5 comments about Amazing Crochet Lace: New Fashions Inspired by Old-Fashioned Lace.

1. I bought this book because I wanted to try something besides the usual boring afghans and scarves. The designs are so beautiful and not that difficult. The patterns are explained well and I was able to follow them. The author explains about carfully keeping count of the stitches, so I used stitch markers - which helped me alot to know where I was on the pattern. I switched the yarn choices used in the patterns, because the author used yarns thst were too expensive or unavailable to me.
   I'm glad I got this book.



2. What an impressive crochet book! I have just recently learned how to crochet and most books I find frustrating. But not this one! The instructions in this book are clear. I finally finished crocheting something wearable and let me just say that it is simply a gorgeous piece!



3. I like the creative lace crochet in this book, especially the "tablecloth' shawls. But the font used in this book is terrible. For example, I am working on the Blue Curacao Shawl and the 3's and the 5's are hardly distinguishable. I have had to make a copy of the pattern and write over all the numbers to make sure my counts are correct.



4. There are some great patterns in here for everyone's age and taste. I have made 4 different projects and I have orders from family and friends for four more!



5. Great book - my favorite thing about Doris Chan's patterns is seaming is minimized - most of her designs are worked in the round - love this - hate to sew! If you love doilies but love clothes even more - you will love this book.

No comments about Gooseberry Patch Christmas, Book 10 (Gooseberry Patch).

5 comments about Mosaics: Inspiration and Original Projects for Interiors and Exteriors.

1. Always an inspiration is kaffe Fassett. Gives some really fresh and colorful info which I will apply soon



2. I love the explosion of colors that Kaffe uses, both in mosiacs and quilts . This book has a ton of brightly colored mosiac pictures in it...lots of interesting ideas...fairly good instructional pictures but all in all , I didn't like it and returned it . There was only one project (the broken pottery flower pot) that I would have even considered doing and it, too , was just to busy looking for what I was interested in doing. If you love the color explosion that always come with Kaffe projects then this book is for you. If you prefer something a little toned down , or a little structured, then this book is not for you. Hope this helps someone decide!



3. If you find yourself covering everything that doesn't move with mosaics then this is the book for you! See stunning examples by people who may just be crazier than you are. Just great.



4. This is the most beautiful and inspiring book on mosaic I've ever seen. I'm going to tackle my first big mosaic project soon--doing the back of the chimney of my fireplace. It is under a covered porch outside, and after seeing the beautiful photos in the book, I'm inspired to do something that will amaze anyone who sees it.



5. I own quite a few books on this subject, and this is one of the best. The photography is great and all instructions are very clear. There are also large and small projects to get your teeth into. My copy had come unbound from the cover, and despite my email Amazon have not replied, I can't hold this against the book itself, so would thoroughly recommend it.
   If you live in the US and your book is in the same condition as mine, you can return it, but from the UK it hardly seems worth it!

5 comments about World of Knitted Toys.

1. There are some cute ideas in here, but the major fluctuations in scale are just annoying. Also, none of the patterns are knitted in the round, which would make much more sense and you wouldn't have these big ugly scars on one side of every animal.



2. I have been knitting for about a year & found these patterns to be very manageable. I showed the book to my sister to see which animals my niece & nephew might want & she said, "I don't know about them, but I want the platypus!" I made it for her & she loves it. I'll make something for the kids next.
   
   There are a lot of seams to sew after you knit up all the pieces, but if you knit in the round instead of flat you can eliminate a lot of the tedious seam work.



3. This book is packed with adorable animals to knit. I am knitting the Kangaroo right now for a gift for a two-year old little boy, and it is coming out really cute so far. My recommendation is to take the pattern and write notes, line by line, to keep track of how many stitches you should have on various rows and what the number in Parentheses should be (it might say, "with the number in parentheses 1 less each time or 2 more each time). I wrote out line-by-line instructions for myeself and use a stitch counter and am doing well with this pattern. Her pictures are beautiful and she is so creative!!! A must have for any knitter who likes to knit toys.



4. This book is packed with wonderful patterns and projects. There is every type of animal in all range of sizes. Best of all the designs are wonderful and detailed so that you can easily tell which animals are which (other patterns I've seen you can't tell a dog from a bear). These are great! What fun for the knitter and the person receiving the knit gift of love!



