Review: A Hat for Mrs. Goldman

October 13, 2016 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Because I have a child who is still into picture books, I love it when I find children’s books about knitting.

Luckily the publisher sent me a copy of A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story about Knitting and Love by Michelle Edwards, illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

The book tells a really sweet story about Mrs. Goldman, the neighbor lady who knits hats for everyone else and ends up with a cold head herself. Sophia got her first hat from Mrs. Goldman when she was a baby, then she made pom-poms for the hats Mrs. Goldman made.

“Keeping keppies warm is our mitzvah,” says Mr.s Goldman, kissing the top of Sophia’s head. “This is your keppie, and a mitzvah is a good deed.”

Sophia notices Mrs. Goldman’s head isn’t covered because she gave away her hat, and she’s too busy knitting for everyone else to knit herself a replacement. So Sophia decides to try to knit her one, even though she’d decided when she learned to knit that “knitting is hard. And it takes too long.”

While the hat doesn’t come out exactly the way she expects, it is a precious act of love and allows Sophia to feel “her heart grow bigger and lighter, like a balloon.” Just what it’s like to make something for someone else.

This book is geared toward readers ages 4 to 8, or for anyone who loves to knit and wants to celebrate the joy in the simple act of giving. There’s also a pattern for a flat-knit hat and pom-poms included.

About the book: 40 pages, hardcover with dust jacket, published October 2016 by Random House Children’s Books. Retail price $17.99.

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A Perfect Little Ribbed Sweater Knitting Pattern

Last year I shared with you Maxie’s Tank Top by Ainur Berkimbayeva, mostly because I really wanted to knit one (and I still do, maybe this year I’ll finally get to it!). I also am really attracted to patterns that seem to look good on everyone, which this tank top does.

Now Ainur has released a sweater version of the top, known as Maxie’s V-neck, and it seems to have that same wonderful property of looking amazing on everyone, at least as far as I can tell from the pattern’s project page on Ravelry.

This is a top down, V-neck, ribbed top that can be knit with short or long sleeves. Bust darts help with the fit. There are also 13 size options available so you can find just the right fit for you.

The sizes are designed to fit actual bust measurements ranging from 29-32 inches (74-81.5 cm) up to 62-64 inches (158-162.5 cm) and the pattern has instructions for A-C cups, with modification notes in the pattern to help folks with D+ cups make their sweater fit them.

It calls for sport weight yarn, which is probably the only thing that kept me from casting on this sweater immediately when I first saw it because that’s not a yarn weight I typically have in my stash (certainly not in sweater quantity).

Which just gives me an excuse to go shopping! Ainur used Purl Soho Wigeon yarn, which is 100 percent wool from the Falkland Islands. You can check the pattern page for other options that people have used, though wool seems to be a near universal choice as of this writing.

Ainur also does pay what you can on her patterns so if the cost is too much for your current financial situation you can use a code on the page to get a discount. (That said, if you can afford it, please support designers to the extent they ask to be compensated!)

Check out the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Ainur Berkimbayeva]

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