Chez fibermom, we have to take these S&B books out of the library with the titles hidden, as though they were smutty books, because we don’t use That Word.

But I have made a couple of things from the S&B knitting books, and I wanted to see this one, since I had admired the mohair fuzzy bunny slippers in the flesh, or at least in the fiber, at my local LYS.

So let me tell you about S&B Crochet: The Happy Hooker, in case you have been curious.

Nearly half of the book is basic instructions on how to crochet. Add in the rectangles and triangles masquerading as patterns (sorry, am I being a little querulous about this?) and half the book is useless for people who already know how to crochet. But quite useful for those who do not, and would like to.

In fact, since there are so few books on crochet around, this one is already my favorite for the beginner.

When I learned to knit, all knitters naturally learned how to crochet, since it was one of the skills you need for finishing, and all the crochet patterns I own are in knitting books, so that the crocheter has to feel like a red-headed stepchild. The Happy Hooker solves that problem without giving you patterns only for afghans, doilies, and things pretending to be knitted, which is what the average book on crocheting offers.

The Happy Hooker includes some afghans, but also has hats, purses, a skirt, tops for men and women, toys, and a couple of baby things. The clothes are stylish — something you rarely see in crochet patterns — and have in most cases both charts and written instructions. There is a clear section on how to read written instructions, too. Of course there is an ipod cozy, which you can easily adapt to fit your cell phone.

Uh-oh, getting querulous again.

My favorite use for crochet is lace, so it is not surprising that my favorite pattern in this book is Short’n’Sweet, which is a little lacy jacket. It is moose lace — that is, lace done at an enormous gauge — as are all the lacy things in this book. If you like crochet lace but hesitate to work with tiny hooks and thread, you could start with one of these lacy projects and work your way up (down?) to traditional crochet lace.

My mother is very good at crochet (one review of her work said she “could crochet a Volkswagen,” which I take to be high praise), so I thought about her as I was reading The Happy Hooker. I think that a couple of the projects, including a fitted jacket and my other favorite pattern, the Fat-Bottomed Bag, would be new ideas for her.

Now, who do I know who would actually wear mohair bunny slippers?

I have the day off today, and will be working tomorrow. I know that, when I have a weekday off in lieu of a Saturday, that day off should become Saturday. That is, I need to clean house, do the grocery shopping, work in the garden — all that.

However, a weekday off feels like an extra day. Like a snow day — a gift of free time. I could watch movies, get some WIPs finished up to clear the decks for a new project, loll around, declare a PSD (personal sewing day)…

We’ll see.