5. As a doll and critter knitter from way back, I have a shelf full of knitted toy and doll books and loose patterns, but this one tops them all! What a great collection of well illustrated, patterns, clear and easy to follow. For those of us addicted to 4 dpn knitting in the round, most of the head-body and leg and arm directions are easily adapted to that method as. Patterns call for double knit yarn but also work well with sport weight yarn. I've learned a few new and very useful tricks as well. Somewhat experienced beginners should have no trouble turning out critters they'll be proud of, and the rest of us will knit critters we never expected to. I've only made 4 so far, but am well on my way to at least a year of knitting fun with this book.

5 comments about The Little Book of Whittling: Passing Time on the Trail, on the Porch, and Under the Stars.

1. If you are new to whittling (like me) this was a good book to get started on. Lots of things that you can make right away.



2. I went to a local wood hobby shop and looked at several carving/whittling books. This one looked good so I bought it on ebay and saved some $s.
   I'm a total novice, so this book was perfect. Full of photographs that explain every step. No previous experience necessary. Tip: I've managed to cut myself a few times so I'm wearing gloves until my technique improves. A very relaxing pastime. Highly recommended. If you are wondering which beginners book to buy then buy this.



3. Little Book of Whittling is a good book, with a lot of very helpful information in it. it has some really fun projects in it that were quite simple to make. its a great book!



4. This is a lovely little book and written in a very charming humorous manner. Every page is packed with clear coloured photos. Each project is easy to follow and there are loads of ideas for adapting the basics so that you can make your own stuff. There are lots of little tips about being on the trail and camping too. I love it.



5. Great book! Pictures and written instructions both very helpful. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get started learning to whittle.

5 comments about Felt to Stitch: Creative Felting for Textile Artists.

1. Brilliant! what more can i say? A must have for any felt or textile artist.



2. This is simply a beautiful book. Lots of wonderful techniques, eye candy photography. One of the best felting book out there IMHO



3. I learned a lot about how to felt correctly. I have made some beautiful pieces as a result of this book. I love some of the work featured in this book. The 3-D pieces are amazing. I would love to learn how to do that.



4. Loved every page. This book showed me how to create and embellish felt in new and creative ways. There are detailed instructions and methods on how to use different fibres, dyes, techniques, colours, threads and other embellishments. Highly recommended for students, teachers and art makers.



5. This told me much more than I needed to know. I suppose it's a good guide if you want to start from scratch and actually MAKE felt and dye it yourself, but if you want to buy the needles, core and roving and make some interesting projects, this is not the book for you. The section on needle-felting is a very small part of the book.

5 comments about Dream Sewing Spaces: Design & Organization for Spaces Large & Small.

1. I ordered this book to help get some ideas to set up my new sewing room. I found a lot of useful ideas inside this book to help me create my own space to work in. It also gives you ideas to use items that you currently own in your house.



2. A sewing instructor recommended this book, and she was right. It has everything you need to know to set up a sewing space complete with measurements and layouts and recommendations for low-end and high-end materials. This will be in my library waiting until I have the money to build a really good studio in future. In the meantime, when I am ready to make a purchase, I can refer to this to make sure I am buying the right thing for my size and space.



3. This is an excellent book which I highly recommend. It is full of color pictures, diagrams and various chapters on how to set up your dream sewing space. It is very easy to read and understand, and I am so glad I was able to get my hands on a copy!



4. This book is one to dream over. I like the example rooms listed with floor plans for sewing spaces. Even if you only have a closet, it shows you how to utilize the features of a closet space for sewing! I have a storage/guest room I want to turn into a sewing area, so this gives me and my hubby lots of ideas on how to do it in the future. I am sure I will use this book to look over and over again. Happy Sewing Room Planning!
   
   This book also includes serger/sewing machine configurations. I also have a knitting machine that I plan to put in mine--just adding that table to the room is easy enough for planning--I may just need a little more space. Also, you can use this book's ideas for a quilting area/center as well.



5. I'm in the planning stage for turning a small home office into a sewing room. This book contains both layout ideas and guidelines for determining appropriate heights for sewing, cutting, and pressing areas based on personal measurements. After looking for some time, I don't believe there's a better resource available to get you dreaming and designing!

5 comments about Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist & Turn: Books for Kids to Make.

1. I used several ideas in this book to teach an afterschool bookmaking class for K-3rd graders. The books are eye-catching and pretty simple to make, although I did a bit of prep work for the kids.
   
   It was really wonderful to see how much the children loved their projects. They were extremely creative and innovative too, every child made the book their own by doing something interesting or different with the materials provided. This is in stark contrast to several adult bookmaking classes I've taken, where the adult students want to recreate the teacher's book EXACTLY.
   
