Crafts Hobbies Books

My sister-in-law doesn't knit. She does do much craft but knitting and crochet are not things she has mastered. I bought this book for her thinking that even if it was just knitting the background stories and nonsense would make up for it and maybe inspire her to learn. I am so glad I did. This book would probably be Emo-lite - the crafts are not confronting and place a humourous twist on standard images. And it is not just for knitters.
- 8 knitting projects (including long socks, cushions, hats)
- 7 crochet projects (including scarves, gloves, bags)
- 3 sewing projects (Halloween-style Easter eggs, palm-sized owls, a skirt)
- 6 miscellaneous projects (including duct-tape bodice, beaded bag and cross-stitch graffiti)
Included is the standard "how-to knit" and "how-to make chain-mail" pages.
But you don't buy it for the projects. You get it for the humour, the anti-parenting, the lies and tales told to de-mystify.
What a hoot!

Truely for the slightly sinister, the book will make you chuckle. Gorgeous pictures of Gothic Waifs, plenty of web references to help you search for more like-content online but I leave a 5th star off because although it puts a twist on traditional crafting materials (knitting pirate hats and stuffed rats) other than the one corset duct-tape project which a lovely corset fanatic had already posted a to-do about online five years ago.

You're not going to find anything new as far as material is concerned (yarn, beads and cloth) or any new ways to manipulate them. It's still just macrame, crochet and sewing but presented in a way more appealing than the 1980's Vogue patterns or your grandma's Heart quick projects.

The title of the book caught my eye... I *LOVE*LOVE*LOVE* this book! I am frusterated that 95% of the knitting/crochet books are compiled of cutesy baby booties, doilies, afghans etc. It seems that in today's world, handcrafted items (other than beer) are not appreciated; unless one knows the time it takes to craft such items. This book does have 1 token baby sweater (skulls & crossbones), but I will be crafting the rest of the patterns. I have already finished the Chain Maille earrings and can't wait to make the 2 headded rat for my cat. This book is truly for the "closet Martha Stewarts" that like "dark & edgier" crafting patterns. I've brought the book to work, and 1 gal is excited to be making the duct tape corset and the wheel of the year skirt. Next year, everybody is getting a be-headded bunny egg for Easter!

I bought this book a few weeks ago. I really love knitting books that are different and edgy. I must say too I like trendier looking clothes. I got it mainly for the crochet and knitting patterns. There is some good info in the book and even a few recipes and random quips. I like the fact it gives you a bio on the designers. I haven't made anything yet but I am fairly new to knitting, although, I would feel pretty comfy with most of the projects. I also think that even though I wouldn't wear the most of the things in the book (real short skirts or low cut tanks), I feel like they provide good guidelines to tinker with your own projects and just get the feel of doing things differently. My favorite being the mohair sweater which I will make for sure. There are many numerous good reasons to buy this book and the creators seem really informed on their craft and witty to boot.
On a more personal level I was a bit uncomfy with the fact it has a small pagan event calendar in it. But, that was my only reasoning for not giving it 4 stars, and that may not be an issue for most folks interested in these types of patterns.
That being said, I feel it was a worthwhile purchase.

I have tons of craft books and this one probably has the wittiest style of any. In fact, I think the sidebar commentary is the book's greatest feature for me.

The authors also did a good job of introducing the reader to a variety of crafts; I think it would be a good resource for beginning crafters (of a certain sensibility) who are looking to try out some new skills.

I'm not sure if I want to make a crocheted bull whip or two-headed fetal rat thing, but I'm sure somebody out there does.

I am new to soap from scratch and I found this book to be a great resource for me. My first batch of cold process was from the basic recipe in this book and I had great success. It filled in missing information from other books I had purchased, as well.

I love this book. In our house it is considered the Soap Bible. Everything you need to know and more is between these two covers. Recipes, step by step instructions on the actual soapmaking process, a list of common essential oils to use along with medicinal and other propeties (including approx. price ranges for each), tips on packing, wrappers, and making gift sets.

This is the only book you'll need.

Alicia's book is up-to-date, modern, and stresses safe soapmaking methods that WORK. Everything from basic melt and pour, basic cold process, laundry soap, geode soaps, pretty much anything you can think of are covered in this thoughtful, easy to follow volume. Whenever someone asks me to recommend a book to get started soaping, THIS is the one I suggest.

