The Braid-y bunch

200 Braids to Loop, Knot, Weave and Twist by Jacqui Carey is fantastic. I feel like I could almost leave this review right at this point….really what more can I say? I’ll try to tell you why, but perhaps at a very reasonable £9.99 you might just take my word for it? I have always loved ‘braiding’- plaiting anything and everything, wildly spinning pencils in synchronisation with Mum from either side of the living room to make a twisted cord and then moving to knotted friendship bracelets. There is something very exciting about changing the colour and texture of a thread by introducing it to new friends. Many a hideous yarn has found a new place in the world of the beautiful once married up to something a little more sophisticated (an analogy for real relationships?). The book breaks down into sections rather like my own journey into braiding, here are instructions for plaiting, weaving, knotting and twisting. These instructions are excellent and well illustrated, the books second section is a gallery of braids-ideas-ideas-ideas- I was positively bombarded with them as I leafed through this section. I wondered why anyone would ever buy a metre of edging off the roll ever again when here was a catalogue of the most sumptuous, just waiting to be born at ones own fair hands! I will need to look at braiding and collect some samples for my City and Guilds and I am totally confident and thrilled that this book will hold my hand all the way through. Mum has already had a play making her favourite twisted cord and laying three side by side and stitching through them from side to side- fabulous! Our only tiny criticism is that this book is a very dense square little volume and as such doesn’t stay open very happily on its own and braiding needs all your hands (and sometimes a spare!). So as I say, fantastic, genuinely, something for everyone, a book which will grow ones skills and maybe make you drool a little.....(if that’s just me, please pretend I didn’t write that).

I haven't done a book review for ages, I have another to come along in due course. Meanwhile my Easter garland is nearly finished and ready for a grand reveal. Look after yourselves, see you soon. x