
Me, I wanted books for my well-done-you-gave-birth treat (yes, I appreciate the baby is meant to be a reward in itself, but no one in their right mind turns down the opportunity for treats, right?). I tweeted for book recommendations and got plenty (including a handful that have gone on the Amazon wish list, notably the fabulous looking Open Studios
by Lotta Jansdotter, courtesy of Karen), finally cutting it down to the four above.
Jasper Fforde
is one of my favourite authors. I'm thinking of constructing a story about naming Jasper after him, but the truth is it didn't even occur to me until a visiting relative enquired (jokingly. I think) whether I'd been too lazy to look further than our bookshelf when it came to picking baby names. The Well of Lost Plots
is an older book of Fforde's that I'm sure I used to own but lost somewhere along the line. I'm looking forward to re-reading the whole series before starting on the newest book, One of Our Thursdays is Missing
. Fforde's books are (to me) the perfect mix of comedy, crime drama, fantasy and satire, and stand up to a good re-read on a regular basis (almost as well as the unparalleled Discworld
series by Terry Pratchett. To describe my copies of these books as dog-eared would be doing a disservice to dog ears the world over).
Of course, no Amazon order would be complete without an addition (or two) for the crafting bookshelf.

If you read other crafty blogs (and lets face it, if you bother to visit me and you're not my mother, you probably do), you'll probably have come across Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson, the genius behind Oliver+S and Lisette patterns (she has a great blog too). All I intend to do here is add my praise to the unanimous approval this book seems to have garnered. I haven't tried any yet, but the patterns look well drafted, instructions are clearly explained, and there are plenty of interesting and slightly more complex designs in there, such as the rucksack and hats (one of my pet hates is books like these filling their pages with the kinds of patterns that are available for free online, or could easily be worked out with a pencil and ruler).
Top of the list from this book is a bucket hat for Teddy (I suspect that every member of the family will be sporting one soon), but as soon as I get a little more time I'll definitely be tackling the penguin bag pattern.


The quartet was completed with essential reading for the hand making mother - Handmade Home by blogger extraordinaire Amanda Blake Soule. I have bought (well, borrowed from the library) books by prolific bloggers before, and been disappointed that the book contained little more than their blog reworked into book form (and I can appreciate that it's hard to avoid - one of the reasons these writers get their book deals is because their blogs are brilliant, and to find a new and clever take on their ideas must be a challenge).
Not so with Amanda though. The book is entirely true to the ethos of her and her blog, but has a lot of substance of its own. It is absolutely stuffed with projects, and although lots of them are quite simple - perhaps no more than a new idea for a messenger bag or a reworking of that perennial kid-entertainer, papier mache - the eco-friendly fabric suggestions and joy in reusing old materials where possible, as well as the clever ideas for involving kids in construction, make them thoroughly satisfying to read and inspire the reader (well, me, anyway) to actually try some of them, rather than passing them off as just another take on an old idea. Each project is accompanied by a story (I particularly liked the tales behind the Broadturn and treasure bags), creating the perfect marriage between practical patterns and Amanda's friendly and slightly whimsical writing style.
I can't wait to get cutting from this book too - I am particularly determined to make a version of Maddie's rag rug for either my workroom, or perhaps the sitting room, and I can definitely see a treasure bag in Teddy's near future.