Become a Patron!Support our reviews, videos, and podcasts on Patreon!
Cool tools really work.
A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.
As a knitter and maker of things in general, I have long been interested in weaving. I found Maryanne Moodie’s lushly woven wall hangings while clicking myself down a yarny rabbit hole of pretty things on the internet and have been a fan ever since. The release of On the Loom: A Modern Weaver’s Guide brings Moodie’s weaving workshops home to those of us too far from a major city to make it to one of her wildly popular classes.
The book hosts a wide range of projects, both functional and decorative, with step-by-step instructions that are clearly written and beautifully photographed. All of the projects use a handheld frame loom, which, Moodie says, is the best, most accessible place to start (frame looms are small, inexpensive, and easy to find or make). If you’re like me and don’t have a loom yet but do have a huge stash of yarn and terrible wait-reflex, you can still jump right in – most of the projects in On the Loom don’t require a pre-made frame loom at all, but rather use cardboard, cardstock, or found objects like branches, pots, and even bicycle baskets.
If you’re completely new to fiber arts, Moodie includes an encouraging, unbiased overview of yarn and fiber characteristics. The tips she lays out for warping, stitching, and design in the “Getting Started” chapter are included, with page numbers, throughout each project for easy reference while making. Easy to navigate and thorough in scope, this book lives up to its name as true guide to weaving. – Mk Smith Despres
TOYS OF THE 50S, 60S AND 70S PRESENTED BY THE KIDS WHO PLAYED WITH THEM
Toys of the ‘50s, '60s and '70s by Kate Roberts and Adam Scher Minnesota Historical Society Press 2014, 208 pages, 8 x 10 x 0.7 inches (softcover)
There are lots of books about baby boomer toys, but this fun collection is presented from the viewpoint of the kids who played with the toys and includes lots of personal memories and photographs. Sure, there are many interesting facts and histories about well-known toys and their creators. Classic toys and games that are still made today like Tonka trucks, Easy-Bake Oven, G.I. Joe, Matchbox and Hot Wheels, Twister and Mousetrap are featured in loving color photographs and vintage ads. Their stories are well-known, too. For example, writer and artist Johnny Gruelle patented his rag doll design in 1915, the same year his daughter Marcella died after a controversial smallpox vaccination. The Rageddy Ann and Andy dolls and books helped Gruelle keep his memories of his daughter alive.
Famous fads include the '50s Davy Crocket Coonskin Hats, the '60s Troll dolls, and the '70s Pet Rock. Toys always reflect the times they’re from and this book provides plenty of cultural and historical background. Only after the heady 1960s and '70s with women’s liberation, the sexual revolution, and Black Power movement would there be an anatomically correct African American baby boy doll, Mattel’s Baby Tender Love, molded in life-like vinyl skin called Dublon.
Other less well-known toys are long gone from the toy store shelves but live on in the very personal memories (and actual childhood photographs!) featured throughout the book. Home health training specialist Lisa Crawford (b 1963) appropriately recalls the insanely dangerous metal-tipped lawn Jarts. I was delighted to find Make editor and fellow WINK contributor Gareth Branwyn’s (b 1958) recollection of using his own Johnny Horizon Environmental Test Kit to get an A+ on a school project (and to keep tabs on any hometown polluters!). Learn the mysteries of Ike-A-Doos, create a Cootie, and check out Schwinn’s Lil’ Chik for-girls-only line of bikes.
I was charmed by these personal toy stories. I was also lucky enough to see this show of toys at Seattle Museum of History and Industry. Even if you weren’t able to see this traveling Minnesota Historical Society-curated show, which ended last month, you can explore these memorable toys with the book. – Bob Knetzger
Books That Belong On Paper first appeared on the web as Wink Books and was edited by Carla Sinclair.Sign up here to get the issues a week early in your inbox.