This is a great book for soapers. If you are new to this hobby a great beginner book. Good recipes a must have for this hobby.

Having read many books on soapmaking and having made some soap, I find my returning to this book to check methods, and ideas. The book is well written easy to read, understand and full of good information for all types of soap making. A must have for the begining soapmaker.

When I was little, my mom was hired to "color" BW photographs for a local photographer with special paints. With her extra photos to practice on, I played around with the colors and chemicals and had such fun, often making the unknown ladies' lips horrendous shade of reds or purples to blues that clashed with their dresses, hair color, and/or glasses. I still laugh when I think about it and little did I know how my play would have actually been valued as a unique artform so popular today. This book brings back the FUN when playing with photographs printed on various media. Fun while doing art allows for creative freedom of trial and error. What I found to be extremely important about this book is that it gives you IDEAS to play with and test on your own. Suggested products, often those you have in your typical art box, can produce unique imagery when combined with photographic imagery. The importance of art today is the factor of playing with products to see what works and what doesn't AND how to make it look apppealing to others and draw them into the image for various reasons. No - this book doesn't give step-by-step information for each product used, but it allows you, the artist, the freedom to try things for your self.

I love the numerous TIPS provided throughout the book - many are common sense, but others really come in handy in the understanding of the product application on various media (i.e. what works well or what doesn't work - e.g. antiquing with walnut inks - using different types of pens and implements to vary the writing/marking style, using a spritzer for various spattering patterns, crumpling the paper before inking to get a crack-line ink pattern, etc.). These tips may give those who want a more detailed step-by-step info a heads up if they are afraid to try things on their own. So consider the Tips handy information to work from during your creativity process with photograph art.

Many sections have a linear TIMELINES on how products were developed and used over recorded history (e.g. oil painting on images; woodblock prints to modern printing and stamping; development of acrylics; use of oil pastels and pencils in art; development of the felt tip markers and their uses; stencils; inks; history of paper;...and so much more to list here). Additional information on where to get products and what products were used on various projects throughout the book is provided on the latter pages along with a section of "Portfolio of Art" showcasing numerous artists along with an excellent glossary for reference.

Last - the author and I encourage all artists interested in the modification of photographs in mixed media art to really explore the possibilities. Combine products and techniques. Test new things out. Feel free to EXPLORE, CREATE, and EXPAND your horizons and see what you can do to make photographic images sing with a special theme all your own. Use your old photographs (that is those you don't care if they get ruined), photocopy them, scan them onto different products (silk, handmade paper, vellum, etc.) and then use modifying products to create something that speaks to you. Angela Cartwright's book "MIXED EMULSIONS" can give you the courage, as it did for me, and will inspire you to go in paths you may not have thought possible when exploring art using photographic imagery as the basis of each art piece created by you.

Anyway - isn't that what ART is all about?

Angela gives a raw honest instructions that are easy to read & achieve your own results. A great buy

This book turned out to be much deeper into mixing media in art than it seemed to be at first. It will be a great experience to try more of them.

This is a great book, full of inspiration for anyone who is looking to dabble in altered photographic imagery. Written by Angela Cartwright (if you've never seen the Sound of Music shame on you), the book contains very generous amounts of ideas and tips for your next altered project. There are some images from other artists as well, such as C.W Slade, Claudine Hellmuth and Traci Bautista to name a few. Even if you're not interested in altered imagery, buy it for the art work within it. Worth every cent and wait to cross the oceans to get here..

Though I am able to make a lot of different crafts as I've been a teacher in France during several years, and author of one book released in 1999 in French, I precise, I always had problems with using photos in my crafted items, as I often had very bad surprises. That's why I bought this book, to learn, to know more about working on and around photos.
I also like to find something different and original, not always the same "how to do this or that", and I must admit I learned new things with this book, it made work my imagination, it is original, we feel the author knows her stuff very well, but there are also other artists' creations, and it is really very well explained, even for beginners.
So, I recommend this book which is, I think, useful, even absolutely necessary in any crafter's studio or home.
Yael
"Une Nouvelle Vie Pour Vos Objets" Authors : Yael Bolender and JP Delpech, Didier Carpentier Publisher on Amazon Canada and France

