Portrait of a crafter as depraved

Because I am now obsessed with octopi, I am desperate to find the pattern for this octopus. Because I am a fool and don't know how the world works, I optimistically wandered to our local Salvation Army to find it. Of course it was not there, but I found this lovely book, copy right 1966. Mmm. Lookit how happy these ladies are to do stitchery and crafts! Now, I realize this has nothing to do with the aforementioned octopus pattern, but it soothed my savage crafting beast for only 75 cents. Ah.

But wait, I have inside photos, too! This kitty makes me want to learn how to embroider (click the photo for a bigger view, though it will still be blurry, I'm afraid):

And this page makes me excited and frightened at the same time. You MUST click for a larger view. And here is part of the description under the title "Just for Children": "Stuffed toys, in clever animal shapes, please the very young and find favor among teen-age collectors too." I wish that were true today. I wish I could give my 14 year old cousin that owl bag in the upper left hand corner and have her "find favor" and not stare at me with blank disdain. Ah. Maybe I just need to find cooler 14 year olds. The description of the owl bag, by the way, is "Golden owl, feathered with felt, is a wise choice for a carryall bag." Wise indeed.

At any rate, though I still seek the octopus pattern, I think I've already gotten 75 cents worth of pleasure from this crafty goodness book. Et tu?