on plates, princes and why I should learn to knit

I believe the word you're looking for
is "naff." This and more here.

In case you've been living in a bubble or under the proverbial rock, Prince William is getting married next month to some girl you've probably never heard of. (ha!)

Which means that the market for [mostly] craptastic royal wedding memorabilia is in full swing. Commemorative plates? Seriously? What has a commemorative plate ever done for anyone except collected dust? Why would anyone want a plate for something other than eating? [At which point you could say, "But Ali, why would anyone want giraffe figurines that sit around and collect dust?" Which I would counter with a very mature, "Shut up. Giraffes are cool."]

Oh citation-lacking Wikpedia entry, thank you for enlightening me.

When trade routes opened to China in the 14th century, porcelain objects, including dinner plates, became must-haves for European nobility. After Europeans also started making porcelain, monarchs and royalty continued their traditional practice of collecting and displaying porcelain plates, now made locally, but porcelain was still beyond the means of the average citizen.

The practice of collecting "souvenir" plates was popularized in the 19th century by Patrick Palmer-Thomas, a Dutch-English nobleman who wowed Victorian audiences with his public plate displays. These featured transfer designs commemorating special events or picturesque locales - mainly in blue and white. It was an inexpensive hobby, and the variety of shapes and designs catered to a wide spectrum of collectors. The first limited edition collector's plate 'Behind the Frozen Window' is credited to the Danish company Bing and Grondahl in 1895. Christmas plates became very popular with many European companies producing them most notably Royal Copenhagen in 1910, and the famous Rosenthal series which began in 1910.

Dear Denmark - Thanks so much!

(These plates, on the other hand, are awesome, though still fairly useless. KKOutlet via weeheart)

But believe it or not, this post wasn't meant to be a rant on commemorative plates; it was meant to be a celebration of the inspired awesomeness that is this:

Published by Ivy Press with designs by Fiona Goble, the book includes instructions for knitting, of course, the bride and groom, but also Her Majesty the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Harry, the Archbishop of Canterbury, a variety of wedding guests and... corgis!

According to the author, the corgis are a challenge because of their tiny legs, while Prince Harry is easiest. Or rather, easier;  the intricate attention to detail, while being the source of their awesomeness, is also a wee bit intimidating. "They're not supposed to be caricatures," the author notes.

The book is available from Amazon UK and available for pre-order from Amazon in the US.  I can't think of anything better to keep my fingers busy while watching William & Kate, the inevitable made-for-TV (Lifetime no less) movie charting their courtship. Then again, I can't knit and the preview comes across as more painfully bad than awesomely bad. (If the word "guy" had been utterered just ONE more time during this trailer, I would have punched the computer screen.)