I am someone who is *sewing impaired* and now thanx mainly to this book I'm a happy beader;o) The instructions are easy to understand and the full color instructional photos make it easy to see how to do each of the steps. It's filled with soooo many beautiful pictures which are inspiring! You'll find projects that are perfect for beginners and other projects (like shown on the cover) that are for the more experienced beaders. Definitely a *MUST HAVE* for your beading library!!;o)

This is an excellent book with great photographs and clear and helpful instructions. It is equally helpful to the beginning or experienced beader. I loved browsing through the photographs getting inspiration for projects of my own! Because this book has two authors with different techniques and ideas they are able to compare the way they do things and make clear that we each have our own way of accomplishing the same task. The way they compared their techniques and approaches was extremely helpful and interesting. This book will inspire anyone to develop their own personal style and try something new.

You will be spellbound by the gorgeous jewelry designs in this groundbreaking book! I bought "The Art of Bead Embroidery" along with "Beading with Cabochons" and I have already taken on a grand design myself even though I am new to 'seed beading'. The gallery photos are irresistable inspiration. These two designers are certainly at the forefront of this beadwork style. I suggest both books will give you tutorials and ideas to keep you beading and getting rave results.

THE ONLY DRAWBACK TO THIS BOOK IS THAT IT INSPIRES YOU TO DO MORE AND MORE BEADWORK, TAKING UP MORE AND MORE TIME. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL, CONSISE BOOK THAT MAKES THE DESIGNS SEEM SIMPLE AND EASY TO DO. IT REALLY MAKES YOU WANT TO BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY CHEW, OR HAVE THE TIME TO CHEW. IT IS REALLY A BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHHO LOVE TO BEAD - LEAVES NOTHING TO BE DESIRED. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES TO BEAD, OR WHO MERELY LOVES TO LOOK AT THE OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY. BY ALL MEANS, PURCHASE THIS BOOK - TO KEEP OR AS A GIFT.

Even if you never make a project from this book, you will truely feast your eyes on the astounding works of art you will find here. Combine that with really warm and friendly dialog, and I totally loved this book. I have not tried to follow the project directions yet, but they look very nice.

This book is exactly what I've been looking for. It has simple and cute sewing projects. I bought the book yesterday and I have already started on the bunny wallet today.

Full of great sewing projects that are unique, well explained and useful. I found several that I look forward to making, including the bunny wallet and bunny pencil case. Very unique, high quality projects.

If you are addicted to those adorable Japanese Craft Magazines, but find yourself frustrated by their lack of instructions in English, then you should check out this book. There are 25 projects here - from the very simple such as potholders and book covers to the more complicated such as comfy room shoes.

The book is beginner friendly with a section on simple sewing techniques, and descriptions of tools & materials needed. A person with more advanced skills may find some of the projects too simple. And some may wonder about the necessity of projects like covered tape measures or corsage pincushions. Still, other projects hit home. For me, the slippers are a must-do. These are nearly impossible to make if you have to rely solely on Japanese instructions. Other favorites of mine are the sashiko projects and the bird pillow. There is a list of helpful resources in the back.

Cute! I hope this is the first of many more English language zakka books to come.

One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit or Crochet

This book has a wonderful look with many full color pictures. As I am a crochet person, rather than a knit person, I was a bit disappointed with the book as out of the 30 projects only 8 or 9 are crochet projects, the rest are all knitting.
It should, in the description show that it is predominately a knitters book. That way crochetters will not purchase it. For the price, I would not have bought this book if I had but known that the patterns weren't even crochet to knitting.
Over all a good resourse, but I will probably give it to a friend that knits.

this book is great to have lying around for if you can't think of what to make a loved one (or yourself!) for birthdays, christmas or "just because". it is full of great, quick patterns and i have used it many a time over the last two years.

I've had my eye on this book for some time and was thrilled when I bought it.
Some of the patterns are relatively basic, but still interesting. The legwarmers are great for someone who wants to try tatting but doesn't want to commit to a large lace project. The petal bib is absolutely adorable and is what told me I had to get this book. And the labyrinth circle rug is gorgeous.
I only give the book 4 out of 5 because the title is a bit misleading when it says "project to knit & crochet." There are a lot of knitting patterns and only a few for crochet.

This is a good book for using up single skeins of yarn. Most of the patterns are for knitting. If you crochet, don't bother with this book.

As with most books, there are a few useful projects and the rest are too basic or too goofy for words. In this one, I love the cable footies, petal bib, and felted bowls.

