Urban Edge Blog Book Tour

April 5, 2012 by crochetkim | 131 Comments

The Book: “Urban Edge” by Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby
Publisher: Leisure Arts (available in hold-in-your-hands format and PDF download)

I first saw that cover several months’ ago. I was absolutely blown away by the cover design. Seriously. Blown. Away. If I had never seen anything else in the book, it would make me purchase the book. From the book:

“Every wardrobe needs a “Wow” piece; something with bold lines and sleek design features with just enough edge to set it apart from anything else in your closet. This stand out jacket is that piece.”

(Who writes the romance copy, Shannon? Seriously, I can’t write romance copy to save my life.)

And, that pretty much says it all. The jacket is made in one of my favorite yarns, Naturally Caron Country and the pattern is written in sizes Small through 3X.

The thing I like best about all of Shannon’s work is his amazing textures, which is obvious simply by admiring this design. But, he also does something I strive to do so often in my work as well–take a stitch or a stitch pattern and give it a new twist, not usually seen. For this jacket, he has taken elements of a stitch pattern which is more commonly seen with colorwork and has given it an entirely new look by stitching it in a solid color. His ability to think outside the box is seen throughout the entire book.

Shannon takes ordinary stitches and turns them into something extraordinary in the garment design process. Instead of an entire garment made with horizontal lines, he may turn them with a diagonal approach, which is much more flattering to the female figure.

I know that many of you are looking for garments in crochet that aren’t simply a layering piece. And, you will have that with Shannon’s book. I’m pleased to see that Shannon has mastered lace crochet garments as well. I love his texture work, but now there is an entirely new level of Shannon I didn’t see before. Lace.

What I didn’t know about this book is that Jason Mullett-Bowlsby was the graphic designer and photographer for the book. Now, how cool is that? It is incredible to have full creative control like that.

I love that KJ Hay was the tech editor too. She is an incredible tech editor. Very good choice!

You can read about the adventures of Shannon and Jason at Shibaguyz Designz. Currently on the blog are additional photos from the book and “the backstory” of some of the designs and photography. I love the intimate details.

And, now for the giveaway. I have two of these books to give away. Not mine. You can’t have mine. Two OTHER copies of this book to give away. Simply leave a comment below. Any comment will do (except for spam, that’s deleted without question). I won’t even make you play one of my silly games. Please be sure to leave your email address, though. Important stuff, if you happen to be a winner. And, don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up immediately. All things in moderation, including comments on my blog. You have exactly one week from today. 7 days. 168 hours from right this minute . In approximately 10,080 minutes, I will have my little son randomly choose 2 names. Good luck!

Legal Mumbo Jumbo: I received a copy of this book, free of charge, from Leisure Arts, for the purpose of writing this review. I received no compensation and get no kickbacks. My review is honest and, even if I hadn’t received a copy of the book, I would have bought it just to get my hands on that cover garment. Seriously, isn’t it fantastic?

4/13/12 ETA: And, that’s it. We’ve reached the deadline. 129 comments. #23 and #80 were randomly chosen. Emails have been sent. Congratulations and thank you for playing.

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