Arts and Crafts Books

this is a classic, the definitive resource on all manner of knots, easy to follow and full of "old world" charm

This is a difficult book for beginners, but it's outstanding...Some knots have to be complemented with information of other books (step by step books). I recommend!

This book is everything I hoped for! I previously purchased Graumont & Hensel's Encyclopedia of Knots, but as I did more research kept hearing about Ashley. I finally got it and it does have material about most every knot known. I would recommend it as an anchor for anyone who does fancy work, research, or uses rope on a daily basis. There are other web sites and books that have better details for tying the knots, but nobody has all of them in one place like Ashley. I would have liked to have purchased the first ed., but did not have the money and this edition does have corrections or clarifications. Anybody who buys it should be well pleased with their purchase.

This is an excellent book for flipping through. It is well illustrated, and the descriptions of the knots are full of great information. I have encountered a few knots that I couldn't tie based on the words and pictures, but the vast majority of them are clear and can be mastered with a few minutes' effort.

My only real complaint is that, with the book alone, it is difficult to look up a particular knot by name. However, since the Ashley Book of Knots is the standard reference, Google is extremely well suited to overcoming this limitation. For example, the index doesn't mention Monkey's Fist, so I googled "monkey's fist ABOK" and didn't even have click any links before I found the correct number (2200).

All told, this is a great book and I'd recommend it highly.

Firstly, I want to chide all those whose lame counting of the book's contents parrots publisher information, such as "The result of Mr. Ashley's research was a significant collection of 7,000 drawings of 3,900 knots" -- this is nonsense: Ashley numbers every **illustration**, culminating with "#3854"; and among these there are both a great many duplicates (a quick look in the Index will show many occurrences for "Two Half Hitches", "Clove Hitch", & "Constrictor", e.g.), and there are many illustrated items that most folks won't regard as "knots". A more realistic figure for hitches, e.g., is around 100-200, and likewise for loopknots & bends.

People who are fascinated by knots refer to this book as "the bible", and often refer to particular knots by some Ashley illustration number -- which is a good step towards removing the typical ambiguity of knot names!

More than most knots books, Ashley gives historical and practical information about his subject; and, also more than most, his information is more reliable. I.p., this book is VASTLY superior to the seemingly competing knots tome, _Encyclopedia of Knots & Fancy Ropework_, which seems to be mostly a product of silly imagination by authors unconcerned with reality or good sense (to put it mildly!).

But Ashley wrote in a time preceding modern synthetic fibres such as nylon, polypropylene, and polyester (to say nothing of HMPE, aramids, composites, and coextruded fibres), and his inventory of knots reflects this -- perhaps most especially regarding anglers knots. Someone interested in learning about arborists' climbing/friction hitches or rockclimbers belay and anchor rigging or fishing knotting/rigging will find little or no help here.

This is such a fun concept. Cross stitching seems inherently to be such a lady-like hobby, but these patterns are anything but lady-like. The book is very easy to understand, too; I hadn't cross stitched in about 10 years, but that was no problem.

Subversive Cross Stitch makes a good gift for the cross-stitch enthusiast with a quirky sense of humor. The book includes patterns for cross-stitch projects with a twist, as well a helpful guide to making your own projects.

A word of caution, however, this book may not be appropriate for young viewers as it does contain some profanity. Otherwise, it's rollicking good fun!

The best thing to ever happen to cross stitch!!! Easy, cute, and most importantly, funny designs! Might not be appropriate for little kids or Grandma. I'm just waiting for her next book, hint, hint!

If you're easily offended, surrounded by people who are, or simply lack a sense of humor entirely, this is simply not the book for you. Clear, informative instructions and patterns make this a great book for a beginner, while the freedom to change the charts as you please will make the adept smile. Then there's the content: Oh lord, how I have suffered through the ghastly aisles of Precious Moments and sappy angels and babies! Finally a book for those of us who need a little salt with our otherwise wholesome obsession with stitchery. And it's so cute, sitting there on your table, and your mother-in-law will pick it up, and wonder, and then read, and then howl (perhaps in delight?)...

(New Hallmark slogan)
"If it's good enough to send to Ann Coulter, that's good enough for me!"
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1127071coulter1.html
(the police report mentions this book, because some fool sent a card to her!)
(on pages 3 & 4)

I was a huge fan of the old "Foxfire" series of books as a child, and the romantic notion of living WITH the land while living OFF the land has never ceased to appeal to me. This invaluable volume has been around for some time, and essentially improves on the Foxfire concept by incorporating pictures, diagrams and removing quite a bit of the "folksiness".

