Show and Tell - Product Reviews
By Allegra and Brandy
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.
Bamboletta Dolls
If you have any interest in Waldorf education, or even if you aren’t familiar with the method, you are going to love these dolls. Handmade in Canada by Christina Platt, you have never seen a more beautiful doll made of high quality materials. They hold up well to hard play and they smell of clean wool (as they are stuffed with it and their hair is made of it). Bamboletta dolls come with adorable accessories from cloaks to bloomers and underwear. You can wait for a Friday "stocking" to get a ready-made doll, or you can custom order one to look any way you like, choosing details such as eye color, freckles, skin tone and even hair texture. Christina’s dolls make wonderful gifts, and is a great way to get away from so many commercialized toys and cheap plastic dolls. Bamboletta dolls are just asking to be cuddled and snuggled with. This sort of doll is one you will never want to give away or toss. Even once your child has is grown, you will want to save it to be handed down to the next generation. A true heirloom. Our own Brandy Fortune has designed an adorable sweater for Christina's dolls. You can find the pattern here.
Double Pointed Needles
by Blue Sky Alpacas
We have had the pleasure of trying out Blue Sky Alpacas new five inch double pointed needles. They are gorgeous and a dream to work with. The dpns are hand-lathed from dark rosewood and are amazingly smooth. Since they are dark in color, they are great to use especially if you are knitting with a lighter yarn. Often when using a lighter bamboo needle the yarn doesn’t “pop” much against the needle. These short needles are great for projects such as socks and baby garments with sleeves, or any project where you don’t want extra needle length getting in your way. Available in sizes 0-6, these needles come in beautiful tins, with a different color and design for each size.
The needles are handcrafted by highly trained and skilled artisans in Vietnam who work in family-owned and managed businesses that offer training and opportunity to their workers. So along with feeling good knitting with the needles, you can feel good that your purchase helps the workers earn a livable wage and contributes to an educational trust fund for their children.
Book Review: Vintage Knits for Modern Babies
by Hadley Fierlinger
Ten Speed Press
$19.99
I remember browsing through a few books that had just hit the stands a couple months ago, and without a doubt, Vintage Knits for Modern Babies, by Hadley Fierlinger, practically jumped into my arms. The cover design is adorable, classic, full of color, yet simplistic, all at the same time. How could it not reel you in?
Fierlinger became passionate about baby knits when she saw her friend’s baby wearing a beautiful handknit cardigan that had been passed down a few generations. This led Fierlinger to design knitting patterns that captured vintage style, but with modern simplicity. The knits found in Vintage Knits for Modern Babies are boutique-quality and really encapsulate Fierlinger’s style of trendy baby knitwear, which you can find at www.shescraftyknits.com
Fierlinger gives some history behind knitting for babies, both past and present. She gives great information about how to choose yarn for baby knits and how to care for the garments so that your modern heirloom can last for generations to come. I really like how she includes the usual knitting terms and abbreviations on the fold-out jacket cover. This makes them easy to find and you can always use the the jacket leaf as a bookmark. Fierlinger also gives very nice information on special techniques, including creating your own cloth buttons, embroidery and how to make twisted cords.
I find it very thoughtful that Fierlinger includes the sweet rhymes that are used to teach children how to knit. “Into the bunny hole, run around the tree, out of the bunny hole, away runs he.” If this doesn’t evoke nostalgia, I don’t know what does! This is yet another lovely piece of vintage information. She also adds personal anecdotes and memories, from friends, customers and herself, which gives a very personal and thoughtful feel to the book.
Each pattern in this book is darling. Fierlinger tags each pattern with a skill level, ranging from beginner to experienced. Many of the patterns use RYC Cashsoft and Debbie Bliss’ array of Cashmerino yarns. Some projects call for organic cotton, intelligently chosen for those projects that could easily end up in a baby’s mouth, such as toys and blankets. There are handknits for newborns and older babies; a nice selection for both boys and girls, as well as accessories and sweet knits for the home such as hangers and sachets.
I could easily say that I love all of the designs in this book, and it would be true. But there are a few that really make my heart melt:
Nana’s Bunnies: these adorable creatures were borrowed from a friend of Fierlinger’s pattern collection.The pattern had been handed down for three generations, giving every newborn that joined the family one of these sweet bunnies. I love that Fierlinger also incorporates these bunnies into the Bunny Mobile and adds one to the pocket of her Apron Dress. It’s little thoughtful details like this that makes me admire a book and it’s designer. Wavy Cashmere Blanket: I love everything about this blanket. The color combination is fantastic (cream, mustard and lavender), the classic feather and fan pattern, and it’s knit in cashmere. What a lucky baby to receive such a blanket! Modern Baby Bonnet: I love the stitch pattern used in this pattern and that the bonnet is snug against the baby’s head. Double Breasted Car Coat and Petite Beret Set: Oh my! The blue that Fierlinger chose for this set is so striking and the model is adorable. I know that I will be knitting this beret sometime in the near future. For those who are interested in a “supersized” version of the beret, you can find the “Mademoiselle” beret on Fierlinger’s site (this is also on my to-do list of knits!). Fierlinger rounds out the collection with a few nice bootie patterns, as well as pullovers and two very sweet wrap sweaters. All in all, it’s a lovely collection of knits.
I’d like to give credit to the book’s photographer, Angela Lang and whoever was in charge of the styling of the pattern pages. The colors used throughout the book are beautiful and very easy on the eye.
Congratulations to Hadley for such a beautiful book and wonderful designs. I look forward to seeing more from her in the future. For the time being, you can check out all of her designs at shescraftyknits.com
Etsy
If you are looking for a place to buy handcrafted items online, Etsy is the place to do it. From rare vintage books to handmade clothing, and everything in between, the sky is the limit for shopping possibilities. Etsy’s often-updated home page showcases “fresh picks from sellers”, top picks for holiday gifts, newly listed items, and featured sellers. Etsy’s “Storque” is their handmade blog, giving sellers and listed items even more exposure. If you have not visited this global handcrafted marketplace, you will be blown away. Although there is a plethora of handcrafted items for babies and children on Etsy, Petite Purls readers might find EtsyBaby of interest. EtsyBaby is an official Etsy “street team” which specializes in baby items (up to 36 months or 3T).
Book Review: Knit It Together
edited by Suzyn Jackson
Voyageur Press
$24.99
One of my favorite things about knitting is the sense of community it provides. Whether it’s a knitting group that meets weekly at your LYS, or you are a member of the online knitting community such as Ravelry, it is very easy to belong to a group. Knit it Together: Patterns and Inspiration for Knitting Circles, edited by Suzyn Jackson, is a book that celebrates the knitting group and its sense of community. The projects in this book are designed to be knit by a group of knitters as small as a couple good friends, to bigger groups of 20 people or more.
The book gives a nice chapter on the history of knitting circles; how to get a group started, and a guide to modern knitting group etiquette. I really love how the book includes lists of charities, addresses of great meeting places for knitters, and web addresses for those looking online for a knitting community. Also, along these lines, there are many essays written about how handcrafting can help a community in need.
There are many lovely projects in this book, but hands down my favorite has to be the Tree of Life Banner. This project is supposed to include at least three knitters. I think that the tree is beautiful and is such a wonderful way to collaborate with your knitting friends. I also like the assortment of baby knits. What a wonderful collection for a knitting group to knit up for a baby shower gift for an expectant knitter from your group.
Knit It Together puts the knitting circle, with all its profit and pleasures, within reach of anyone who wants to knit with a community. I think this book would be a lovely addition to any knitter’s library.