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This ain’t Xaviera with a crochet hook…

… is it?

A mock-up of the Stitch ‘n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker cover is here. Eep.

The picture you’ll see via that link isn’t necessarily the real cover of the book–mock-ups are used for promotion, and there’s something rather digital about Deb Stoller in that picture. But, since this is promotional, you’d think that Workman would get the table of contents right instead of pasting in… chapter titles from a soup cookbook?

The title, like the original “Stitch ‘n Bitch” (or allegedly trademarked variant thereof), seems to be an attempt to reclaim an expression from a bygone age. There’s the “original” Happy Hooker, a NYC madam, and I’m pretty certain that “The Happy Hooker” was also the name of at least one craft shop in the 70s/80s (in fact, I swear there must have been one in Ottawa at one time).

However, this doesn’t seem to be a case where a phrase had fallen into complete disuse (or practical disuse, if we give a nod to SFSE). A quick Google shows that “Happy Hooker” is currently used for bait and tackle shops, and other fishing-related activities, and is currently used by crochet types on their personal sites and blogs.

P.S., depending on how you navigate the SFSE site, attempting to view their “knitting” classes brings you to a page advertising crochet. It’s all falling into place.

5 Responses to “This ain’t Xaviera with a crochet hook…”

1. 1
   illanna said on June 21st, 2005 at 12:41 am

   That table of contents gave me a good laugh! The projects shown on that cover look interesting, but I’m not in love with that name of the book.

2. 2
   Bridget said on June 21st, 2005 at 7:47 am

   This looks like a reincarnation of the hideous crochet from the 1970s! Unless the actual patterns are much better, it isn’t going to entice me to down knitting needles and pick up my crochet hook again any time soon . . . .

3. 3
   Steph said on June 21st, 2005 at 8:51 am

   So does this mean the book will begin with cultural commentary encouraging women to reclaim the term “hooker” as a means to re-embrace the craft of crochet?

   Or are we supposed to make soup?

4. 4
   ShelbyD said on June 21st, 2005 at 10:59 am

   There’s a yarn shop in my area called the Happy Hooker.

5. 5
   j. said on May 17th, 2007 at 6:39 am

   Because of an excess of spam, I’ve closed comments on this post. If you have a comment to leave please find another, more recent post in the stitch v bitch category and leave your comment there.