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M. Poller's Profile
Customer Reviews: 187
New Reviewer Rank: 406
Classic Reviewer Rank: 1,325
Helpful Votes:
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Reviews Written by
M. Poller (Israel)
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another excellent ami book, November 1, 2009
I liked her first book very much. This one has more critters to add to my collection. The ones I think I'll make first are the robots and the turtle. I'm diappointed there aren't more animals as I don't care to make cakes and things. One good pointer here is that the author is a tight crocheter and you really need to get your gauge tight so the filling doesn't show. Recommended.
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very satisfied, November 1, 2009
Somehow I missed this one but browsing one day on Amazon, I read all the 5 star reviews so ordered it. I have her earlier book. This one is much better for me. In the first one a lot of the necklines were very high up for someone with a long neck but here that problem almost doesn't come up. Also, I am pleased with her yarn choices because they are established American yarns that are easy to find or to find substutes for and also many of them use cotton. Her patterns are designed so they are not sloppy but well fitting classic items which will be always timely. This is especially nice for someone living in a warmer climate.My two favorites are both on the back cover: arrowhead lace and chain and double cable. You can order this one sight unseen and you won't go wrong.
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excellent collection, October 22, 2009
Even though I was able to find this book for free (illeglally on internet) I'm really happy I bought it. As others have rightfully said, a weak point is that the photos are all gathered together instead of being each alone with the pattern. Also, the size of the square is not given. But there are some really interesting squares (not all are square actually) and there are many well known people who contributed them. The price is right too. For granny lovers this is highly recommended.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
good choice for grannies, October 22, 2009
I enjoy making grannies. They use up yarns and go quickly and are not boring as each one is different. The authors here are very experienced and are known for high quality books and this doesn't disappoint. My own hesitation was that there are only 50 squares and it works out to about 3 times the price of the one for 99 squares which was published in 1998 and still in print here. So if you're looking for something cheaper, this isn't the book. But each square has its own page next to the instructions and the photo in color is large and pretty. Also, there are 4 people who contributed to the book and most of the squares look fairly similar and not all that unusual. Also, the size of the finished square is given and they vary from about 6" to 12" and this is a very useful thing to have. So for anyone like myself who just loves grannies, this book is recommended.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
one of the best, October 22, 2009
The book is mainly Norwegian knitting but yarns used are also the fairisle yarns and certainly some of her patterns are fairisle although not perhaps strictly so as she will use more than 2 colors in a row at times. As a longtime steeker, I will probably just do it my own way but she does have a lot of useful information for the new knitter or as a refresher. I really liked the adult sweaters and vests. I wouldn't bother doing the children's items or the bags. Most of the yarns are in the fingering weight to the dk weight. Most of her color choices are interesting as in the zebra sweater in black and white but with a brilliant touch of pink for contrast. Some of the sweaters are pretty time consuming but definitely I rank this book very highly along with the best of the fairisle and Norwegian books. It would be pretty easy also to substitute yarns as long as they get the gauge called for. There's a lot of material here to read and ponder and I felt the author really put herself into this one. This is not one of those quickie books that are coming out these days so it's in the category of best knitting books. Definitely recommended to anyone interested in this type of knitting.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
great for all levels of beading, October 22, 2009
What a pleasant surprise to receive this book! I had to go immediately and buy the 1.5mm small cube beads from Toho which are used here. All the main stitches are explained, but the author says she prefers the St. Petersburg stitch with this bead and she has lots of variations some of her own. There are necklaces, bracelets, rings, pendants, and earrings. The explanations are very good and the author writes well and in a very friendly way which I like. She says the book is geared to beginners to intermediate beaders and that sounds about right but it's also good for anyone wanting to use these particular beads as a jumping off point for exploration. The book seems well produced with good photos and also an index. Recommended.
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
would love to return this, October 22, 2009
I bought the book sight unseen going by the earlier book years ago which was very useful for knitting small hats and things. This book is mainly for spinners as there are no commercial yarns. Only gauge and needle sizes are given. One pattern by the editor herself is very poor as she has done it for a particular child and it wouldn't fit most of them so she just suggests to go and design your own and reading that, I felt it should at least have been left out. There are 3 nice scarves or shawls, one by Nancy Bush and also a pair of entrelac socks that I would enjoy making. Frankly, I didn't care for the other things like baby soakers and one baby hoodie in which the baby looked like he was choking from the zipper behind his head. There are good charts where needed and the photos are lovely. A spinner might find this book very useful but as a knitter, it's just not for me.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
good collection, October 5, 2009
Mittens for the family, very pretty open cardi stitch, small shawl in chains. pendant crocheted on plastic ring, hairpin lace bowl in wire, baby hat and booties, willow hat with grannies, washcloths, lace shrug, neckwarmer, socks, flower choker in thread, hexagonal motif bag in hemp, small balls for baby, squared hat, felted, beaded bag, floral coasters, wrap or scarf, drawstring bag, granny square kid's blanket on cover, thread bracelets, lace wristers, robe for new mommy, chain scarf, motif as a rug in bulky yarn. Most of the projects are quick to make and several are quite interesting such as the Willow hat, small shawl, pendant on ring, baby hat, lace shrug, wrap or acarf and cover blanket. But some of the others might be just what I want so this is a useful book to purchase. the patterns are written out and also some are charted and the photos are good too. Book likes flat although spiral binding could have helped.Also some well known new designers here. very nice item.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Beautiful flower embroidery, September 14, 2009
First section covers materials and equipment. Techniques and tips and a stitch glossary. This is well illustrated and especially good on long and short stitch. The next section explains how to embroider some of the background motifs. Then come a few pages explaining how to work some motifs step by step before getting into the patterns. The largest part of the book is on the 17 projects which are grouped into level of difficulty. There are 7 beginner level, 5 intermediate and 5 advanced level. Each project has a color picture in the full size, followed by the design which can be traced, list of threads, another diagram with stitch directions, another color illustraion with numbers which lead to the colors and stitches and finally a long section called method with very detailed working instructions. That is really more than enough to succeed. My only problem is that I need to enlarge each project but again, she also explains that too. So t his is a very complete thorough guide to crewel flower embroidery and I have never seen such completeness in a crewel book before. If you do flower embroidery and/or crewel embroidery, don't miss this book.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
great for beginners, September 14, 2009
I'm a beginner. This book just told me to buy it. It's 4 authors in one and each one has a different slant on the subject. In addition the pictures are terrific and very helpful. The first book is "Starting to paint" which covers materials, techniques, elements of a painting, etc. "From sketch to painting" is the second book starting with materials, how to sketch, using sketchbooks, sketching skills, photographs, themes. Third b ook is " Perspective, depth and distance" beginning with materials, drawing and sketching, using color, linear persective, aerial perspective, and various scenes. "Mood and atmosphere" begins with materials and then colour mixing, capturing the mood, techniques, and various types of landscapes. The book is heavy weighing in at 2 pounds. There's a lot of good ideas here and illustrations that can be used by the beginner. Book ends with biographical material and an index. Good buy.
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(Israel)
