No comments about Fabrics That Go Bump: The Best of <I>Weaver's</I> (Best of Weaver's series).

2 comments about Weaving: Methods, Patterns, and Traditions of the Oldest Art (Wooden Books).

1. This is a wonderful little book. The illustrations are beautiful and remind me of old mid-century medical drawings with meticulous detail and labels, or maybe the old line drawings in Boy Scout Handbooks that showed exactly how to tie knots. History, folklore and technical information is presented in encyclopedia style descriptions that are easy to read and brief enough to be curiously intriguing and informative but not so long you start to nod off at the monotone drone of textbook chatter. This is a unique, tiny reference book that is packed with more information than its price would suggest...a history book and pocket guide for the textile enthusiast all in one. Enchanting.



2. This would make a nice gift introducing someone to the facets of weaving and fiber.

No comments about The Guide to Basket Weaving: Creative Weaving with Coconut Palms.

2 comments about Weaver of Worlds: From Navajo Apprenticeship to Sacred Geometry and Dreams--A Woman's Journey in Tapestry.

1. Weaver of Worlds, by David Jongeward, is the account of his wife Carolyn's progression as a tapestry weaver.He chronicles their first encounters with Navajo weavers and medicine men,combs and battens,anxiety and elation.Since David and Carolyn both kept journals,the book contains exerpts from these which provide insight into Carolyn's"world behind the loom." The Navajo priciples of beauty and harmony resonate in the full-color pictures of her tapestries.As she wove,they both read many books on ancient civilizations, art,philosophy,etc.These books were the basis for dreams which inspired more weaving, as well as discussions with each other and friends like Frank Waters(Book of the Hopi).From her first clumsy attempts to her mastery over warp and weft, this book is her journey and can serve as a roadmap for others wishing to learn to weave.A bibliography lists the books which stimulated her craft and personal growth



2. I was surprised that I enjoyed this book. After the first few lines I though Uh-oh... Jungian dream analysis and fake native mysticism... this is going to be so pretentious I won't be able to stomach it. But, I kept reading - and reading - and reading. This is no simple biography. Nor is it mere navel gazing from an overindulged artist. It is most of all a love story between a man and a woman, woman and creation and the creator for the created. It was enormously interesting to watch the growth of an artist from first fumblings with technique and culture to a mastery of both the art form and the marriage between myth and creation (both art and ourselves). Somewhere along the way the craft of weaving became the art of creation and we are the lucky few who get to witness the process.
   
   I learned about myth, culture, mathematics, art, discipline, color and form. I suspect I will never be able to create anything again without at least once mentally refering back to this book - even though weaving is not my chosen medium. The design process through reflection after completion is shown so clearly that It will influence me for a very long time.

5 comments about Handwoven Scarves.

1. I have patiently been waiting for this book to be published (it was late) and when I finally received it was greatly disappointed. While the photographs are indeed lovely and the scarves are inspirational, there were few that included the drafts for the designs. Fiber statistics would have also been helpful including yardage and possible resources. I returned this book.



2. The only reason this book gets two stars instead of one is because it was promoted honestly as a source of inspiration and did not promise detailed instructions. The publisher should have known better, however, than to purposely omit weaving details. Such a format is of little use to those of us who have no desire to spend time experimenting. Further, there are inaccuracies; I resorted to telephoning one of the contributors when I was unable to reconcile the draft with the scarf -- because the draft as presented in the book was incomplete! I wasted an afternoon because of this error.



3. Handwoven Scarves is, indeed, a book of ideas and inspiration. But, it is not a compilation of the "best scarves ever published in Handwoven." It is not a "how to weave a scarf" book. It is more in the genre of "Ideas in Weaving" by Ann Sutton and Diane Sheehan (Interweave Press, 1989, out of print.) The weavers represented here use materials, dye techniques and weaving patterns to extraordinary advantage. The book will, I hope, inspire readers to expand their weaving skills and explore the use of silk and rayon, overtwisted yarns, forgotten weave structures and the glories of plain weave.

   As for me, I've just purchased a supply of rayon ribbon, the silks have been sitting on a shelf since 1995 and the loom is empty. I forsee a shawl, perhaps in boulevard weave?




