Doubleweave by Jennifer Moore, softback published by Interweave in the USA. Available in the UK, ISBN 978-1-59668-179-8, price 19.99 from www.searchpress.com

This amazing book shows you how to get the very best from your weaving loom. Weave widths double and more than the size of your loom with no seams. Discover how to weave a tube, and a tube within a tube. This is a magical book. The designs are beautiful and the presentation top notch. 13 great designs and projects you could easily adapt plus full instructions and suggestions for expansion. Popular in the eighteenth century, this book explores the full potential of this method and encourages you to experiment.

Scandinavian Weaving by Tina Ignell, softback published by A&C Black. ISBN 978-14081-27278, price 19.99 from www.acblack.com

A specialist publication on Scandinavian weaving. What better way to create unique fabrics with Scandinavian flair. The 45 designs have been taken from a Scandinavian magazine and feature projects for anywhere in the home. Stylish patterns from rugs, pillows and blankets to innovative table runners that incorporate fresh flowers. Delivers Scandinavian elegance into your home.

Weaving in the Peruvian Highlands by Nilda Calanaupa Alvarez, softback published by Interweave in the USA. Available in the UK, ISBN 978-1-59668-055-5, price 14.99 from www.searchpress.com

Looking for stunning colour and ethnic textiles? look no further. This is a beautiful book from the founder and director of the Center for Traditional Textiles in Cusco, Peru. See fabulous colour reproductions of the textiles and find out how they were made. Whilst this book does not provide weaving patterns and no knitwear is included, it is an interesting book on Peruvian textiles, a good resource for designers.

Spin, Dye, Stitch by Jennifer Claydon, softback published by North Light Books in the USA. Available in the UK, ISBN 978-1-60061-1551, price 15.99 from www.davidandcharles.co.uk

This is a book full of ideas for the homespun knitter. Spinning is a craft that has always appealed to me. I like the idea of dyeing in a single large pot. I am rarely seen without a pair of knitting needles in my hand but the knitting patterns are not inspiring in this book, although there is a little weaving too. I think this book is trying to be too many things to too many people. English readers beware all the yarns and resource section is for American readers only.

Woven Treasures by Sara Lamb, softback published by Interweave in the USA. ISBN 978-1-59668-102-6, price 17.99 in the UK from www.searchpress.com

From the moment you open this book it is a treasure trove. Learn the basics of heddle loom weaving and how to make seven beautiful bags. The design notebook includes a useful section on colour weaving. Great photographs, nice designs and good use of colour. Note for UK users, you’ll need to find alternative yarns.

Small Loom and Freeform Weaving by Barbara Matthiessen, hardback published by Creative Publishing International. ISBN 978-1-58923-361-4, price 12.99 from www.creativepub.com

This brilliant book explores how to use small weaving looms to make super, useful projects. Five ways to weave are included in this practical guide with good photography and instructions. Find out how to make your own simple but effective loom. Discover pin weaving and much more. The projects are contemporary and include home decor and accessories. I really liked this book and will be making more use of my small loom as a result. I am also going to have a go at pin weaving. This book makes weaving more accessible to the home weaver who does not have room for a large loom. It shows the possibilities of this ancient craft. An excellent buy.

Woven Shibori by Catharine Ellis, softback published by Interweave Press in the USA and exclusively distributed in the UK by Search Press. ISBN 1-931499-67-5, price 17.99 from www.searchpress.com

Shibori is the Japanese art of tying before dyeing fabric. Here, innovative weaver, Catharine Ellis applies the principles of design to weave. The book is well illustrated and includes the basics of shibori weaving as well as how to expand your skills. Catharine Ellis shares her know-how in this fascinating 124-page book.

Weaving Made Easy by Liz Gipson, softback published by Interweave in the USA. Available exclusively from Search Press in the UK, price 16.99 ISBN 978-1-59668-075-3 from www.searchpress.com

Simple loom weaving with seventeen projects worked on a rigid heddle loom. The projects range from wearable items such as bags, scarves and belts to placemats, cushions and rugs. This 127 page book is an enthusiastic guide to working on a small, portable loom. Almost half the book is a how to use your lom guide, the rest is what to create with it. It shows you the basics of getting to grips with your loom and how to create many useful projects. The book is clearly photographed and written and instructions are easy to follow. The fabrics created are varied enough to give you a thorough grounding in the possibilities for more exploration on your own. Each of the projects are well chosen, usable, varied and fun to make. This is an excellent book for learning the techniques of weaving on a rigid heddle and the patterns and fabric you can create.

Handweaver’s Pattern Book by Anne Dixon, hardback, spiral bound, published by A&C Black, price £19.99. ISBN 978-0-7136-8411-7 available from www.acblack.com

This is an essential illustrated guide to over 600 fabric weaves. A such it offers a versatile library of weaving patterns for all levels from beginner to experienced weaver. The book includes an in-depth introduction to basic equipment, fibres, yarns, what to do with the selvedge, sett, how to calculate the warp length and colour theory. The introduction is illustrated with useful drawings. 

The 600 patterns include basic threadings, block drafts, lace weaves and special threadings.  The patterns are highly useful and include double cloth, more than one colour warp, hand manipulated wrappings, honeycombs, , twills, Swedish lace, herringbone, distorted wefts and a whole lot more besides. Find out how to finish your piece. This section looks at edgings, drawn threads, hemming, fringes and so much more. There is also a glossary, index and resources.

This is the equivalent of one of those wonderful stitches books for knitters. The types of weave shown are comprehensive and are clearly photographed with charts indicating the treading sequence and order of work. You will return to this book time and time again.

Collapse Weave by Anne Field, softback published by A&C Black, price £19.99. ISBN 978-1-4081-0628-0 available from www.acblack.com

This landscape-format book has just 160 pages. It is illustrated with 150 colour photos. The topic is rather a specialist one, that of creating three-dimensional cloth. 

The book has a comprehensive introduction, which discusses yarn and structure. It then goes on to explore the different methods of creating three-dimensional effects in weaving. Effects include texture and ruching. It also looks at looms and weave in detail. Projects include scarves, wraps, tops, pants and skirts. Anne Field has thoroughly researched this area of weaving. Collapse weaving combines weave structures and uses contrasting yarns to produce unusual effects with ridges and hollows instead of flat, consistent fabrics.

This is not a book for the beginner, I got a little lost in the jargon. It shows you how to create fabric using collapse weave and how to then use the fabric to create the projects. Photographs and instructions are clear.