Best Craft & Hobby Reference
Choose the proper tools and set up your workbench Ensure personal safety and use proper eye and ear protection Understand how electrical components work and why they fail Perform preliminary diagnoses based on symptoms Use test equipment, including digital multimeters, ESR meters, frequency counters, and oscilloscopes. His involvement in ham radio led to his writing career, first with articles for ham radio magazines, and then with general technology features in Electronic Engineering Times, Desktop Engineering, IEEE Spectrum, and The Envisioneering Newsletter. Along with building and repairing electronic circuitry, he enjoys table tennis, restoring antique mopeds, ice skating, bicycling, and banging out a jazz tune on his harpsichord.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I NEVER thought of circuits this way and the author was able to explain that the active elements are the players in the story and everything else is a supporting cast. Bottom line, this is the book that I couldn't put down...and it is about some of the driest material you can find. I cannot recommend this book enough and I would pay triple just for the section where the author walks through a couple sample circuits, describes each component's function, and what would happen if that component failed."
"Well written and organized."
"Read it slowly and use it as a reference."
"B&W pictures of some of the older devices are understandable but most of the pictures could've easily been replaced with new coloured ones."
"Needed so to learn more about plc.."
"Good book that gives some insight to those new to troubleshooting."
"the Item Excellent and the seller is good thank you."
"Informative!"
The book is a primer on making kief, water hash, tinctures, topicals, edibles, and other extracts from cannabis leaves, trim, and bud bits, and it goes on to explore and simplify the more exotic and trendy marijuana-infused products, such as butane hash oil (BHO), shatter, wax, and budder. "The world of cannabis concentrates is expanding, and if you have any interest in exploring this new frontier, we've got a reading recommendation for you.... [ Beyond Buds ] treads where no book has tread before. " Beyond Buds is the most functional book you will buy this year.... Ed gives comprehensive treatment to what are often complex and difficult methods and concepts, but presents them in a way useful for everyone, from the novice to the expert.... There is a smokeless cannabis revolution upon us, and Ed Rosenthal’s Beyond Buds is the handbook. OC WEED REVIEW. "Every time a new chapter opens in the story of cannabis, Ed Rosenthal will have scouted ahead and written a guide for those of us following along. The beautiful photography throughout the book continues another of Ed’s traditions.... Don’t wander around lost in our re-legalized future when a guide book this good is right at hand. Praise for the previous edition: "Ed shows the reader how to produce high-grade pot products from a bag full of leaves and trim.... As with all of Ed's books, the instructions are clear and concise.... Ed's book provides an excellent guide for anyone wondering what to do with their extra trim! "This has got to be one of Ed's better books... [I]t's easy to read, has some great information, and tells you what you really need to know.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book was easy to read and follow...clear instructions very intriguing."
"a few usable bits of information not as in depth as i was hoping for but for the price a worthwhile book."
"The how to's are all based upon the products listed in the book, so if you have no interest in using the products in the book then the How to demonstrations may not help you out."
"A lot of good info, but can be repetitive."
"This book is amazing tells you lots of great stuff not just about one thing but numerous things and really screws you to the game and is somewhat new so very helpful I give it three stars only because it's kind of hard to understand in some places but other than that it's an amazing book definitely recommend it."
"Greatly informative, still taking it in."
"“Beyond Buds” has been copyedited and laid out by people who know what they’re doing, but it needed a strong content editor, someone who knows what they’re doing when checking the layout, and a less commercial (less greedy) approach. As an editor, my job is to make sure the author has delivered the content to the reader in a clear, accurate, and valuable manner. The sections of this book that are most helpful are on topics that address the traditional methods such as making kief, cannabutter, edibles, caps, and tinctures. This is akin to a chef writing a cookbook without divulging all the necessary information (special ingredients, techniques, cooking temperatures, pressures, detailed instructions, and important tips). The authors/publisher is more concerned with getting the production and printing costs covered than with producing a book that will benefit the readers. Books, on the other hand, should deliver good content that has longevity, which makes for happy and satisfied readers."
