Susan Kesler-Simpson is passionate about fiber arts and breaking down complex weaving techniques so that even beginners can learn the basic concepts. She is the author of the successful Overshot Simply, Shadow Weave Simply, Crackle Weave Simply, and Creative Treadling with Overshot, and has a B.S. and M.A. in Clothing, Textiles, and Design from the University of Nebraska. She enjoys teaching weaving and working in other crafts such as knitting, spinning, and crocheting. She resides in Danville, Pennsylvania.
Description
Reviews
Paging through Susan Kesler-Simpsons latest book, it is hard to decide which project to try first. Summer and winter "Spice Blocks"? Broken circle overshot? A cat, coffee cup, or Christmas motif? Or will readers choose one of the other many attractive structures and patterns that fill these pages? - Susan Knorr, Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot, Spring 2025
Paging through Susan Kesler-Simpsons latest book, it is hard to decide which project to try first. Summer and winter "Spice Blocks"? Broken circle overshot? A cat, coffee cup, or Christmas motif? Or will readers choose one of the other many attractive structures and patterns that fill these pages?
Full-page color photos and close-up shots highlight the 43 varied towels (more, when you consider the additional colorways, treadling options, or other modifications included). The yarn of choice for most of the projects is 8/2 cotton, with half of them needing only 4 shafts. Detailed instructions indicating sett and yarn requirements, along with generously spaced, easy-to-read threading, tie-up, and treadling drafts, make this book accessible for beginners as well as experienced weavers. Introductory chapters and the authors conversational tone, which cover topics such as draft notation, interpreting profile drafts, fiber choices, hemming, and troubleshooting, provide information that will help weavers start and finish their towels with aplomb. Kesler-Simpsons focus on one specific type of project makes this book a fine addition to her previous "simply" explorations of a single structure such as overshot, shadow weave, and crackle, as well as a welcome resource for a popular and much-loved woven item.
— Susan Knorr, Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot
Paging through Susan Kesler-Simpsons latest book, it is hard to decide which project to try first. Summer and winter "Spice Blocks"? Broken circle overshot? A cat, coffee cup, or Christmas motif? Or will readers choose one of the other many attractive structures and patterns that fill these pages?
Full-page color photos and close-up shots highlight the 43 varied towels (more, when you consider the additional colorways, treadling options, or other modifications included). The yarn of choice for most of the projects is 8/2 cotton, with half of them needing only 4 shafts. Detailed instructions indicating sett and yarn requirements, along with generously spaced, easy-to-read threading, tie-up, and treadling drafts, make this book accessible for beginners as well as experienced weavers. Introductory chapters and the authors conversational tone, which cover topics such as draft notation, interpreting profile drafts, fiber choices, hemming, and troubleshooting, provide information that will help weavers start and finish their towels with aplomb. Kesler-Simpsons focus on one specific type of project makes this book a fine addition to her previous "simply" explorations of a single structure such as overshot, shadow weave, and crackle, as well as a welcome resource for a popular and much-loved woven item.
— Susan Knorr, Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot