No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights

No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
Average customer rating:

Wonderful Resource for non-wool fibers

Informative & inspiring

Interesting Ideas

Not enough patterns for bamboo yarn.

Excellent reference for non-sheepy knitting

No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
Amy R. Singer
Manufacturer: Interweave Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1596680121

Book Description

Yarns made from plant fibers, modern synthetics, and silk take the spotlight in this collection of 21 classic knitting patterns for socks, scarves, hats, bags, vests, sweaters, and even a luxurious bathrobe. Some knitters are discouraged by the thought of baggy hemp sweaters and droopy cotton socks when they consider vegetable fibers, but this authoritative, fun, and light-hearted guide promises that, while wool has no equal when it comes to elasticity and warmth, the right tricks and techniques produce non-wool fashions that fit well, wear well, and hang beautifully. Knitters are taught to knit swatches to study the behavior of a yarn, to choose an appropriate pattern, and to master techniques for reinforcing stitches and inserting knit-ins of springier yarn to keep cotton, silk, and other fibers from sagging. Key information about durability, weight, pilling, and special handling is provided for acrylic, bamboo, cotton, hemp, Ingeo, linen, lycra, nylon, polyester, rayon, silk, soy, Tencel, and viscose yarns, and a chapter of helpful tips advises on needles to use (and avoid), how to start new balls and weave in ends, how to work intarsia and Fair Isle patterns, smart ways to control the cost of materials, and the right methods for washing, drying, and blocking the finished pieces.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Resource for non-wool fibers.......2007-09-23

I love this book. I didn't think I would, but in the first chapter there is a detailed explanation of many fibers and how they are transformed into knittable goodness.

Amy Singer also talks about possible allergies - that sometimes it is the chemicals that are used to treat fibers that cause allergies. I learned a lot. I love Merino - don't get me wrong - but I am more likely to itch from it, and from any kind of wool. Before this book, I felt like I was a knitter-persona-non-grata. Not that I want to be -- just that I am of the 'wool and some acrylics can be itchy' camp.

The patterns are fun and different, and introduce a whole new way of thinking about knitting! Hooray!!

Informative & inspiring.......2007-07-30

I picked up this book thinking, I don't need another knitting book -- but this is not just another book of patterns. I am not allergic, but I don't always love wearing wool (esp. in warmer weather). Her patterns are unique and interesting, and she has inspired me to just pick up things that might be interesting just to swatch. Ms. Singer has filled a gap in my knitting library.

Interesting Ideas.......2007-07-08

I purchased this book mainly out of curiosity & to explore using other fibers than your normal wools, cottons, blends & synthetics. I haven't had a chance to actually read the book (we're a very busy family), but I found the patterns & the idea of using different natural & plant fibers to be very enticing. I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter, but because of time allowance, I prefer to stick to the simpler patterns that won't take as long to finish. I have become very good at adapting patterns to suit my own preferences. The yarns suggested in the book can be very pricey. I would suggest searching the fair trade market from such places as the Rain Forest Rescue Site, where recycled silk yarns & banana fiber yarns are available at a very reasonable price. Since I'm personally not in the position to spend a fortune on the expensive yarns, I prefer to substitute yarns with similar qualities or textures & I also try to stay as close to the gauge of yarn & needle size as possible. I'm no expert, but I always suggest to people - don't be afraid to experiment, have fun & if it doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to? Just learn from it! Start small, get a feel for it & go from there! Beautiful pictures & patterns! The book is worth adding to your personal library!

Not enough patterns for bamboo yarn........2007-05-23

I purchased this book because I had recently purchased some silk and bamboo yarn. I found the technical information at the beginning very interesting. Amy Singer goes through the structure of each type of yarn in great detail including care of each yarn. What I did find disappointing was that of all the knitting patterns (and there are many in silk, hemp, linen etc) there was no garment made from bamboo (apart from small scarf). This was the only area I thought was lacking.

