Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. The plot and characters didn't keep me interested. I really wanted to like the book but just couldn't get into it.

Nothing special to go on about.
Was just a a basic book on knots.
Not as east to follow as other knot books,
But was an interesting read to see how they depicted the knots as well as how they gave the instructions.

I have always been interested in the craft of knot tying. I'm already an avid crafter and always looking for new ways to expand my knowledge. I have looked for knot tying information before but found that it's not that easy to come by.
This book is a good introduction to knot tying and I'm considering purchasing a copy to refer back to in the future.

What a great little book. With macramé trends showing no signs of slowing down, and many people turning their hands to crafts like crochet, this book would be a perfect gift for somebody wanting to make things by hand and enjoy the slow process of bringing something to life. A great guide to many different knots both decorative and useful.

Many of us are familiar with Celtic knots, if only because of the ongoing trend of having them as tattoos, but there is a lot more to the traditional art-form of knot tying than first meets the eye. Sacred Knots by Lise Silva Gomes aims to introduce readers not only to the fun of this time-honored style of crafting but also to its spiritual benefits.

The book opens with an introduction from the author about her personal journey into knotting, and an overview of its history. Knot-tying has been practiced by native peoples all over the world and today, modern artists and historians are attempting to revive and record this knowledge so it doesn’t become lost forever in the digital age. Many knot types had practical uses including record keeping, basket weaving, and aboard ships, but others were purely decorative, used to pass the time, or act as reminders of loved ones.

The bulk of Sacred Knots is divided into three parts. Part one introduces readers to nine different traditional knots with step by step illustrations explaining how to create them plus finishing and embellishing techniques to prevent your work from unraveling. The second part of the book is filled with various projects you can complete using your new knotting knowledge including jewelry, curtains, a bookmark, and even an applique jacket. The third and final part is given over to “Knotting as a Personal Practice” and includes sections on using knot typing for meditation and relaxation, increasing your creativity, and how to journal and record your personal journey. All three sections are heavily illustrated and will make you want to pick up the nearest string-like object and start having a go.

Sophie hopes to spend some time with this book in the new year and who knows, perhaps by the 2021 holidays she will be giving knots to her own family and friends?

I've always been drawn to the act of knot making and this book provided exactly what I was looking for. While there are a few projects provided, the majority of the book lays the groundwork for the reader to develop their own knotting practice. From selecting materials to finishing and displaying the creations, every step of the development of the practice is covered. I especially enjoyed the final chapters on incorporating not just the final product, but the act of knot making, into one's spiritual practice.

This is definitely a book that needs to be held and used in physical form, rather than with an e-book edition. "Sacred Knots" is less of a "how-to" guide and more of an informational manual on knots and the relaxing nature of it.

The author goes over 9 different kinds of knots, with illustrations on how to complete the knot. She also provides a few projects to utilize the knots. In this way, I don't think that this book goes beyond what a lot of other macrame/knot type books have already done.

"Sacred Knots" is a pretty book- I enjoyed seeing the pictures and was able to follow the directions to do some of the basic knotting techniques. Because of its practical nature, I gave it a higher star rating. I would have liked to seen more examples and project ideas. It would also be useful to see how different types of knots can be combined in the same project.

Thank you Netgalley and Roost books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Making knots can be therapeutic or an art or a relaxation. I had no idea about it.
But I am certain about these benefits after reading the book.
It can also be a business to create lovely artistic knots.
Author teaches different types of knots both simple and complex with the help of easy to understand illustrations.
A great new facet of DIY book and arts and craft skills.
It is also s practical useful skill as we need knots in daily life too.
A wonderful book to learn these.

This was a good intro to knotting basics. I found it very easy to read and follow, and the explanations and illustrations were great! My only issue was that there weren't more of a variety of projects for practice.

Not Helpful for the Knotting Beginner

I am a lifelong crafter but had never considered knotting as a specific, separate craft. In other crafts that I do—like knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and latch hooking—I use knots as a means to a specific end. I had hoped this book would provide a new crafting avenue for me, but I didn't find this book much help for a beginning knotter. It is laid out in three parts: knotting basics, projects, and the “sacred” aspect. My general feeling is that this book more looks good than is actually practical, especially for a beginner. I first felt that way just looking at the author's description of the types of materials you can use to make knots. Instead of just showing all the different types in a few picture arrays, she chose to show them in different parts of the basic section and in different ways. As someone who has really only worked with yarn and embroidery thread for my crafts, I really wanted to see and understand the different knotting materials better. In general, I thought they chose the photographs in most of the book for their “look” rather than how helpful they might be to the reader. Later in this basics section, the author shares what she sees as being foundational knots. As a rank beginner in knotting, I found these diagrams and descriptions more confusing than helpful; I ended my attempts in utter frustration. Also, throughout the book, the book’s graphic designer chose to use a variety of text colors—some of which are hard to read against the backgrounds—and a script font (i.e., hard to read). These problems were actually quite extensive throughout the book, not helping with comprehension. I didn't think the knots or the projects were described or shown in ways that would allow the beginner to actually do them. The sacred section seemed tacked on and not really related to the rest of the book. All in all, I did not like this book.

Sacred Knots absolutely mesmerized me! I found it so fascinating that I read it straight through in the course of an afternoon and then imediately jumped on internet sites to look for supplies to take up this art form myself!!

The book is beautifully done in every way. Gomes shares a lot of information about an art-form she clearly loves and one that holds a high importance in her life. She is an able and capable teacher. There is a grace and calmness to her writing style - hard to explain, but it definitely comes through.

She covers the history of knotting, information about general materials needed, how to choose cords with pros and cons to each type, making your own cords, how to dye your cordss to get just the color you have in mind. She then give diagram instructions on how to make several beautiful knots, as well as how to finish and embellish them. Her designs and work are stunningly beautiful.

It's sometimes hard to breakdown an art/craft into clear instructions that will bring a successful result to a newbie, and only time will tell how successful the author is in that aspect. I can only tell you that she has spread her enthusiasm to me, and I plan to give it a try!

My thanks to NetGalley and Roost Books for allowing me to review a copy of the book. It is expected to be published on 11/3/2020. All opinions stated in this review are my own.

Definitely all about knots, putting an artistic twist into the mix. Interesting and filled with color.

This is a good book for anyone wanting to take up the craft of making things out of knots. As a knitter, I found it interesting. I especially appreciated that the author suggests this craft as a quiet, meditative activity. Lots of nice photos and project ideas.

This book has a lot of information on knotting, but should not be seen as a crafting book. There are only a few schematics explaining how to do the knots.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about the background to knotwork, but not to beginners who would like to do some projects.

This is a gorgeous book that had me really wanting to make some of these knots but there weren't enough photos of the steps or illustrations to make me feel very confident in trying them. I would have really appreciated some beginner level practice projects to do with some inexpensive cording or something to build confidence first. I'm in love with the looks of some of the wall hangings, jewelry and art pieces the author has created and I'd definitely love to learn to do this, but it didn't feel like a beginner book. I also tend to view craft books with an eye towards projects I can do with my kids, and these seemed too advanced even for me, much less for them. I love the way the author uses knotting to meditate and for spiritual work, but I think maybe I need a knotting for dummies version to get started. :) For those who are already a little more familiar with the practice, this should be a fantastic resource.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

This book has lots and lots of tips on how to do knots. There are some cool projects that I would like to try. The book has more written parts than photos/drawings and as a beginner I found it hard to follow. There are some drawings trying to explain the step-by-step but it was a bit complicated for me. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

I have a few good take away Knots, a projects accomplished. The drawings for the knots could be broken down more and made simpler, I was unable to follow the more complicated knots.