Book Description
Within this compendium, the very first knitting books have been translated from sketchy, often-inaccurate instructions into richly-colored, exciting patterns for modern-day accessories. This blend of history, mystery, and hands-on technique debunks myths about Victorian life as it inspires beginners and ambitious knitters alike. Included are instructions for Victorian lace as the Victorians never saw it—in glorious detail, up-close and on location in and around Cambridge, England. The lace patterns progress from the first, most basic, edgings to the sophistication of "real" lace. Forty patterns are included—scarves and shawls, capes, and fichus—with comprehensive information on the tools and techniques of lace knitting for beginners and enough challenges to keep experienced or ambitious knitters engaged. Delicate and decorative, historical lace patterns are within the reach of today's knitters in this book of adventurous ideas with a vintage touch.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Lace Shawls!.......2007-09-23
What a wonderful book! This book is loaded with patterns for absolutely gorgeous shawls. The author impliments a variety of fibers and colors into her work. The shawls are in a variety of shapes and sizes. Yes, there are even several examples of scarves! I've gone through my book countless times and it is full of page markers so that I can "quickly" find which project I want to make next. With most books this might be 3-5 projects. This is a large book and I have page markers going down the entire side of the book! I began a shawl last night and already I can see that it is going to be scrumptious! The pattern is so simple to understand that it will be finished in no time at all.
I highly recommend this wonderful book!
The delight of lace!.......2007-09-09
Jane Sowerby's book provides wonderful photographs, clear instructions, and many options for the knitter who loves to work with detail...but you do not have to be an expert to tackle her projects! It is one of the nicest collections of lace knitting...primarily for shawls...that I have found. I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Sowerby, and she is as charming as her works of art. I do recommend this book highly!
Gorgeous, inspiring.......2007-09-02
The settings and photos are excellent. The projects range from easy to experienced & everything inbetween. For those of you who learn new things easily and want to get creative, it also tells how to plan out your own shawls, with or without borders. Inspirational but initially daunting for those of us who have never tried lace. But the projects are just so lovely.... It wasn't enough to keep borrowing my friend's book - I had to buy my own. I have a project on my needles now & can't wait to wear my new - & gorgeous - shawl.
Victorian Lace Today.......2007-08-26
This is a lovely, hardbound book with beautiful pictures of shawls and scarves including the patterns. My personal preference would have been more shawls and fewer scarves, however. There is a brief section at the beginning on history of lace knitting. The section on Techniques at the back of the book might have been more useful at the front of the book.
This is a beauty!!.......2007-08-11
This whole book is beautiful. The shawls and scarves are gorgeous and the photography is also wonderful. Even if you never make any of the projects it will make a lovely coffee table book.
Average customer rating:
- Knitting Enhancement
- Knitting on the Edge: Ribs, Ruffles, Lace, Fringes, Floral, Points & Picots: The Essential Collection of 350 Decorateive Borders
- Where are the corrections????
- Inspiring book to use as a springboard for your knitting imagination
- Some mistakes not the fault of the author.
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Knitting on the Edge: Ribs, Ruffles, Lace, Fringes, Floral, Points & Picots: The Essential Collection of 350 Decorative Borders
Nicky Epstein
Manufacturer: Sixth&Spring Books
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Binding: Hardcover
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The Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume Two: Cables: The Ultimate Stitch Dictionary from the Editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine (Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Series)
ASIN: 1931543402 |
Book Description
Compiled by an acclaimed knitwear designer and teacher, this collection of 350 knitted edgings, borders, and trims runs the gamut of styles and offers something for all tastes. A wealth of individual project ideas are featured for ribbed edges, ruffles, lace, fringes, flora, and garters. Color photographs accompany each of the designs, which rely upon readily available yarns and which come complete with line-by-line stitching instructions. Decorate cuffs, finish hems, and customize your own unique sweater. Develop distinctive styles and patterns using ideas such as the feather lace ruffle, bel epoque, garter stitch weave, sea scallop edge, sugar drop and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Knitting Enhancement.......2007-04-12
Great book!
Well written, well described, really nice ideas.
Highly recommended.
