Daily Archives: October 22, 2015

Sweet baby hats and booties with European styling

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Iiiireader

Baby Crochet Design: Hats and Booties

By: Graziana Materassi

Rating: 5 of 5

babycrochetdesignThis is a lovely book of fairly easy to crochet baby hats and booties. It was originally published during 2014 in Italy by Graziana Materassi and has been translated and published here for the first time in 2015. The instructions follow US conventions for stitches and hook sizes. The rolled hat designs show a definite European flair and are perfect for a baby as they are not too close fitting.

I would suggest this book for an experienced beginner and above because of the lack of instructions and the size and type of yarn that is being used. Cotton can be a little tricky to work with because it has no give. You will also be working with a smaller hook than I suggest for a brand-new beginner. When I teach crochet, I like to start with a worsted weight and a size G/H hook so that the crocheter doesn’t have to struggle to see what goes where.

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Beautiful Hand-drawn Coloring Book with Celtic Knots

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Iiiireader

The Ancient Alchemy Coloring Book: Celtic Knots, Mandalas, and Sacred Symbols

By: Cher Kaufmann

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book by Cher Kaufmann and I will certainly be back for future books. The smaller format book has many, many designs. While a lot of coloring books are created from computer generated artwork (and I enjoy those, too), this book has 100 hand-drawn designs from the beginning to the end. The designs include many Celtic knots, mandalas, and other sacred symbols based on ancient cultures and traditions.

In addition to the designs, the artist has included information about the history of some symbols. She has also provided an Ancient Alchemy Symbols guide to explain a number of the symbols that she uses in the coloring book. Reading this information has certainly enhanced my appreciation of the artwork and what the artist is trying to convey with each drawing.

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