Probably of most immediate use and value to readers would be the section on land acquisition and value. If you're planning to build or buy a home, the sage advice in this section is of immense value. Using natural features to cool in the summer and maintain heat in the winter - for example planting windscreens of conifers and deciduous, the latter of which direct air during their leafing season and allow it to pass when bare of leaves - was novel, and pulled me even further into the other nuggets of wisdom in the later parts of the book.

There's a ton of stuff in here - and, while the book is by no means small, it still amazes me how much is crammed in its 450 pages. Everything from building a log cabin, setting up a root cellar, beekeeping, kitchen gardening vs. full gardening, drying and smoking fish and meats, basket-weaving, stocking a lake with fish to how to ski and use snowshoes is covered. While the passages for each are brief and not comprehensive, the gist of the book is to get you to START - and there's more than enough data here to ensure you do that successfully. As you add these habits and pastimes to your lifestyle, there's further reading you can do.

One of my favorite reference texts and one I refer to often even living in a flat.

this is a great book for homesteders and those wishing to live more self reliant.

Overall a very good book with enough information to let you find out if you're interested in learning more about various aspects of traditional living.

Lots of illustrations and photos and a logical flow of information from the large to the smaller aspects.

If you're dipping your toe into the idea of a more traditional lifestyle this is the place I would recommend starting.

Not only does this book have a LOT of information about so many things, but it is presented clearly in an organized manner. Many colorful illustrations and pictures add to the pleasure of browsing this book.

Old skills brought to life and shared - provident living - do it yourself - from raising poultry, to making cheese- gardening and storage tips - make ice cream, build a house, all between the covers of one book.

I am in a collage class at school and found this book a perfect supplement for all my collage projects. There is a variety of tricks- everything from different techniques for backgrounds and ways to transfer images to your collage. Plus the book itself is beautifully done. Nothing makes my heart twitter more than a fantastic collage...

. . . . there was paper and glue. This book is a "must" buy for the beginning artist who has decided to explore the world of collage. It has very simple explanations of incredible techniques that you can learn quickly and use over and over. You will find your favorites, but don't be afraid to try all of them.

I also recommend this for "young" budding artists.

I just so love this book. It gets straight to the point, It is incredibly detailed plus for beginners like myself who are new to collage it makes perfect sense.

Book was in great conditon, but I purchased the book for a project and by the time it came... we were done with the project.

Without a question Claudine gives great advice and instruction in this book. Lots of ideas for scrapbooking, collage and just crafty folks. I would definitely recommend her other book "Beyond the Unexpected" as well. She also has DVDs that are awesome for those of us who learn by watching. She's a hoot!

I've made two of the philosopher's coats in different color palettes, and it was challenging and fun and great! Note to advanced crocheters: the directions are somewhat limited. I guess she figures that if you get to this stage, you don't need everything spelled out. I've had a ton of compliments on both coats. The other patterns are fine, but this was the reason I bought the book. Don't be intimidated! You'll love the challenge of it, and when you're done, you know you've created something very special.

I'm a international student in usa which means I have some problem with crochet pattern. This book is very helpful because it has symbol and picture to show how to do it. Since I have a basic crochet , I can easily follow instruction . recommand for a beginner!!

This book has fantastic how to diagrams as well as projects! It provides a history of crocheting that really adds. I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas, and after looking through it with her, I had to have one for myself. Great author, great book, great choice.

I got this book at a discount price at Hobby Lobby.. Wow what a bargin... Tons of information... Loads of pictures... If your a new quilter like myself... This book is at a good price with all the imformation you will need to start out...

5 plus stars for the Author..

I've been crocheting for years and I still use this book. This is the best reference book I've read. If you want to learn how to crochet, this is the book to get. The instructions in the beginning of the book (info on hooks, yarn, and the stitches) are clear and explained well. I find Illustrations in most crochet books not always the most user-friendly, but the explanation along with the illustration in this case makes for better understanding of the stitches. The pattern pictures are great, good contrasting colors make it easier to actually visualize the design. Learning to read a pattern can seem daunting at times, and I don't think the how-to of reading a pattern is any better in this book than I've seen in others. But I believe if you go through it patiently, by the time you start doing the patterns in the back half of the book, you'll understand it better over practice and exposure.

If you want to learn how to crochet or greatly improve your technique, practice doing the blocks/patterns in the back half of this book. Don't worry about doing the projects, there are better design out there (just say "No" to the philosopher jacket) forget them. Start from the first pattern, repeat it until you are comfortable with it and then go on to the next. This book will be in your library for years, well used but always a favorite.

I really love the book and it was a great deal. This shipping was quick and the whole process was so easy.

This book is absolutely wonderful. Concepts are presented in a lesson format, teaching you to cut pieces, piece by hand and machine, draft templates, speed piece, paper piece, various styles of quilting (hand, machine, trapunto, and more), and much much more. If you work through the first few lessons, you'll have enough information and experience to tackle a fairly complex quilt. Working further into the book you'll learn techniques you never thought you'd care about... until you make your first quilt!

