Time to say goodbye, and introduce the 12 posts of Christmas

It's that time of year when we come at you with our annual 12 posts of Christmas - all kinds of crazily useful and terribly useless THINGS I have come across in our collections, on the interwebs, or while out and about in 'the outerwebs'. It is, not coincidentally, also our last series of posts. Once the 12 posts of Christmas updates are done, we will close the Top 5 Goodies blog for good. You'll still be able to come back and read it, however we will no longer update this space from 2 January 2014 on, and neither will the posts be open to new comments. This is, you see, my last week with Auckland Libraries. As a result, this series of posts - our annual 12 posts of Christmas - will be our last posts forever.

Back in 2010, Danielle and I set up this space to provide an informal place (and voice) for staff and customers to:

1. read about our rich and diverse collections
2. celebrate the joy of reading, learning and discovery
3. comment about our posts in particular, or our services in general
4. suggest lists topics/ideas they'd like to see represented here
5. to have fun!

I like to think we achieved all 5 objectives. With that in mind, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you - family, friends, acquaintances, interwebs grazers - for your support and encouragement over the last three and a half years. It has been, will always and forever have been, a joy to have shared ALL OF THIS with you. Think about it - you let us babble on incoherently about fanfiction, romance novels, all things geeky, family related or work related, and have been the best audience anybody could ever want. We thought this was just going to be about library books, but it's also been an opportunity to share how much books influence a large part of who we are, and just how much they can change lives. And we are aware, everyday, of just how incredibly lucky we are that others have wanted to read about that, too

I have greatly enjoyed the fact that I got to jump on here and talk, randomly or purposefully, about our books, CDs and/or DVDs. Between editing some of our eNewsletters, posting to a couple of other blogs we have, and personal reading/listening/watching I was always up to my eyeballs in goodies and treasures. And so many of them generated the most hilarious lists. (In my head, anyway). It has been my *absolute pleasure* to have been able to run the Top 5 Goodies blog.

From tomorrow on, we'll be posting about all kinds of strange and wonderful things up to (and including) 1 January 2014. So we'll see you back here for one last hurrah.
 - tosca

5 crafty books to make you go "WTH? DO WANT!"

"I was once fired as opening act for Seals and Crofts because I got loaded and introduced them as Arts and Crafts."
- George Miller

I'm a thwarted crafts person. Seriously. I can't craft for peanuts. Everything ends disastrously. When trying knitting on for size I dropped stitches, made stitches up, broke wooden needles and ended up with an unfinished drunken looking scarf. (To this day it sits buried at the bottom of one of my many bags as a mark of crafts-shame). Crochet...ugh, let's not talk about that. Mosaics...yikes, who knew that was dangerous? Scrapbooking...oh, it was way too fiddly for me. The only crafty experimenty type thing I did reasonably well was decoupage. And only then because I used graphic novel images taken from old comic books. (I figure better to use images I actually identify with - what do you mean I'm not a Maori/female version of Wolverine? - than cutesy pretty things I feel nothing for). I mean, sure, my pants have Mod Podge stains that will never come out, and let's not talk about how I nearly sliced my finger off and, while we're at it, let's not even mention the body parts glue can stick to. The point is, I quite clearly suck at crafts. This doesn't stop me from enjoying craft books, though. I'm not sure how that works. And the more bizarre/strange/unusual/funny (haha and weird) the book THE BETTER. Am I, right? (The only proper answer here is "Yes, Tosca, you in your all knowing wisdom are RIGHT."). I've rounded up the following five books that have caught my eye and turned them into this post. Probably for my own entertainment more than yours. You don't know the LOLs I LOLd before requesting these. Now I have to find someone to make some for me because me and crafts? Life endangering. Request, and enjoy, people :)

Also worth a mention:
The bad book / Aranzi Aronzo
In the world of kawaii (Japanese cute), little kitties, pandas, bunnies and the like are standard fare, but who ever heard of The Bad Buy, The Liar, or The Thief? Aranzi Aranzo takes the notorious cuteness of Japanese crafts and takes them to the next level with The Bad Book, full of mischief and fun!

Comment: I don't know what any of this means. I just know I *have* to request it to find out.

Dog hair : the best doggy hair-dos for fashion-consious hounds!
Dogs can be fashion victims just like the rest of us. Take yourself on a journey through the highs and lows of doggy hairdos, including mullets, perms, sleek bouncy locs and mohicans. Dog Hair has 75 of the most cutting edge styles - feel inspired and pamper your pooch. Whether you have a spaniel, a poodle or a mongrel, your furry friend will love their makeover.

Comment: Technically, not a crafts book BUT I COULDN'T RESIST. I mean, really.

5 things I can't knit

"...the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting. Knitters are so compellingly clever that they simply can't tolerate boredom. It takes more to engage and entertain this kind of human, and they need an outlet or they get into trouble."
- Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Last year in October I wrote a post for the Auckland Libraries blog about knitting. To be precise: 5 knitting books that confirm what I already suspected: I suck at knitting. In June some time of 2011 I was gung-ho for knitting and tried to make a scarf. I gave myself six weeks. It was a disastrous. I dropped stitches, made stitches up out of thin air, managed to stab myself with the knitting needles more times than I could count, broke a needle and mourned its loss briefly and, in the end, ended up with a great big mess that resembles my hair in the morning after a restless night's sleep. I gave up. I'm not proud of being a quitter, but I've long since gotten used to my half-abandoned projects. My pathway to hell is paved with the debris of a lifetime's worth of my good intentions and crafts projects. You'd think, then, that I'd spit at any and all knitting books I came across and make the sign of the cross. Not the case. If anything, I deliberately keep an eye out and count the number of items I cannot make myself. It's a weird love/hate relationship. And so I present: 5 things I can't knit!