Knitting on the Edge: Ribs, Ruffles, Lace, Fringes, Floral, Points & Picots: The Essential Collection of 350 Decorateive Borders.......2007-02-06
It's OK. I bought it, but could have lived without it. The sections include: Introduction, Texture, Size, Notes, Ribs, Ruffles, Lace, Fringes, Flora, Points & Picots, Patterns, Stitches, Abbreviations, Techniques, Acknowledgments, & Recourses.
This is an excellent book for beginner or intermediate knitters. Experienced knitters would have already used many of these ideas in their self-designed knitted project. It's a nice reference book for them.
Where are the corrections????.......2006-12-18
There are many mistakes in this book...and it is poorly written. Patterns should be more clear. One person stated she couldn't find any errors...well I beg to differ with you, so far every pattern I've started has errors and have not been able to complete either project because of them. what is up with P1 P5...????? why not p6????? I do not understand that and have never seen it before....crazy
Inspiring book to use as a springboard for your knitting imagination.......2006-12-09
After much deliberation, I decided to buy the three Nicky Epstein books in this series (On the Edge, Over the Edge, Beyond the Edge). Each of these books are just gorgeous, filled with color illustrations of each border or design on glossy pages. In essence, I'll be reviewing all three of the books together, but focusing on this one since I'm currently doing a border from it.
While I'd heard of Nicky Epstein (if you're into knitting, I don't see how you couldn't!), I waited about a year before buying her books, and I'm glad I did. I needed the time to become a better knitter. I consider myself an advanced beginner or an intermediate knitter, and I don't think these are books for beginners. For one thing, they're not meant to be pattern books. There are very few patterns included in them (and the ones that are there are pretty scary looking! When I was first learning to knit I would have given up, because they're very complex-looking). The author assumes that her audience would know how to do some of the more advanced stitches used in her border patterns, and that they would also have some experience under their belt to figure out how to use her borders in bigger projects like sweaters or blankets or whatever.
That being said, I'm taking a star off because it's really hard to find errata for this book on the internet. I had to do some searching before I found a scant two or three corrections on the Vogue Knitting website. I spent two days working and reworking a specific border (the Serendipity, p.83) before I realized that the numbers the author had listed for how many stitches the pattern worked over were wrong. As I continued in the pattern, I found other number errors in it. When I looked for corrections, I couldn't find any for that specific pattern. Since I know this book has been out for a while, I would hope that all the pattern errors would have been worked out in later printings. Other than that, a great book and totally worth the money.
Some mistakes not the fault of the author........2006-09-12
Sometimes not being able to work a pattern doesn't mean the book has a mistake. For instance, p.139 "Butterfly" does not have different numbers of stitches on each row. Notice that "Embossed Hearts" on the same page ends each row differently worded than does "Butterfly." If not read carefully, "Butterfly" would seem to say do the repeat as many times as required, then knit #. But it says to "end last rep k#." So the last repeat of each row ends with a different number of knit stitches than the other repeats in the row. I counted it out and it works.
I also checked several more throughout the book in response to another review that said the first row always required more stitches than were cast-on. In the couple dozen that I checked, none were wrong.
I understand this book has errors. But we must not be blind to our own and instead blame the author.
Book Description
With an emphasis on innovative designs that range from simple to complex, this collection of contemporary knitting projects includes garments and accessories for women. Featuring projects with a sense of style that will appeal to knitters of all ages, it includes designs for socks, hats, sweaters, dresses, and shrugs. A basic primer on knitting lace that is closely linked to the projects in the book includes information on how to knit lace, choosing yarn and needles, types of increases and decreases, reading charts, simple ways to achieve a lacy effect, ways to incorporate lace designs in knitting patterns, and information on blocking. Each pattern has detailed step-by-step instructions, lavish lifestyle photographs, and plenty of detail shots. Experienced knitters looking for inspiration and beginners trying lace knitting for the first time will find everything needed to knit lace with confidence.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful, sophisticated lace designs.......2007-09-26
This book includes lace designs in such a range of difficulties and styles that everyone is sure to find something that catches their fancy. While I have not yet knit any of the patterns, they appear to be well-written and easy to follow. Can't wait to cast on from this book.
Lace Style.......2007-09-21
There are some absoutely beautiful patterns in this book, there is one in particular that I am looking forward to making.
