Crafts Hobbies Books

As one whose creativity needs a nudge, I love this book.

They are many admirable and (important for me) inspiring pieces pictures. I tabbed many pages with "I want to try that" and rekindled a love of pottery, particulary of course of cups and mugs.

The variety of cups shown is very wide: Simplic, lavishly decorated, purely artistic, functional, etc. The artist statement that accompanies many is also nice, as it explains many themed cup sets.

This book, like all the "500" books I have seen, is utterly beautiful. I find it inspiring both visually and conceptually. The chosen subjects are thought provoking and artistically sumptuous examples of ceramic art.
Wheather you put it on your coffee table or in the studio, it is another "must have" from the Lark 500 series.

Beautifully presented, with 500 timeless ideas and references. If you are a potter and looking for inspiration - this book is a gold mine.

I bought this for a pottery student of mine after she bought the teapot book. Both are great fodder for the potter's imagination, and for me, a wonderful set of examples that get me away from the idea that my own pottery has to be as "perfect" as a wedgwood teacup. The pitcher book will be the next to grace the shelves of my studio library.

We just opened the pottery area of our store this year. The learning curve is steep: setting up the studio, hiring teachers, choosing clay bodies and glazes, and wheels, repairing kilns and firing other peoples work! So, I have purchased a lot of pottery books recently! This one is very cool. It doesn't teach you how to make anything, but it is a great way to see a huge variety of possibilites. I just love looking through it. There are several cups in there that I want to try to build (when I get better skills). The Lark Ceramics books are excellent resource books-stock your library up with them. You won't be sorry.

Yes, several of the patterns are innovative and inspiring, but the frustration of the photos just overrides any positives in this book. The models' pretty faces are in sharp focus; the scarves are usually obscured by a pseudo-artistic mist. If the publishers were professional and concerned about the needs of the people fabricating these patterns, you sure can't tell.

This book has several different styles of scarfs you can make, it's wonderful. I just went out and bought some yarn specifically for some of the patterns in this book.

Beautifully written patterns with skill level ranging from ambitious beginner to knitting pro. Knitted Misty Garden for a friend and fell in love with it's feathery, open look. Definitely recommend.

Let me begin by saying that I highly recommend this book for its power to inspire. I agree with previous reviewers regarding the photography - whoever thought it was a good idea to put the actual knitted garment out of focus was lacking insight. Nonetheless, thereare several pictures for most items, so one can get the general idea of shape, drape, and structure. Also, there is a very wide variety of techniques used, so there is a lot of learning that can happen using this book. I carried this book everywhere for the first few weeks so I could drink in the possibilities.
I disagree with posters who say that this book is for intermediate/advanced knitters. I was a beginning knitter when I purchased this book and *became* an intermediate knitter by making three of the patterns within. The instructions are quite clear. The publishers did not skimp on pages dedicated to each design. Also, the "design notebook" section at the end helps the "young" knitter understand design elements.
This book earned 4 rather than 5 stars because of the hazy photography. Another issue is that a lot of the suggested yarn is very high priced. It would have been helpful to add a section on yarn substitution. Other than these two things, this book is perfect and I heartily recommend it for any level knitter.

When I bought this book of "31 inspirational styles", though I am a knitter, I thought that I could put up with a couple of crochet patterns. What I did not know was that though this book purports to be a SCARF book, about a quarter of it is taken up with SHAWLS, STOLES, SHRUGS, WRAPS, COLLARS and CAPELETS. These items definitely do not belong in a scarf book. They are just padding. I paid good money for the book, plus postage to the other side of the world, and I feel gypped, swindled, cheated.
I agree with other reviewers who have complained about the photography. In a knitting pattern book like this we do not need arty photographs with misty effects. We need CLEAR photographs with the scarfs shown ENTIRE (including the ENDS); scarfs spread out so the pattern can be seen, not scrunched up; scarfs in good lighting with a minimum of shadows; scarfs with adequate contrast to their background; scarfs not obscured by the model's hair, arms, knees etc or by "accessories" such as books and dogs!
As for the yarns: It would be much better in a book like this to use mainly standard yarns rather than novelty yarns that are likely to be discontinued.
I hope that the people at Interweave Press will take notice of these points.

This book is fantastic! Informative, step by step instruction, -- too many wonderful things about the book to list here!

Not what I expected. Just ok but not enough to hold my attention. I prefer really cutting edge arrangements and this was a little to pedestrian for me. I wanted latest, greatest, hottest. It was none of these things. Simply Elegant was too simple.

