Review: A Hat for Mrs. Goldman

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.

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

Have you read?