Fabulous Finds

I love buying crochet patterns. New, used, in print or out of print I am always thrilled to find new to me items to explore. I hit a treasure trove last week and was thrilled to find some items I was interested in at very reasonable prices.

First up above is the picture of the Debbie Ann patterns I picked up. These are for a 16" doll that is also available in an out of print pattern. I have the smaller Bitty Baby version I got in Annie's Favorite Crochet Dolls. However, I was less interested in making the doll than in seeing how these patterns might be adaptable for the 15" big bodied Mary Maxim doll and perhaps some of the accessories for the 18" dolls.

I also am to the point of almost finishing my collection of Annie's Crochet Newsletter. I was able to pick up 4 more of the magazines. I am currently missing issue 5 from September/October of 1983 and any issues past 99, the last one I have acquired so far. If anyone happens to know the number and date of the last issue, I'd appreciate just leaving a note in the comments of this post. I know at one point it changed into another Annie's magazine, but I haven't been able to find out how many issues were printed before the change. I love this little magazine and only wish they still published something like it today.

I found a good deal on The Prayer Shawl Ministry: Reaching Those in Need (Leisure Arts #4225) so I picked up a copy to add to my growing collection of Prayer Shawl patterns.

I also got a Leisure Arts dishcloth book I hadn't seen before. I like having new dishcloth patterns to try. They are quick, practical projects and I'm always looking for new ones.

Just one note or a reminder on buying patterns, as I have said before, you need to comparison shop. I have looked at many of these patterns before and had a price point I knew I wanted to pay. When you are dealing with out of print patterns, you are sometimes at the mercy of the market. If they have what you want and you aren't willing to wait, you will sometimes find the prices painful. I usually can wait, so I find some amazing prices. The other warning is make sure the books/leaflets are out of print. After no success checking my normal pattern sites, I went looking for Crocheted Prayer Shawl Companion, The: 37 Patterns to Embrace, Inspire, and Celebrate Life at my used book store sites. Now this book is still in print. The used bookstores were selling a used copy in "good" condition for more than the full retail value of the book. This is common when the book is out of print and hard to find, but not when the book is still being discounted by major retail bookstores. I picked mine up at a discount and with an additional coupon at a retail bookstore. I bought a new copy for considerably less than what the used versions were priced. It pays to comparison shop.

I look forward to experimenting with my new finds. There is one more Prayer Shawl book I'm hoping to preview from the library before I decide to purchase. It should be in at the beginning of the month. Than I can start hunting for my best deal if I choose to purchase it.