4. I'm a new weaver & really looked forward to getting this book. The scarves are beautiful & the book inspirational, but did I mention I'm a new weaver? It's hard to turn that inspiration into a textile treat without some direction or instruction. The editor states they published the information each scarf designer was comfortable in sharing; a few were very generous, but most shared only the very basic information. All in all, this book was a disappointment and not what I've come to expect from Interweave Press.



5. As many have written already, this is definitely a book for inspiration and not a formula or pattern "how to" book. Since I had the chance to look through it before buying, I knew what I was getting into and have really enjoyed it. Some of the weaves are wonderful puzzles to try to figure out and mimic, some are just beautiful and astonishing (like those woven with sewing thread!). As a professional weaver, I have to respect the designers for retaining their designs, but a few more details to get me on the road would have been great!

1 comments about Huck Lace: The Best of <I>Weaver's</I> (Best of Weaver's series).

1. What a great resource. Any one who wants to understand huck lace should have this book. It is an excellent gathering of all of the very best articles on huck lace from a decade of Handwoven magazine. Helpful for begining weaver's and very useful for advanced lover's of Lace. No better reference on huck lace, and I have looked at many of them.

5 comments about Yarns to Dye For: Creating Self-Patterning Yarns for Knitting.

1. I never would've imagined myself as a dyer until I read this book. Taylor's instructions are simple and detailed - you can't go wrong following her lead. For those who don't want to dye but only want to knit, Taylor's patterns are excellent. Not only are the instructions simple and down-to-earth, but the patterns fit, so even a novice knitter can experience success. In addition to these fine qualities, the book is beautifully designed. I highly recommend it!



2. I ordered this book for my daughter and I know she enjoyed this book and she has already dyed her wool of our sheep and she is knitting now and it looks lovely.Thanks for this good book



3. I got this book for the 'secret to self-patterning yarns'. Okay, this really could have been done in a much smaller book, foccusing on just the dyeing technique.
   
   the author threw in a bunch of patterns with a recipe method that will allow you to replicate their results somewhat, but I don't want to replicate their results, I want my own. For getting folks started on dyeing, this book will be just as good as any other dyeing book, but would not be my first recommendation.
   
   The patterns are also a little disappointing.



4. I checked this book out of our local Library, hoping to learn a few things... I liked it so much, I didn't want to take it back to the library, so I had to buy it!
   Once you have a little knowledge in dying, you will be able to create your own colorways with just some fairly inexpensive materials, a little time, experimentation and space. My biggest problem was finding a place to wind my 40 foot skeins.
   If you are a novice dyer, you may want to start with something a little more simple, but it won't take you long to step up to this. There are some patterns included and she also give "recipes" for the colorways shown in the book... INCLUDING the now famous on Yahoo Sock Knitters... The self patterning watermelon yarn!



5. I have been wanted to dye yarn with a pattern for some time now, and finally found a book that really helped me do so. while my first attempt came out to be striped and not patterned, my second worked well. with each successive try i know i will get better. The patterns in the book are less helpful that the detail of the techniques to use, so you can really create whatever pattern you like if you read the instructions and think a bit outside the given patterns. wonderful book.

5 comments about The Basket Book: Over 30 Magnificent Baskets To Make and Enjoy.

1. This is the BEST beginner book on basketmaking that I have found. I believe it should be in everyones collection. The baskets are lovely and inovative. Even the most simple are elegant and useful. I have used this book until it is in shreds! The intructions are very clear and well illustrated. And the designs and patterns teach as well as instruct. I can`t say enough good about this book. If you intend to sell your baskets, this book will pay for itself on the first sale. And the baskets are charming and very saleable, even the easy ones. There are also some more challanging patterns for the more expirienced. A "must have" for any basketmaker.



2. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for any one interested in the subject!



3. Until I bought this book, I had never made a woven basket, only coiled ones. This book has made it easy for me to progress from one to the other. It has great technical drawings, easy to understand instructions, and beautiful photographs. The sections covering terminology, helpful hints, and resources have also been useful to me. This book also has a great variety of patterns, of which "Feather Basket" and "Potato Basket" are my favorites. I recommend The Basket Book for beginning basket makers.
   