Excellent reference for non-sheepy knitting.......2007-05-13

For those who can't/don't knit with wool or other animal-based yarns, or simply those who prefer cooler fare for summer knitting, No Sheep for You is an invaluable reference. Amy Singer gives a lot more than patterns (though the patterns are lovely). Her notes on the various types of fibers, their properties and how the construction of the yarn alters them, makes substituting these yarns in your own patterns much more doable. One star loss for a) not enough charting in the patterns (which echoes Knitty, Singer's on-line magazine), and b) rather hideously expensive yarns given in the patterns. I priced out the yarn as given in one of the sweater patterns at over $600, which is a good deal more than I'll be spending on yarn for one pattern in the foreseeable future. The information on yarn substitution is good enough to give me hope of finding more affordable alternatives, though, even if I have to spin them myself.

Average customer rating:

Good enough to eat
A meal in itself...
spectacular and delicious
Good for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike
Silk Road Cooking , a very special book

Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey
Najmieh Batmanglij
Manufacturer: Mage Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0934211965
Release Date: 2004-05-14

Book Description

This book is at once an exploration, a celebration, and a little-known tale of unity. It presents 150 delicious vegetarian dishes that together trace a fascinating story of culinary linkage. As renowned cookbook writer and teacher Najmieh Batmanglij explains, all have their origins along the ancient network of trade routes known as the Silk Road, stretching from China in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. On this highway moved not just trade goods but also ideas, customs, tastes and such basics of life as cooking ingredients. The result was the connecting and enrichment of dozens of cuisines. In Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey, Najmieh Batmanglij recounts that process and brings it into the modern kitchen in the form of recipes that are venturesome and yet within reach of any cook. They are intended for vegetarian, partial-vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike -- anyone who is looking for balanced, unusual and exceptionally tasty dishes. The book offers a wealth of information derived from the authorÍs extensive research and her travels along the Silk Road during the past 25 years. She complements the recipes with stories, pictures, histories of ingredients, and words of wisdom from her favorite poets and writers of the region.

The scope of her culinary journey of discovery is vast -- from Xian in China, to Samarkand in present-day Uzbekistan, to Isfahan in Iran, to Istanbul in Turkey, and to the westernmost terminus of the ancient trade routes in Italy. Her recipes -- all of them personal favorites -- include such exotic yet simple fare as Sichuan Crispy Cucumber Pickles; Afghan Boulani, a savory pastry stuffed with garlic chives; Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Salad; Kermani Pistachio and Saffron Polow with Rose Petals; Chinese Hot and Sour Tofu Noodle Soup; Turkish Almond and Rice Flour Pudding; Uzbek Candied Quince with Walnuts; and Sicilian Sour Cherry Crostata. Fortunately, all the ingredients for these recipes can be obtained at local supermarkets and farmersÍ markets. In recent years America has become a kind of modern Silk Road, where wonderful ingredients from all over the world are available to everyone.

Customer Reviews:

Good enough to eat.......2007-07-06

The author obviously spent a great deal of time researching the book, as it is full of not only fascinating recipes, but descriptions of their history, legends of the Silk Road, and a great array of photos of the dishes and of various culinary practices of the highlighted cultures. Great fun to skim through even when you're not prepared to cook anything.

Everything I've made from the book has been delicious. That being said, there are numerous recipes with ingredients that are either difficult to find outside of the region the dish is from (such as unripe grapes), or ones that will take up space in your pantry forever because you only use them for one or two recipes (pomegranate paste, ground angelica petals, and so on). A free hand with substitutions is vital and fortunately the author has provided details about this in the glossary in the back.

This book is a great accompaniment to the first CD in The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan

A meal in itself..........2006-02-26

This book is delicious! There are excellent photos of both the dishes and the different areas and peoples of the Silk Road, The text is interesting, with information about history, cultures, cooking techniques, and food items. I appreciate that the recipes are not complicated or particularly labor-intensive. I have tried three so far, and all three were hits. I have a large collection of cookbooks, but if I had to start all over again, this one would be one of my first buys.

spectacular and delicious.......2005-10-09

this is a beautiful book with somewhat complex recipes but educational. my friend borrowed it to use it in her geography class covering the silk road topic. the pictures are spectacular. it is classified as paperback but the quality of paper and print make it as durable and beautiful as a hardback. i strongly recommend this book not just for the wonderful recipes also to amuse your eyes. let your imaginations travel!!

Good for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.......2005-07-10

This beautiful and highly readable cookbook contains delicious, if somewhat complex, recipes for dishes from Italy to China. All of them are vegetarian, but many could be adapted to meat eaters, or used as an accompaniment. If used as an accompaniment, bear in mind that the cookbook is targeted to vegetarians who plan to make th main dish the bulk of their meal; double the number served if used as an accompaniment. If you love to cook, this book will inspire you and add variety to your repetoire.

