Book Reviews: CraftCycle by Heidi Boyd and The Crochet Dude Little Books Series

Book Review
CraftCycle
Heidi Boyd for North Light Books

Craft designer Heidi Boyd is perhaps best known for her best selling Simply Beautiful beading series, but that’s only a small part of her crafty repertoire. Heidi spent a number of years designing for a major craft magazine and she’s got some serious crafty skills. She puts them to good use in her wonderful new book CraftCycle that serves up crafting with an eco conscious focus.

There are great project ideas running through every page and a generous sprinkling of tips and hints for sustainable living. The book is broken up into the four seasons and Heidi shares a variety of seasonally themed green minded activities, recipes and ideas at the end of each section. I loved so many of the projects it’s tough to pick just a few, but some of my favorites include a whimsical bowl made from melted colorful plastic cowboys and Indians, a stunning avant garde hanging lamp fashioned from water bottles, an ingenious old slide lampshade and an adorable bracelet watch fashioned from used colored pencils. She covers everything from home décor to pet accessories to jewelry using a huge variety of techniques and materials and every idea, even if it’s familiar, is given a distinctive Heidi Boyd spin.

Craft enthusiasts will love these fresh ideas for upcycling and repurposing and eco minded folks will love finding new ways to stay green. This is a book for all ages and for both sexes, and includes some great garden and furniture projects that should get the men folk excited to get back into the workshop. “Recycle, reuse and recraft!” and have a darned good time doing it with Heidi Boyd’s inspiring new book CraftCycle.

Book Review
Leisure Arts The Crochet Dude's Little Books Series
Drew Emborsky aka The Crochet Dude

Drew Emborsky has four fab new crochet pattern books for the crochet enthusiast or the enthusiastic novice. These straight forward value packed portable tomes are filled with appealing designs, great pictures, easy to follow patterns and detailed back material that supports the skills you need to create the projects. Each book focuses in on a specific topic with a nice variety of designs to suit a wide variety of tastes.

I like that these are small bites rather than big meals, because it lets you pick the design focus that suits your needs. Drew has a gift for taking crochet and making it look totally fresh and modern. You won’t find any doilies here, but you will find a bevy of beautiful ideas. Sweet Pet Comforts has seven crochet designs for your furry friends. All Washed Up shows you how to make charming crocheted kitchen accessories. Must Have Handbags has 6 fetching purses that are perfectly sized for a gal who likes to carry her crafts along with her and are stylish enough to use every day. In All Caps focuses on cozy crocheted headgear for cooler weather. There’s a title for everyone in this series and they’re so affordably priced, you may just want to scoop them all up.

If you are looking for new patterns or if you’re looking for a new hobby, Drew’s new ‘little books’ are the perfect fit. I can’t wait to give some of these designs a spin with the yarn I stocked up on last winter!