Sizing variations noticeably change pattern.......2007-09-04
Very nice book, most of the designs are lovely. However, I'm the type of knitter who wants a chart for every lace pattern, no matter how simple. Not every pattern has a chart.
I'm currently working on the Tailored Scallops jacket on the cover, and the pattern implementation of the size I chose makes the jacket look much different than what is photographed. Because the feather & fan stitch is a fairly big pattern, this is somewhat reasonable, but I'm going to frog what I have and rework the pattern myself. This is disappointing to me, since my size is the medium one (I'm a 10/12), and you'd think the pattern likely to be used most would be written to show off the stitches. As it is, the dense part of the pattern dominates the lacy part. Fixing it will require more complicated instructions, not of the type where you can change the number of stitches and repeats with parentheses (e.g., repeat 2(2,3,3,4) times). Really putting the extra effort into patterning for each size would make this a 5-star book.
Lace Style...my favorite.......2007-08-12
I love this book....want to knit everything in it! The patterns are clear, and include something for everyone.
Fun patterns!.......2007-07-09
I own this book and think it was worth every penny I spent on it! The patterns, with the exception of the knitted dress, were very nice and I could see myself knitting them.
Book Description
Qiviut, or musk ox down, is a world-class fiber--luxurious, warm, and lightweight. People who experience it become obsessed. Qiviut makes perfect hand-knitted lace, as demonstrated by the Alaskan artisans of Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' Co-op. This book presents how-tos for knitting and designing lace, projects suited to new as well as experienced lace knitters, yarn sources, and comprehensive cultural background.
Customer Reviews:
qiviut knitting.......2007-09-22
Our trip to Alaska visiting the musk ox farms and knitting shops selling qiviut, as well as the native knitters' co-op, Oomingmak, was enriched by reading Artic Lace. The author has gathered info and images of the lace patterns used by seven villages, tells the history and current status of musk ox herds in Alaska, with a few references to Canadian and Greenland herds. The lace knitting projects relate to, but do not duplicate, the patterns used in the villages. We saw items at the state fair in Palmer said to be part of a forthcoming second volume. We trust it will be as rich in cultural information and develops more info on the process of qiviut yarn production and sources.
Attention combination and new knitters!.......2007-09-02
Don't be afraid to try lace! Even if you've never picked up a pair of needles before, you can start knitting lace with just this book alone. It includes clear, complete instructions with pictures of how to cast on and off, work even the most basic stitches, backgrounds, and borders. There is a very helpful discussion of pros and cons of yarns suitable for knitting lace, then a lace knitting "workshop" discusses straight and circular needle materials and size, yarn weight, full chart reading instructions, and leads you through 3 progressively harder lace swatches. All patterns are charted which is very combination knitter friendly.
This wonderful book is full of tips to practically ensure your success in learning to knit lace even if you've never knit before. One of the best features is that it includes full instructions for making your own lace patterns with a library of lace stitches to use and tips on making your own charts. A variety of easy projects will get you started if you're not feeling adventurous enough to try designing your own yet.
There is a lot of interesting information about the native Alaskan co-op and musk oxen where the luxurious qiviut yarn comes from, as well as pictures (but not patterns) for each village's signature lace pattern. Although the pictures are black and white, it really doesn't detract from the book and the high contrast makes the lace patterns are very visible. This is one of my most treasured knitting books.
spinning gal.......2007-08-12
I am now spinning some wool to work on a pattern that is in this book.
Beautiful Book.......2007-08-11
This is a wonderful book. I've been to Alaska and bought a scarf made from one of the villages shown in this book. It has lots of wonderful stories of Alaska and beautiful lace patterns. You'll love it.
Great for History Buffs; So-So for Knitters.......2007-05-31
This book is great if you're into anthropology or history. I enjoyed reading about the different Eskimo cultures and about the musk ox. I love qiviut, and the book provides an interesting look at how the fiber travels from musk ox to yarn. However, I was quite disappointed that the book is all in black-and-white, on average-grade paper. The book would be spectacular with full-color photographs and a higher grade paper. I also was somewhat disappointed with the knitting patterns. As other reviewers have mentioned, the patterns will not stretch or excite you if you are already a lace knitter.