Silk Road Cooking , a very special book.......2005-07-02

Najmieh Batmanglij's book on Silk Road Cooking is not only a very good cookbook, with wonderful recipes, many of which I've tried , but also a beautiful book with many colored pictures. This is not only a cookbook, but a also a pictorial essay of another culture, a very exotic culture.
I highly reccomend getting this book!

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Best Textbook in a long time!
Excellent
Terrific introduction to the study of human evolution
Required textbook... but not bad reading
Now in its Fourth Edition

How Humans Evolved, Fourth Edition
Robert Boyd , and Joan B. Silk
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

How Humans Evolved uses the broad perspective of behavioral ecology, drawing on Robert Boyd's expertise in evolutionary theory and Joan Silk's specialty in primate behavior in a uniquely integrative text

Customer Reviews:

Best Textbook in a long time!.......2007-09-21

This textbook perfectly outlines each chapter. The author states the important points before going into depth. If you find yourself reading a textbook for class and having to re-read over and over again because you keep zoning out, this book really helps. I found it to be very interesting and a helpful study tool.

Excellent.......2007-05-06

Presents material in an interesting, concise, and easy-to-read format - excellent choice for biological/physical anthropology students!

Terrific introduction to the study of human evolution.......2007-03-18

This is a terrific introduction (a textbook) to human evolution. It is written in a very accessible fashion--not just students but those in the larger public interested in the mechanism and products of human evolution will find this a useful volume.

The first part, of course, focuses on the evolutionary process, with a nice introduction to adaptation by natural selection and to genetics. Other introductory chapters introduce readers to the nature of species, phylogeny, and the synthetic theory of evolution. The discussion is well written and understandable. There are many examples to illustrate key points.

The next section explores primate evolution and behavior, to provide context for understanding human evolution and behavior. The chapter on the evolution of primate social behavior is especially helpful. Next, the authors take a look at the evolutionary lineage of humans, from primates to early hominids, to the genus Homo, to Homo sapiens. The text goes on to examine how language evolved, as well as evolution in modern humans (e.g., genetic diversity, the human life cycle, human behavior, and mate choice and parenting).

All in all, a nice introduction to the study of human evolution. Well worth taking a look at. . . .

Required textbook... but not bad reading.......2007-02-03

The book's authors cover some difficult material with excellent exapmles to help clarify main points. As far as a textbook goes, this was decent reading.

Now in its Fourth Edition.......2006-04-18

Any textbook that makes it to four editions has to be a good one, in use at a lot of places and one that fits the current collected wisdom of the subject. I say this bit about the current wisdom because all of the sciences are moving forward at an extremely rapid rate. New theories, new discoveries make science change.

This book is rare, if not unique, in how it presents controversy. Some scientists believe this, some believe that. Most authors tend to have beliefs that lean one way or the other. In this book the tendency is instead to present both views and give the evidence for each. This approach is more adapted to how science really works, but it is unusual, especially in a book intended for undergraduate use.

This book is somewhat of a combination between anthropology and evolutionary biology. As such it brings a better understanding of how human beings became what they are today, one slow step at a time. It also presents all of the known evidence from both field observations and laboratory testing. It shows a picture of Lucy's bones, and it goes into DNA and gene theory. It is complete a text as you are goign to find.

Average customer rating:

HISTORY OF SILK
A wonderful book
This was a beautifully written page turner.
Tsukiyama book
Very interesting, well-written novel

Women of the Silk: A Novel
Gail Tsukiyama
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312099436

Book Description

In Women of the Silk Gail Tsukiyama takes her readers back to rural China in 1926, where a group of women forge a sisterhood amidst the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in a vast silk factory from dawn to dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve the freedom they could never have hoped for on their own. Tsukiyama's graceful prose weaves the details of "the silk work" and Chinese village life into a story of courage and strength.

Customer Reviews:

HISTORY OF SILK .......2007-08-28

Follow the story of Pei, brought by her reluctant father to work in the silk house in 1919 at the age of seven, as she acclimates to her new environment and overcomes many obstacles and twists of fate to become a quietly determined young woman.