Explore warp-face patterning, weft-pile weaving, weaving with fine threads, woven shibori, shadow weave, and the textural effects you can create with different yarns and with wire and conductive thread. "An inspiring and comprehensive resource that holds the hands of beginners and challenges advanced rigid-heddle weavers with a broad range of techniques." Crafters will be thrilled by the possibilities: satisfying tapestry and transparency projects, bead weaving and e-textiles, and dramatic effects using simple finger-manipulated techniques. Syne Mitchell's essential guide explores the full capabilities of these tabletop looms, covering all the basics and offering an amazing array of projects.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you want clear direction direction on how to warp, common weaving problems, explanation of terms, how to calculate what you will need for a project and how to make your weaving look professional and interesting this is a great place to start."
"Concise, cohesive, and packed full of knowledge, this book will get you to not only find your rigid heddle loom but also to explore and use it to its fullest."
"I think this book appears to be the perfect first weaving book for anyone with a rigid heddle loom."
"Such a helpful and informative book with tons of step by step instructions for dozens of great projects!"
"This is the best weaving book!"
"An in-depth treasury of easy to follow techniques."
Best Textile & Costume
From basics to expert, it's two books in one, an efficient sewing machine guide and in-depth reference book that can stay with you for years to come. Both home machines and industrial machines are covered with sections dedicated to modern machines and vintage machines. From straight stitch machines to electronic machines over 100 of the most popular home and industrial machines are featured with insights on capabilities for each type of machine.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book covers a lot, before this book we had to use 4 books to get the same information and the other books were expensive. If you want a more basic book the same author also has another book called the Sewing Machine Quick Guide that we have also been using for our basic sewing class. The beginning chapters of both books are similar but the Master Guide has advanced chapters and goes into greater detail, also Quick Guide does not cover industrial machines. The book covers both modern and vintage machines, the other books we found are outdated. The chapters on quilting machines and embroidery machines are a good introduction to these types of machines and give the fundamentals and cover some of the more popular models."
"The most popular sewing machine then was the 15-91 which she bought as soon as sewing machines could be manufactured after WWII."
"This book is very helpful in giving some ideas about what kind of sewing machine to buy."
"But now that's a matter of making space and time for it, verses matter of intimidation (which understanding just how the stuff works has eliminated)."
"I dont know anything about sewing machines and the subject is not well known and not written a lot."
"Gives great information on adjustments you can make yourself instead of taking in for repairs."
"I was considering buying a Singer 404...I read the review of this machine in the book, and bought the machine THE NEXT DAY."
"After not sewing for over 20 years, I've started again after purchasing a vintage Singer Machine model 66-k."
Best Weaving
Explore warp-face patterning, weft-pile weaving, weaving with fine threads, woven shibori, shadow weave, and the textural effects you can create with different yarns and with wire and conductive thread. "An inspiring and comprehensive resource that holds the hands of beginners and challenges advanced rigid-heddle weavers with a broad range of techniques." Crafters will be thrilled by the possibilities: satisfying tapestry and transparency projects, bead weaving and e-textiles, and dramatic effects using simple finger-manipulated techniques. Syne Mitchell's essential guide explores the full capabilities of these tabletop looms, covering all the basics and offering an amazing array of projects.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you want clear direction direction on how to warp, common weaving problems, explanation of terms, how to calculate what you will need for a project and how to make your weaving look professional and interesting this is a great place to start."
"Concise, cohesive, and packed full of knowledge, this book will get you to not only find your rigid heddle loom but also to explore and use it to its fullest."
"I think this book appears to be the perfect first weaving book for anyone with a rigid heddle loom."
"Such a helpful and informative book with tons of step by step instructions for dozens of great projects!"
"This is the best weaving book!"
"An in-depth treasury of easy to follow techniques."
Best Craft & Hobby Models
The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 Idea Book explores dozens of creative ways to build amazing mechanisms with the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set. "Minimalistic but highly informative...encouraging young engineers to apply problem solving and creativity to the endless combinations of mechanics."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"So many interesting gears and mechanisms I would have never thought of on my own."
"Best book ever for my son!"
"Lego is wonderful, my son learns how to program using this toy!"
"I feel I have three years worth the projects for my LEGO Robotics Clubs/Teams to explore."
"I bought it for my daughter and she loves it."