Book Description
Timeless and beautiful those words describe the shawls presented in this revised edition of the classic text. Shapes include triangles, squares, circles, and half-circles, with openwork, textured stitches, and lace edgings to combine as you choose. Everything you need to know to design and knit your own shawls is provided, while instructions for eight shawls include all-new photography.
Customer Reviews:
Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls.......2007-08-26
This paperback book (119 pages) has only black and white pictures. It is mostly a book on knit stitches with a mere 8 patterns. She does touch briefly on the history and origin of knitting shawls. Overall, this is really more a book on how to design shawls, choosing different yarns and needle sizes and is not suited for someone who wants to be able to pick up a book; find a pattern; and know which yarn to use.
condensed revision of first edition.......2007-03-06
I've got the first edition which was riddled with errors. I wanted charts so I ordered the second ed. The individual lace patterns are charted but the shawls are still written out. In addition, the number of shawls has decreased from 14 to 8. The book has been edited very tightly cutting down on anything excessive which includes some of the fun and some of the photos. However, it's still tops for help on designing shawls which is why it gets 5 stars from me. This ed still has a few corrections which are available from the publiser's website.
My review of Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls.......2006-11-04
I found out about this book on one of the knit list that I belong to. It was highly recommended as a great source for shawl knitters or those that want to learn about lace shawl knitting.
I have found it to be a great source for designing my own shawls as Martha Waterman has great imformation and lace knitting charts in the book. I highly recommend it to any one interested in lace shawl knitting or designing.
Shawl shapes and how to design your own.......2006-09-04
I'm new to lace knitting, but not new to knitting. I've become fascinated with lace shawls and was looking for a good introduction. This book is exactly what I was looking for.
After a brief introduction of the history of lace shawl knitting and the appropriate yarns to use, the author presents a detailed description of shawl shapes (triangle, square, rectangle, circle and halfcircle) and how to create them through increases and decreases. That's exactly what I wanted to know !!!
There are a few stitch patterns shown and a few complete projects to knit which are all helpful, but were not my main focus in buying this book.
If Ms. Waterman were ever to revise and expand this book, I would ask for a more detailed discussion of fitting stitch patterns into the various sections of the shawl while still at the same time shaping with increases and decreases. There is a brief discussion, but I could have used more details.
Now, with Martha's Waterman's explanations of the ways to construct the various shapes and my copies of Barbara Walker's First and Second Stitch Treasuries, I have everything I need.
Nice book.......2006-08-27
I am happy with this book. It has some example patterns and then a bunch of stitch patterns so you can create your own once you are comfortable with shawl making.
Book Description
World-renowned quilter Nancy Crow's work is presented for a general audience for the first time in this volume. Divided into nine major quilt series, the book shows not only the diversity and dynamism of Crow's work, but also many of the artifacts and places that inspired her. With excerpts from her journals and sketch books combined with side panels that track important events in her life, this book also gives insight into how Crow's thinking and art evolved after major events in her life. Many of the featured quilts have never before been photographed.
Customer Reviews:
Nancy Crow.......2007-08-23
For anyone in art quilting or wanting to be, this book gives an in depth look into the thoughts and creations of Nancy Crow. The color in the book is excellent and there is an abundance of pictures. This is a "Must have" for anyone who loves color and fabric and original art.
Nancy Crow.......2007-07-14
Nancy Crow is the ultimate quilter's quilter. Her advice, thoughts and pictures of her work and projects are more than any quilter could hope for. This book will enhance any quilter's library.
It was one of the best b-day presents I've ever received.
Diane
loads of colorful pictures!.......2007-03-09
Amazing book. great information, stories. Lots of pictures of striking quilts show-casing the progress of this wonderful artist. Also shows pictures of Nancy Crow's studio and timber frame barn - must be an amazing place to create. This book is a wonderful value and very inspiring to any artist regardless of preferred media.