Focusing on the theme of the Chinese family, this beautiful narrative first exposes us to the culture and difficult circumstances of village life and later to the dawn to dusk struggle facing each of the silk factory women (who are in reality children when they are brought to the factory). Most are here to help in supporting their families at home.......some are here willingly, others not.

Tsukiyama shows us that these "silk women" are themselves a family in the truest sense of the word, with each member focused on their individual ambitions, dreams and situations, while accepting the desires of their "sisters" and remaining devoted and fiercely loyal to one another as they struggle for survival. Slowly comes the reader's realization that it takes more than an accident of birth to make one a mother, and that the lack of common genetic material does not make these women any less a family.

This has all the ingredients of a great read.......love, compassion, ambition, deceit, abandonment, courage and of course a great history lesson in women's rights (or lack of them). If Snowflower and the Secret Fan is one of your favorites, this one will also be added to your list of MUST READS.

A wonderful book.......2007-08-03

This is a wonderful, albeit sad, story. Gave me a lot of insight into life in China during the Japanese invasion in the early 20th century. It was a book I found difficult to put down. I highly recommend it.

This was a beautifully written page turner........2007-06-16

Please don't miss this wonderful story about silk workers in China. I could not put this book down. It took me to another world and inside the characters hearts.

Tsukiyama book.......2007-03-10

Beautiful book about the Silk trade in China prior to the invasion of Japan. Writer's parents are Japanese and Chinese.

Very interesting, well-written novel.......2007-01-24

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is the second I've read by this author and I liked them both very much.

I don't know a lot about Chinese customs, so I don't know if some of the ones listed in the book are fictional or are real. Some didn't make a lot of sense to me. I didn't understand why a woman entering into the hairdressing ceremony couldn't marry, but a married woman (not widowed, but currently wed) could enter into the hairdressing ceremony. That seems like a double standard. And, I didn't understand why Pei couldn't just move into the Sister's house (which sounded like a type of sorority). Other young women there didn't have to go through the hairdressing ceremony to live there. She only wanted to go there to be with her best friend, Lin. So, why did she have to go through the ceremony?

There was one scene in which Pei comforts her crying best friend and it mentions something about desire and then skips around. It almost hinted at a homosexual encounter, but was mostly just confusing. Other than that, most of the book was clear and very well written.

I didn't like they way the book skipped over certain things. For example, in one scene, Pei was just abandoned by her father and oriented at the silk factory. In the next, she had been working there for four years.

I was disappointed in a couple of things, however. I'd hoped that Pei would get together with Lin's younger brother. They seemed to like each other from the day they met. And, also I was hoping that she would locate her sister, Li. Also, the fact that they continuously refer to people of other nationalities as "devils" became old and annoying very fast.

EMDR: The Breakthrough "Eye Movement" Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma

Average customer rating:

Great Explanation of EMDR
Good overview but perhaps a little out of date
Very convincing
Very useful and well written
This is a case examples book, not a text.

EMDR: The Breakthrough "Eye Movement" Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma
Francine Shapiro , and Margot Silk Forrest
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anxiety Disorders | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Psychoanalysis | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Psychotherapy, TA & NLP | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Second Edition: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures
Transforming Trauma: EMDR: The Revolutionary New Therapy for Freeing the Mind, Clearing the Body, and Opening the Heart
Handbook of EMDR and Family Therapy Processes
Small Wonders: Healing Childhood Trauma with EMDR
EMDR Solutions: Pathways to Healing

ASIN: 0465043011
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Book Description

By the originator of the breakthrough therapy, this updated edition describes the latest uses of EMDR-including treating victims of September 11 and other disasters around the world.

Hailed as the most important method to emerge in psychotherapy in decades, EMDR has successfully treated psychological problems and illnesses in more than one million sufferers worldwide, with a rapidity that defies belief. In a new introduction, Shapiro presents the new applications of this remarkable therapy and the latest scientific research that demonstrates its efficacy.

Customer Reviews:

Great Explanation of EMDR.......2007-05-17

This book is not particularly useful for clinicians. Laypeople who want a clear overview of EMDR will find it in this book by the "discoverer" of the techniques.

Good overview but perhaps a little out of date.......2006-11-12

This book is good for having an overview of EMDR and its history. It is not, however, the most current book out there and is also more appropriate for clinicians than for the layman.