   J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles, and basket maker



4. This is a wonderful book for those getting started in basketmaking. It has step-by-step illustrations and color photos. The text is enjoyable and easy to understand. The author explains the whys and whats in a personable manner that's as encouraging as it is informative. The baskets are fun to make and are useful in the home and as gifts.



5. After the first look through the book, I couldn't wait to read it in deapth. Sat down and read it with a specific project in mind and found numerous wonderful ideas that will make my project easier and much more successful. Great pictures and directions are clear, concise and to the point If you like baskets and want to make heritge quality baskets, this is the book for you. Enjoy, I am!!!

5 comments about Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream (Portraits of American Genius, 1).

1. I read this book for an anthropology class that i am taking, and i found it to be very good. We get a first hand account of what role Mable McKay played for the Pomo Indians as a medicine women and as a basket weaver. Everything that she did was for a purpose, even though at times she had to deal with not everyone accepting her. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Native American ways of life



2. This is just a wonderful piece of writing, one which keeps resonating with me, even several years after first reading it. This book should have more readers, and seeing so few reviews for it, I want to argue for it as a must read on anybody's list. We all know books or speakers, writers and lecturers who could take any subject and make it worthwhile, just to spend time in their company. Greg Sarris is one of those magical presences we can be lucky enough to get to know through the medium of the page. Saying this is not intended to undercut the amazing person of Mabel Mckay, by the way. The way the past present and future weave in and out of this book, her stories, Greg's life, the future of land use in California... all of this is here, an enticing mix of POV's, passed around like a sacred pipe.
   
   A great read....



3. Mabel McKay, Weaving the Dream is a profound, poetic, and magical journey. I have read it aloud a number of times to savor its depths. If you have any desire to know Native Californians as human beings rather than museum pieces, you may want to start here. The book, which is steeped in the oral tradition inspired me to write the following poem which was published some years back through U.C. Davis.
   
   Mabel McKay (Weaving Poem) (by Norm Milstein, 7/97)
   
   Plumage of a Pomo basket
   Flame of feathers blue and black
   Strung with glistening abalone
   Rimmed with ivory disks of shell.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   She believed that stories should be heard many times
   To sink in and merge with the heart of the hearer
   To sink like pebbles in the soul of the listener
   To grow like seeds in the earth of our minds.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   Better still, read it aloud.
   Taste each word and savor the flavor
   Of willow and redbud and sedge.
   
   "I never knew nothing but the spirit," she said.
   "Only the spirit trained me.
   I only follow my Dream. That's how I learn."
   
   Plumage of a Pomo basket
   Flame of feathers blue and black
   Strung with glistening abalone
   Rimmed with ivory disks of shell.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   She believed that stories should be heard many times
   To sink in and merge with the heart of the hearer
   To sink like pebbles in the soul of the listener
   To grow like seeds in the earth of our minds.
   
   Read her book slowly or not at all.
   Better still, read it aloud.
   Taste each word and savor the flavor
   Of willow and redbud and sedge.
   
   "I never knew nothing but the spirit," she said.
   "Only the spirit trained me.
   I only follow my Dream. That's how I learn."



4. Quyanna Mabel, for your story. You found someone to share your life, and I so appreciate sitting there late at night drinking hot tea, after my husband and daughter are asleep, to spend some time with you.
   
   I will reread the book to feel closer to my elders and to feel closer to you. I am so thankful. What a blessing!



5. I read this for my book club. It was pretty good, though let's be honest... i have a very low interest in native american culture. It was pretty cool to learn about the transition from back then to modern times, and how the native american indian culture transformed to adapt. Especially here in the northern california area. Worthwhile read with amazing information.

1 comments about The Navajo Weaving Tradition: 1650 to the Present.

1. This book has over 200 pictures of wonderful American Indian blankets and rugs, and a detailed history and appreciation of these beautiful textiles.
   Highly recommended for every home. Also a great book to share with your children and grandchildren. The younger generation can learn more about how the American Indian used their resources and creative energies. Every child should learn more about the American Indian and how they lived and survived without PSP's, TV's, IPOD's, CD's, DVD's, etc. Electronic devices break, these beautiful blankets and rugs are still here today. Do yourself a favor and buy this book for you and your family.