Annie Knits

Score!

I volunteered to work at the used book fair for Dear Daughter's school today.  I donated like a thousand books to this fair and I swore to myself and hubby that I wouldn't come home with any books.  At all. 

What I didn't know at the time of the swearing was that there might be vintage knitting pamphlets and books.  Such conditions, I believe, render said swearing null and void.  I spent $13.00.

See the Barbara Walker book?  And the Mary Thompson's Knitting book?  It's from 1939.  The Knitting for Young America is a self published book with easy first projects dated 1948.  The author was the managing director of The Handknitting Institute (about which I can find nothing on the Web.)  All are from the library of the O'Fallon Motherhouse for the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood.  Many have the name Sr. Catherine Beckerle written in lovely script on their inside covers.  Sr. Catherine also collected booklets. 

These baby booklets are absolutely chock full of  beautiful, timeless patterns.  The blue one in the bottom right corner is dated 1942, the rest are newer.  There are at least 16 different patterns for soakers in these books, and 4 different patterns  for buntings (I love the idea of a handknitted baby bunting.)    The 1942 book has a pattern for two bathing suits -- knitted in all wool yarn though...  Embiggen the picture and see?  It calls for Fleishers Cassimere, a 100% wool fingering weight yarn.  Nice. 

And this little one has no knitting on, but she seriously doesn't need it, does she?

And this hat?  A must knit.  Really.  I just think it's the cutest thing. 

File this one under "Blog contests, write a caption for this picture."  Too easy?  Really, though, this child is way too old to be cute and nakey on a blankey. 

This set, in one of the older booklets, early '50s I think, is absolutely simple and gorgeous.  I can't wait to make it. 

But Sister Catherine didn't just knit for babies.

There are great patterns for grownups here too.  Love these -- they're from the orange book at the upper left.  I mean seriously, I'd knit any of them tomorrow.  I don't even see where there would need to be too much modernizing in the shaping.   See the cable running up the raglan sleeve?  Love it!

And Sr. Catherine knit the first one for someone...

Husband says I can knit this for him only if I include the pipe and some Brylcreem.  Do they still make that stuff?

Edited to add:  No, I don't think an all wool bathing suit is "nice".  That was sarcasm.  Yes I do really love the yellow cap.  That was not sarcasm.  Darned internets, interfering with my nonverbals...  And did you notice that the two knitting books in the bottom right hand corner of the first picture are the exact books noted in the latest Interweave as books Elizabeth Zimmerman says any intrepid knitter should own.  Well, then.  I'm all set...

Mine Were Nancy Drew

It's Spring Break chez Annie, and we didn't go to some warmer clime or some snow-covered mountain.  We pretty much kicked it around the house with friends.  We went to the Zoo on what turned out to be the one nice-outside day of the week.  I had to work for a few hours two of the days.  Each kid had a little bit of homework, but not much.  Really?  Just relaxing.  Both kids seemed to need a little recharging after a hard, dark winter.  So I let them.  Recharge that is. 

Daughter is fixated on the Jonas Brothers.  For the uninitiated, they are one of the current Disney stable boy bands.  She collects magazine pictures of them and tapes them to various surfaces in her bedroom.  She visited various bookstores and magazine outlets this week and added some to her collection.  She also did some housework to earn more money to buy magazines.  We call her Cinderella. 

But it's Dear Son who had a magical week.  I bet you'll remember your first too. 

See, he's smitten. 

With a series of books that is.   The books are the Alex Rider series by Brit Anthony Horowitz.  They are about a 14 year-old kid who's parents have (of course) been killed and somehow he's ended up an unlikely and relatively uncooperative but super capable way smarter than the adults around him  spy for MI6.  One of our cousins sent Son the books for Christmas and he finally had the time to really attack them this week.  He read the first two over the course of a few months as he was pretty busy with school and basketball.  But I believe he's read 4 of them this week.  And is into book 7 -- the current last of the series -- as of last night.  Yesterday?  A kind of cold and dreary day here?  He read an entire 200 and some odd page book. 

I don't know about you, but that makes me very nostalgic.  I remember working my way through all of the Little House books.  And when I found out that a neighbor had all of the Nancy Drew books and that I could borrow any of them?  I read 'em all one summer.  I remember the sheer joy of practically skimming the books, just to see what would happen, knowing I had several more piled up and waiting.  And the bitter sweet almost regret at picking up the last book and savoring it.  Don't you?  I also read all of the Stallion books by Walter Farley, and some series by Victoria Holt but I can't remember it or find it online.  I know there are more, but I can't think of them.   

What were your love series?  Maybe yours will jog my memory? 

IITCSIRALOBAM

That'll teach me to reconstruct an acronym phonetically. 

Ok, guys.  I've got it right now, so get off my back...IITCSIRALOBAM stands for "I'm in this club so I read at least one book a month", pronounced itsy-rahl-oh-bomb.  Happy? 

ITSARALABAM

    You know, we named this book club of ladies in a around my urban neighborhood about 7 years ago and I can't even remember what the acronym stands for except that the last part is "About a Book a Month".  Sheesh.  We've read nearly a hundred books in the intervening time and members have come and gone.  There are still 4 of us originals and we were all present at last nights meeting.
     We often meet in the home of the person assigning the book and usually on Sunday evenings, but this month we ended up in a nearby Irish pub.  (I had awesome Bread Pudding with Whiskey Butter Sauce -- what's not to like?)  Our theme this year is Books We Should Have Read in School and the book this month was My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok.  Really enjoyed it.  It's from the 70's (DH had read it in HS) and is about a young Hasidic Jew who is an artist -- he just is that and can't help it.  Father doesn't approve.  Coming of age story and very interesting glimpse into devout Judaism.  It's funny, but most of our group is Roman Catholic (heck, most of St. Louis proper is Roman Catholic, but don't hold that against us...)and we seem to gravitate towards books that can be discussed through the lens of religion.  The group bears no particular religiosity, it just informs our views of the world.  Hmmm...  Last night we discussed whether on can "shop" religions -- an offshoot of the conversation about the hierarchy of the Catholic church that contained many derisive references to penises and power, you get it, right?  Those of us raised Catholic don't seem to be able to do this, where our Protestant members could...the Catholics don't seem to be able to cross the divide even though we aren't particularly fervent, just "Catholic".  And raised as such.  Hard to explain, but nearly universal.  Hmmm I say again. 
Anyway, we meet 4-6 weeks and I really enjoy the group of ladies.  As I said, each month  a group member assigns a book (we've arranged ourselves in alphabetical order) and the next month, she hosts the discussion, and so on.  I'll let you know what our next book is when the absent assigning member gets around to letting us know what it is. 

Other Books

    I've also just finished Kite Runner, that book everyone is talking about  that takes place mostly in Afghanistan.  Whew.  Too graphic for me -- the raping and pillaging that has taken that country back to the stone age during our lifetimes!  Yuck. 
    But my favorite recent book has to be the Time Traveler's Wife -- sorry, not so good with authors -- A great read and lovely.  Get out the Kleenex.  My kind of no nonsense mom didn't like it as much as I did.  I'd say it's one of the best books I've read in recent years.  Not to give it away -- it's about a guy whose genetically predisposed to time travel when he's under stress.  You know, just disappear and reappear somewhere in his lifetime naked (because you can't take things with you, not even fillings).  Imagine the ramifications and they are in this book.  Fun. I didn't knit for a few days, just read the book.  Heck I even knit when I read the new Harry Potter, but not this....
    I'll have knitting content when I have done more knitting....