Do you knit badly? Or are you a knitting fiend?

Top 5 picture books about knitting

"Knitting is a boon for those of us who are easily bored. I take my knitting everywhere to take the edge off of moments that would otherwise drive me stark raving mad."
- Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much

If I could spend my days knitting and sleeping (with TV on in the background – and the occasional book to read), I would be very happy...

I <3 knitting. The meditative state it puts me in. The maths and problem solving. The physical nature of it. The pleasure in completing something. The joy in seeing that something being used and enjoyed.

One of my sisters made a rude comment once about handknitted socks – why did I bother making them when they’re so cheap to buy. So, being vengeful… I didn’t give her a pair for her birthday. And then, she had to listen to five other family members rave about their handknitted socks. So, I relented. And she said 'it's like putting your feet into heaven...' and that’s why I knit.

Because I really do knit love into each stitch (yeah, maybe a few swear words, or exasperated sighs along the way, but I try to keep them down)...

These picture books celebrate and acknowledge the love and caring – and addiction – that goes into knitting.

Nearly-made-the-list:
* Knitty Kitty / David Elliott ; illustrated by Christopher Denise
Knitty Kitty is knitting a scarf, a hat, and some mittens for her kittens, but when night falls and the snow comes down, the kittens request a blanket to keep them warm but Knitty Kitty has a better idea.

Annie’s comments: I appreciate the love that Knitty Kitty expresses through her knitting. But, the illustrations are a bit confusing for younger readers. Knitty Kitty is anthropomorphised – knitting, in a chair, dressed in human clothes… but her kittens are kittens. You know, cat-like... and she’s human-like. Mixed messages at best.

* Noodle's knitting / Sheryl Webster ; [illustrated by] Caroline Pedler
A mouse named Noodle finds a ball of wool and decides to knit a scarf, which grows so big that she is trapped inside her house.

Annie’s comments: Noodle shows the dangers of knitting – sometimes knitters become obsessed… and sometimes beginner knitters need to be reigned in – and taught how to cast off – before their knitting project takes over the world. Cute.

Annie Hoot and the knitting extravaganza / Holly Clifton-Brown
http://www.elgar.govt.nz:80/record=b2492044~S1 "Annie Hoot, an owl, loves to knit, but the other owls in the woods will not wear the clothes she makes for them so she goes off in search of other animals that will appreciate her knitwear."--Publisher's description. Annie’s comments: yeah, ummm… this one cuts a little too close to the bone :D. My name, the owl – and the frenetic, knitting-fixes-all attitude… and the lack of appreciation those closest to you can sometimes show towards your lovingly meant gifts. No, it’s not my picture book autobiography – but it feels like it could be.

Extra yarn / by Mac Barnett ; illustrated by Jon Klassen. http://www.elgar.govt.nz:80/record=b2649749~S1 With a supply of yarn that never runs out, Annabelle knits for everyone and everything in town until an evil archduke decides he wants the yarn for himself.

Annie’s comments: I want Annabelle’s knitting box. Seriously! Do you have any idea how big my yarn stash is? I think I’ve reached the level of SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy... ie more knitting yarn than I will ever deal with in my lifetime). Not so sure I’d knit a sweater for a ute, tho!

With love from Grandma / by Harriet Ziefert ; pictures by Deborah Kogan Ray
Sarah’s grandmother loves to knit, and from her needles emerge hats and gloves, mittens and socks, sweaters and scarves, all to keep her children and grandchildren warm. Now it’s Sarah’s turn to get something extra-special: a big, beautiful afghan, made from wool Sarah has chosen herself. Something that large takes time, however. Summer turns to fall, school begins, Halloween comes, then Thanksgiving. Finally, Grandma announces she’s coming to visit—with the afghan. Sarah’s wait is almost over. But there’s still one thing left to do...

Annie’s comments: This is a heart-warming story of family love and traditions, and the joy to be found in precious handcrafted heirlooms.

Mr Nick's knitting / Margaret Wild & Dee Huxley
Mr Nick and Mrs Jolley met every morning on the train, where they both sat knitting until they got off. One morning Mrs Jolley wasn't there; she was in hospital. Mr Nick knitted her a present that would make her happy and help her get well.

Annie’s comments: knitters really do understand each other – and friendship can be formed, based on the fact you both knit. This book celebrates the knitting community and support that comes from within it. When a friend of mine lost their apartment in Christchurch, due the February earthquake, I cried. And I wondered what I could do – in Auckland. I knew she knitted. So I sent her down a copy of my favourite sock pattern (I’d sent her one earlier), a ball of my favourite sock wool, a set of needles, a sewing-up needle, and a card. And it made her cry, but in a happy way.

The story blanket / Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz ; illustrated by Elena Odriozola
Babba Zarrah has a beautiful woollen sitting blanket, which the children sit on to listen to her stories. Babba Zarrah always says that 'every question has an answer', and when she realises the villagers need new clothes, Babba Zarrah begins to unravel her blanket in secret to make them. She makes so many surprises that soon there is no more blanket to sit on. But when the villagers discover Babba Zarrah's secret, they decide to give Babba Zarrah a surprise in return...

Annie’s comments: I love Babba Zarrah. What’s not to love? She gathers the children together on her blanket and tells them stories. She loves her neighbours so much, she sacrifices her blanket to keep them warm (even the tailor’s cat). And her neighbours respond in kind. Warmth and love leap out of this book.

List by Annie