I love this book-- first of all, it's full of patterns that make me drool (and let's face it, most knitting books contain just a couple of really lust-worthy patterns for a beginner knitter). Among the things I want to make: delicious knitted driving gloves, beaded socks, beaded scarf and hat set, cabled mitts, the cute cat-eared hat, fingerless gloves....I could go on (you can see all the projects if you "look inside" the book--very useful. Thank you Amazon and Krause publishing)
Apart from the designs in the book which are creative, beautiful and actually worth making (this is not another collection of garter stitch scarves in different colours), every time a new skill is introduced, there are clear instructions, graphics and pictures to help along a knitter trying for example, beading or intarsia for the first time. The author also offers ideas and tips for using each pattern in a slightly different way by varying colour/texture. And the yarn information is clearly presented to facilitate substitution... (did I mention that I love this book?)
I'm what one might consider an advanced beginner and I adore this book and can't recommend it highly enough. It's easy, but contains enough challenges to keep things interesting and inspiring. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

This book was a surprise-- and a pleasant one. I love short stories for the fact that there's no room in them for the author to hide inadequacies and falterings in the plotline. This book underlines that point in dripping red marker: Tess Fragoulis' voice is strong, sexy and very, very sure of itself. Her mind is full of shadows and her eye sharp and cynical. Her imagery alone is worth 6 stars on 5. Take, for example, this passage from 'How to pick up women' :
"His fingers worked expertly as if he were tuning a short-wave radio. Every once in a while he would hit a foreign frequency, and only his tongue filling my mouth kept me from singing out loud in German, Romanian and Basque. That was the summer I became multilingual."

But not every moment is that intense. Fragoulis throws in delicious bits of humour as in her tale 'Fragments of the Acropolis':
"After we leave, my lover comments on how great it must be to be part of a community where people know each other and are bonded by their history. Where old ladies and young men greet each other amicably.
""Are you kidding?" I reply. They weren't greeting each other. The old ladies were chastising the young men for leaving the cafe door open because,"Old people get cold." The men shot back that if they wanted the door closed they could do it themselves. Then they made fun of my lover's earrings. Poor boy, WASP dreams dashed, becomes frightened of a culture where even old ladies don't take ... He looks over at me, worried."

'Stories to Hide from your Mother' is the sort of collection where it's hard to pick a favourite, they're all so satisfying. Buy this book if you like short fiction. If you like powerful imagery. If you like tight prose.
But please, take Fragoulis' advice and hide it from your mother.

I'm a freelance journalist who's been writing for 10 years. I borrowed this book from the library when I'd hit a bit of a slump. I ended up reading the book cover to cover, but in multiple short sittings (it's hard to stay still and read when you suddenly have all these ideas for articles!). I re-borrowed the book several times over the next six months (just to see if I'd get bored with it as I often do with how-to books).
I finally bought a copy. I flip through it in the mornings with my coffee to get the juices flowing. Emerson's tone is conversational and loaded with practical advice. She doesn't fill her copy with grand promises and dollar signs. What you sell depends on what you write. But if you enjoy writing, even as a recreational exercise (scrapbooks, websites), this book will help you push limits you didn't realise you'd set yourself.
Business is up like you wouldn't believe.
'Nuff said.

I'm a new-ish knitter, so am still in that phase where a project is not gratifying unless it knits up instantly. I eyed this book at the store several times before finally taking the plunge; and I have to say that I'm glad I bought it.
There are points which detract from a perfect rating. Ms Cousins' name dropping really gets on one's nerves after a while, and as another reviewer pointed out, there are minor errors in a few of the patterns (the diagram for the cellphone case for example has dimension errors that even a rank beginner like myself could spot). Furthermore, she uses crochet, but leaves out instructions; and doesn't explaining important techniques like blocking et al.
One thing you should keep in mind before you purchase this book is the fact that yarn prices are obviously no object to Ms Cousins. Therefore, the cost of making most of her sweater designs is easily over $50! And before you think of subsituting yarns, look carefully-- the patterns are simple, it's the yarn that makes them work.
However, on the whole, a lot of the designs are extremely exciting and inspiring (and easy) to knit; and the book IS beautifully shot and put together. For all its failings, I must admit that every time I walk past it on my bookshelf, I veer towards my knitting bag to rummage through my supplies to see what I can make next.

I'm a new-ish knitter, so am still in that phase where a project is not gratifying unless it knits up instantly. I eyed this book at the store several times before finally taking the plunge; and I have to say that I'm glad I bought it.
There are points which detract from a perfect rating. Ms Cousins' name dropping gets really old really fast, and as another reviewer pointed out, there are minor errors in a few of the patterns (the reference diagram for the cellphone case for example has dimension errors that even a rank beginner like myself could spot). Furthermore, she uses crochet, but leaves out instructions; and doesn't explain important techniques like blocking et al.
One thing you should keep in mind before you purchase this book is the fact that yarn prices are obviously no object to Ms Cousins. Therefore, the cost of making most of her sweater designs is easily over $50! And before you think of subsituting yarns, look carefully-- the patterns are simple, it's the yarn that makes them special.
However, on the whole, a lot of the designs are extremely exciting and inspiring (and easy) to knit; and the book IS beautifully shot and put together. The woman obviously enjoys her work. And her designs should inspire any new knitter to knit long enough to get well and truly hooked.
For all its failings, I must admit that every time I walk past "Hollywood Knits" on my bookshelf, I veer towards my knitting bag to rummage through my supplies to see what I can make next.