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Newest Crafts Reviews (view source)
Revision as of 11:59, 30 November 2023
, 11:59, 30 November 2023no edit summary
[[Category:Crafts|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|Crafts]]__NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
{{Frontpage
|isbn=0811771741
|title=InstaKnits for Baby
|author=Melissa Leapman
|rating=4
|genre=Crafts
|summary=Melissa Leapman's ''InstaKnits for Baby'' gives us a collection of knits from toys to blankets. Some will be quick knits - others are of the 'long, cosy afternoons in front of the fire' variety. The projects are divided by the time they'll take to complete - less than five hours, five to ten hours, ten to twenty hours and more than twenty hours. All the projects are attractive, modern and useable. I perhaps show my age when I wonder about 'social-media-worthy projects' but that's me being picky.
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=1635866243
|title=The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook
|author=Kristina McGrath and Sarah Walworth
|rating=4.5
|genre=Crafts
|summary=''I quickly discovered that putting words and numbers on a page wasn't enough. Creating a pattern that was correct, clear, concise, and consistent required a great deal of trial and error, patience, and perseverance.'' (Introduction byFrancoise Danoy)
A friend recently showed me a knitting pattern for which she'd paid good money. The first line of the instructions began: ''Cast off 100 stitches...'' It was clear that no good could come of this - the instructions didn't get any better - and (finally) PayPal obliged with a refund when the seller refused as she couldn't afford the repayment. The pattern looked pretty, but the creator didn't have the basic knowledge and skills to enable her to connect with her knitters. She should have read ''The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook''.
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=1529507987
|title=The Repair Shop Craft Book
|author=Walker Books and Sonia Albert (Illustrator)
|rating=4.5
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=I love ''The Repair Shop''. It's my go-to programme when I want to be cheered up. After a hard day, there's nothing better than watching experts repair treasured items without ever mentioning what they're worth. You see, the value is in what these possessions are worth to the people who own them and the memories they hold. No expense appears to be spared and the experts spend as much time and effort as is required to achieve the desired result. Regular viewers know the experts and they're all brilliant at explaining what it is they're doing. But how did they start?
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=0760379912
|title=Super Easy Quilting for Beginners
|author=Editors of Quarry Books
|rating=4
|genre=Crafts
|summary=I learned patchworking from necessity: old or outgrown clothes needed to be turned into something new and usable when I was in my twenties. It would be a while before it became a pleasure rather than a chore but I've never felt completely at home with quilting. I needed something a little more stylish than my usual buttons or knots. ''Super Easy Quilting for Beginners'' seemed like a good place to start. So, how did it stack up?
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=0760379874
|title=Super Easy Knitting for Beginners
|author=Carri Hammett
|rating=4.5
|genre=Crafts
|summary=I learned to knit in the nineteen-fifties: it wasn't a choice, it was a requirement. Girls learned to knit and to embroider and boys did wood and metal work. My knitting wa accompanied by a lot of criticism and quite a few tears: it was a long time before I realised that there was pleasure to be had in the skill. Nearly seventy years later it's the only thing that keeps my hands at all supple. The turning point was a booklet published by Patons which gave all the basics and some patterns. I've been looking for something simple to recommend to people who'd like to master the skill. So, how did ''Super Easy Knitting For Beginners'' work out?
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=0760373531
|rating=5
|genre=Crafts
|summary=Just occasionally you encounter a book of knitting patterns which that seems to meet your every need. Right now, it's bitterly cold and we're in the sandwich filling between two storms: I need socks, scarves, hats and mittens. They have to look stylish, keep me warm and be so cheerful that they make me feel better. If that sounds like a lot to ask, have a look at ''Cozy Knits'': it has thirty designs for those necessary items and I don't think that there was one of them which I couldn't see myself wearing. We start with an introduction by Nancy Bush which gives some of the history of knitting. It's not essential but it's a nice extra.
}}
{{Frontpage
|rating=4
|genre=Crafts
|summary=I was so delighted by Sue Flanders' [[Cozy Knits:30 Hat, Mitten, Scarf and Sock Projects from Around the World by Sue Flanders|Cozy Knits]] that I didn't need any persuading at all to pick up her ''Nordic Knits''. This delivers forty-four patterns inspired by textiles and local traditions from Norway, Sweden and Iceland. There are a few sweaters or jackets but the majority of patterns are for smaller items such as mittens, gloves, hats and bags. All are bright and cheerful and very cosy.
}}
{{Frontpage
|genre=Crafts
|summary=Sometimes you find a delight of a book. On an afternoon when it was unseasonably cold and decidedly wet I discovered ''Origami, Poems and Pictures'' and I was transported to Japan. As the title suggests we're looking at three celebrated arts and crafts: the ancient art of paper folding, haiku poetry and painting. I'll confess that it was the origami which caught my attention, but I was surprised by the extent to which the rest of the book caught my imagination. We begin with something very simple: a boat and in case you're worried, all the entries have a degree of difficulty (from 'simple' through to 'tricky') and this one is at the lowest level.
}}
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