Best Craft & Hobby Stenciling
With illustrated step-by-step instructions, The Big Awesome Book of Hand & Chalk Lettering shows the complete beginner how to master the art of hand lettering, the composition/design of phrases on the page, and flourishes to embellish the design. The Big Awesome Book of Hand & Chalk Lettering covers 15 lettering styles-from Black Letter and "melting" to circus and Victorian, as well as serifs and scripts-along with numerous borders, corners, banners, bursts, frames and other accents. Dina Rodriguez is a freelance hand lettering artist.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have purchased several hand lettering guides and this one is definitely a great addition to my collection."
"and that's it - there are tons of tips and guides to go through each alphabet step by step."
"I found this book so inspirational!"
"Nice, big book perfectly full of beautiful examples and how-to's."
"Simple and direct instructions, A+."
"I'm enjoying the book very much!"
"The book !"
Best Craft & Hobby Mobiles
Some creative ideas for your lanterns: You can have some creative fun by thinking up some further ideas such as: 1.Hanging one lantern inside a larger one. 4.Making the lantern into a permanent shape by placing a folded cylinder of contrasting coloured paper inside the lantern and gluing at the top and bottom.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is wonderful, is so easy do the paper lanterns because the explication is perfect."
"it was ok but i guess i wanted more than it offered."
Best Craft & Hobby Painting
This beautifully illustrated and inspiring guided watercolor-a-day book is perfect for beginning watercolor artists, artists who want to improve their watercolor skills, and visual creatives. “To the outside observer, Jenna Rainey’s work seems completely effortless, but it is in fact built on an extremely solid foundation of techniques, materials, and color theory.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In EVERYDAY WATERCOLOR: LEARN TO PAINT WATERCOLOR IN 30 DAYS, author Jenna Rainey gives us a step-by-step approach to learning how to paint. By Day Thirty, we are finalizing our “Jungle Piece.”. So all in all, I found EVERYDAY WATERCOLOR to be an outstanding book. All it takes is practice, a lot of passion, dedication, and most importantly, patience.”. The author concludes the book with this encouragement: “Keep painting and dedicating this practice to yourself as an artist and creative individual.” I appreciate the author’s helpfulness, and warm encouragement."
"In this technique, you paint in the darkest part, then use clean water to wet the lighter areas, and a final stroke joins the two to create a bleed of the dark into the wet areas. In the lessons, you learn how to paint various leaves, flowers (roses, paradise flower), plants (trees, cacti), fruit (papaya, dragon fruit), animals (chickens, hummingbird, toucan, elephant, macaw), and several landscape or collage-like paintings using these objects. She frequently urged "add lots of water," leaving it mostly up to the reader to figure out how to keep the paint from escaping the desired bounds."
"However, what I found more important is that it doesn’t only teach but also entices you to start practicing: – It gives a defined time frame “30 days of watercolors”, so you can see the goal. – The example images are not intimidating and portrait only what you are supposed to learn (not astonishing pieces that obviously required more knowledge than what they teach and you go “no way I can do something like that” and give up). It doesn’t focus on making you achieve a specific stylized design, but if you want to build solid foundations in watercolor and go beyond the examples provided, then go for it!."
Best Craft Framing
Kistler, a leading framing expert and author of numerous books and articles on the subject, teaches the do-it-yourselfer to frame like a pro. Vivian is the author of numerous books and videos, including the seven-volume Library of Professional Picture Framing. Her monthly articles appear in Art World News, Picture Framing Magazine and Profile magazine.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"While the author of this work sadly passed away a few years ago, the book is not in the least outdated and is as clear and as comprehensive as one could possibly wish."
"I don't know if you could call this the definitive framing publication, but it's a pretty good starter for beginners, such as myself, and should enthuse you to delve deeper into the creation of your own frames."
"Good, easy to read and use guide on framing."
"I joined a local art gallery recently and found that if I sent my photos to be framed I might as well just give the products away."
"A lot of info with great pictures to help you see what is going on."
"If you have framing experience, this book won't tell you much you don't already know."
"A great overview of framing."
"I absolutely love this Guide."
