Swansen, Norah Gaughan, Kirsten Kapur and Kay Gardiner. The projects in this book, as you can imagine with the star-studded line up of designers, are a beautiful assortment of accessories and women's garments. The look and feel of this book is so inviting and beautiful, with lovely photography by Michael Crouser. In all ways, this book is a true work of art and heart.

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Math for Hats: Understanding Hat Knitting Patterns

by Kate Oates
www.tottoppers.com
US $16.00

Petite Purls friend and designer Kate Oates is always up to something. She is fantastically prolific in design, and recently published her newest booklet, Math for Hats, based on her course of the same name. This book helps you understand construction in knitting hats as well as how to knit one from scratch. Kate walks you through every aspect with clarity and ease.

In the 24 paged book, you learn about gauge, construction, sizing, ease, shaping, fiber, worksheets, tutorials, finishing techniques, you name it. She also includes the pattern for her Adventure Hat, which gives you plenty of options to customize. Think of it as a "Choose your Own Adventure" Hat, reminiscent from years ago.

Kate offers incredibly valuable information in the book. I plan to use it to teach my junior high knitting students.

 

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Little Red in the City

by Ysolda Teague
www.ysolda.com
US $32.00

The much anticipated self-published book, Little Red in the City by Ysolda Teague was welcomed with open arms into the knitting community this summer. This book is really a tour de force for Ysolda. Part resource book, part pattern collection, Ysolda shares all of her tips for successful sweaters that perfectly fit your body. Over 100 pages of in depth content opens the book, with diagrams, math, charts, along with massive text.

It's actually quite overwhelming, but all in a very good and educational way. The seven patterns included in the book are all fabulous sweaters, as would be expected from Ysolda. Each pattern is shown photographed on Ysolda as well as her good friend Amanda Allen, showing the garment in two different sizes to help you envision how each design would look on your own shape. Besides the incredible content and patterns, the book comes with a bonus e-file, allowing you to always have a digital copy with you at all times. I am thrilled to have this book in my library and plan to use it and learn from it for years to come.

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