Crafts Hobbies Books

Too many conceptual bracelets, If you want to see metal been use, this is not your choice

It's an incredible book. I think it's a source of inspiration for beginners and advanced jewelers.

I love this series from Lark! It provides me with lots of inspiration and it is a wonderful tool to learn new artists and their work. I have almost the whole series!

The images in '500 BRACELETS' are nothing short of inspirational.

I like the format that Lark Books has chosen for this book and their other '500 Series' books. The Book contains full page pics of the most contemporary, cutting edge jewelry one can find. Very few words are used, and the viewer is left to enjoy the images and let the art speak for its self.

If you are a student of art or a working artist this and other books in the '500 series' are a must for ideas, inspiration, and just plain enjoyment.Those with just a casual interest in different medias and crafts will also enjoy this book.

My professor is very recommendation this series becouse this book is many originality bjects. And I order several 500 series in korea. Um..I'm very satisfy.

This book is THE BIBLE when it comes to learning about principles of design. Kari's layouts are beautiful, and the best part is that she explains why they work. The book shows you how the design process works, taking you step by step, from selecting the photos to the materials, until the page is done. I love when people take me by the hand and show me exactly how things are done, and in this book Kari does exactly that. There are also sections about texture, typography, color, proportion and scale, and many other elements of design. I have read it many times from cover to cover and each time find something else worth doing. After reading it, I've felt more confident with my layouts, and I can tell right away when something's not working and why. I highly recommend this book. Great investment!

I love this book!
Its a mini class in graphic design that is geared towards the specific creativity of a scrapbook enthusiast. I know this will allow me to go forward with projects with much more confidence.

Listen to the title. If you buy books to look at other scrapper's work, this isn't a good buy for you. I would go as far as to say that if you were taking Scrapbooking as a course in college, this would be perfect. It's not a waste of money, but throughout your entire collection of scrapping idea books, you would be able to find all the information in this book. The only real difference is she goes into great detail about it. The author does a phenominal job, its just isn't a real inspirational book.

This book is well-organized and thorough. Explanations of the various principles are to the point without being too brief. It's all here, if you sit down and read it.

This is not a book that you would browse through to pick up a couple of ideas. It is meant to be read, page by page, chapter by chapter.

The book is divided into four sections: Introduction to Design, Elements of Design, Color, and Principles of Design. Introduction to Design is a good overview of the subject matter. Elements of Design contains discussions of line, shape & space; texture; and typography. Color covers color theory; value; color language; and color palettes. Principles of Design includes emphasis & focal point; proportion & scale; rhythm; balance; and unity.

Unlike an earlier reviewer, I found the "what not to do" examples very helpful, because there is always information about why it's bad and what to do to correct it. In fact, I would have liked to have had even more examples of this type.

The same previous reviewer is on target when she talks about the limitations for those who have only 4 x 6 photos to work with. But any book must limit its discussions, and that particular discussion, although it would have been valuable, was excluded. Also excluded was a discussion of using non-archival pieces, and how to handle that situation. Although the author recommends using various "found objects", she doesn't discuss the need for dealing with the pH issue. I hope she'll follow this excellent book up with another, discussing how to handle the various real-life problems within the constraints of good design principles.

I really appreciated that the author doesn't rely heavily on digital scrapbooking. I'm a hands-on, paper-and-glue person, and although I do use the computer from time to time, I am not at all interested in going digital to any significant degree. My computer use is just about the same as this author's.

This is a reference book I'll pick up again, and again, and again. I know I'll be returning to it to try to figure out why I don't like a layout I've just designed, and what I need to do to turn it into one I like. And I hope to see more from Ms. Hansen. She's a breath of fresh air in an industry that relies very heavily on trends.

This book is an excellent first book to buy if you're interested in putting together good scrapbook pages. It has an outline of the process needed in page design, so that with this basic understanding, you can begin your own.

I have just finished a project from this book, the instructions were very concise and easy to understand. I was a great project!