In fact, by the time you finish all the practice blocks, you'll have enough blocks for your own sampler quilt!

This book is definitely the first book you should buy if you're learning to quilt, like I am. I've already finished piecing my first quilt top, hae it basted to the batting and backing, and today I'll start quilting by hand. This is something I never thought would happen.

If you can only get ONE book on quilting, THIS IS THE ONE!!

Quilter's complete guide is the first quilt book I ever got and it is just the best. It show you everything a new quilter need to know and has a step by step way of learning how to quilt, if you can not get to a class.Each block is shown and there are step by step lessons, you will have a great looking quilt top if you do the blocks and learn how to quilt. Fons and Porter just do a great job.

I recently got interested in quilting and purchased this book. To my amazement it has all the basic information that you need to complete a quilt from beginning to end. There is information for several different quilts so not only is this a good reference book, you can go though it and get ideas for many quilts. I'm glad this is in my new library.

I love this book! You will find all you need to make a wonderful quilt. For beginners and longtime quilters alike.

This book explains in details on how to make beads and just the basics of setting up your own torch, etc.

This book is just fantastic for the beginner. Fully illustrated step by step, it takes you through the basic steps of how to get started lampworking, and what you can make. Working with glass needs to be experienced, so while no book can substitute for classes, this book INSPIRES you to explore the subject further. Just great!

The book was very good at describing in broad terms how to make your first glass bead as well as some of the general things you need to know about flameworking beads and the equipment neccessary. "Making Glass Beads" did not provide the detailed pictures and instructions for each step that would have been very helpful as a neophyte. However,"The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking" by Kimberley Adams provides detailed step by step instructions with pictures of what you should be seeing as you form your first bead. Now that I have completed several successfully "Making Glass Beads" is a worthwhile book to have.

This is an excellent book. I've had it for a long time and decided to buy one for my grandson. He is just getting started in bead making. The instructions are very good, with a lot of pictures to show you how to do the techniques. I would recommend this book to anyone getting started in glass bead making.

This is a great step-by-step 'how-to' book. The explanations and pictures are very detailed. I feel like I am prepared and know everything I need to know to get started making glass beads!

¡Wow! What a great book, even if you are not into crafts. I bought the book, because I was intrigued by Kathy on DIY's CRAFT LAB. I am a Latino, Gifted and Talented teacher, and a professional artist, so her creative/artsy/ethnic persona and projects appealed to me. Although the book is geared towards Latinas, I can understand her witty journal entries. (My wife is Anglo, but I have many feisty Latina members in my family and work primarily with Latinas in a border town.) The crafts are very creative, and Kathy offers a plethora of open-ended suggestions at the end of each project. Many of the projects are also appropriate for males, so are great for classroom use. In addition, the Latino style illustrations created by Kathy's husband, Patrick Murillo, are marvelous! I highly recommend this book.

I LOVED this book. It not only had some great projects that almost made me get in the car and drive to the craft store but it was a fun read. I have enjoyed picking it up several times this summer and looking at the creativity inside. I would recommend this book!

For Latinas, as well as gringas like me! I love the ethnic inspired glitz and glam of Kathy Murillo's Art de la Soul projects and absolutely adore the author's conversational writing style. The only problem is deciding which is more fun, making the crafts or reading the book over and over again.

Okay, I was ready to love this book. I'd been to Kathy's website and I do like most of the crafts. However, it is long on personal dialogue and week on technical "how to" instructions. I still can't get the glass slide charm bracelet to work. Heck...I can't even cut the slides. So...I can't recomend this book.

Kathy Cano Murillo, the author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul, Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life, has delighted me with her craft book. I don't normally get all excited about making purses out of 50 cent hardbacks (That cool project is called "Hardback Book Purse" and is fabulous!), nor do I relate to holidays such as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which I find slightly scary. However, with Kathy as my guide, I understand that this tradition of honoring the dead is similar to the manner in which we honor our ancestors no matter what our ethnic background. After reading what she wrote, I opened my mind and learned what I had never understood before about this holiday, and now I find it compelling and fascinating.

Not only am I willing to learn about a culture which is different from mine, I am totally charmed by this craft book. When I first started reading it, I began giving my husband orders: "Jim: PLEASE go get me a balsa wood box! Please get me a roll of silver embossing tin! I want a knob! A really cool one! Please!(my husband is a builder). Yes, my first project was "The Empowerent Box". I particularly liked this project because it is beautiful and because you store your favorite quotes in it. You hand write them out, place them in it, and keep it next to your bed. I have several favorite quotes. One is "Hope is the thing wth feathers." As a parent with disabled children, I never give up hope. Another is "The buck stops here". Do you have any favorite quotes? A keepsake box, made by you, is such a lovely place to keep treasured words which mean something special to you.

