As a finishing touch for all your handmade garments or a great pick-me-up for a vintage find, these lovely blooms are the perfect way to use up scraps of yarn or try out interesting new yarns.Breeze through this gorgeous collection featuring a colorful palette of simple spiraling roses, saucer-sized poppies, delicate lilacs, an assortment of vegetables, and more. All are shown full-size and in scale and is complete with stitched leaves and embroidered stems. Each flower pattern has full instructions, yarn requirements, and a suggested skill level. An additional section serves as a refresher course with basic techniques and provides inspiration for embellishing your finished flowers with beads, buttons, and sequins. You can also learn how to use the flowers in a range of fun projects, from customizing clothing and accessories, to decorating gift-wrapped packages.This book will inspire all knitters and crocheters to pick up their needles and start creating their own beautiful blooms.

    The knitted dog is indeed the ideal companion: There's no feeding, barking, shedding, or vet's bills, and he'll live forever! Knit Your Own Dog is the irresistible guide to knitting the perfect pup. With patterns for 25 different pedigree pooches, Knit Your Own Dog lets you choose the dog you want, whether it's a pretty Poodle or a loyal Labrador. Or knit them all for a pack of canine fun! The patterns are easy-to-follow for both new and veteran knitters. It should take only a few evenings to create a covetable companion for life. And yet each pattern is extremely detailed and includes all of the distinguishing features of each breed, from the startling blue eyes of the Siberian Husky and the long, woolly curls of the Old English Sheepdog to the lolling tongue of the German Shepherd. Accompanying the patterns are a brief description of each breed, as well as expert tips on choosing yarns, stuffing and sewing the dogs, and adding personality to your creation. Beautiful color photographs of the finished dogs, as well as detail shots, both inspire and instruct. Knit Your Own Dog is the perfect book for knitters and devoted dog lovers. Breeds include: Afghan Hound, Basset Hound, Border Collie, Cocker Spaniel, Corgi, Dachshund, Dalmatian, English Bulldog, English Bull Terrier, French Bulldog, German Shepherd, Jack Russell, Labrador, Miniature Schnauzer, Old English Sheepdog, Poodle, Portuguese Water Dog, Pug, Red Setter, Rough Collie, Scottish Terrier, Siberian Husky, West Highland Terrier, Whippet, Wire-haired Fox Terrier.

    They’ll also learn whether knitting swatches is really necessary and how big to knit a piece before felting. Twenty-four detailed projects include stylish bags, totes, hats, and mittens; warm and fuzzy vests and slippers; and decorative pillows, placemats, and coasters. With a section on embellishing felting and felting on felt (needle felting), knitters will be inspired to create these beautiful projects for friends and family, from the baby’s first felt hat to the furry slippers for cold winter nights.

    Both functional and decorative, these wonderful projects for men’s and women’s vests are accompanied by folk stories and regional histories from the country of the design’s origin, including Tibet, Scandinavia, Guatemala, Japan, North America, and many others. More than a pattern book, readers will feel connected to the cultures behind the projects as they bring these native crafts to life.

    From best-selling author Robyn Chachula comes an in-depth look into crocheting traditional afghans using contemporary techniques, colors and patterns.Expert designers including Kristin Omdahl, Kathy Merrick, Kimberly McAlindin, and many more, provide an abundance of fresh patterns and projects that are perfect for new and advanced crocheters as they start out beginner-friendly and become more complex, allowing a crocheter to build skills and confidence. Designers at any level will enjoy:*A detailed technique’s workshop in every chapter including cables, motifs, color, lace, and Tunisian crochet.*Helpful tips from designers for working through each afghan project.*Easy-to-follow charts and diagrams.Along with tons of beautiful afghan projects for all skill levels, you’ll find many of your favorite designer’s biographies—giving you an exploration into their inspiration.

    The Prayer Shawl Companion presents 38 wondrous wraps for all occasions from baptism to remembrance. The book includes easy intermediate to challenging patterns that include heartwarming stories to and from shawl recipients. 176 pages.