Very convincing.......2006-11-04

This book provides an excellent study of the effectiveness of EMDR--eye movement desensitization and reprocessing--for prospective patients and their families, alike.

No question, the book is very well written, and, as one other reviewer noted, a page turner. As a result, we were seriously considering this method for our child. And we may well consider the idea again in the future.

For the moment, we are pursuing neurobiofeedback, which seems to treat injured portions of the brain very effectively, promoting calm, stability and mood elevation. But in nations and regions where neurobiofeedback is not yet available, EMDR may well provide the next best thing.

My only concern is a report of possible brain injury as a result of this therapy. I have not seen any medical corroboration of that report, however. And it seems that EMDR is now a medically accepted method of treatment, particularly in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This book provides a great introduction to the concepts, and frequently positive results, of such treatment.

Very useful and well written.......2006-08-23

Very useful and understandable, practical tool and method. It is welcomed as an assett to the counseling profession

This is a case examples book, not a text........2005-10-09

I read the criticisms from other readers and felt that they didn't understand the intention of the book. They wanted an explanation of how to do EMDR, and this is a casebook of examples not a text. If you want to understand how to do EMDR, you have to read the textbook by Dr. Shapiro that explains the procedures and protocols. If you want to actually do EMDR, you have to take the class. I did last year, and because I haven't practiced I am taking it again. It's not something you want to try on your own.

So, if you want examples of cases, read this book. If you want to know the protocols, get the textbook. They are both good. Some of the cases are somewhat graphic in detail, but you get a better idea of "how" EMDR is used. It is a good companion to the text.

I'm not sure I'd want a client to read this book, unless I'd carefully thought about how it would impact them. These are not your run of the mill cases. The majority of cases have suffered extremely horrific traumas to better illustrate how well EMDR can work.

Average customer rating:

What a journey we take in this good book
Definitely Rayon
Mmmm-thought provoking
Great Quick Read
Book

Silk
Alessandro Baricco
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Ocean Sea
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Without Blood
Perfume (MTI)
City

ASIN: 0375703829
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Book Description

This startling, sensual, hypnotically compelling novel tells a story of adventure, sexual enthrallment, and a love so powerful that it unhinges a man's life. In 1861 French silkworm merchant Hervé Joncour is compelled to travel to Japan, where, in the court of an enigmatic nobleman, he meets a woman. They do not touch; they do not even speak. And he cannot read the note she sends him until he has returned to his country. But in the moment he does, Joncour is possessed. The same spell will envelop anyone who reads Silk, a work that has the compression of a fable, the evocative detail of the greatest historical fiction, and the devastating erotic force of a dream.

Customer Reviews:

What a journey we take in this good book.......2007-10-05

In 1861, the journey to obtain silk was a treacherous one. Due to an epidemic that infected most of the European stock of silk worms, the men who buy the worm's eggs were forced to travel farther from home to replenish their stock.

Hervé Joncour is one such man.

Hervé Joncour is a buyer and seller of silk worm eggs for the silk mills in the French city of Lavillediea. Every year his travels take him away from home to Egypt and other African ports to buy the stock of his trade. Because of the epidemic, he is forced to undertake a dangerous and desperate journey over half the known world to buy healthy eggs from Japan. It is a dangerous and desperate trip. Travel, since the Suez Canal has not been completed, takes months to get to Japan from France. Once there, Joncour is smuggled into the country as Japan's ports are not yet open to foreigners. The price he will pay if caught taking silk worm eggs out of Japan is death.

There he meets a woman, the mistress of his host. They do not touch, they do not speak to each other, and he cannot read the letter that she gives him. Once Joncour hears what it says, he becomes a man possessed. When in France with his wife Helené, Joncour is a man changed by the Orient. While in Japan he is trying to find ways to meet his host's mistress without raising the suspicions of the townsfolk, and their lord.

Silk is an enthralling love story. It is haunting in its telling of two star-crossed lovers fated to meet but never to act upon their love. It is told with simplicity and a moving plot that transports its readers to France in the late nineteenth century.

This edition of Silk is a movie tie-in with the Septe ber 14, 2007 release of the film adaptation of the book. It has a new translation from its original Italian by Anna Goldstein. Silk was originally published in 1996 as Seta, with its first translation to English in 1997.