My mother ordered this book after she and I went to see a Michael George lecture at a local museum. To begin with, we really liked Michael George as a person and that made ordering his book an easy decision. He has a great sense of humor and, despite having celebrity clientèle, is down to earth and without pretense.

The book itself is stunning. Each glossy page features pictures full of color and life and the arrangements are truly inspiring. Michael's philosophy is to "keep things simple." He feels that, the more natural, the more beautiful and therefore one does not need to go crazy when arranging their flowers.

The book is divided in the following manner:

Foreword by Martha Stewart
Introduction by Michael George (in which he explains his philosophy)

PART 1: Floral Design
Chapter 1: Flowers in Today's World
Chapter 2: Tools & Tricks of the Trade
Chapter 3: Signature Flower Arranging Techniques

PART 2: Four Seasons
Chapter 4: Spring
Chapter 5: Summer
Chapter 6: Autumn
Chapter 7: Winter

Index

One of the best features of the book is Michael's explanation of his "Hybrid Tabletop" technique. He shows the reader how to do it (step-by-step) with classic and miniature calla lilies. The result is a gorgeous arrangement with stems that appear twisted (I'm not doing the way it looks justice with that explanation but I don't know how else to describe it). Michael uses all glass containers which really show-case the bright green stems. He gives instruction on stacking the flowers, before cutting, how to cut (and what tools to use), how to gently manipulate the stems of certain flowers to achieve varying looks, how to use clear rubber bands to hold your arrangements together, what temperature water to use in your arrangements and many other helpful hints.

In conclusion, this book is perfect for a coffee table but it is also so much more, given that it offers loads of instruction. Do not hesitate to purchase this for yourself or as a gift for someone else (this would be a great Mother's Day gift for any mother who enjoys flowers).

I was surprised to see another reviewer calling the book pedestrian and not cutting-edge. I would say quite the opposite. I have a few other flower arranging books and I think this one is by far the most modern and stylish. The arrangements are very minimalist but that's what makes them so stunning and impactful. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in flowers and flower arranging.

I really enjoyed this book. The photography is fabulous, and I learned so much about the different flowers. I bought it as a coffee-table book and put it out in the living room. Then I saw my 12-year-old daughter reading it, completely fascinated. We went to the Korean market to buy flowers and started to arrange a bouquet back home--which is actually something Michael George recommends doing with the family. Our simple arrangement of tulips is holding up and continues to make us smile when we pass by it. We're already planning on doing more. A very nice book, which isn't in the living room anymore!

What a great book...all of Cat Bordhi's books are great.
Two circular needles are so much faster than the traditional double pointed needles.
A fun book, you would enjoy it.

Engaging description of relatively new technique taking advantage of the flexibility of circular needles. Good starter project patterns, good photos.

This purchase was a replacement because I totally wore out my first copy. Cat has a wonderful way to do toe up socks or cuff down socks using 2 circular needles which has really increased my speed and productivity. Highly recommended.

This book got me started, but I stumbled with the first join - makes sense but I could not figure how to manipulate the needles to accomplish it - then when I attempted to try some other patterns, especially those using Cat's invisible Cast-on, I could not decipher the instructions for same. There are no illustrations of the method, and illustrations in general are lacking - this book has some nice sock patterms, but (and I am not a knitting novice) more clarification of the methods is needed.

To me, knitting with double-pointed needles is like trying to knit with a pair of porcupines. I was thrilled to learn how to knit socks with two circular needles. It makes knitting socks easier and fun.

Unfortunately, this book does a poor job of explaining the technique. There are oceans of text instead of steps, photographs, and helpful headings. For example, I would have divided page 3 into headings such as: "Choosing Your Needles," "Casting on and Joining," "Knitting a Gauge Swatch," "Dividing Your Stitches," and "Knitting Around." Breaking text into small chunks makes it easier to digest and learn.

This book is poorly organized. The photographs on pages 4 should be on the SAME PAGE as the instructions for casting on and joining, or, at a minimum, the instructions should refer you to the appropriate photographs. I have no idea why the photos on page 5 were included.

The "Tips and Techniques" don't belong in an appendix. They should be in the front of the book, immediately after the instructions. I mean, shouldn't the reader know about "Gusset Gap" and "Gauge Checking" BEFORE starting to knit?

As for the patterns, they're okay. A bit too heavy on simple intarsia for my taste.

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend the technique and Cat Bordhi's creativity, but I do NOT recommend this book.

