Now that the outdoor summer fun is nearing the end and weather is more conducive to indoor activities, those who enjoy doing crafts might consider an early start for personalized Christmas presents.
When looking for something to write about for this column, I started perusing our “new books” shelves and found these beautiful craft books with glossy covers just waiting to be borrowed. Your handcrafted gifts may be the first made from these books in the Tri-Cities and one-of-a –kind under the Christmas tree.
These books are reminiscent of the types of requests we often received at our reference desks during the golden age of crafts in the 1970s. The following four books brought back nostalgic memories of when we crocheted and knitted granny squares, curtains, blankets, bags, belts, etc. on the bus, on the beach, at barbecues, everywhere.
Learn to Crochet by Nicki Trench has some delightful and easy patterns for small projects: cute jelly pot covers (you could make the jelly or jam and knit a pretty cover for the jar), mug warmers, cafetiere cozy and fingerless gloves are just some useful and attractive projects in this book.
Crocheted Animal Hats, another new publication by Trench, has 35 patterns for super simple and fun hats for babies, kids and the young at heart.
Fellow crochet maven Margaret Hubert’s The Granny Square Book has timeless techniques and amazing patterns for crocheting squares that are then stitched into clothing articles such as shawls, shells, vests, sweater sets of babies, beach cover-ups, etc.
As well, 40 Colorful Afghans to Crochet by Leonie Morgan is a collection of eye-popping stitch patterns for blankets — the bright colours themselves would ward off the chill and provide warmth during the cold months of winter.
Five new exquisite books of techniques on various types of jewellery making, another retro-craze that is still very popular today, were sitting alongside the crochet books: Fashion Jewelry: A Beginner’s Guide to Jewelry Making by Courtney Legenhausen; Wire Jewelry: Beaded and Beautiful by Irina Miech; Beautiful Beadweaving: Simply Gorgeous Jewelry by Isabella Lam; How to Make Resin Jewellery with Over 50 Inspirational Step-by-step Products by Sara Naumann; and Soutache: How to Make Beautiful Braid-and-bead Embroidered Jewellery and Accessories by Donatella Cotti. These and the books on crochet would also be of interest to millennials and anyone else who enjoys making crafts and wants to economize during the holiday season.
There seems to be something for everyone on our “new books” shelves. Crafting for Cat Ladies by Kat Roberts has 35 purr-fect feline projects; The Exquisite Book of Paper Flower Transformations: Playing with Size, Shape and Color to Create Spectacular Paper Arrangements by Livia Cetti; Mom Crafts: DIY Crafts for the Expectant Mom by Lark Crafts; and Heirloom Wood: A Modern Guide to Carving Spoons, Bowls, Boards and other Homewares by Max Bainbridge.
It’s good to get these books now while they are on our new books shelves and before they become hidden in the stacks among older craft books. These and other books on crafts can be found at all the Tri-Cities libraries.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Teresa Rehman works at Coquitlam Public Library.
