As a guide for beginners and practiced weavers Jane Patrick's book is inspirational. Although specifically aimed at the rigid heddle loom, the 200 pages hold a wealth of information on weave structures and patterns that can be used on many looms. The spiral bound, textbook-style layout is good, with clear section separation, and the chapters take you up a hierarchy of difficulty. I felt comfortable with plain, finger-controlled and pick up weaves, then I marvelled in awe at sections on warp and weft-faced frabrics and working with two heddles. There is a nod to garment and item construction in the guise of a few set pieces, but the book's real strength is in opening a treasure chest of weaving possibility to new or relatively inexperienced weavers. Each section provides a soft kaleidoscope of samples which I have already been tempted to replicate. The book will doubtless remain a good source book to refer to for new creative ideas and inspiration. However, the book might give the absolute beginner a puzzle at times, as it is not always clear and sometimes repetitive. Generally though, the book was a joy to read and is unlikely to gather dust on my bookshelf.-Journal for Weavers Spinners & Dyers

Jane Patrick is the author of Time to Weave: Simply Elegant Projects to Make in Almost No Time, the former editor of Handwoven magazine, and Creative Director for Schacht Spindle Company in Boulder, Colorado.

1. Everything about plain weave Balanced weaves Spaced warps Felted fabrics Stripes Plaids Textured yarns Projects: Felted scarf Rag threesome Pulled-warps scarf 2. Exploring finter-controlled weaves Picked-up loops Danish medallions Brooks bouquet Leno Spanish lace Projects: Linen placemat Leno shrug 3. The power of the pick-up stick How to use a pick-up stick for weft floats How to use a pick-up stick for warp floats How to use a pick-up stick for weft and warp floats Pick-up patterns, including drafts Projects: Tunic Pinstriped skirt Honeycomb pillow pair Purple and green funky felted pillow