I am a resin artist and I loved this book. Although some of the projects are geared towards beginners I was able to get some great tips from this publication. The photos are fabulous and inspired me to continue to work with this often overlooked media.

I am literally jumping for joy over finally having a reference book that really shows what can be done with the marvellous media of Plastic/Acrylics and Resin.

Commencing with a solid Introduction to plastics and safety, you then progress to Techniques and Tools that are used in both media, incorporating plastics with other materials, such as Metals, there is even a brief section on techniques for metalworking. Certainly enough for someone unfamiliar with this, although to be honest, to get the best out of this, you need to work on your metalsmithing skills - and that does not mean soldering as the vast majority of projects use cold connections, sawing and piercing as the main elements.

Then we get to the awesome projects. Rings, necklaces, brooches, pins, bangles and bracelets. 22 projects that will be hard to choose which one to start with.

These are contemporary designs, no cutesy, no bling bling. Just clean lines and designers pushing your thought process of materials to use. Using broken headlight glass to create stunning sawn shapes for a necklace, using a billard ball to make a ring, dipping felted balls in resin and so on.

Sure there are more of the stock standard creations of making a simple bangle from a mould but there are some wonderful twists to the norm, for instance using paper to create a laminated ring.

If you have to have intricate step by step photos to work from, you will be challenged. This is very much a book that relies on written descriptions of the steps with a few photos. I found no problem with this at all and I am actually a visual learner. But, I do work with these materials already.

My only criticism is the area of finishing. This could have been explored a little further other than sandpapers, files and polishing machines, the later not being something everyone has. Products such as Micro-Surface polishing pads and Micro Glos polishing compounds have produced wonderful results in high gloss finishes without machinery were not mentioned and I am sure there are other products that do similar.

I also loved that every few pages you are presented with a gallery of work. The artists represented here have produced exceptional, varied, luscious pieces, each and every one. I have been drooling ever since I got this book!! There is a nice short bio at the back about the designers and in some cases their websites (thank you) and even a page of templates to use.

This is the first book produced on Resin and Plastic Jewellery that looks at both media in a modern, contemporary manner, that takes you to a higher level of craftmanship, while still managing not to be over daunting. I know my mixed media students will be buying this book in droves. I hope that Lark now goes one step further and produces a book for students on mould making, so they can make even more wonderful pieces in resin.

I'm 66 years old and have been a carpenter (structural and finish) all my life. Being semi retired I'm now doing a lot of rustic furniture and antique reproductions. I wish I had this book about 40 years ago. I could have eliminated "OOP's" from my vocabulary. The book is explicit in explaining how to read wood so that you choose the proper pieces for your project. It's required reading if you don't want your finshed piece to warp, crack, shrink or generally go south.

This book had a lot of information that I personally didn't need, but lacked some that I wanted. Most noteably wood identification. It presents an entire section on this topic, but only shows microscopic views of different species, which is pretty useless to me. The author assumes that if you're reading this book, you can look at almost any piece of wood an identify it, thus making a pictorial directory of wood almost beneath the sofistication of this text.

It is a well written book if you want to understand the science of wood. Think of it as an anatomy & physiology for wood. I would have given it a 5, but ommitting normal pictures of wood types seems to easy to have been left out.

good service, could have been a bit faster and there was a small tear in the dust cover. otherwise nothing to complain, can and will recommend this!

I would consider myself new to woodworking, but not a complete novice. I have read a few books about the principles of woodworking, and all of them contained very little information about the nature of wood. These books left me with many questions about why certain methods are used or when to use one method over another. Understanding Wood answered a lot of my questions. Most importantly I now understand how to take into consideration the nature of wood when I am planning a project. The most important thing that I learned in this book was about the importance of moisture content. Sure I knew that wood expands or contracts with humidity levels, but now I know how to plan for it and work with it and I also know how detrimental it can be if you don't consider the relationship between water and wood.

What I really liked about the book is that the author did not pull any punches in his exposition meaning that this is not written for someone who prefers a "for dummies" book. This is the real deal, it contains some equations, it has many tables and graphs. Don't be too intimidated though, because it is not as dense or dry as a standard textbook. I think for anyone who enjoys woodworking this would be a great read.

My only complaint is that I wish the author could've gone into more detail on a lot of the subjects. He often wrote that a detailed discussion would fill a whole other book or even volumes. The problem is he's right, so the trade off is that some information is left out since the book can't be thousands of pages long.

If you want to get to the "next level" in woodworking, this book will help you get there. Good all around read on the properties of the various species , but written from a woodworkers perspective. Covers species identification, kiln drying, steam bending as well as adhesives and finishing. Practical knowlege and a very good resource. If you want to move from building birdhouses to fine furniture, you'll want to buy a copy of this book.

