Books/Dollhouses and minatures/Projects: Tiny Treasures

Title: Tiny Treasures
Author: American Girl Library
Publisher: Pleasant Company Publications
Copyright: 1998

Out of print. Aimed at 4-8 year old girls, this colorful little book offers simple projects to make surprising miniatures using household items. I picked this up at a yard sale - it's certain to be available from used book dealers as well. Some of my favorite projects include a realistic-looking sandwich made from expanding sponges, rubber bands, and plastic bags, served with french fries cut from toothpicks, a dollop of ketchup (glue with red paint) and a glass of milk (a mix of glue and white paint in a clear makeup tube cap). All of these projects look easy to do, and they produce great results. I'm impressed enough that I'll probably be trying some of these myself!

Books/Fiber/Knitting/History: No Idle Hands

Title: No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting
Author: Macdonald, Anne L.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 1988

From the flap:

"No Idle Hands presents an intriguing view of the role of women in American history, as uniquely represented through the art and craft of knitting. From Colonial times to the present, women have expressed their patriotism, creativity, fashion sense, and personal style in the private practice of this rich and varied practical art form. Historian Anne Macdonald sheds new light on women's use of knitting as a representation of their changing historical roles, and puts into sharp perspective the fascinating legacy of the womanly art of knitting."

This is an in-depth study of the subject of knitting throughout American history, replete with period photos, illustrations, and pages from knitting books and magazines from all ages. To give you an idea how thoroughly Ms. Macdonald has covered her subject - the main text of the book is 361 pages long, but there are also 57 pages of notes, and a 38-page bibliography.

I have only skimmed my copy so far, but it looks like a fascinating read. If you're an avid knitter who also enjoys learning about what forces shape our world, I predict you'll enjoy this one.

About Folkcat's Craft Library

I've been meaning to make a catalog of the books and publications in my personal craft library, especially as a reference for my friends to know what I have that they might be able to borrow. I've chosen to do this in the form of a blog for gathering the data, but ultimately I'll use the links to individual posts to create index pages that will sort by various criteria.

The posting format here will be simple. Each post title will contain the full categorization for the book, followed by the title. For example: Dollhouse and miniatures, projects: Tiny Treasures.

I'll be entering books in no particular order, and I'll do my best to provide a little commentary about the contents as well. Where possible, the books will also be links by which you can purchase them.