Looking to make something? This the category that includes crafts, hobbies, projects for home and office
Christmas Decorations for you to make
Purdy
1965
For a book from 1965, surprisingly this edition was in remarkably good condition. That should be a red flag right away. Why isn’t in rougher condition? Did this book not get used enough? Was it a crappy choice in 1965?
The book does look old and the crafts aren’t that interesting. 5 minutes on Pinterest would yield better craft projects. Time to let this one go.
Christmas Tree Crafts
Tichenor
1975
I was a year old when this book was published. That makes it 47 years old this year. I’m all for holiday craft books for kids, but this one is old and tired. There are giant chunks of pages falling out. Some kid, probably 47 years ago, colored on many of the templates in this copy. That kid probably has these hand-made ornaments on her tree to this very day, and her grandkids think they’re sooo old and weird, but dang it, she loves them. Especially the Christmas frog (see below).
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Holly
Decorating with Crochet
Halliday
1975
There are some lovely decorating tips in this book for all of you looking for a “retro” look for your home. Particularly fetching is the wall hanging of a grandfather clock and the homage to macrame wall hanging on the last picture below.
As a mediocre to poor knitter/crocheter, I can appreciate the skill set, but I just cringe at these projects. It is a waste of yarn. I am also old enough to remember 1970s decor, so I can also tell you that this would have been awful in the 1970s. (At least in my opinion.)
Afghans
Traditional and Modern
Bray
1977
I was prepared for a very 1970s vibe for this relic of a craft book. I wasn’t disappointed with a few crafts that looked like it came from a grandma’s couch. However, I was surprised that a few were actually quite good. There were some very plain but nicely detailed afghans that would have made nice throws for a couch in this century. The bad news is that the projects were crowded out with the examples below. (Warning! A clown afghan is one of the examples!)
Wit Knits: Lively And Original Hand Knitting Designs
Hostler and Brandreth
1985
Submitter: While weeding out the craft section I came across this absolutely dated yet lovely gem. John Iman modeling of sweaters? Is the public still being served by this book? Probably not – but it will do well on the sale cart.
Holly: This. Is. Amazing. And by “amazing,” I mean “awful.”
Mary: This is beyond precious. I have never seen so many people happy about wearing sweaters.
Macrame
Bogen
1974
Time to take another ride in the way back machine to the early 1970s for some more groovy macrame. There are some nice choices in accessories for both home and to wear. Note the collar necklace. I am trying to think of an occasion that would call for such a necklace, but I am fresh out of ideas. Maybe you should pair it with the “skirt” featured in the next picture. (I think it goes without saying that you will need some kind of legging under the skirt.)
In the final picture there is a “vest” to wear, which I thought was a tote bag. Of course I have to wonder what one would wear underneath. Next to the vest there is some kind of costume. Maybe it is for a Halloween party where you are dressed up as a macrame wall hanging.
Making Old Testament Toys
Hutchings
1972
We have so many craft books featured on this site. Holidays? Pick your favorite. Can’t decide which craft to try? We have you covered here. Holly and I have personal favorite craft books on this site: Applehead dolls, Pantyhose Crafts, and Macrame, to name a few. Old Testament toys might also join this esteemed list of crafts.
Old Testament theme? Not my favorite theme for crafting, but I suppose that might appeal to some folks. The color scheme is ugly and the 2 pages of photographs are not even amateur level. But the crafts…
The Basic Book of Finger Weaving
Dendel
1974
Another craptastic craft book for your consideration. The copy I happened to see was pretty beat up. That said, all I had to do was note the quasi “harvest gold” palette of colors to determine that this book was straight out of the 1970s. Looking at the crafts, you can see this is related to the macrame books of the same era. Everyone knew about macrame, but I never heard the term finger weaving used.
Of course we have some perennial 1970s looks: ponchos, vests, and a decorative collar. I believe I have seen a similar example of an afghan on every couch when I was a kid.
This is a weeder. The dirt on the book and a somewhat broken binding qualifies it for the recycle pile. Retro crafts can be something fun, but how about a book from this century?