One of the best books on pattern adjusting I have seen. Uses the pivot and slide technique. Excellent diagrams with information on adjusting for pretty much any type of adjustment you may need to make. Well written with easy to understand instructions. Great for your reference library.

This is for the paperback book/dvd combination.

The DVD is of two "Sewing with Nancy" shows for a total of 60 minutes. The first show covers general measurements and fitting top patterns. It also has a "Nancy's Corner" segment on quilts using Zulu designs.The second show covers fitting pants. "Nancy's Corner" segment is about quilts for the "Go Red" heart campaign. The pivot method is used throughout. Details covered in the first show are: right-size measurement (see below) and taking accurate measurements for the bust, waist, hip, hip length, back waist length, and sleeve length. Nancy shows how to adjust the bust, shoulders and sleeves. Details covered in the second show include adjustments for waist, hip, crotch and fitting the side curve.

The book has six chapters:
Getting Started
Basic Fitting Changes
Combining Fitting Techniques
Fitting Skirts
Fitting Pants
Fine-Tuning the Fit

The book has more detail than the video allows. Nancy uses one measurement to choose a pattern for tops. She calls this the "right size measurement". It is the line from one arm pit to the other arm pit to the closest 1/2 inch. She shows how to correlate this to a pattern size. This allows for a better fit than using the bust measurement. The book shows how to do the pivot and slide technique which can be used to make any changes needed. The book shows details of all the adjustments on the video plus more such as sway back, curved back and dart changes. The combining fitting chapter shows how to increase one part while decreasing another part. In the pants fitting chapter, Nancy does not use the hip measurement to determine pants size. This is to avoid a baggy fit in the legs and a low hanging crotch. Instead she includes a chart to determine your size which is about two sizes smaller than usual. The final chapter includes details on checking the fit. It shows a chart on vertical and horizontal wrinkles and how to correct them. The reference section has a body silhouette chart that shows the best styles, colors and fabrics for common body types.The index is also helpful.

There are multiple illustrations on each page clearly demonstrating each fitting technique. The pivot method is used for all pattern adjustments. The charts for personal fitting and for pants can be photo copied.

I don't consider any book a must have. However,this book shows the pivot method very clearly. I always admire Nancy Zieman's well fitting clothes so I don't think I can go wrong by using the methods shown. The video clearly and easily shows how to do the pivot method,and the book fills in any missing gaps. I am confident this book will get much use.

I purchased this book based on recommendations from Amazon reviews, and because I have the interest to learn more about furniture design and building techniques, basically focused in frameless type of cabinets, and this book covers both face-frame & frameless.
It provides a lot of pictures and drawings of how to layout, design, build, finish, and install face-frame or frameless cabinets.
Bob Lang made this book very easy to understand and I think is a great resource to beginners because of the structure of the book.
The book includes techniques and jigs that are great for cabinet construction. Several aspects of cabinet construction are covered with multiple options for joints, fasteners, materials, attaching doors (hinges), building drawers, etc.

I used this book along with _The Complete Cabinet Maker's Reference_ by Jeffrey Piontkowski to build a set of nice garage cabinets. The two books are very different, and, I think, compliment each other well. This book contained information that allowed me to refine the basic cabinets in the other book. I was very pleased with the results! The project would have been much more trouble for me if I hadn't read this book first.

I'm researching the possibility of making the cabinets for our new home and have found this book to be an excellent resource of information and tips by someone who has "been there and done that". Mr. Lang uses easy to understand language and examples on drawer construction, door construction, case construction and installation. Lots of time-saving tips, too!

A very practical guide that will help anyone with just a little experience making cabinets.

I have years of experience in residential carpentry and furnituremaking, and I've installed dozens of kitchens, but I had never actually made a set of kitchen cabinets. We are renovating our house, and replacing our cheap cabinets is one of the items on the list. I spent hours at my local Barnes and Noble and Borders stores looking for a comprehensive book that focuses exclusively on kitchen cabinetmaking, and couldn't find one out of the dozens of books on cabinemaking that thoroughly covered both the cabinet design and production processes. Then I took a chance and ordered The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker, and found exactly what I was looking for.
Lang writes well and, just as important, is a good teacher and explainer. The book is well organized, and the abundant illustrations, both photographs and drawings, are clear and detailed. Measured drawings abound. He describes both general types of cabinet, frameless and face-framed, and lays out efficient production processes for both, indicating where potential problems lurk and the consequences of inaccuracies at crucial points.
This is head and shoulders the best book I have seen on the subject. If you are even considering building your own kitchen cabinets, or starting a small cabinet shop, this book should be your first purchase. It will be the best money you spend on the project.