    Toy knits designer Hrachovec presents more than 40 super-cute, humorous patterns for miniature toys, plus techniques for tiny knitting; ideas for using the tiny knits as wearables, decorations, and gifts; and instructions on how to convert a pattern for a tiny project into a bigger toy.

    Stunning patterns are arranged by season, reflecting the colors and beauty of nature that inspire feminine designs. From an amber-beaded cardigan that captures the feeling of hay fields drying in the sun to a long, belted coat with a spray of coral roses inspired by flowers in local markets to an intarsia jacket that evokes memories of a fall hike in a forest, each pattern is rich with color, detailing, and romantic knitting style. The design workshops throughout this guidebook challenge knitters to find inspiration in their surroundings, build color palettes, swatch creatively through knitting and sketching, and finesse their style and fit.

    Covering a wide variety of knitting techniques such as felting, intarsia, Fair Isle, lacework, and cables, the unique examples in this resource include buckles and bolts to close an intricately cabled belt, a chain handle to finish a felted bag, and grommets to complete a half-felted handbag. This collection of modern, stylish patterns will inspire beginning and intermediate knitters with its uncommon techniques and materials, dressing up quick and easy projects with head-turning flair.

    Now, the influential needlecraft guru has become a “two-timer,” bringing the same ingenuity, innovative eye, and solid fashion sense that she’s always exhibited in her knitting design to the world of crochet. In Loop-d-Loop Crochet, Durham presents more than 25 designs that are as up-to-the-minute, style-wise, as they are thoroughly steeped in crochet stitchwork tradition. Each of the projects, which range from purses, skirts, shawls, and sweaters for the whole family to a hammock and a pair of brocade boots, epitomizes Durham’s signature design sensibility, which she describes as “a tension of opposites—rough-hewn yet delicate, stark yet feminine, organic yet structured.” Decked out in evocative color photographs (by Adrian Buckmaster), a diverse cast of models show off the finished garments. Beginner and advanced crocheters will find Durham’s novel approach refreshing and inspiring. And for newcomers just making the switch from knitting, Loop-d-Loop Crochet provides the perfect introduction to what Durham terms the “flip side” of needlecraft’s heritage. Crochet is a freeing experience, Durham says—a sentiment with which her many fans are certain to agree.

    A rundown on equipment introduces the drop spindle, supported spindle, niddy-noddy, McMorran balance, and yarn meter, while the following sections include choosing wool and other fibers, presenting knitting patterns suitable for handspun yarn, and in-depth profiles of real urban spinners. For crafters who want to experiment with spinning but don't want to sacrifice too much of their knitting time, there are lots of ideas for jazzing up a thrift-store cardigan with handspun trim or knitting a boatneck pullover in a combination of commercial and handspun yarns. Methods for incorporating beads and threads into yarn and a technique for dyeing yarn in the dishwasher are also featured.

    900+ vivid photos & illustrations.

    The designs emanate from an extraordinary mind, ... but the author has written out detailed and comprehensive instructions for the rest of us. Some designs include: Form knitting, Scribble Lace, Swirl, Sculptural, Virtual, Cellular Automaton and Labyrinth knitting.

    Each chapter focuses on a different technique, inviting you to dip in, experiment, and then apply your newfound skills to create a custom piece designed by these crochet luminaries. You’ll learn Hairpin Lace from Stitch Diva Jennifer Hansen, discover the intricate color work of tapestry crochet from Carol Ventura, and explore free-form crochet with renowned fiber artist Prudence Mapstone. Filled with expert instruction, inspiring stories, and projects created exclusively for this book, Crochet Master Class is your guide to the incredible range of crochet possibilities. Techniques include:Filet Crochet • Hairpin Lace • Tapestry Crochet • Aran Crochet • Entrelac Crochet • Fashion Crochet • Tunisian Crochet • Woven Crochet • Double-Ended Crochet • Tassels • Bullion Stitch • Overlay Crochet • Bead Crochet • Bruges Crochet • Painted Crochet • Free-Form Crochet • Irish Crochet • Wire Crochet

    Among the more than 35 patterns provided here are a cozy neck wrap featuring a built-in iPod holder, a lacy drawstring hood, and a woven necklace sparkling with Swarovski crystals.