Customer Reviews

Tapestry Crochet

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Carol Norton has given crochet enthusiasts a treasure in her book, Tapestry Crochet. While it deals with a technique that, at first, may seem daunting, by the end of the book, you find yourself saying, "Hey, I can do that!" Through her clear explanations, graphics, instructions and photo examples, Norton leaves no guess work in the patterns she provides. I have produced a large basket and a small bowl of my own design, which I used as a sample in process when teaching others. Through the information Norton has given, I feel confident enough to go on to bigger and more complex designs of my own. But before I do, I hope to make some of the wonderful projects she has provided in her book. I look forward to other crochet books from this talented designer in the future.

Carol Norton's book on Tapestry Crochet is the most innovative book on crochet that I have read in a long time. Carol introduces the reader to an interesting crochet technique while ancient in origin is timeless in its beauty. It is refreshing to find a credible author with an impressive background in what she is writing about. I found tapestry crochet especially appealing to me as an artist because of the design possibilities. This is definitely not just another how to crochet book.

Tapestry crochet is a firmly worked type of crochet. It is ideal for making sturdy objects such as vases, baskets,purses, and wall hangings. Carol Norton has written an interesting and easy to read book about this little-known type of crochet.There are detailed instructions on making many objects, from easy two color eyeglass cases and coin purses to more complicated multi-colored baskets, purses, and wall hangings. Also included are special graphs for charting your own designs, and a list of suppliers . If you love to crochet but have gotten tired of afghans, try this book. You will have plenty of new ideas for next year's christmas gifts.

Tapestry Crochet is an excellent book -- it clearly explains the technique to this unique form of crochet and teaches you how to design your own. The author gives many different patterns and ideas to get you started.

The graphed patterns are a bit difficult to view (the grayscale used is too light) -- but that's easily fixed by a pencil or pen. This is only a minor flaw in the book.

By reading the book, I almost feel like Dr. Carol is right beside me. Instructions are very very clear and easy to read. I recommend getting this book along with her new one More Tapestry Crochet.

(Review from my wife...)

When this book was in print its list price was around 25 dollars. However, now that it's out of print, its price varies a lot. I've seen anything from 30 to 250 dollars depending on new or used, etc. So go out and search the library sales and share with your friends (I'm not implying copying, just teaching). Carol Ventura is the name of the author now, and she has published new books on the subject so look her up. Looks like right now, in mid-2011, this is the hot new crochet technique. (Congrats!! Applause!)

This is a classic of a little known crochet technique (mentioned in books of the "needlework anthology" type, but not described well enough to learn there). It is similar to "jacquard" knitting but uses only a crochet hook. Some people find it easier to crochet than knit. You can teach yourself to do tapestry in rounds if you think about it hard enough (I did, even before I knew about the book), but this book is unique and brilliant in that it teaches you to be ambidexterous and do the technique flat. Therefore, it is also very relevant to left handed crafters.

The advanced level of the book is offset by the clear descriptions and instructions that avoid confusing abbreviations.

This is a great book for learning to do tapestry. It is very detailed instructions for left and right handers, with patterns, grafts and detailed instructions on designs. i love it, I have not bought an instruction book on line before, but i am glad I bought this one.

Tapestry crochet allows you to construct multi-colored crocheted textiles with complex patterns. It is probably one of the least expensive fiber media, requiring only a crochet hook and a couple of colors of some dense, durable yarn. Unlike regular crochet, it is stitched very tightly. That is, you use a smaller hook than you usually would for any given size of yarn. This allows you to carry unseen the unused thread colors in your pattern. Because of the tightness of the stitches, you can construct durable functional items such as baskets, mats, or bags; you can also make art tapestries. In Tapestry Crochet, author Carol Norton lays out very good instructions for doing both functional and fine art pieces in this medium.

Tapestry crochet is very popular in Central America, and it is used for the construction of the colorful Mayan handbags carried by the men of Guatemala. Ms. Norton has studied these bags and the crochet techniques of the region, having been a Peace Corps Volunteer there for many years in the late seventies. She has an eye for the beauty of Central American textiles, which is apparent to anyone who flips through the book, as many of the projects and sample photographs have a Latin American look.

Her instructions are excellent. She assumes you know nothing about crochet, and starts at the very beginning. Aside from how to work the stitches and how to work with more than one color, she covers shaping a piece, finishing off, and blocking. She teaches working flat and in a spiral, and discusses when to do one or the other. She has a very good section on designing your own patterns, and provides several pages of different graph papers that you can reproduce on a copy machine.

The projects in Tapestry Crochet include an eyeglass case, a change purse, a pillow, a shoulder bag, a clock face, three sizes of cylindrical baskets, a cylindrical shoulder bag, a shaped basket with a lid, and two wall-hangings.

Amazing book! There only appear to be three books on this topic in the world----and Carol wrote them all!

Basically it tells you to make very tight stiches using two strands of yarn, carrying the non-dominant color along the back.