Colourful inspiration for all levels of ability

Certainly a book full of inspiration with good, clear instructions and photographs of different stages of flower construction. For the beginner, a good book to progress through from the easier flowers to the more complex. For the experienced, a good reference for new ways of making old favourites and some extra flowers not seen in other publications. Some of the cutters are difficult to get hold of though as they have been made specifically for the author and there are some designs which I felt were easier to do with methods in other books (eg. carnations). Overall, a good source of ideas and a different approach that will no doubt stir the imagination of cake decorators everywhere.

Absolutely fantastic!

This is my absolute number one favourite bead book ever. The pieces here are so beautiful they take your breath away. At first glance, you expect such intricate, delicate things to be really difficult, but they're not: I was using this book pretty much from being a beginner.

Most of the pieces here are jewellery (necklaces, bracelets, rings, cell phone straps, glasses cords), but the designs are flexible and more experienced beaders will find inspiration to adapt them on every page. The instructions are very thorough, and the section at the end on findings and finishing was very useful.

I just can't wait for book 2 to come out!

Nicky Epsteins Knitted Flowers

Amazing selection of knitted flowers.Plenty of room for creativity as there is a wide selection of wonderful flowers using plenty of interesting yarns.The yarns are from other countries but will easily be substituted with growing number of yarns being produced in the uk. The extra patterns included show of the knitted masterpieces wonderfully and include cushion,bag,wrap,ponchette and hat.There are 5 chapters covering stitch pattern flowers/petal constructed flowers/cord flowers/felted stitch pattern flowers/felted cut flowers.I have been knitting for over 40 years and this is the book I have been waiting for.Only one critisism I wish we could be shown a little preview of the contents of books as other sites do as this publication is just too beautiful for words.Only personal drawback for me there is not enough spare hours in a day to complete all the projects.

Excellent technical reference book for pop-ups!

Does exactly what it says on the tin! This book is entitled 'Paper Engineering for pop-up books and cards' and this is exactly what this book is all about. If you've ever wondered how those clever pop-up books and cards work, then this is the book for you! In the past, I have always had to re-engineer cards and books I have purchased in order to understand the mechanism behind the magic. Mark Hiner's book unveils these mysteries for you. This book is not a picture book but a 'how to do it' book. The book starts off by stating its purpose and then very briefly covers a bit of the history of 'pop-up'. It is clearly laid out and well organised with explanatory diagrams and notes. Ten mechanisms are discussed and card templates provided for all of them. The idea being that you use these templates to produce actual working models of each mechanism and store them inside the book for future reference. This way you get valuable 'hands on' experience and success is virtually guaranteed!

For each mechanism, Mark Hiner discusses the technical considerations, what could go wrong and the 'do's and don'ts'. This is extremely useful and is almost as good as having Mark sat at the side of you. Mark also suggests possible uses for each mechanism which is a great help to those of us that are somewhat creatively challenged! I can thoughly recommend this book, my only grouse and it is an entirely personal one, is the format, which is landscape and I find this difficult to accomodate on my bookshelves without it looking untidy.

Simply Baby: 20 Special Handknits for Baby's First Two Years

Wonderful modern easy stylish designs ! Want to knit them all!<br />and probably will!<br />Great that the designs come in sizes from 0-3 months to 2 years <br />Excellent book well worth buying. <br /><br />

Great Little Book

A wonderful book with clear instructions them have helped me sort out a few of my crochet problems. The projects are good as well and are great for the beginer. I would highly recommend this book. A good price as well.

Not so complete

Despite claiming to be"A Complete Course" and stating"This book assumes no previous experience", this book is somewhat lacking in basic detail for the beginner. Emphasis is placed more on learning through practical experience in the form of twelve projects rather than providing the reader with even some pretty important background detail. The projects are adequately explained and liberally sprinkled with photographs, but again lack some of the finer detail that would benefit the novice lathe user.

a good book

this book is very good if you want to start in floristry,it's very easy to understand and work from and to learn in your own house,be for you go to college.i followed this book when i did my sisters wedding which turn out excellent.enjoy reading and learning.

Helpful for the Cakemaker

"Sugarcraft" is a book which will inspire you to try out new ideas in your cake-making. I especially enjoyed the section on making marzipan figures and chocolate objects, including eggs.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in doing something different with sugar!

A useful book, but appallingly written

Sadly, this is probably the best book if you have a new milling machine and no experience. But I say sadly because it's so badly written it's really difficult to follow. The contents page and the author's remarks set out a sensible sounding plan: take the reader through several simple projects to learn by doing. But the author gets diverted into the technique-specific lectures he says he's going to avoid (which ruins the flow of both the projects and the technique instruction). <br /><br />And the prose seems to have been copied from one of those manuals supplied by Chinese machine-tool manufacturers who don't really know English. Try this, the very first sentence in the book:"Using the milling machine does not include the range of operations that are available when using the centre lathe as the machining process varies little from task to task." OR this:"The reason for this is that a cut starts at full depth and reduces to zero whilst in reverse the opposite is true ...". Lastly, on the important subject of Climb Milling (or not), it is wholly unclear whether he is recommending it or warning against it. Since this is something very basic for a new mill operator, that's a serious criticism.

Great Fun

I love this little book and have noticed there is another one in the Egyptian series. :-)<br /><br />It's great fun for adults and children alike. I actually bought this for making my own stationary, and I've had fun doing it.<br />

The Best Craft Book I've Bought To Date

This is the best"craft" book I've bought to date. It's inspirational, and encourages you to have a go. In less than two weeks, I've made 3 monsters and have one on the way. Some monsters have templates, some don't which initially I was aggreived by, as you have to make your own template. But then I realised that's the whole point, that you're not slavishly copying someone else's idea, and you're forced into being creative and confident in your own ideas. Brilliant fun.

A Beginners Answer

I have never crocheted before but wanted to give it a go. This is the first book that I've found that answers all of the questions, like what type of yarn do I use. What crochet hook do I use. What is the difference between American and UK termology and the list goes on. This book covers all the areas you need it to and covers crocheting from the very beginning (i.e how to hold the hook, and how to get the first stitch on the hook). I highly recommmend any beginners to get this book.

If you only buy one book this is it.

A fantastic book for anyone who is interested in floristery. Full of pictures and instructions, beautifully laid out.
A brilliant buy and a must have.

Lovely book just don't also buy it as well as Sew-it Kit by Amy Butler

LOvely book with beautiful photos. Just don't bother buying this AND <br />Sew-it Kit by Amy Butler as most of the projects in the Sew-it kit are also in the book.<br />A range of project ideas although can't see me making them all just because I don't need fabric embellished towels or a laundry bag etc.<br />Beautiful Butler fabric.

Wasn't my cuppa tea...

I have recently developed a love of knitting and love the idea of old fashioned tea parties with lovely knitted tea cozies, homemade cakes etc etc.<br /><br />I borrowed this book with the intention on making a few tea cozies for myself and my family and friends. Sadly it didn't really cater for my creative needs (although if you like simple yet cosy designs that remind you of the countryside you're in for a treat). <br /><br />I was looking for something a bit more glam-knitted flowers, frills, ribbions and lace-but didn't find it in this book.<br /><br />If all you want is a book with some simple designs (nothing too glam or quirky) this is for you. If like me you have visions of pink, frilly girlie tea cozies you imagine your Nan may have used during her lifetime this isn't the book for you.