new avenues in the craft and art of quilting.......2007-03-06
Since the 1970s, Crow has been an unquestioned "catalyst and prime mover of the art quilt movement" for her belief that the medium of quilts contained "the potential for intense experimentation and a place in the centers of art exhibition and discussion." Anyone who sees quilts Crow has done will not deny this. By 1990 Crow's art quilts displaying "technical innovations [and] complex compositions [involving] inventive deconstructions and reconfigurations of historic quilt patterns melded with pattern and color relationships of Crow's own inventions" were attracting wider notice among quilters and in art circles for convincingly demonstrating the artist's belief about the potential of the medium. In recognition of this, this high-quality art book follows Crow's work from about 1990 to the present in bountifully-illustrated chapters covering a few years at a time. This format allows for the laying out of numerous of the art quilts while focusing on specific innovations and her creativity and growth in these most productive and creative years. This also gives space for Crow to regularly make comments on sources, techniques, and aims of particular quilts and ideas surrounding her art. A good, published poet--as an introductory poem by her evidences--Crow has much to say about self-knowledge and creativity. Crow's quilts with their dramatically-arranged, vivid geometric shapes have the presence of a work of art. Practically single-handed with the interest and encouragement of quilting enthusiasts, she has modernized quilt-making by changing it from a tradition-bound craft with limited artistic aspects to an art with reminiscences of its origins in American crafts.
Nancy Crow.......2007-02-05
This book is beautifully produced with narrative and images on each page, showing the inspiration and creation of work spanning several decades . A wonderful insight into the art of a noted quilter.
Book Description
Collected from knitting designers all over the world, the patterns in this guide will be a joy to create for any knitter. The lavish full-color illustrations and easy-to-follow instruction charts will make these traditional patterns an exciting addition to a lace knitter's repertoire. From beginner to advanced, the 34 projects contained include designs for sweaters, vests, shawls, scarves, gloves, and socks. With beautiful photographs of these unique patterns, this knitting book is perfect for those who love to knit lace and those who would love to learn.
Customer Reviews:
check for corrections to avoid frustration!.......2007-08-14
I've made several of the projects in this book, and I am looking forward to making more. It has beautiful patterns. But, I would have saved myself a lot of frustration and ripping out if I'd checked first for corrections to mistakes in the directions and charts before beginning my first project. All of the patterns I chose to make have had substantial mistakes in both charts and written instructions. A four page pdf of necessary fixes is available online, but I still lowered my rating of this book - the sheer number of mistakes is inexcusable for an expensive book produces by experience knitters. And they should have been corrected before reprinting - my copy is the fourth printing, still with the same mistakes.
a valuable reference .......2007-08-07
Meg Swansen has given new knitters of lace a useful and encouraging guide and reference. The smaller projects are especially welcome, a good way to learn a new approach to knitting without committing big bucks, many hours, and extensive effort. As a seasoned needlewoman, I feel qualified to say that small projects employ all the techniques one needs in big projects, so the big ones can be done better. Beautiful designs, instructions, and pictures. I am pleased to add this book to my library.
Beautiful knit lace for the Intermediate knitter.......2007-06-08
Rich in beautiful patterns with so many wonderful choices! I am knitting my fourth shawl from this book, having progressed from a "beginner" pattern to "advanced". Directions are pithy but complete so it helps if you have prior experience with charted patterns. Use lots of stitch markers and have a go. You will be creating wonderful heirloom pieces to be cherished by your children and grandchildren. My advice to anyone attempting lace knitting -- purchase good materials! Each garment is a labor of love and requires many hours to complete so you will want them to last. One of my favorite books!
Practical lace projects that I can use.......2007-05-04
I've already made a couple of the small items in the little laces section. The patterns are easy to figure out, with a good combination of written directions and charts. I got this at the same time as the Folk Shawls book by Cheryl Oberle. Both are good, but this one has many more items that aren't just shawls or scarves. It has socks, hats, a Real purse, some very cut gloves.
And, the photography is absolutely beautiful.
Wonderful, practical patterns.......2007-04-11
I almost didn't purchase this book, because I decided the Victorian Lace book was probably more of what I expected a book on lace to be. Then one of the anesthesiologists I work with said she had it and enjoyed it very much. I now have both this book by Meg Swansen and Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby and enjoy them both for different reasons.
Victorian Lace has some of the most magnificent lace shawls I've ever seen in my life, but that's all it features. Its variety comes from the uniqueness of its many lace designs and the gradual increase in their complexity from beginner to advanced level. It also discusses the Victorian period and its lace designers. These patterns are stunning, and their character suggests a "special occasion," lace made for a bride, for a new baby, for a new Mom, in short for significant events. Ms Sowerby's book provides patterns which are "lace" as most people probably think of it, very open, airy fabric.
