This unique blend of memoir and history takes “a multi-layered look at jigsaw puzzles . . . charming [and] fascinating” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Award-winning author Margaret Drabble weaves her own story into a history of games, in particular jigsaws, which have offered her and many others relief from melancholy and depression. Alongside curious facts and discoveries—for example, that the 1929 stock market crash was followed by a boom in puzzle sales—Drabble introduces us to her beloved Auntie Phyl, and describes childhood visits to the house in Long Bennington on the Great North Road, their first trip to London together, the books they read, and the jigsaws they completed. With penetrating sketches of her parents, siblings, and children, Drabble shares her thoughts on the importance of childhood play, art and writing, aging and memory. And she does so with her customary intelligence, energy, and wit.

"One of the most useful books to cover the whole of the field...Mr. Ford is to be congratulated on having produced a work that should stand the test of time." Carpet Review Weekly

"Bring the magic of Disney to your knitting needles with this official book of knitting patterns inspired by classic Disney characters and films! Filled with gorgeous photography and sprinkled with fun behind-the-scenes facts, this deluxe book includes 28 patterns for scarves, socks, sweaters, toys, blankets, and more -- not to mention a few iconic costume replicas. Take a trip to Never Land with an adorable Tinker Bell doll. Celebrate the circle of life with a vibrant colorwork sweater based on The Lion King. Channel your inner sea witch with a wicked replica of Ursula's iconic seashell necklace. PRojects range from simple patterns to more complex projects for knitters of all skill levels and include sizing from extra small through 6XL. It's the ultimate book off Disney magic for knitters everywhere!" -- Back cover.

"This book is published in conjunction with an exhibition organized and presented by the Rubin Museum of Art, March 25 through August 22, 2011."

Looks at the designs, motifs, and patterns of weaving patterns of rugs from the Middle East and Central Asia.

Afghanistan, 1977. Kanishka Nurzada, the son of a leading carpet seller, falls in love with his friend Maihan, with whom he shares his first kiss at the age of sixteen. Their romance must be kept secret in a nation where the death penalty is meted out to those deemed to be kuni, a derogatory term for gay men. And when war comes to Afghanistan, it brings even greater challenges-and danger-for the two lovers. From the cultural melting pot of Kabul to the horrors of an internment camp in Pakistan, Kanishka's arduous journey finally takes him to the USA in the desperate search for a place to call home-and the fervent hope of reuniting with his beloved Maihan. But destiny seems to have different plans in store for him. Intimate and powerful, The Carpet Weaver is a sweeping tale of a young gay man's struggle to come of age and find love in the face of brutal persecution.

If you can't buy it -- make it yourself! Do you covet unusual miniature rugs to give your dolls' house the perfect finishing touch? They can be hard to find...and prohibitively costly. Using these basic techniques, you can stitch 25 carpets in a wide variety of styles. For each one there's a color photograph, charts, and a grade, so you'll know its exact level of difficulty.

Between 1400 and 1500 a design revolution in Persia swept away a 2000-year-old tradition of carpet design, replacing abstract geometric patterns with complex floral scrolls dominated by a central medallion derived from the Chinese cloud-collar shape. This revolution represents a major event in world art history, comparable to that which occurred at the same time in Renaissance Italy. It was followed over the next four centuries by a second revolution, during which the principal design elements of the first permeated carpet production at every level throughout Persia and continue to dominate it to this day. AUTHOR: Jim Ford worked for many years for the world-famous international oriental carpet import/export company OCM. In his career he followed in the illustrious footsteps of A. Cecil Edwards (author of The Persian Carpet, Duckworth 1953), as the company's rug-buying agent in Iran, before setting up his own business after the Iranian Revolution with his wife Barbara Lindsay Ford, designing and producing their own contemporary carpets in Nepal. He is the author of one of the best-selling oriental rug books of all time, Oriental Carpet Design: A Guide to Traditional Motifs, Patterns and Symbols, which has been subsequently reprinted on both sides of the Atlantic and translated into German and other languages. SELLING POINT: * Miniature paintings unlock the door to a thorough re-examination of the ubiquitous 'classical' medallion design in Persian carpets, revealing an artistic revolution comparable to that which occurred at the same time in Renaissance Italy 380 colour and 20 b/w photographs

Color photographs and descriptive text explore the skilled creation of rugs from Persia, Tibet, China, and India

Christopher Alexander owns what many now believe to be the finest collection of early Turkish carpets in the western world, with perhaps half being the only specimens of their kind anywhere. In this richly illustrated, oversized volume--featuring four hundred illustrations, eighty in full color--Alexander takes readers on an engaging tour of his fabulous collection. Readers will see a 13th-century Seljuk Carpet with Dragons, a 15th-century Animal Carpet, a scarlet-niched Transylvanian Prayer Rug, a turquoise Lattice Carpet from Alcaraz, a 16th-century blue Medallion Keyhole Design from Bergama, a rare 16th-century White Field Bird Carpet, the dazzling color and brilliant geometry of a 15th-century Karapinar with Three Gulls, and perhaps Alexander's favorite, a 15th-century Star Karapinar with Flowers (whose designs he describes as "the high point of all Sufi art, the state of liberation, in which the artist is so free, that he is able to be completely natural"). In addition, Alexander elaborates on his theory that these carpets teach structure to artists and architects through the beauty of their form. This lavishly produced volume makes an important contribution to the world of rug scholarship. Equally important, Alexander's thoughtful meditations on these pieces will fascinate the many architects, artists, and planners who follow his work.