Three quick reviews

Warm Knits, Cool Gifts by Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter

Genre: Knitting
ISBN: 9780307408730
Published: October 5th 2010 by Potter Craft
Rating: 4.5

Sally and Caddy share 35 of their inspiring family-friendly designs in this new pattern book filled with classic and colourful designs, expert technique tips and tricks and heart-warming personal stories. There are plenty of projects for everyone on every knitter's gift list: babies and children; husbands; and, of course women's garments and accessories. There are appropriate pieces for all occasions, from a hooded scarf to wear on winter walks to jumpers perfect for a cosy Christmas morning brunch. The beautiful photography, clear and encouraging instructions and diagrams and inspiring stories will make this another must-have knitting book for Sally and Caddy fans.

Great variety! there are kids clothing patterns and toys, sweaters and other patterns for men, feminine patterns, lace, scarves, coats, sweaters, Christmas ornaments and stockings, and nearly everything else you can think up. I love so many of these patterns and am so excited to make some of them.

Recommendation: The skill level ranges from second project for a beginner to advanced lace.

 

Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris
genre: Craft, humor
ISBN: 9780446557030
Published November 2nd 2010 by Grand Central Publishing
Rating: 4

America's most delightfully unconventional hostess and the bestselling author of I Like You delivers a new book that will forever change the world of crafting. According to Amy Sedaris, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, SIMPLE TIMES, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters.
You will discover how to make popular crafts, such as: crab-claw roach clips, tinfoil balls, and crepe-paper moccasins, and learn how to: get inspired (Spend time at a Renaissance Fair; Buy fruit, let it get old, and see what shapes it turns into); remember which kind of glue to use with which material (Tacky with Furry, Gummy with Gritty, Paste with Prickly, and always Gloppy with Sandy); create your own craft room and avoid the most common crafting accidents (sawdust fires, feather asphyxia, pine cone lodged in throat); and cook your own edible crafts, from a Crafty Candle Salad to Sugar Skulls, and many more recipes.
PLUS whole chapters full of more crafting ideas (Pompom Ringworms! Seashell Toilet Seat Covers!) that will inspire you to create your own hastily constructed obscure d'arts; and much, much more!

Sedaris' newest book is incredibly inspiring. This craft book really does not have many explicit instructions, more like pictures and just enough information to get you thinking. Most of the projects I could figure out myself just by looking at them, some I had to think about a little more and work through it in my head, and a few I knew I'd have to actually find a pattern somewhere or create one. It's definitely more an inspiration book than an instruction book—although there are some awesome looking recipes, and they do have specific instructions. The lack of clarity in instructions is the only reason I give it four stars and not five.

Also, Sedaris' humor is a lot like her brothers, David Sedaris. It's mature, and there are a few sections in the book I wouldn't want my younger sister to see. The book is almost more a humor book than a craft book—there is a lot of verbiage, but it's worth reading. Sedaris is hilarious in her own twisted slightly morbid way. 

Content/Recommendation: few photos of what looks like extremely painful morbid injuries, and a section with sex. Ages 18+

 

Recipes for a Beautiful Life by Julie Keye and Madaline Hall
Genre: spa/health, inspirational
Published November 17th 2009 by BookSurge Publishing
ISBN: 9781439249703
Rating: 3.5

Calling upon verses and Psalms from the Bible, these inspirational messages are framed by breathtaking color photography of nature's splendor, including sun-drenched deserts, white-capped mountains, and people of all ages and ethnicities. A charming addition to these messages is a sumptuous array of natural recipes for the enhancement of a woman's beauty and relaxation, using simple ingredients found in one's home. A life open to God and filled with the beauty around you, sharing it with those you love, and finding time to relax so that you can be the best you can be: these are the "Recipes for a Beautiful Life".

Some of the verses had photographs that didn't match very well, and a few of the verses were so out of context that the meaning was much different. Only about one fourth of the book was recipes, and I'd have liked to see an even distribution between photographs and recipes. Content-wise, there were plenty of them, but they weren't formatted very well so they didn't take up much space. It gave an uneven feel to the book. The recipes themselves were great, though.