The Cable Footies knit up fast and are a wonderful gift for someone who needs cozy comfort. Knitted in soft cotton or silk, they are a perfect luxury for someone facing chemo therapy.

The Petal Bib is a fast knit for a unique, baby shower gift. If I have time, I'll knit it as part of a cap, bib, bootie set.

Just for the heck of it, I knitted and felted a couple of bowls to use up leftover wool. They quickly became cat beds instead of bowls.

The baby bolero in this book is okay, but I'd never knit it again. I'd rather use the 5-hour baby sweater to knock out a fast, one-skein gift.

Also, BEFORE KNITTING OR CROCHETING, be sure to check Radford's site for corrections to the single cable scarf, the crochet cap, the petal bib, and the baby bolero.

I bought this book whithout carefully looking inside and of course hoping to find some patterns for a single skein (everyone probably has a few single skeins of different pricey yarns they bought to try but couldn't afford more than that). I was so dissapointed! It seems that author doesn't really know what is average single skein is. One of the projects calls for 1250 yards skein of wool! That is very average skein size! Except for using single pattern for my own project I haven't knitted a single project out of that book. A lot of useless items and not enough of variety. Very dissapointed.

We let the kids flip through this book and choose which design they wanted on their face. They had a great time and were also able to understand that with patience the end product would look (at least somewhat) like the picture in the book. They had a great time.

My Girl Scouts ages 8-12 had an awesome time practicing the face painting for the haunted house on Oct. 27 & 28 at the VFW Post 10211 in Key Largo, FLA. Thank you so much for offering such a book as the girls has no idea how to face paint and now they are prepared for almost anything!!! Cudos to you !!!!!! We wuld highly reccommend this face painting book to anyone young OR old that needs hints/help in the how-to's of face painting!!

I cannot rate this item. This item was on backorder and I have never received it!

I like the way the book is laid out and how simple the instructions are.

I did the vampiress and japanese doll faces from this book on my daughter and friend. We made an errand to our local "clown store" and all the entertainers said how great they were. Those were just 2 of the fun face designs out of the book. The wicked reptile & colorful butterfly faces from this book are also very nice. There are over 40 faces!

This is a book for those wanting to see how metal reacts to various applications --- which are covered in some detail for the metal artist to try some of the procedues on their own. I was truly amazed by how simple variations for the process of Patination and Oxidation could produce such a varied coloration or patterns upon various substrates (metal). Who knew that by mixing ammonium chloride with tobacco will produce such an interested moss-evergreen color variation upon copper. Thus this book served as a great learning tool for me and allowed me to work metal without waste (particularly due to the cost of some metal these days) as the examples provided in the book gave me the confidence to move forward with my own designs. Each section is followed by wonderful gallery examples by numerous artists using the techniques described. Great ideas can be developed by reviewing the metal finishing techniques and observing the gallery examples. More info on how to actually do each technique would have also been helpful, but there is enough to enable every metal artist with significant knowledge of metal to move forward and proceed on some of the finishes described and maybe not fleshed out in the beginning of the section. So classify this book for intermediate or advanced metalsmiths...beginners can review this book, but please gain enough enough knowledge (at least for some processes) to aid in becoming bold enough to proceed. Some techniques are easy enough for beginners - the stamping, rolling-mill, polishing/matt/satin, press forming, and engraving. The other techniques - etching, patination/oxidation, casting, foil, granulation, enameling inlay, and chasing/repousse - are appropriate for those with more experience either through instruction, other book information, chemistry knowledge, and other methodologies.

However, I could only give it 4 stars since one of the most important issues was not covered in significant detail - safety. One page devoted to the subject (page 8) is NOT enough, particularly since some of the techniques are dangerous or at least require controlled conditions with appropriate protective covering of hands/eyes/clothing with stabilizing materials available in case of an accident (e.g. spilling chemicals).

This is a great book to envision the possibilities when working with metals and producing your own jewelry or fine art; and the price makes it an easy addition to your reference library.

I have lots of jewelry books. This is more of "class examples" and the like. It shows many ways to do textures, finishes, etc. and shows the finished product. It has saved me the time and expense of doing them myself. What a help!

Its title is the best description of this book; you must try all possibilities that you can find inside.

