Crafts Hobbies Books

If you've ever wondered what to do with a T-shirt...wonder no more!!
Loved this as much as the "99 Ways to Cut Denim"....Check em' out!!

I am not a skinny twenty-something, but I did enjoy this book. I found that by taking a neckline from one design and a sleeve cut from another, I could turn a boring T-shirt into something far more interesting, without baring all! For those who can wear these styles, enjoy! For others, like me, just take what you want and leave the rest.

This is a very imaginative book with many good ideas. I don't think that t-shirt material will behave in the way the drawings describe. It would have been better to have pictures instead of drawings to get a real feel for the results. Some of the ideas are totally unwearable, too revealing or ugly, but they are all good starting points for altering other things if you like to sew. There are however enough ideas that I'm sure that some of them will turn out.

You won't believe what you can do with some old T-shirts, a little time, a few odds and ends and a sense of fun. Many of the designs are best for the slender young-adult because they do show some skin. However, part of the fun could be layering the revealing cutouts and strips over other fabrics, making them appropriate for every age.

Team this book with 99 Ways To Cut, Sew and Deck Out Your Denim for a wardrobe that is totally one-of-a-kind.

Nicely illustrated, BUT you probably won't make many of these. They are primarily for long-waisted, very young, very thin women who are showing more skin than most women should. Love handles and over-hanging bellies, girls, are just so NOT sexy. Besides, is sexy all we have to say about why someone should give us a second look?

I love the Foxfire books. I don't have the entire set, but each one is fun to read. It's interesting how today the world keeps talking about "going green" when it was not than long ago that most everyone living outside the city was "going green". Those of us who lived that life don't find it so tough getting back to the simpler life.
Great books! Wish I had the entire set.

Have enjoyed all the Foxfire Books for years. They are a wonderful peek into the lives of hardy people who survived without a single benefit from the U.S.Government.........and were proud of it.

Ghost Stories, Spring Plant Foods, Spinning and Weaving, Midwifing, Burial Customs, Corn Shuckin's, and Wagon Making are an integral part of Southern mountain culture. This volume of the Foxfire series should be on any author's shelf who writes or plans to write a best selling historical (COLD MOUNTAIN), a mystery (THE DEVILS HEARTH), or a literary novel (PRODIGAL SUMMER), because these traditions add spice and authenticity to a work.
The FOXFIRE series is a place to begin research. They are well illustrated with photographs and line drawings. We've dog-eared this volume for several short stories and our novels.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelUnder the Liberty OakThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico

THis work, Volume II, is like the others. A wonderful history of how it was. In this day and age of having most needs meet and something for everyone on the Wal-mart shelf, we tend to forget just what it was like in our not too distant past. These books, the Foxfire books, brings to light skills, attitudes and a way of life that is all but forgotten. This is a good thing. When a people lose their history, they lose part of their soul. As the title of this work states, Ghost Stories, Wild Plant Foods, Spinning, Weaving, Midwifing, Corn Shucking, and there is so much more. The editors have done a wonderful job. They have made a very honest effort to replicate the dialect of those places and times and I feel that this is a big part of the charm of these books. I am old enough to have known many of the kinds of folks featured in these books, being only one generation past them, and have a great appreciation for what and how they did all the little things we take so for granted now. I might also suggest that you actually try some of the things mentioned in these volumes. It will give you even more of an appreciation for what they did, and hey, who knows, the skill you develope just might come in handy one of these days! Recommend this and the other Foxfire books highly.

I bought this book for my husband and he loves it! There are so many interesting facts in these books. I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in how things were back in the "old" days. Everyone, no matter how young or old, will learn something from reading this book.

This book is a must have for all the First LEGO League teams, and their coaches.
Although I'm an expert on LEGO MINDSTORMS, I still consider this book good value for money, it contains a lot of expert tips and tricks in getting your team organized and well set for the tournament. The easy writing style is even for non native English readers good to read. The layout is comfortable, and the side notes are a real added value.