Armchair Interviews says: Wonderful historical fiction and romance

Definitely Rayon.......2007-09-22

I found the book to be puerile rubbish. It was so far from having anything to do with reality I don't understand why the author did not title it something like "Peter Rabbit Goes to La La Land."

To those who know something about Japan this book can afford them great pleasure in pointing out that every single thing about Japan that is mentioned in the book is wrong: from the names of provinces (which were different from modern prefectures); clothing (dresses spreading out all over the floor which kimono do not); hairstyles (a retro "chonmage" might be believable, but a ponytail on a Japanese leader is not); to some Japanese people living in "palaces" (castles in the case of powerful "daimyo," but "palaces"? Gimme a break).

I suspect that anyone who knows a little about silk; 19th century travel; billiards; Southern France; or anything else the frail mind of the author has touched would be equally aghast.

The people who have written that this is the most beautiful book they have read could not possibly have read another book save, perhaps, "Harry Potter." Those interested in the Japanese aspect of the story might try The Tale of Genji: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition), One Hundred Poems from the Japanese, One Hundred More Poems from the Japanese (New Directions Book), or Women Poets of Japan. For those interested in late 19th century France there is The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant.

Let's take one small section of the book: The author has the main Japanese male character say that it is an ancient law that allows the sentencing to death of a servant who carries a love letter for his mistress and that is why a boy servant was hung. Hung? Why are Japanese warriors so noted for their swords? Executions of any kind involve beheading (even including ritual suicide). Casual death dealing might just be a quick slash. Hanging? Unheard of. If the carrying of the love letters of one's mistress was a capital offense then I entirely missed the carnage in "The Tale of Genji" where servants carrying love letters of masters and mistresses was mandatory and most definitely not a capital offense. If the boy servant in this book was executed for "being" the love letter, how much more dangerous must it have been for the object of that love letter, the ostensible lover Herve? Yet, his life was spared and he was merely shooed away. This book makes no sense, primarily because the author is an uneducated dolt.

Is one reason this book is considered romantic because the main female character gives Herve the least poetic and most inauspicious note, the one that says, "Come back, or I shall die."? What kind of woman would express feelings of attachment by means of death images and threats of suicide? What kind of man would fall for it?

In a nutshell: This is one of those rare cases where the book is worse than the movie based upon it, which itself was quite bad. How could one expect it to be otherwise?

Mmmm-thought provoking.......2007-03-25

Brilliantly written. I am definitely going to read it again to see if I get the same message as I did with the first read. To me, the lesson in the story is that often what we think we've found in foreign lands or in fantasy is right in front of us at home, if only we see it- even the senuousness we seek. Am I right, or do others take something else different from the book?

Great Quick Read.......2007-03-25

I don't want to go into details as many others have already done so, but suffice to say i think this is a great little book. it only took about an hour to read and IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MOVIE. i was recently invited to a screening of the movie "Silk", which is an adaptation of the novel and it was HORRIBLE! after seeing the movie i decided that i had to read the book in order to understand what was going on. I'm a movie buff so for me to have been so confused by the movie that i had to buy the book is saying A LOT. Hopefully they are going to make some changes to the movie before they release it in 6 months or so, but i highly recommend that you read this great little book before seeing the movie because it will further you understand immeasurable!

Book.......2007-01-12

One of the most exotic sensual I have read for a long time. I keep giving it away to friends who all rave about it. I must have read it at least a dozen times and am still amazed at this story.

Average customer rating:

Modern ideas
Modern ideas
An ok book, and a classic, but not what I was hoping for
The book that started the silk ribbon wave.

The Art of Silk Ribbon Embroidery
Judith Baker Montano
Manufacturer: C&T Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Floral Stitches: An Illustrated Guide
Elegant Stitches: An Illustrated Stitch Guide and Source Book of Inspiration
The Crazy Quilt Handbook, Revised 2nd Edition
Silk Ribbon Embroidery Bible: The Essential Illustrated Reference to Designs and Techniques
Beginner's Guide to Silk Ribbon Embroidery (Beginner's Guide to Needlecrafts)

ASIN: 0914881558

Customer Reviews:

Modern ideas.......2003-06-03

I loved this book because it included ideas on how to use silk embroidery in a modern way rather the victorian way. The works "Zane Gray Trail" and "The Desert Garden" are not in that fussy Victorian tradition.