Best Hobby Miniatures
He takes the reader step-by-step through the whole process, from choice of materials (unlike other available guides it is not linked to any specific figure manufacturer) and preparation of the miniatures to basing and even advice on photographing the finished item. "... recommend this book to anyone who has maybe tried to paint wargaming figures in the past or is contemplating creating an army in order to play these types of games.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book will help you learn how to paint figures in a loose style that will be adequate for tabletop gaming."
"A fun guide, this book offers advice on painting a variety of model scales in different depths of detail."
"WARGAMERS BEWARE!"
"Lots of step by step examples."
"A wonderful guide both for novice painters and well as experienced figure painters."
"Very informative for both novice and more experienced figure painters."
"A great book for the wargamng miniature painting novice as well as veteran."
"Just a peach of a good book on painting model figures...I do not hesitate to say it is the best one I've seen."
Best Hobby Model Trains
This book provides ideas for the model railroad enthusiast to develop automated signal projects. The first book is titled Arduino Heat Transfer Science Fair Projects and the second book is titled Arduino Force Pressure and Acceleration Science Fair Projects.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After having issues with the first project, the author assisted me and I am happy to upgrade my review to 5 stars."
"Note I'm not a model railroad person, I wanted to see yet another application of Arduino technology."
"I liked the arduino model rr specific discussion and coding suggestions but was hoping for a bit more depth and other applications."
"Great book!"
"Somewhat simplistic and not very comprehensive in scope."
"This book is a really good reference for arduino and how you can use it for model railroading."
Best Jewelry Craft
Masterfully weaving together pop science and history, Stoned breaks history into three categories—Want, Take, and Have—and explains what the diamond on your finger has to do with the GI Bill, why green-tinted jewelry has been exalted by so many cultures, why the glass beads that bought Manhattan for the Dutch were initially considered a fair trade, and how the French Revolution started over a coveted necklace. “Raden’s commentary on the often ugly side of human desire through the ages is consistently captivating, and her witty delivery makes the material shine.” (Publishers Weekly). What makes a stone a jewel? In this brilliant account of how eight jewels shaped the course of history, jeweler and scientist Aja Raden tells an original and often startling story about our unshakeable addiction to beauty and the darker side of human desire. With sharp wit and a light touch, Raden weaves together history, science, and economics to explore our enduring love affair with beautiful things, and shows us that just like their glittering surfaces, jewels have a singular power to reflect our desires back to us and show us who we really are.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I picked up Aja Raden's Stoned expecting a history of jewelry and was pleasantly surprised to find an in-depth social history of how human perceptions of value, desire and innovation have shaped the modern world. She starts with the beads that bought Manhattan (and in doing so makes a compelling case that it might not have been quite the con we think of it today) and ends with the wristwatch and its role in making modern warfare, aviation, navigation and personal private time possible."
"Personally, I rarely read non fiction books for the simple fact that they aren’t usually very captivating."
"This book started off snarky but interesting and ended up being educational and funny and I enjoyed it a lot."
"I am still reading the book."
"Many of the stories Ms. Arden tells were familiar to me but to read them from from her perspective and with her research gave the stories new meaning and proved to be a delightful read."
"This book has a lot more general world history than I expected."
"Not as informative as I had hoped."
"In depth research on several popular stones."
Best Pottery & Ceramic Craft
"Millefiori" means, one thousand flowers", this technique is used in Venetian glass work, and can be applied to polymer clay. In this book you will learn how to use your cane slices and designed clay sheets to make beautiful beaded jewelry, cover glass objects, and create a variety of home decorations.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I liked that this book gave clear instructions on the basic cane designs and that each cane built upon the previous one (s)."
"This is a small book with compact, with very clear and basic information."
"This is a great instructional book."
"this is exactly what i was looking for--straight, simple easy to follow instructions with many photos."
"Nicely written, very good instructions & photo's."
"I wish there were more stars to give this book."
"This book teaches you how to make a *cane* with a flower inside. it's a good reference book, and it has some good ideas, but I wished I had in paperback edition."
"Excellent reference & great instructions for the intermediate polymer clay artist."