The first chapters handle some background that is good to know, to make the team enthusiastic about the FLL games.
Chapter 4 contains a downloadable fundraising letter that shows that FLL goes beyond playing with LEGO robots, it also explains how to do business in real live.
Then the chapters about managing the team, is a must read for new coaches, but also experienced managers could learn form it.
The technical chapters, near the end of the book, handle a lot of tips and tricks on how to improve your LEGO robot and its program. I consider that many teams still can learn from these chapters. During several FLL finals, I was present as a "technical first aid doctor" for the teams that ran into "unforeseen" problems. I'm sure with this book at hand those problems would not have occurred.

This book really handles FLL form start to end, and encourages you to participate in the Fist LEGO League.

Oh how I WISH I had this book three years ago when I started my team. It covers just about everything you need to know about starting and keeping a First LEGO League team. From basic teamwork strategies to building and programming tips and tricks, this book has it all. It is the perfect compliment to the official coach's guide provided by FLL. It's informative and easy to read without being either dumbed-down or over your head.

I highly recommend this book and I'm going to keep my copy table-side every season. Thanks James and Jonathan for putting together such a great resource!

This book was so beautifuly done I found myself amazed. While it is not a straight forward book of instructions like so any knitting books have become, it is still a very interesting book.

This book smacks of a time when knitting was very commonplace with the young as well as the old. In a time when we are so rushed in everything that we do, it is nice to be able to look back to when more women (or men) could be seen knitting something for the ones they love.

Know that this book is more like a collection of historical documents than a book of straight forward instruction, but the patterns are there, and they are lovely.

another good book from Elizabeth Zimmerman full of good ideas and a chance to 'know' the author a little better... great style too!

I like the baby surprise jacket and more of the patterns, but I think it's difficult to read the pattern when they are written on a machine and are corrected with handwriting.

Although english is not my mother tongue, I just want to share with all EZ fans how fascinating is to see EZ's patterns in color and on modern models. You can travel from EZ's thoughts, her first letters with the original "unventions" and tips, to classical patterns knitted recently. Some comments on how to improve their well known patterns are really useful. 5 stars to a classical/modern "must to have" on a knitter's library.

More than 30 years ago, I found Elizabeth Zimmerman's first book, "Knitting Without Tears" which changed my relationship with knitting forever. (Every knitter should have this book--which not only tells you how the stitches work, but why.) So I was thrilled to be getting this "new" book, and I was not disappointed!
"The Opinionated Knitter" is really a collection of her "Newsletters," which were originally published individually over a 10-year span. They are like chatty letters from a friend, combined with wonderfully designed knitted treasures to make. You may use her designs with any yarn, for any size person, as she shows how to use percentages to achieve your pattern. This is so liberating! One no longer needs to consult a pattern constantly and knitting becomes so relaxing.
This book was worth every penny of its cost and will become as well-used as her original book, which is currently quite worn-out on my bookshelf. The only thing I would change is the binding--I wish it were a spiral-bound hardcover, instead of the traditional binding.

I just finished reading Susan Miller Cavitch's The Natural Soap Book and found it lacking in several respects.