Modern ideas.......2003-06-03

An ok book, and a classic, but not what I was hoping for.......2001-09-20

I have to say this: I just don't like her style. She likes to do very cluttered things using multiple types of embroidery, and I think many of her examples and projects are quite hideous.

I was hoping for more of a primer on silk ribbon embroidery. And while there is a useful section of reference stitches, and a nice beginning section on the history of silk ribbon embroidery & necessary supplies... I wish there was more technique and less projects.

Unfortunately, Ms. Montano's other books which seem to be stitch dictionaries only have small sections of silk ribbon embroidery stitches & no technique section.

Unfortunately, this is the best beginner book out there that I have run across thus far -- but to be sure I would dump this book in a heartbeat if I came across a good primer/reference book.

In a nutshell: why would someone take such a beautiful technique and make such ugly things? The projects verge from overly country to bizzarely overadorned.

The book that started the silk ribbon wave........1995-10-19

Surely the best book on Silk Ribbon Embroidery available. The materials needed, each embroidery knot shown with a line drawing, projects galore, including brooches, ring bearers pillow, heart picture frame, heart pendents,beautiful sewing cases bedecked with silken roses, and more. Judith visits with well known silk ribbon embroiderers in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, each tells their design secrets.A wonderful section on the Australian photo transfer process for putting your favorite photos on fabric so you can embroider a garden around them

Uncarved block, unbleached silk: The mystery of life

Average customer rating:

23 years of inspiration

Uncarved block, unbleached silk: The mystery of life
Alan Watts
Manufacturer: A&W Visual Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Aesthetics | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Ontology | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0891041036

Customer Reviews:

23 years of inspiration.......2001-07-06

"Uncarved Block, Unbleached Silk - The mystery of life" covers basic elements of visual design while serving to link these elements into basic aspects of life. Alan Watts presents some of the aesthetic principals underlying both Chinese and Japanese arts and along the way illuminates something of the Taoist and Buddhist philosophies that run underneath them. I'm neither a Buddhist nor a Taoist but the ideas explored in this book are still valid to my work as a designer. Half the fun of this book is that the terms don't belong to English so they often bracket concepts in unusual ways bringing new angles of view on common design principles. Watts also doesn't ignore visual design's ability to be meaningful to people at a deep level. His measured words on the relationship between visual aesthetics and the issues of living from one day to the next provide a balanced counterpoint to many of the works contained in the body of contemporary American and European design theory. I've been returning to this book over and over again since it was published in '78 and can't recommend it highly enough.

Color by Design: Paint and Print with Dye

Average customer rating:

Excellent book for Dye Painting

Color by Design: Paint and Print with Dye
Ann Johnston
Manufacturer: Ann Johnston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Dye | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Textile Arts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Color by Accident: Low-Water Immersion Dyeing
Dyes & Paints: A Hands-On Guide to Coloring Fabric
Complex Cloth: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Design
The Surface Designer's Handbook: Dyeing, Printing, Painting, and Creating Resists on Fabric
Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing

ASIN: 0965677613

Book Description

Fast, Simple, and Exciting...

Color by Design shows you how to dye cottons and silks in an incredible range of colors and patterns--without changing the feel of your fabric. Using every tool imaginable--from brushes, sponges, stamps, and blocks to rollers, sprays, silk screens, and more--you will discover an endless array of techniques. Right away you will be able to create your own distinctive marks and colors, and with practice, you will create intricate designs with confidence and spontaneity.

*.....Color by Design offers:
*.....48 exercises with crystal-clear directions, step by step
*.....Recipes that can be prepared ahead and instructions to store them
*.....More than 120 color photos of sensational fabrics, with how-to captions
*.....Information and options for more experienced dyers
*.....Special chapters on water-soluble resists and on dyeing blacks

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book for Dye Painting.......2002-12-07

This book is the quintessential book for showing many, many techniques that can be employed in dye painting cotton or silk fabric using cold water dyes. Ann's methodical and orderly approach to showing all the different techniques makes the book a great reference for the more experienced dyer and also a great book for beginners. With this book and Ann's other book (Color by Accident) in your libary, you will have unlimited resources to dye your own beautiful fabric. This is the authoritative book for dye painting.

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