Ms Swansen's book, on the other hand, while it presents shawls, features a far greater variety of pattern types. The author of the Gathering of Lace has included patterns for lace gloves (a cold weather type, not an "occasion" type), several very nice sweaters (including a tunic I really have to give a try) a delightful spring hat (which I also want to do) a tam, a clever sachet, a christening grown, and probably the nicest purse I've seen featured in knitting or crocheting books. (They all seem to have to have them these days, but they are not all created equal by any means.)
While the lace in Victorian Lace seems much more ethereal, most of the lace products in the Gathering of Lace, even the shawls, are more sturdy fabrics with a denser, less open character to their designs. They are lace by virtue of their technique, a lace technique--yarn-overs, slipped stiches, pass-overs, etc.--which creates openings in the overall knitted fabric. These are practical items, items intended to be used and enjoyed on a daily basis, not used once and kept carefully packed away and treasured.
The photos of both books were done by the same photographer and feature a similar venue, similar poses for the models, and similar displays of the lace, especially the shawls. The settings are gorgeous, and the choice of display enhances the lace incredibly well. If it was he who designed the format that the photo displays would have, he did a splendid job. Both books are visually appealing, nice even if even if you don't intend to make the lace, just enjoy the book.
Very nice. It would be difficult to decide between the two, which is probably why I have both. Those on a tighter book buying budget than I would probably do well to decide what they want from their lace work before they chose which of them to purchase.
Book Description
It’s no surprise that landscape themes are becoming so popular with quilters—people love nostalgic scenes of undulating furrows in a winter field, glorious sunsets, majestic mountain ranges, and peaceful seashores. That’s what this compendium of patterns offers, with examples from some of the world’s leading landscape quiltmakers. It comes with a veritable workshop on technique led by one of the craft’s best designers and instructors and a full range of styles from realism to abstraction, from ancestral sites to favorite vacation spots. The fully illustrated instructions and striking photos of finished projects include imaginative tips on mastering the rules of design (and breaking them properly) so that materials, textures, and stitches create just the right mood.
Customer Reviews:
An interesting take on landscapes.......2007-05-10
I am thoroughly enjoying this book. I have fresh insights on what can be done with a landscape (or portion threof) and seeing how one can abstract a landscape. Fascinating!
Landscape in Contemporary Quilts.......2007-01-10
An excellent book to use as an inspirational resource and a how-to book. The pictures are beutiful; instructions concise. Glad to have it in my library.
Landscape in Contemporary Quilts: Design & Technique.......2007-01-09
Excellent, but could be edited to about half its length.
Book Description
A unique, visually inspiring, all-color survey of designs and patterns for embroiderers.
Drawing on her extensive experience as a teacher and practitioner, Françoise Tellier-Loumagne has assembled a creative and inventive overview of stitches and fabrics, presenting hundreds of ways of embroidering with thread and other materials.
The author encourages readers—from the beginner to the more experienced practitioner—to be innovative and to experiment with the various techniques, drawing inspiration from the natural world and one's personal surroundings. Almost any material can be embellished with embroidery, and, with the aid of more than 500 photographs plus detailed diagrams and explanations, the book opens up endless possibilities for sophisticated designs. 500+ color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Gorgeous & Inspirational book.......2007-10-01
This book is filled with glorious photos and inspired stitches. Minimal "how-to" but I learned a new stitch right away that I can use on lots of my work. A book that would be treasured and looked at a lot over the years.
Inspiration from nature.......2007-08-24
This book stands utterly apart from most embroidery books.
You will find no patterns to trace off. Instead, the author encourages budding embroiderers to be more creative with their embroidery by developing their own concepts and designs culled from the world around us.
The book (a very thick book, mind you, loaded with photographs) contains an assortment of ideas from nature and the encouragement to translate your vision into fabric and embroidery. This includes lots from the natural world such as trapunto quilting to mimic the texture and color cauliflower, the color combinations of a moldy orange, and the unfurling of the petals on a red flower. It also includes the intersection of the natural and constructed world, such as the stripes of railroad tracks and grass growing between. How can we take these textures and colors from our world and apply them to cloth?