There is a pervasive preachy tone to this book that annoyed me horribly. Ms. Cavitch uses the book as a soap box (pardon the unintended pun) to promote several personal points of view, two central ones being her diatribes against the use of animal products and anything synthetic. My grandfather made soap the old-fashioned way, using the hot process method. He made his soap by boiling lye with animal fat he had rendered himself, much of it supplied by his children (including my mother). My mother always kept a coffee can in the refrigerator, and whenever she cooked any fatty meat, the grease when in the can. When it was full, it when to her father to be turned into soap. This grease probably wasn't much good for anything else, and was certainly full of unhealthy saturated fats; had it not gone into soap, it would have gone into the garbage. The vegetable oils Ms. Cavitch advocates using are mostly edible, and in many poor countries, vegetable oils are a significant source of calories. Increasingly, non-food uses of vegetable oils, most significantly an ever increasing demand for bio-diesel, have driven the price of these oils up to the point that many poorer populations around the world are being pushed dangerously close to starvation. The increased demand for these oils has also led to whole-sale destruction of virgin tropical forest, as huge plantations of oil palms are planted. So, our luxury all-vegetable soaps are made from oils that in many nations would be considered too valuable as food to be used for such a frivolous purpose as bathing, and further, the production of these soaps, although insignificant compared to the production of bio-fuels, can still not be completely divorced from the destruction of natural forest and the concurrent loss of bio-diversity inherent in the increased production of vegetable oil. So, which is better? To plow under rain forest to plant oil palms for soap, when the workers who labor on these plantations can't even afford the oil they produce for food, or to use animal fats that would otherwise go to waste? Personally, I prefer vegetable oil soaps, but I am also aware of the consequences of this preference and do not pretend that this puts me on a higher moral ground than people who bathe with tallow products. And although I also prefer `natural' products, many of these products are luxury items that are beyond the budget of most of the world's population. People who can't afford food are unlikely to spend $6.00 on a four ounce bar of pure castile soap. Synthetics, although by no means perfect and by no means lacking in potential harmful side effects, have made improved hygiene affordable to huge segments of the human population that would otherwise face much higher mortality rates due to a lack of basic cleanliness. These products have brought inestimable benefit to mankind, and although not without their faults, I would have liked to see a far more balanced discussion of them.

My final comments on Ms. Cavitch's book are technical. She doesn't discuss the use of the stick blender in home-made soap production. Many of the problems addressed in her chapter on trouble shooting can be avoided by the use of these wonderful gadgets; in fact, the 16 hour trace times she mentions for some soaps can be reduced to less than half an hour using one. Her section on trouble shooting also advises the soap maker to discard most failed batches; there is no discussion of rebatching, a technique that can be used to salvage all but the worst soap-making failures. The rescued soap might not be salable, but isn't it better to give away seconds than to throw your time and materials away?

I would advise a novice soap-maker to skip this book and buy Anne L. Watson's Smart Soapmaking instead. It is short, concise, practical, and a pleasure to read. It avoids many of the shortcomings that mar Ms. Cavitch's book.

Great book. I've been making soap for over ten years and this is the first book I purchased when I started. I consider it one of my best sources of information.

I will try to make my own soap and this book is exactly what I was looking for : everything explained from beginning. Thank you Susan

I have a couple other books on soapmaking, but found this book gives me information that has helped me understand the process much better.

As a soapmaking beginner, I found this book to be very helpful. It gives a good grounding in the basic knowledge, chemistry etc. that every soapmaker needs and takes you through the process step by step. There is also a lot of information about safety, working with lye that is important to know, though I can see that it might put some people off. Overall, I would recommend this book - its jam packed with useful information.

This is my all-time favorite book on jewelry making. Each page is a treasure. The illustrations are exquisite, the directions are so easy to understand, and the jewelry is breath-taking.

This is one of the most beautifully designed and inspiring jewelry books I have ever read. I went right out and bought a ton of gorgeous supplies and began creating.

If you like collecting charms, this book is for you. Lots of fun pictures and interesting stories about charms and their famous owners. If you want instructions how to make your own charm bracelets this book is not for you.

This book is a must have for every jewelry artist . You will spend many hours looking at the pages. It needed to have step by step photos for some of the projects. This is the type of book you want to grow old with.

The book is laid out in a very artful way and the pictures are beautiful. The projects listed are unique and doable. Great book for ideas and just to look at and enjoy.

I found this in my local library and decided I had to buy it...

The author starts with a very basic/simple beanie pattern on circular/double pointed needles (no seams!) and then shows variations.

The wool is mostly Rowan cottons however beanies are quite forgiving and many wools work just as well if you watch your tension square; I have knitted the dropped-daisy in a fluffy wool, and a striped beanie in a light pure wool.