Kathy Cano Murillo is quite an amazing person. Not only does she set you aflame with desire to create her projects, with your paintbrush flying and your glitter shooting sparks all over the place, she writes fun stories. Some are about mishaps she has endured (read the Chocolate incident and you will relate totally!), and some are touching stories about her family. It's a lovely combination: you get projects like "The Mighty Mosaic Address Sign", with has cool marbles and loteria playing cards decorating it, you get tales, suggestions on movies with crafty aspects to them, (this is cool--trust me), fun tips on how to take each project to the next level, and a style of writing which engages you from the first page.

I am not Hispanic, but because of Kathy Cano Murillo, I have a high respect for the family values, the hard work, the humor, the love, and the creativity she offers, here in this book, as an unofficial ambassador for the Hispanic people. She should be very proud of this book. It is superfun and cool.

Other than the projects I already mentioned, several of my other favorite projects are: "Wonderfully Worn Flower Fence", ALL the "Potions for Passion" (and why not!), and the "Love Letters Pocketbook". That one is really pretty.

I think this author is one in a million. Try this book and you will soar--she will be the wind beneath your wings! A great and unique experience! I love this book!

This is a wonderful book to give to both beaders and polymer clay artists/crafters. I gave it to my mom for Christmas, but I really wanted to keep it for myself. Since she already has a good library of polymer clay books, I wanted to find one that had something new and distinctive to show to clay artists, and this book definitely fits the bill.

I was very pleased with this book. It showed exactly how to make so many different beads in great detail. If you are new to this medium, this is a great place to start.

As a novice to the technique of polymer clay I found this book very imformative. I had no problem following the instructions and the end results were great.

This is my favorite polymer clay book. The photos are lovely. The ideas are great. The tips are particularly helpful. The instructions are very easy to follow. And the results are beautiful.

I own several polymer clay books and have waited months for the release of this book. I was not disappointed in any way. There are detailed instructions and clear photos for many techniques of bead making that I have not seen in other books. Although the gallery of works is fairly small, each instruction page contains finished projects that are fine examples of the craft.

This is probably not a true beginners book, but anyone who owns other polymer clay books should have enough basic skills to enjoy this book and be able to accomplish the interesting projects shown here. I would recommend this book highly.

As soon as you get this book, provided you have crochet hooks & yarn on hand...you will be able to make something using the simplest of stitches (chaining & single crochet) to more elaborate ones...no matter where you stand as a crocheter...the clear, straightforward diagrams & pictures will make you better before you know it. Worth getting & adding to your library.

I am new to crochet and have made a few baby blankets and a couple of sweaters. I picked this book up as a resource to enlarge my stitch knowledge after learning the basics in the Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. I enjoy the variety of stitches in this spiral bound book ranging from Lace stitches to Squares. The best thing I like about the book is that it includes both Charted and written instructions so if you don't quite understand one the other set can usually help you out. I have made a sampler afghan out of the blocks section and am working on a custom wedding shawl for a coworker with the daisy lace pattern. Bottom line is that if you're new to crochet and know your single, double and treble crochet, this book is the logical next step. It is a good blend of easy to moderate stitches that pique your interest. If you are more advanced this book may seem a little basic and boring to you. But I would still suggest it as a refresher reference.

Where to start with this book? The book's spiral binding keeps the page open where you want it (a feature every craft book should have, IMO). There are positively oodles of different stitches and stitch patterns, which are grouped into like collections. Toward the beginning, there is an overview of every stitch pattern featured in the book, so that it is easy to spot something you like and find out what page it's on. Each stitch has a color picture of a sample swatch (which doesn't always show the greatest detail, but does a pretty good job), a chart showing how to do the stitch pattern (a must have for a visual person like me, to whom the written explanations are like deciphering ancient Aramaic by smell), and a written explanation.

There are no project patterns in this book, but with so many different stitch patterns, you'll probably end up with a dozen little project ideas of your own. I know I did.

I also love Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet.

Read the first four chapters before searching the book for a pattern. It explains everything you need to know to understand the stitch collection that follows. The graphs are outstanding, and the principals of each stitch are shown and explained clearly. Good book for beginners and those who have crocheted for years.

This is a great book with so many stitch patterns to choose from. Since I'm a designer, it's been very helpful in swatching. It also has a section in the back with motifs and edgings which are beautiful. I love the loose leaf binding and I definitely would recommend this book. A stitch book of this kind is a must if you are a designer but also if you are a crocheter just looking for a new and unique stitch pattern for an item such as a scarf or afghan.