There is a selection of different animals to knit in this book. Some could have been made nicer by knitting tighter as the stuffing shows a lot on quite a few projects. Not as professional looking toys as I thought I'd see from Debbie Bliss but none-the-less there is a good selection.

I have just finished the ballerina rabbit for my little ballerina's 6th birthday. It came out excellent, and only took a few evenings to make. I substituted yarns with no problem and added buttonholes for buttons because I don't like the ties. Next project from this book will be the dalmation, changed to blue with white spots. It looks like it will tuck very neatly into my 3-yr-old son's arms. A tip: try using leftover matching yarn to stuff knitted animals; that way you won't have to worry about any white stuffing showing through.

The patterns in this book are all knitted in flat pieces, on straight needles (usually US #3 with DK weight yarn). This means that there is a lot of sewing to do to finish them.

I've only started one of the projects, but I already found an error: half of Chart 1 for the cow is missing. (I've decided to fill in the chart myself, copying from the photo where necessary. Hey, it's only a cow spot.) The debbie bliss website (debbieblissonline.com) has errata from her patterns, but this mistake isn't on the list. The website has no contact information(!) but I've sent a note to the publisher, St. Martin's.

As another reviewer said, this book has somewhat confusing directions (the style takes some getting used to) and the lack of schematics can be confusing. On the cow, I learned that you have to join the back legs with the slanted, not straight, portions toward the middle. The directions are ambiguous about this point, but if you don't get it right you'll have to frog or dismantle a lot of knitting to correct it.

About half the designs in the book are teddy bears and bunnies (they come in different sizes and wearing different costumes). The other half include some very cute and ingenious designs - a reindeer, a camel with a saddle, anthropomorphic mice and rats, a monkey with a fez, several farm animals, and a "farm set play mat" that includes miniature versions of the cows, sheep, pigs, and piglets. The miniatures are about 4 inches long; the larger size farm animals are 12-16 inches long. (I'm looking forward to making some little sheep out of wool scraps!)

If you buy this book, join me in pestering the publisher about errata - without schematics or clear directions, it can be hard to tell when you've gone wrong.

I'm a relatively new knitter and I bought this book thinking I could make a toy for my nephew. The toys are very cute and come in a variety of easier and more complex styles.

I had no problem with the knitting (except there were one or two minor errors in the pattern I tried).

Making up the toy was harder for me. People with experience with sewing or with finishing knitted projects could probably put together toys quickly and easily, but I had some difficulties. There are no diagrams showing how the pieces fit together, so I had to figure it out by trial and error from written instructions, and it was harder than I expected.

Also there are no instructions on how to seam the toys to produce the tidy edge shown in the photos. I was able to find such instructions instructions in other knitting books, but it would have been nice for them to be included here.

I still have my copy of this book I got back in 96 or 97 when I was young and now my nephew is 5 so hes starting to enjoy these sorts of hobbys. I Highly reccomend this book to anyone who wants to learn some of the basics of flight and how to properly build and launch paper airplanes (yes there is technique involved).

When I got this book it was packed with very cool designs for the planes that you just tear out of the book. Each plane comes with a number system printed on the planes as well as very detailed folding instructions. Each pattern comes with about 4 or 5 copies of each airplane. Some are better than others and some I could never get to work right (I was kinda young). If you want a really fun book pick this one up asap, you won't regret it!

If you do buy this book be sure to color copy each of the designs to save on your pc as backups. Im 22 now and im kicking myself for not doing just that for my now 5 year old nephew.

I think we own every one of these books, and we love them. My 5-yr-old son can do most of them on his own. We've been buying them for birthday gifts for everyone and they are a big hit.

I have too much scrap paper. I was going to throw it out, but at the last moment I decided instead to buy The World Record Paper Airplane Book. Taking a sheet of scrap off the pile, I was able in a minute or two to make an Interceptor, which when launched sailed across the room and slid behind the bookcase. Scrap problem solved. I also discovered that if you make The Hornet with an extra fin in the back it boomerangs back to you when you throw it. Good times.

