21 original patterns in a variety of styles; colors; yarns; stitch patterns; and techniques--including traditional crochet; Tunisian crochet; and broomstick lace crochet--for beginning through experienced crocheters
#4463866 in eBooks 2012-01-27 2012-01-27File Name: B00BIPANTE
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Expected more material about puppets.By cy of theaI hoped for more information about puppets. I bought it for a puppeteer and he was satisfied with the story of Pauline Benton. I expected too much.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Shadow Woman tells of a Kansas woman saving a Chinese traditionBy KelsieRBThe tired adage "out with the old and in with the new" rings especially true in the world of arts; but what if the old refuses to go? Kansas-born Pauline Benton spent the majority of her life striving to rejuvenate the dying Chinese tradition of shadow puppetry; amidst the Chinese Cultural Revolution -- which had the ultimate goal of eradicating all relics of Chinese antiquity: old customs; old culture; old habits and old ideas -- and the ever-increasing spread of modernity -- which demanded motion; lights and electricity. If youre not interested in or even aware of Chinese shadow puppetry; as I was not when I initially began this book; you may be interested to find out how a Kansas-transplant ended up in Beijing and; even more incredibly; how a young; Caucasian female in the early 20th century infiltrated this field which "was restricted to men and never open to foreigners;" according to Prof. Juang Yuxiang (of Sichuan University) in the foreword. While Pauline Bentons career is impressive; during her lifetime; she was not especially famous or well-known beyond those closely related to her studies and performances. In fact; as Yuxiang said; by the 1960s; when Benton had all but retired from performing shadow puppet performances; "it is unlikely that a tourist walking into the Carmel Mineral Art Shop in ... Carmel-by-the-Sea; California; would have noticed anything special about the older lady who sat at the counter; an array of sparkling amethyst; calcite; quartz and fools gold on shelves behind her;" and he certainly wouldnt have suspected that this same stocky woman with windblown gray hair "had been heralded as the only woman shadow master in the word." Grant Hayter-Menzies much-researched and beautifully crafted account of her life and lifes work are further evidence of the respect she solicited from those professors; artists; craftsmen; and other colleagues truly passionate about reviving piyingxi tradition. As well as recounting the chronology of Bentons life; Hayter-Menzies picks up the story of Bentons puppets where she left them at her time of death; as if in homage to her lifetime goal of resurrecting shadow puppetry (if only in the Western hemisphere); Hayter-Menzies follows the journey of Bentons beloved collection from the hands of her friends and fellow storytellers; Pauline McGuire and Mercina Karam; to the burgeoning puppeteer "Jo" Franz; who was in charge of the preservation and restoration of the American Museum of Natural Historys collection of shadow figures when Karam bequeathed Bentons collection to the museum. Surprised by the well-maintained condition of Bentons figures; Jo added them to her own theater company; the Gold Mountain Institute for Traditional Shadow Theatre ("just the sort of organization Pauline would have dreamed of;" according to Hayter-Menzies); until her retirement in 1999; at which point Jo donated her collection as well as Bentons figures to Chinese Theatre Works; in Queens; NYC. Bentons influence doesnt end there; either. Many people who have viewed shadow puppets in collections like the Chinese Theatre Works have been inspired and sought careers; themselves; in the art of shadow theater; like Annie Katsura Rollins; who; in 2011 received a Fulbright Fellowship to spend a year in China researching the diminishing art; just like Benton did in the early 1900s. In addition to relating the life of Pauline Benton and the artists she inspired; Hayter-Menzies book breaks down years of Chinese history and culture into meaningful periods in relation to Bentons career and the plight of shadow theater. He also includes dozens of pictures including Benton as a young girl; Benton working with various shadow theater troupes; and scenes from Bentons productions. Finally; he concludes the book with the five remaining episodes of "The White Snake;" Bentons favorite play; translated into English by Benton; herself; which leaves the reader imagining just how Benton would have presented the White Snake (Pai Shih); her maiden; the Black Snake (Hsiao Ching); and the dashing youth (Hsue Hsien). So; if youre an aficionado of shadow theater; an Asian history buff; or simply a Kansan (or a woman!) interested in the extraordinary life and success of a fellow Kansan (woman!) from the early 20th Century; I can confidently promise youll find something to love about this book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A well-researched accountBy Tom CIm interested in the shadow theater; and this book provides information valuable to me about an American practitioner of the Chinese shadow theater who hoped to counteract its decline in China by bringing it to America. This book brings together the available information about her history; carefully distinguishing between established fact and what must remain well-grounded speculation.