Winner of Knitting needle set or crochet hook set Giveaway by: eKnittingNeedles.com

Josh of eKnittingNeedles.com was gracious enough to select the winner and I think everyone will be pleased with his choice. The winner is Shelly R. God Bless Shelly for her good works. Josh told me about some new needles he will be getting in and when they arrive this will mean a new giveaway for us. eKnittingNeedles.com has been so generous with Craft Gossip Felting and we really appreciate their kindness. Thanks for entering and stay tunes for more giveaways. Shelly: “Someone gave me a very old pair of wooden knitting needles and they felt soooo soothing in my hands. I would love a set of crochet hooks to share with my volunteer group “The Blankateers” that so generously give their time to make blankets and hats for nursing home and chemo patients in our city. What a nice site you have. Thanks”

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?