The World Record Paper Airplane Book is a really great item for those hard-to-buy-for preteen boys. my son received an earlier version of it some years ago and he had a ball with it (so did his older brother). they made and flew every plane in the book and then were inspired to invent their own designs. anyway, they liked it so much that i got the new version for my nephew for Christmas, and he, too, just loves it. kudos to the authors!

I am still finding paper airplanes in various places throughout my house 3 months after giving this to my son.

This book covers almost every aspect of using a high whorl drop spindle. It is well written and easy to follow for the beginner and a good reference for more advanced spinners. I rate it as a must have book for any spinners.

PGR gives more than 1 way to do each action and encourages you to use the one that feels right for you. There are always more than "1 way to skin a cat" and most books don't tell you that. The pics and tables are great. Both eastern and western styles of spinning are discussed. There are very good sections on cop building, plying and yarn finishing.

PGR also tries to give the reader many low cost options and shows how portable using drop spindles can be (also how it can be used to allow many to spin even if they have physical difficulties with their hands).

I use both spinning wheels and drop spindles and always have a little carry bag with my drop spindle and fiber to take with me whenever I am out and about. As she says, it is amazing just how much yarn you can spin in short periods of time. The only problem I have had with the high whorl spindle is convincing my cats that it is not a toy for their amusement!

this is the best thing ive ever bought on the subject in book form and im thrilled that i bought it! i would recommend it to anyone wishing to learn to spin!

I am new to spinning with a top whorl spindle, and got this on a whim. I found it fully digestible, with loads of well-written information. The illustrations are clear and useful, covering types of spindles, preparation of purchased fiber, woolen vs. worsted preparation and spinning, direction of spin, plying, cabling, and finishing. It also covers using a nostepinne as a tool for plying.

Ms. Gibson-Roberts is clear, concise and logical about her preferences, but adds other alternatives so that the reader can choose her methods or alternatives, understanding why each might be useful or problematic. She is thrifty, encouraging a minimalistic approach. A list of suppliers is provided at the end, many of whom can be found on the web.

This is an excellent introduction for the novice "spindler".

Gave a wonderful overview of hand spinning, making a strong case for the top whorl spindle. I had been trying to learn by myself, with a starter spindle a friend gave me, and found myself spinning better within hours of reading! I love the drawings, the connections to tradition, and her helpful sharing of various techniques.

I have several books on hand-spinning and this is THE best. My only complaint is lack of photos but that would jack up the price and isn't really necessary. The illustrations do a good job as is. I learned to spin on a high-whorl spindle by buying one and doing the spinny thing with my fingers - this book shows how you get WAY more spin by spinning it (in the old way!) up or down your thigh. At first this sounded hokey. I thought I had a good spin using my fingers. I was wrong. Now I'm a convert to thigh-spinning! (I know it sounds weird, but this author knows what she is talking about!)

The book also talks about how you can use cheap and inexpensive things as spinning tools. I like the author's idea of keeping it simple and portable. I also like the section on plying - lacking in a lot of books. The author actually tried a bunch of ways and rated them for ease, and then tells how to do it in the easiest way. That's useful.

I love the book and would recommend it to anyone. If you don't have a drop spindle yet, BUY THE BOOK FIRST, then shop for your spindle when you know something about the difference between a good, useful one and a bad one. I had to get rid of my first "beginner" spindle - it wobbled, had a bad hook, and no notch.

This book is just full of fun, cute patterns! It also goes one step beyond and explains the basics of color theory and design. I learned quite a bit and I am a very experienced knitter. You will not be sorry if you buy this book!

This lady is awesome! I have seen her on TV and thought I needed a book filled with her ideas. This book has all of the different techniques she used on TV. Embellishing is not only for garments you have knitted.

I have long been a fan of Kristin Nicholas and was glad to see a design book authored by her. I love the ethnic looking designs in the book. All designs are easy to knit (if you enjoy two-color knitting) and quick as the needle size isn't too small. Really fun hat and sock designs. Love it!