This book is so gorgeous, I can only absorb it in small doses.
Great Inspiration.......2007-07-29
I love this book and the inspiration I get from it. It is not what I expected, but I'm glad I have it.
Classroom between two covers.......2007-07-17
This is a fantastic book! I've taken several courses from Opus in London, and for 1/20th the cost of one class... this book taught me more than any of those classes due to Francoise's great pictures and comparisons of nature with all types of embroidery. It is a wonderful book for inspiration, although not a "how to" manual. You will not be disappointed.
Love It .......2007-06-08
Love it and adore it! Absolutely valuable to own it! This book is very inspirational and concept stimulating.
Book Description
Crochet just got chic.
From the runways of Paris to the sidewalks of small towns, crochet has emerged as a cool and sophisticated fashion trend.
And nothing is cooler than doing it yourself–quickly and easily. Inspired by vintage patterns, Doris Chan presents twenty fresh, fantastic designs for beginner and advanced crocheters alike. Chan’s designs brilliantly translate old-fashioned lace patterns into fun, funky attire by substituting bright, chunky yarns for delicate fibers and increasing gauge and hook sizes. The result is a lovely, intricate lace pattern that only looks like it was difficult to produce. And because almost all the patterns are designed to be crocheted from the top down seamlessly, there is little to no finishing, piecing, or sewing required.
If you’ve never tried to crochet before, Amazing Crochet Lace is a wonderful introduction to the charm and beauty of lace. And if you’re a pro, you’ll be thrilled with the lovely, fresh designs you can create with the skills you already possess.
Customer Reviews:
Easy & inspiring.......2007-08-13
I agree with the other reviewers who gush that this is the best crochet book they've bought in a while - same goes for me. Total pluses include the clear instructions and figures, the detailed multiple view photos, the inspired designs, and the authors' self deprecating outlook. I've finished the cover shawl and moved on to a second project within a week. As someone who's an occasional crocheter - off for a year or so and then back on - this speaks to how motivating and lucid this book really is (and not how obsessive compulsive I am, mind you.)
Note even the intermediate and experienced patterns could be tackled by a rookie with enough patience, the instructions are just that good.
Great crochet book.......2007-08-07
I can't wait to make all of the items in this book. I was looking for a simply shawl/shrug pattern and was not disappointed.
Amazing, indeed........2007-07-16
I love this book. I haven't tried any of the patterns yet, but there are so many patterns that I want to try. Usually, I find that crochet books have only a few patterns that I'd like to make, and that's it; this one has only a few that I wouldn't want to make (at least not for myself).
Chan's designs are so incredibly creative. They're not at all old-fashioned, and yet they incorporate old-fashioned lace designs, which I find fascinating. A definite plus for me is that she does not always use the most expensive yarns (one of the tops, for example, is made with Lion Incredible; another can be made using Patons yarn). With most other crochet books, I rarely find a pattern that I don't have to use a different yarn for (I do not like to buy yarn that's more expensive than what I'd spend on a store-bought sweater).
While I think it's nice that a lot of crochet designs will give you that "knit look," these are DEFINITELY crochet...and it's very nice and very refreshing to see that. While some may think they look like big, wearable doilies, my question is: why not?! I've never thought doilies were particularly useful, anyway--might as well turn them into something wearable and at least somewhat practical, not to mention beautiful.
cooool.......2007-06-27
This is one of those books - like Twinkle and like Loop d Loop Crochet - that is love it or hate it. I seriously doubt anyone conservative would like the majority of the designs in here. I must admit though that I'm surprised by the people who were disappointed, the book is exactly what I expected from the cover picture - which does in fact look like a blown up doily - and I'm surprised anyone expected any different. Also, there are so many sites where you can get a few pics of contents as a preview. ....
Taste differs - for anyone who's thinking about this book, I love what has been referrred to as the "oddlooking tank" and think it is incredibly hip.... probably the coolest thing in the book. Made it in a colinette ribbon and have been asked to sell it off my back. Which I won't.
Excellent Book!.......2007-06-09
I loved this book. It's not everyday that one can find a crochet book this good. Most great fiberwork books center on knitting. Crocheters are usually left with the same old boring patterns. This book upped the ante and is great for a master crocheter like me. I now have new challenges. Thanks so much!
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