Adding to my book stash

Although my arts & crafts library has been steadily outgrowing my shelf space, I continue to add to it. I guess you can take the librarian out of the book stacks, but you can't make her stop behaving as if she's still in acquisitions. Here are my latest additions:

Two German tatting books. Although written in German, they include a translation of tatting terms into several languages including English, and the patterns are also clearly charted (unlike some other European charts that I've struggled to understand).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3831146306/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/Occi-Tatting-Frivolite-Spitzen-Kreationen-Edition-Susanne-Schwenke/dp/3833446293/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

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This is a new book for beginning tatters with a lot to offer more experienced tatters as well. The fiber arts book club I belong to is planning a program on tatting and we were looking for a good book to feature. This one came along at just the right time so I've recommended it for our selection. The original publication was in Japanese, but this is the English translation. As with all the Japanese tatting books, it's beautifully illustrated and attractively laid out.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Tatting-Modern-Motifs-Projects/dp/1596687452/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1R8N8NAW34CVHFKV9ZKN

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Here's another Japanese tatting book; this time only in Japanese. It's a compilation of patterns from a variety of tatting designers. Everything is charted; Japanese charts are well done and transcend the language barrier for the most part. The photographic styling in Japanese books makes you want to grab your shuttles and start tatting these beautiful projects. It's exciting to see how many tatting designers are currently active in Japan; it bodes well for the future of tatting.

http://www.hhtatting.com/detail.cfm?ID=3236

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In April I attended the 2014 Unwind knitting retreat in Blowing Rock, NC, and took a class with Donna Druchunas. She and Ava Coleman have written a series of books, Stories in Stitches, that combine knitting histories, personal reminiscences, and knitting patterns. So far, there are 3 volumes in the series with a 4th in the works. Number 1 is "Around the World: Counterpanes"; Number 2 is "Around the World: Knitted Samplers"; and Number 3 is "Around the World: World Wars I & II." The fourth volume will cover "Sacred Stitches." The series is an interesting approach to knitting and memoirs...a pleasure for knitters who enjoy reading about knitting as well as doing it.

http://storiesinstitches.net/