Books and Patterns: July 2008 Archives

Beatrix Potter is one of my all-time most favorite artists, authors, farmers, environmentalist, animal-lover and all around kick-ass ladies. Her life was really amazing, especially when you think about the time in which she lived. She was from a well-to-do English family. She didn't get married until much later in life. She earned her own living by writing her "little books." And she helped preserve the Lake District in England with all the farms she bought and helped to form the National Trust.

Growing up, I had many of Beatrix Potter's books. I enjoyed them greatly. As I got older, I learned more about the woman behind the books. On a trip to England a few years ago, I was able to visit her house, Hill Top, in Near Sawrey in the Lake District. I was able to see first hand some of her beautiful paintings of flowers and animals. She had such a wonderful eye and was able to capture the beauty of nature. Some day I'm going to make a quilt that resembles the one at Hill Top.

I have a number of crafty projects in the making that use Beatrix's illustrations and drawings. Today I will leave you with two wonderful books. Sadly, both are out of print now. But a quick look on Amazon.com shows that they are still available from a number of used book dealers. The authors do a wonderful job of translating Beatrix's work into yarn and needlework. I have a number of projects in the queue from these books.

My copy of Knitscene Magazine arrived this Saturday and I am just thrilled. There were a number of patterns in it that made the decision to get it easy.

The first is the Opulent Raglan sweater by Wendy Bernard. I love the shape of the neckline and the little touches such as the slightly ruffled sleeves.

Next there is the Ahlstrom Bodice by Lou Schiela. Again it was the shape of the neckline and the lovely shaping at the sides.

Lastly the cute and adorable Kimono Socks by Star Athena just made me giggle. I seem to be much better at collecting sock patterns than actually making socks (seeing how I've yet to even cast on my first pair). But these are just so fun.

Of course, I have no idea when I will actually get around to making any of these. And I don't want to think of the cost of buying that much yarn. But it sure is fun to think about and pine for them.