It's that time again - the air is getting a little nippy- summer is coming to an end. The arrival of fall sends me looking for books to snuggle up with and projects to do indoors.I haven't taken up quilting (Yet - Ha!) but some of the gals I'm related to have made me some fine ones. I know there must be men who quilt, but all the quilters I know personally are fabulous ladies. I found this booklet (Centennial Quilts from 1976) interesting mainly for the Lily pattern - a traditional one here in North Carolina - that I think is especially lovely.
Check out this cool booklet of super-mod mens sweaters to knit! Botany Hand Knits for Men dates to 1958 and includes instructions for several different styles, including a knit dickie. Yeah, that's an odd one - but there's a lot of gems in here too.
Ever hear of Dotty Dimple? This children's series about a small girl dates back to 1868. I've been doing a bit of time traveling, reading books from long ago. The style of speaking is so different, as well as the small things in everyday life. It makes my modern but basic lifestyle (I'm a no-frills kinda gal these days) seem so luxurious in comparison!
Nancy Drew for me is a bit more nostalgia for my own girlhood than traveling to one I never knew. I loved Ms. Drew and read most of her books sitting in trees. I also played my plastic recorder from the treetops. It let me get away from my siblings (who were all more indoorsy than out) and feel kind of exotic while I carried on in my bookish ways.I prefer the 1960s picture covers of the girl detective because these of course were what I read on those tree limbs (picked up used because we were thrifty like that - these books were a little older than me, lol). These older versions have the advantage of being before the 1966 revisions that tried to update Nancy, but mainly just removed some of the details, blanding the books a bit.
They did the same to the Hardy Boys books. Here are versions of the 10th book in the Nancy Drew series, The Password to Larkspur Lane, that pre-date the revisions, but still have those great picture covers. Below is a copy of 13th book in the Hardy Boys Series, The Mark on the Door, with those same desirable features.
The Bill Gillies cover art on the Hardy Boys above and on the small image on the back of the Nancy Drew, can be a tip off to an unrevised version. Another thing to look for in the Nancy Drew books are ones with 25 chapters and over 200 pages. The revised versions are shorter - see I told you they removed a lot of details!