I found this book well structured for me as a novice. It provides lots of beautiful examples of the techniques. I'll look for more detailed "how to" instructions elsewhere but this book is a great start.

Awesome book with great illustrations and techniques for many different finishes in jewelry making!! Get this one!!

I truly wish I would have purchased "The Complete Metalsmith" by T. McCreight FIRST and possibly this book second as an inspiration/idea/picture book of metal art possibilities. Now don't get me wrong, there is a lot of useful information throughout the book, in between the incredible metal art, and he does cover some of the safety issues in one of the appendices that pleases me. Another sticking point for me is that the details are sketchy in many of the metal application processes in this book. Yes, this book was published years before "The Complete Metalsmith"...so now consider that book over this one for a more thorough review, incredible details, abundant information, great charts and tables with even more easily readable data, and so much more if you want to really get a grasp of metalwork even for beginners. I refer to "The Complete Metalsmith" frequently as it is organized in a fashion that appeals to me along with the spiral binding that keeps the page open when I need to glance at it during my work.......However, do not expect WOW images of metal art in this book. "Jewelry-Fundamentals of Metalsmithing" brings to light artists' work in beautiful photographed images. Many stimulate my brain in ways so I can create my own designs. Therefore, don't rule this book out...or at least get this book for the inspiration. You won't be disappointed.

Interesting subject and very well presented.
Will be used by me as my reference guide for new area of endeavor I am beginning.

...and goes well with his DVD. The text is definitely geared toward beginners. However if you're new at this, the photos of jewelry (albeit lovely) are a little intimidating. I'll use this book as a reference source for techniques, but I'm looking to Stephen O'Keeffe's "Jewelry Making" for projects I can actually achieve.

excellent book for the beginner. It explains at length how to do the job.

I would like to begin by also suggesting The Complete Metalsmith by the same author. There have been several comments regarding the lack of step-by-step projects. Many other books have them, and it's nice for a visual reference I suppose, but it also leads to a lack of creativity on the part of many readers as they will just go through the entire book reproducing the projects laid out for them as opposed to using them as a jumping off point. In my opinion, the author intentionally left out the step-by-step projects to allow and encourage free thinking by the reader. Assuming this book is going to be used by artists, or people marketing themselves as artisans would dictate that they have their own creativity and artistic vision- which is not following a set of instructions to complete a particular project for production. Generally, people reading this book have their own ideas they would like to see come to fruition and would like to know the technique(s) to get to that point. So, again in my opinion, the lack of projects is great as it keeps 100's of the same piece from showing up at local craftshows and online as an "xyz original" when it is really a reproduction of a magazine or book piece. Now, please do not misunderstand my words and think that recreating an article piece is somehow derogatory. My point is many people then try to pass it off as their own original work, which is a slap in the face to any artist- again my opinion. I think this is a wonderful book and it serves its purpose. Mr. McCrieght's teaching experience shines through in his style and it is very clear.

Great price and a lot of fun. Super cute stickers! My son loved them.

I bought this book because it is cheaper than the other books in this series and it is cheaper than the Kuman activity books. As I type, my 21 month old son has been playing with this book now for at least 30 minutes. He loves to color the pages and learn all the animals. The pages are made of high quality paper and consist of colorful animal photos. The activities include tracing, drawing, matching stickers to shapes and puzzles, mazes, connect-the-dots and more. I like the other reviewer's idea of giving this away as party gifts. It's cheap, educational, and hours of fun!

Lots of different and interesting activities but the stickers didn't stick so well on the book. Maybe it is so you can do the activities over again or reposition the stickers, but I ended up with stickers all over the floor when my little ones took off with big sister's book.

My daughter found another book from this series at her cousins house and really liked it, so I found this book on Amazon. I surprised my daughter with it when she began getting restless on a transcontinental flight. We easily passed 30-45 minutes. At two and half years old my daughter is under the minimum recommended age for this book. Some of the activities are too advanced for my daughter, but this did not prevent us from identifying the various animals. She also enjoyed finding the correct places for the stickers. I can highly recommend this sticker activity book as something to add to your rotation of things to do for a small child, especially for a long trip. The quality of the book and stickers is well worth the $3.47 on Amazon.

Kids will love the brightly colored stickers, and parents will appreciate the educational value the book serves in teaching youngsters about the wild world of nature. A great children series with great educational values is Why Some Cats are Rascals ( Book 3) FIVE STARS!