Best Puppets & Puppetry Crafting
Crochet is also an art for more experienced crocheters to allow their skills to flourish by mastering some new stitches. With “Crochet Books: 30 Crochet Patterns In 30 Days With The Ultimate Crochet Guide”, you'll be able to whip up fun new gifts, surprises, accessories, and everything in between in practically no time at all. ~"Anna really put together some great crochet patterns. ~"I'm so happy I made this my first of many crochet books". < tags: crochet patterns on kindle free, crochet patterns, crochet books, crochet for beginners, crocheting, crochet magazine, crochet afghans, free crochet pattern books for kindle, crochet stitches, crochet free kindle books, crochet baby, knitting, sewing, Crochet baby blanket patterns, Crochet baby patterns, Crochet baby booties, Crochet baby blankets, Crochet baby clothes, Crochet baby afghans, Crochet baby beanies, Crochet baby dress patterns, Crochet baby booties patterns, Crochet baby bibs. First, I'd like to say my mother taught me so many of the skills I have today and every book I publish is in memory of her. Throughout the year you may find us traveling along the east coast due in large part to my children being home schooled.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Easy to follow directions with pictures when needed."
"Great variety of projects.Basic, simple format and instructions."
"Nice patterns and not too difficul to read."
"Looks like an awesome book so far."
"I chose to give this book a 5 star rating because it's a great book."
"Easy read and cute ideas what more could you want for any beginner."
"It is not always easy to find the right crochet pattern book ."
Best Seasonal Crafts
100 Easy Recipes In Jars is a collection of easy to make, delicious jar recipes that will make a big dent in your holiday gift giving list.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Useful, depending on if you want to give gifts in a jar, and if you want to make all those things."
"Wish I had gotten this book to print out.Really don't want to save it for long Was OK some interesting ideas."
"I wish there were more pictures of the finished product."
"Its good, just need more than just the normal sweets everyone always gets."
"It looks good for Christmas, but I have not yet read it."
"This book was okay but the ideas just were not for me."
Best Papercrafts
Join thousands who have rediscovered their creative talent, using Jonni's revolutionary techniques and recipes. The sculpting techniques shown in this book have been used by middle school kids, university art students, theater prop-makers, and adults of all ages who have rediscovered their love for sculpting, using methods and materials that are affordable for everyone.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"this book is about a new type of papermache recipe making it easy to. create any thing you have ever wanted to copy and make yourself in an. easy to follow description,with easy to obtain ingredients."
"She gives clear, precise directions, lots of pictures, and really walks you through everything thoroughly."
"When I became interested in paper mache."
"My 7-year-old made the MOST AMAZING penguin sculpture for a class project based on the information in this book."
"Extremely good value for the money."
"Just received my book over a week early!"
"The author is a talented artist who generously shares her talent in a very user-friendly style."
"She is good about telling you which brand she uses for the ingredients--for the brand of toilet paper, for example, can make a difference."
Best Quilts & Quilting
With an illustrated index, 70 free-motion quilting designs, crystal-clear instructions, and gorgeous full-page photographs, this is the go-to resource you'll want handy before starting any quilting project. Noted long arm quilter Walters is here to help with her engaging new book, detailing quilting designs to fit specifically into squares, triangles, circles, hexagons, and borders. Angela Walters is a prolific writer on free-motion embroidery and her books are always worth a mention being well explained, illustrated and executed. Here there are squares, triangles, circles, diamonds, hexagons, negative space and borders and they are all great designs, ready to combat ‘quilter's amnesia' for those times where you look at a shape and cannot think of the best way to quilt it.The author provides clear and simple instructions which are useful in enabling some complex patterns to be broken down into lines and stages. Angela Waters has quilted for fabric designers, authors, and pattern makers and has been published in numerous books and magazines.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"At Last a how to book that tells you, how to...I have so many other quilting idea books and none of them come close to this one."
"Beginner quilter here, so i bought to use for practice free motin quilting."
"I have enjoyed the book "Shape by Shape Free Motion Quilting" very much."
"Modern free motion quilting guide."
"Fair book I wish I could figure out where to start, stop and how to travel."
"Love Angela Walters ideas for quilting, These give me lots of designs to practice on my quilts."
"received on time and in new condition...Angela makes things seem very easy and has very practical and easy to understand instructions."
"A must have book for quilters .Angela has it well. organized according to the shape of the block and even included design ideas for borders."