I am a big fan of Kristin and this book does not disappoint! It is filled with great patterns and the photos are beautiful. I am happy to own this one.

This book is a feast for the eyes. The riot of colors in combinations that are unexpected will inspire you to go out and buy some "Julia" yarn and have a go at it yourself.

This book is a must for any crazy quilter. I love the size and the fact that it can lie flat open when using. The drawings are large, clear and easy to follow. Even has directions for left handed. The color photos are wonderful "eye candy". This book sparked so many new ideas for me. It is a MUST HAVE.

This is a must have for every stitcher's library. An excellent stitch guide with wonderful diagrams.

Whether you are a new or experienced stitcher this book gives easy to follow instructions for a wide variety of stitches along with ideas to combine different stitches. I have referred to it many, many times on my current project: a crazy quilt. Money well spent!

The instructions were easy to follow and well illustrated. I am a novice at embriodery and this book was very helpful. It gave me ideas on how to proceed in my crazy quilt.

Bought the book as a gift. Recipient was very pleased with the book. It clearly describes the stitches and how to make them. Full of pictures that enable you to visualize the final result and the process of creating those stitches.

The things that I learned in here I am puting into practice, very knowledgeable man and very practiced at what he does, real easey to understand,and I had fun reading it

This volume is very explicative and not lost any details of his points. All the volumes makes a great help, and even a single powerfull source of information, to anyone who want to make the finest traditional bows, i recomend !

This was a very excellent book and I ordered the other 2 vol.
These also were very very good. I have enjoyed them very much.
They would be a very good addition to any boyers library.
Very good prices also.

This final volume ( # 3 ) of this series has very useful instructional information concerning bow making tools, take down ( two piece ) bows, stone age bows, stone points ( knapping ), and making arrows. Bow designs from many cultures around the world are examined and explained in detail.
The tools mentioned range from simple hand tools, such as the wood rasp, to power tools, like the band saw. Power tools are not needed to make these bows, but can save time.
Properly made arrows are a very important part of archery gear, and this voulme shows how they are made correctly and safely using a variety of woods and fletchings.
Other chapters explain bow designs such as the asymetrical yumi bow from Japan, the materials for composite bows of Korea, and the hole nocks from some African bows.

This book was excellent for outlining the process of making bows. Each section of the book is dedicated to a different area of bow making, and therefore was able to cover a substantial amount of ground. This book does require an advanced knowledge of bows and archery.

Ordered this book for my wife. Was very pleased with purchase price and speed of delievery. 100 % happy with all aspects of shopping on Amazon.com and will continue to do so in the future.

Perhaps its just me, and my personal preferences, but I was not impressed with the designs in this book. As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about this book is that it has 3 patterns that I use semi-regularly, so it isn't exactly collecting dust on my book shelf. The desins in here are, to put it really nicely, very bizzar, and not very pretty. And I don't mean "not pretty" in a girly sort of way, either. I mean, I wouldn't even put them in a man's knitwear item--not aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. I wish I hadn't wasted my money.

Not only did I buy this book for myself (I would consider myself an intermediate) knitter but also for a friend who really has only knitted scarfs and baby blankets... it is so practical and if you don't quite understand the instructions - google. I have made a baby bonnet, a christening dress and am working on a pillow.....
Happy Knitting

This book is beautifully done. I enjoy the written instructions and the clear pictures of the stitches.

While I like the organization of the new Harmony guides based on type of stitches, the original guides have a lot more examples.
In this guide all the slip stitch patterns have been eliminated along with color variations of many of the stitches. What a shame - as I found the variations and the slip stitches really inspire me when I am thinking about modifying an existing pattern or creating my own. Also no charts when there was plenty of room to make them. The only charts are the charts that are found in the original guides.

I love stitch dictionaries and have many in my library. When I looked at this I decided that the original harmony guides are a better deal and I recommend buying those guides used when asked.