Whenever I am in someone’s studio, I always check out what books are on their shelf. I can discover quite a bit about someone from seeing their book choices. What do my books say about me?
Here are a couple of my shelves of crafting books. I have them organized by type. There is knitting and spinning, mosaic with beading and jewelry making and other crafting, faux finishing, color, rug hooking, sewing and quilt making, decorating with antiques and artists work, and then gardening.
What makes a book one of my favorites? The answer is the styling. Here are a few of my favorites.
Intertwined is yarn eye candy. If you love spinning colorful yarn, this book will make you salivate. Funky and fun, I am embarrassed to say that the project that I really wanted to buy the book for were these simple felted shoelaces!
Ragworks has lovely colorful offbeat projects for the rug hooker. When I flip through the pages I get the sense that anything goes when creating a rug and I always get inspired by this freedom.
Scandinavian Stitches is such a happy book, filled with sweet projects to sew for your home. Tasteful colors and fabrics are featured in every project. Each page is full of sunshine. I have got to make a bushelfull of those angels.
All of Kaari’s books are beautiful, and her book Treasured Notions is superb. Every page is a work of art. If you love collage and found art crafting, this book will inspire you.
I am constantly updating my understanding of color. Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light And Color has great ideas about working with color. You don’t have to be an oil painter or even a painter at all to get something out of this book. I have applied my newfound knowledge of color especially to rug hooking and spinning.
What are some of your favorite books?
Thanks for stopping by ~ Karen
I love books in general and read a lot indeed. Anything about interior design or DIY projects, gardening and arraging flowers are a “must have” for me 🙂
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yes, i will have to do another post sometime on my decorating book section! yes, so inspiring and what i often turn to for a quick pick me up. thanks for your post.
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My favorite book right now is Knit Moro Accessories…talk about eye candy! The colors are near intoxicating…:-)
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That is Knit “Noro” Accessories
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i was checking it out online to see what other projects were in it and the tea cozy really won hands down as my favorite project. are there others that you are wanting to make?
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Hi, Karen – I LOVE your new blog!!! Thanks so much for sharing. I love books, too, and agree with you that styling and color are the first things to draw my attention to a potential new book acquisition.
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thanks for the comment, tammy. i want to have another book review about my decorating books.
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I always check out people’s bookshelves too. I think mine says I’m all over the map – I can’t decide if that makes me unfocused or a renaissance man.
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certainly not unfocused! we all want to be renaissance wo(men)! that is my aspiration!
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