Category Archives: Needlework/Arts/Crafts

I have a number of books which explain color theory and the use of colored pencils; however, those books focus on drawing with the medium rather than coloring in coloring books. In this book, the author has explained a wide variety of ways to use colored pencils specifically for coloring in existing designs.

There are ten chapters in the book which deal with: Pencil Stroke types, Shading Techniques, Highlights on White and Colored Papers, Textures, Blending Colorings with Solvents, Blending Colors with Light-Colored Pencils, Basics of Color Theory, Color Harmony, Using Gray Colors to Create Selective Focus and Combining Mediums.

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I’ve purchased a number of crochet books by Edie Eckman over the years. Her work is so well done and so informative that if I see she has a new book, I immediately pre-order it. I keep most of her books within arm’s reach from my crochet “nook” where I do most of my projects. If I have a question, it is sure that I will find an answer in that set of books.

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I was hoping for a book of cross stitch patterns but it turns out that this book is merely a book of photographs of already stitched designs.

If that is what you are looking for, this may be the book for you. If you are looking for patterns, keep looking. Also, the stitched patterns include vulgar sayings and words. The cover is mild compared to the sayings inside the book.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

This is my second crochet book by Dora Ohrenstein. The first, “The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop” has become a resource book for me that I look to time and time again. While the first book was a general crochet book, this one is specific to making crochet sweaters.

I have made a number of crochet garments over the years and they have all been ones that I make piece by piece and then have to whip stitch together. With the top down method, you still have to piece together parts but the way the garment crocheted together is considerably different. There is a real emphasis on drape that is new to me.

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This is a cute and different type of amigurumi. Rather than crocheting a whole animal, the idea is to crochet just its head and mount it on a block of wood. It is a humorous take on taxidermy. While I would not have an animal head mounted in my house for a variety of reasons (not least of all is the wall space), I would be happy to make some of these to place in spots (such as the powder room) or to make as gifts for others.

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“Cable Left Cable Right” by Judith Durant is the latest in a series of books by Storey Publishing. One of the previous books, “Increase Decrease” is by the same author.

The book contains a great number of variations of cables and would have been a perfect resource for me but for the fact that it contains only charts – there are no written instructions. I can follow charts easily for cross stitch and needlepoint but I find that for knitting and crochet, I prefer written instructions along with charts. I follow the written instructions and then use the charts for the tricky bits.

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I recently purchased the One-Skein Wonders book for baby knit projects and so enjoyed it, I wanted to get the crochet book as well. At heart, I am definitely more of a crocheter. I taught myself to crochet many years ago and it is a hobby that I have kept with throughout my life. I have a new baby granddaughter and want to be able to make her cute and quick crochet projects as she is growing so fast. I love the variety of hats, booties, tops and more that are in this book.

The patterns are gathered from many designers (who are noted and acknowledged at the end of the book.) The patterns include type, color and size of yarn used to make the photo sample as well as a gauge guide and size hook used. The designs all include written instructions and most also have visual diagrams as well. Each project has a photo sample. I found the instructions to be generally well written but because of the wide group of designers, there were some differences in style of pattern. The type of yarn also varied greatly but should not be difficult to obtain via online shopping.

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This book is a reprint of the same book from 2005. Because of this, it will be highly improbably for you to find the same exact fabrics as shown in the book. I’ve found that quilt fabrics go out of production fairly rapidly, so I am always happy to just use the fabric in photographs as a general guide rather than a specific one.

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This is a book of crochet patterns which is re-printed as-is from the original publication of the book in 2005. While a very few of the designs are a tad dated, the majority are great as quick to crochet projects for anyone from a beginner crocheter to one who is more advanced.

I have been crocheting for many years and I still am able to find patterns that I would be happy to both make and wear. The instructions are well-written and the projects have great photos of the finished items.

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I have made translucent soap before but had never tried making soap with lye. This book is beautiful but I don’t think that it is the first book for me to use as a beginner. In reading through it, I realized that there are many more steps to soap making than I had realized. The book is wonderfully detailed and beautifully photographed. So much so, that it makes me want to buy it and try to make the soaps that are described. Realistically, I should buy a more simple beginner’s book to walk me slowly through a basic soap recipe.

I will do that and still pick up this book in paper format so that I will have it ready when I am ready to try the more complex formulas that make up the lovely soaps. I think it is a lovely book and one that provides a lot of useful information.

I was provided a temporary digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher, Storey Publishing, LLC, via Netgalley.