   Anyway, I highly recommend this book to anyone is willing to spend some time making books with kids. Children older than 4th grade MIGHT be able to use this book independently, depending on their experience and motivation.
   
   Regardless, I think this book is wonderful for showing kids just how fascinating and rewarding it can be to make their very own books.



2. Good ideas for books to make with kids, and also some basic ideas to further explore in more complex books.



3. I recently purchased this book and have found it to be a terrific resource for teaching children how to make beautiful books.The instructions and diagrams are easy to follow and very clear. My favourite is the T.V. book. The children in my class had a blast making these books.



4. As a teacher, this book is a great resource for ideas to show students how to write and product there own work of literature. We used the book as the basis for a "Make a Book Night" sponsored by our PTA. Students and their parents attended a night of book making and story writing choosing from one of the many book ideas presented in the book. It was a great experience for one and all. If you love books, like to write poetry, stories or journals I highly recommend purchasing
   
   Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist & Turn: Books for Kids to Make



5. I was SO disappointed in this book. I'm an experienced card maker but thought there might be a simple idea that I could expand on. Not only were there no useable ideas, the pictures were awful and the explanations were pretty bad. I would hate to have to teach using this book! It was a total waste of money. I can't believe that Amazon recommended this book in an email to me because I had bought "similar items" before. It was NOT similar in quality nor content.

5 comments about Scrapbooking Made Easy (Simple Scrapbooks).

1. This was a gift for my sister, a first time scrapbooker. Contains great ideas and a
   must for those needing a guide that is really useful.



2. I have probably been scrapping too long?
   This book didn't suit me at all. However, it's a very nice book - and I am sure it's perfect for someone who's not yet defined their own style.
   
   Still - with these books, I tend to feel they are mostly a gathering of different ideas I've already seen in the magazines... So if you're subscribing to SS - you won't need it.



3. It is a beautiful book and a big book. However it is definitely for someone who has never scrapbooked and is just starting. I didn't get very inspired by the layouts that are a bit old school and I was already familiar with the techniques. If you're looking for a challenge, that's not the book for you, but if you are looking to get started with this fabulous hobby, definitely a complete book.



4. This book has been a great tool in doing scrapbooking at home. Hope that others find it as useful.



5. This is a good sized book and is well organized into different catagories. It is wonderful for beginners as well as experienced scrappers. My only complaint is I was hoping for more layout templates than there was. Overall this is a great book!

5 comments about Shoji: How to Design, Build, and Install Japanese Screens.

1. Shoji are really beautiful. There is something wonderful about the light passing through the semi-translucent rice paper, creating an atmosphere that is romantic and relaxing. Having lived in Japanese houses for several years, it was something that I wanted to recreate when I returned to the US.
   
   "Shoji: How to design, build, and install Japanese Screens" was exactly the book I was looking for. Jay van Arsdale has written a simply, comprehensive guide on how to add shoji to an existing house, from very simple screens to much more complicated structures. Its a modern approach to making shoji, rather than bothering with traditional Japanese methods, and is very practical and doable.
   
   The book assumes that you have woodworking skills and tools, and isn't so much a "Beginner's Guide." He gives a list of tools that you will need, mainly a set of chisels, hammers, saws, polishing stones and planes. He does recommend that you invest in Japanese tools, as they are made differently from Western tools and will create a different look in the wood that will be more authentic and aesthetically pleasing. There are a few specialty chisels, specifically the yarinomi and the sokosarae, that will make your shoji-making much more efficient.
   
   The different styles of shoji in the book range from simple shoji, to glass-panel shoji, closet and cabinet screens and lanterns. For the truly ambitious there are instructions for ceiling fixtures and skylights as well as valances and hanging screens. Most of those projects are far removed from my abilities, but a more advanced woodworker will find some inspiring projects.
   
   The photos are all in black-and-white, but there are some beautiful homes on display showing you what you can do with shoji screens. Certainly not everyone has the time and money for that kind of home transfiguration, but it is nice to dream.



2. The book arrived speedily and in great condition. What more can I ask?



3. the book was easy to understand. easy to read. a great book , if you want to build a shoji screen this is the book for you. tells you about other uses and other stronger materials to use



4. Can not say enough about this book, it gives you a good start if you know a little about wood, but does not stop there.
   
   If you get this book you'll enjoy that it does not insult your interest by just showing pictures of work only a master could do. It gives the information needed to do your first design plus what you'll need once you understand the methods.
   
   Thanks Jay, you have given me a great new experience.



5. This is an excellent guide to making japanese screens.if you are a beginer or a pro i think youll find this the ideal choice to start off with.