What I would like to know before buying this book:
It is a US book - US tension gauge, inches and US needle sizes.
The patterns are beginner to intermediate - there is nothing inately difficult or challenging with these patterns.
The patterns are (mostly) in sizes newborn to 2yrs+. Nothing bigger.
Most of the pattern variations are made with colour changes and toppers.
The pictures are gorgeous and the patterns work!
There are a few errors in the patterns that are pretty easy to work around, and with minor modifications you can vary the final look to your own taste, eg the dropped daisy hat in many on the customer images has quite small petals and a very long stem (by pattern) but can be easily changed to suit yourself.
There are quite a few patterns; I would make most of them, and have made 5 of them in the last 4 weeks.

Addendum: I made the dropped daisy hat in a soft pink wool with a lemon daisy for my 2+ yo. First off, she refuses to remove it - it goes on when she gets up and comes off only to sleep. Secondly it was easy to make but looks so effective. And thirdly, we get compliments everywhere we go. I have never had this happen before - everyone we meet says "gorgeous hat", "love the hat", etc. What more can you want? This book was worth the buy, if only for that one pattern.

For beginners, I would definitely recommend to buy this book before diving into the Itty Bitty Nursery as the author explains all the basic skills and supplies needed to complete the projects. Clear instructions along with video from Susan Anderson's Blog. The spiral-bound book helps keep the pages open so you can refer back while you knit your project. The hats are so adorable and knit up quickly (thank goodness babies are small). They make great gifts. I know some experienced knitters have found the projects boring, but I thought the designs were very inspirational.

This is one of the first books I bought when I was teaching myself to knit. It's great! The explains everything very well...with pictures. Plus the fact that I have a grandchild I am knitting for was a bonus. We also use this book to knit for childrens hospital. It's also great for creativity.

Same basic hat throughout, but with a lot of choices to dress it up or keep it simple. Babies are gonna love these hats! Moms and Grannies are going to enjoy making them.

I just received my book a few days ago, but I cannot wait to get started. This is an absolutely adorable book. It is very detailed, very well written and easy to understand. There are tons of helpful techniques and instructions included.

I have been felt making now for 10 years, so i am most likely being a tad unfair with only giving four stars. I bought this book on the cover as the bag colours and style got my interest. It is a good introduction too the three hobby felt styles- needle , knitting, and wet including nuno felt. Colours are bright and infomation easy to understand.

Found this book at a book store & paid full price! I wish I had found it here! It's a great book with tons of ideas, has instructions on wet & needle felting as well as knitted felting. I especially like the bright colored projects that are "today's styles". I think it's one of the nicer felting books I have!

I was given this book as a gift a while ago and was a bit intimidated to try it out, as I am not the craftiest person around. Luckily I did try, and have been thrilled with the results. The bag I made always get compliments, and whenever I go out people always ask where I got it. It's lovely to tell them I made it, and they can too.

CF is easy to read and the steps are clearly laid out and easy to follow. I also recommend making a cheat sheet of the basic steps, until you are comfortable with them. That way you don't have to keep opening the book/turning pages while you hands are soapy/wet. The design ideas in the book are a good launching point for other designs, so don't be afraid to make to customize the look to your tastes.

I highly recommend this book as a great entry into felt making. I am so excited to try the wall hanging and eventually the slippers for this fall (spoiler alert to my family

This is fantastic book - the handbag on the front cover pulled me in and unlike some books the front cover is indicative of the rest of the projects. The projects are well thought out and interesting. Whilst the colours are not always to my liking a bit of imagination helps fix that anyway. I have to make the pansy table runner, the nuno felt scarf, the baby crib blanket, the trout mobile, the booties - the list goes on - all I need now is to get pregnant before I make the last 3. Love this book and it is fund to just flick through and get inspiration.

Thorough and complete in every category - this book on feltmaking will get everyone interested in felting to explore one or more of the ways to develop quality felt products. The projects provided in the book are great and tempting to do - perfect for those wanting to learn the subject. Plus the dynamic colors used in nearly every project add to the inspiration provided by the author. Get this book and maybe one more if you can only afford a few books on the subject...and remember, other authors may focus on one technique to the exclusion of others, while this author does not. So perhaps, choose this book first and then find another book, more advanced perhaps, in the felting technique you like best. But don't forget, this author includes some unique advanced projects to sink your felting activities into! Excellent!