The Pharaoh's Daughter

The Pharaoh's Daughter is a fictional account of the story of Moses' early years.  While the Bible doesn't give us a lot of information beyond his rescue from the river by the pharaoh's daughter who adopted him as her own, Andrews gives it depth.

Her research efforts into the time period and lives pay off in a richly detailed story.   I found it interesting that many historians place the life of Moses in sync with that of Pharaoh Tutankhamon.  Andrews masterfully weaves Moses life into the secular history of this boy king, giving a glimpse not only of what life was like as Egyptian royalty, but also what life might have been like for those Hebrews bound by slavery.

I was a fan of Andrews before The Pharaoh's Daughter and I am even more so now!

Holiday Hats for Baby

Holiday Hats for Babies Description:

These sweet and sassy baby hats will bring a smile to your face! 25 adorable patterns for every celebration of the year: Birthday Cupcake Cap, Halloween Hat, Holly Holiday Hat, Baby Chick Cap, Crystal Party Hat, Firecracker Topper, Leaf Peeper Cap, and more.

My Review:

I found many interesting patterns in this book with well written instructions.  The full color pictures throughout are a plus.  Each pattern includes the hat circumference, yarn weight, needle size and the yarn used to make the model.  I really liked that as it makes it easier to substitute yarn choices knowing the weight used.

Patterns are available for many different knitting abilities, although it would have been nice had they included something in each pattern to indicate skill level needed.  However, don't let that deter you from giving a particular pattern a try.  This book does include a section in the back detailing instructions for "special stitches" which should help even the novice knitter to complete these hats.

Personally I found many of the hats to be very eccentric.  If you are looking for a run of the mill, cute hat for your child this is probably not the book for you.  Take a look at some of the patterns offered in this title:

One of the things I did not like is that none of these hats are traditionally sized.  Most baby hat patterns list sizes such as newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months etc.  These patterns only list hat circumference which may make it difficult to choose the correct size if you are making hats as a gift for a child that you can't stop and measure for.  Also, most of these patterns are for babies older than 6 months.  I realize that many pattern books do this since younger babies tend to grow so fast, but it would really be nice to have more options for unique hats for younger babies.