I love all the international designs in this book. There are many different levels of knitting in this book. It will give you plenty of inspiration to knit. There are also made different designs from the more plain with sock yarn to the lacy with fine yarn. I will be making quite a few of these socks.

I have only begun knitting less than a year ago, but I'm quick to learn and use wherever on the internet and books I can to learn more. I was struck with awe at some of these sock patterns, and I have knitted one pair. A truly comfortable and cute pair! I've even adapted the double padded socks for a heal guard sock for some new shoes that caused me some serious blisters!

The designers were smart too; They incorporated a spiral into the hardcover! How brilliant!
I do indeed recommend this lovely collection. I can't wait to keep knitting them!

Great sock designs, well laid out, easy to understand - a fabulous book for the sock fanatic!

This is a great book but there are a lot of mistakes in this book. I had a friend give me the corrections on the patterns she found on the internet.So maybe you should look into this . There are some beautiful patterns.
Olga

I have only been knitting about a year or so. I gravitated towards socks because they were small and portable projects, my investment in money was relatively small as I could make something with one or maybe two skeins of yarn, and they just seemed fun to do. This was the first book of knitting patterns I bought. Since I was new to knitting, I had not seen the patterns in the Interweave magazine so they were all new to me. The designs are varied in style and ability level. Some were easy for beginners like me, but I could also see more difficult designs I wanted to try as I became more skilled in my knitting.

One of the best parts of the book is its desgin. The spiral binding ensures the book will stay neat and usable for a long time. I wish more publishers realized this and made the same accomodations for us.

Another good feature is at the back of the book where there are diagrams and explanations for abbreviations used in patterns, stitch patterns, how to kitchner the toes (the clearest directions I have found). All the things new knitters want at their finger tips.

I have used this book extensively over the last year, made at least 5 pairs of socks and have more in my que when I get ready to start them.

Overall, the book is well worth paying for and having in your personal library. After all, I often get books from the library in order to use just for one or two ideas, this book is worth spending money that I would normally use to get more yarn.

I absolutely love this book...I am a glass fuser, and have done mostly tack fused and full fused pieces as shown in most books on the subjects geared towards beginners. However, this book introduced me to ideas that I'd never even considered...I LOVE the examples, and as a former metalcaster, was fascinated with the idea that I could CAST glass and make objects more like what you might see from true glass artists.

A beautiful book...even as a coffee table book. Well worth the money...just feels like a quality book.

This is an excellent 'How to' Book! Having used only off the shelf molds before, this book really opened my eyes when it came to mold making - something I haven't tackled before. In Philippa Beveridge's book, Warm Glass - there are step by step colour photographs on how to make different types of molds, use inclusions, and kiln casting to name just a few. A great reference book for those fusing glass. Firing temperatures are shown in both fahrenheit and celsius. Lavishly illustrated, this is a book for both the beginner and the glass artist who wants to expand their ideas.

I'm having a terrible time with the project described on page 126....Bowl with Inclusions.

I'm using FloatGlass 82 (3mm) by Armstrong Glass Company in a Skutt HotStartPro Kiln.

Page 126 indicates that the temperature is to rise from 590 to 790 degrees centigrade in one minute. I'm unable to have my kiln...or any kiln I'm aware of to make that kind of temperature change that quickly.... If I put the rate of rise at 9999, it still takes over 50 minutes to reach 790 centigrage.

I don't think this is a typo since the graph below the table mirrors the info in the table itself.

The strips of glass in the center of the piece simply melt together and a large halo of air appears at the periphery of the cut-out. I'm relatively new to the world of Warm Glass, but I'm fairly good at following directions. ...this is simply not working out for me.

The piece is really beautiful, and I would like to make it if it is possible.

I bought this book at a bookstore as the photography was nice. Once I got it home and read it closely, I discovered it is mostly focused on float glass and isn't very useful if you want to use Bullseye or Spectrum glasses. I promptly returned it to the bookstore. There are much better beginning books out there.

Absolutely Great! This is the best book I've read on fusing too date and I read alot. Instead of just "what to do", it explains why you are doing it. It has a wonderful history of glass and an excellent explanation on the nature of glass. It covers the full range of information for working with warm glass, from straight fusing to making your own molds for casting.