The Handweaver's Pattern Directory Hardcover – October 1, 2007

I seldom buy books new, full priced. I'm far too cheap for that (and besides, I'd rather spend my money on yarn or fiber!). But I am SO very glad I splurged on this one and pre-ordered it so I'd get it as soon as it came out.It is an incredible resource for weavers. Each of the patterns is accompanied by a sharp photo of the sample, with "close up" views of many. The directions are clear and in keeping with standard Interweave publications (as in Handwoven). There are short but valuable chapters on general weaving, supplies, yarns, etc., although the emphasis -- and the value -- is on the patterns.I've been a weaver for about 20 years and I own a fairly substantial library of weaving books and have owned, at one time or another, nearly every issue of Handwoven and Weaver's Journal magazines. Yet there were still many patterns in this book I do not think I've ever seen.The patterns are categorized by types, from simple tabby and twills to complex distorted weft , bronson and even hand manipulated weaves. All are threaded for a four-shaft loom. See "customer images" under the photo above for a scan of a sample page.The physical layout and design of the book is excellent as well. With the heavy duty spiral binding, it lays flat for easy reference and there is even a pull out "flap" in the back with the "legend" for the patterns, so you don't have to flip back and forth to figure out the drafts (although they're very intuitive and standard).This book should serve me well for my next 20 years of weaving, which means it will cost me slightly more than a buck a year! That's an investment well worth making.

Highly recommend for a newer weaver, and probably any weaver.I wasn’t expecting so much helpful information in addition to the patterns!This book is well organized with very helpful illustrations and clearly worded explanations. The explanations help you to understand the information shared in weaving groups and videos, but in deeper a more foundational way.Certainly the best of the few weaving books I have purchased! Highly recommend!

I hesitated to purchase this book since Amazon did not provide additional photos or a lock inside. As a beginning weaver, I was very happy that I bought it without a preview. In addition to the information provided at the beginning of the book, each page provides one weaving pattern from Plain Weave (Tabby) to twill and on to some I had never heard of or imagined I could weave. Each pattern is shown in full color with three different options detailed. Threading, treadling, and more. It helped me make sense of some of the terms and other patterns I had seen before in other books and websites Highly recommend for the beginner weaver, but also for anyone wishing to expand their pattern catalog.

I am a rigid heddle weaver that enjoys weaving 3 and 4 shaft patterns using multiple heddles. This book is filled with drafts that I am interested in trying (have already finished the one in the image). It's nicely divided into different weave structures, with explanations of them, followed by drafts and color photos of samples. I also like the spiral bound format, that makes it easy to lay the book flat.

I'm just getting started as a weaver, and having just completed a class and learned a bit about twills, I wanted to find a directory of patterns to help me move forward. Wow! This book is basically cover-to-cover inspiration. The challenge is to choose just ONE project to start with - the illustrations are so gorgeous that one wants to dive in and tackle them all.The book is set up so that it will be useful to a beginner like me - and still provide tips and inspiration for an advanced weaver. The illustrations are excellent; I suspect that they are scans rather than photographs, as they are consistently sharp and crisp, with no distortions or issues with light and shadow. Both the front and back of a weave or shown - and often, instructions are also provided to create the "reverse" of a weave (e.g., 3/1 twill vs. 1/3 twill).The instructions are clear provided that you actually READ the introduction. If you are a beginner and just try to figure out the drafts, you'll get lost. It's also important to note that this author threads heddles from right to left ("Z") rather than left to right ("S"), so you'll need to adapt if (like me) you learned the opposite direction.I didn't want to take on the expense of getting an 8-shaft (or higher) loom at this point in my "hobby" - so it was wonderful to discover just how much could be done on a four-shaft loom. I'm delighted to have found this early on, instead of wasting time and money on less useful guides. I suspect this book will be on my shelf for many, many years.

This is one of the classic references for 4 shaft weaving. It is written very clearly, the color photos of all the variations are very helpful. An all around great book to have in your library.

Am loving this book. Full of useful information for loom weaving. The patterns are well illustrated and the ring binding makes this book so easy to use. Saw this being used on a weaver’s video, so started shopping, finally found it on Amazon at a great price. If you loom weave grab this one! Review update: love the book, however my old eyes have problems with the type and font color. The main font color is gray on an off white background. Really hard to read. The book itself is great. B