That is creativity," say award-winning craftsmen Beiderman and Johnston in this well-organized and highly instructive guidebook that tells you everything you need to know to create attractive woodcarvings.Especially written for the novice, it shows how to produce realistic animals, flowers, and humorous figures in a variety of forms: in the round, in relief, and as line carvings. A wide spectrum of more than 60 project patterns offers practical plans and ideas for carvers at all levels of expertise.The authors provide a detailed yet easy-to-follow introduction to carving tools and how to use them. There are also helpful hints to guide beginning carvers through difficult stages of carving, and expert advice on painting and finishing, woodcarving as gifts, how to exhibit and enter carvings in competition, and much more. You'll even find a whole chapter devoted to carving birds.Abundantly illustrated with over 200 photographs and detailed line drawings, this first paperback edition of The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving will be welcomed by any would-be woodcarver seeking a thorough, reliable, and crystal-clear introduction to the age-old art of carving wood.

    With contributions from Keith Haring, AIKO, Shepard Fairey, Exene Cervenka, Keita Takahashi, Jen Corace, Ryan McGinness, and more, Outside the Lines features edgy and imaginative pieces ready for you to add your own special touch.

    Celebrate the new season with Lion Brand's New Fall Collection: 15 Free Crochet Scarf Patterns, Afghan Patterns, and More. Each one of these beautiful crochet designs have been hand-picked by the Lion Brand; these must-make patterns for fall range in skill level from beginner to advanced and include a variety of patterns such as crochet scarves, crochet baby booties, crochet shawl patterns, and more.

    Dye your own fabric, yarn and clothing whilst using soya milk to bind the colours. There is colour potential all around us just waiting to be unlocked!I share my methods with you, step-by-step. The pages are bursting with photos of the dyeing process as well as photos of fabric and yarn samples from lots of different plants.Perhaps you already dye with plants using conventional mordants such as alum and would like to try the more natural soya milk method for fixing colours? Maybe you are beginning your journey with plant dyeing now? Either way, there is something for you in my book.The book covers the following plus morehow to produce long-lasting colours on cellulose (plant) fibres such as cotton, linen & bamboo viscose. how and why to pretreat fabric & yarn in soya milk before dyeing. choosing plants that will give promising results in the dye pot. how to extract the most colour from plants and how to achieve dark colours on cellulose fibres. my methods for producing deep pinks from avocado skins and stones (pits/seeds). altering colours by changing the pH of dye. using iron or rust water to darken your dyed fabric/yarn and expand your palette of colours. painting patterns with iron water. testing fabric & yarn for colour fastness. A note on plant fibresThis book focuses on dyeing cellulose fibres, such as linen, cotton, hemp and bamboo viscose/rayon. I am vegan and do not use any animal protein fibres like wool or silk. Of course my dyeing methods can be applied to animal fibres, if you choose.

    With simple step-by-step instructions that are accompanied by templates and pattern pieces, each project is designed to be completed in just a few hours. Get inspired and turn a yard of your favorite fabric into a quilted lunch bag, bright sundress, or a cuddly plush turtle.

    The Ceramics Bible is the most comprehensive and up-to-date volume on the subject. Brimming with more than 700 full-color photos and illustrations, this is the new definitive guide for serious ceramics practitioners. Inside are step-by-step instructions on molding, firing, and glazing techniques, generously accompanied by detailed photographs. Also included are beautiful examples of contemporary work, plus plenty of historical information, artist profiles, troubleshooting tips, and an extensive resource section. Perfect for students, artists, and collectors, this is a tremendously valuable addition to the vibrant world of ceramics.

    Some make our hearts and hands sing, some get the job done without much fanfare, and some cause nothing but frustration and disappointment. The gorgeous pair of socks that emerged from their first bath twice as long as when they went in. The delicate baby sweater that started pilling before it even came off the needles. The stunning colorwork scarf that you can't wear because the yarn feels like sandpaper against your neck. If only there were a way to read a skein and know how it would behave and what it wanted to become before you invested your time, energy, and money in it. Now there is! With The Knitter's Book of Yarn, you'll learn how to unleash your inner yarn whisperer.In these pages, Clara Parkes provides in-depth insight into a vast selection of yarns, giving you the inside stories behind the most common fiber types, preparations, spins, and ply combinations used by large-scale manufacturers and importers, medium-sized companies, boutique dye shops, community spinneries, and old-fashioned sheep farms. And, because we learn best by doing, Parkes went to some of the most creative and inquisitive design minds of the knitting world to provide a wide assortment of patterns created to highlight the qualities (and minimize the drawbacks) of specific types of yarns.The Knitter's Book of Yarn will teach you everything you need to know about yarn: How it's made, who makes it, how it gets to you, and what it longs to become. The next time you pick up a skein, you won't have to wonder what to do with it. You'll just know-the way any yarn whisperer would.

    Norwegian Wood provides useful advice on the rustic hows and whys of taking care of your heating needs, but it’s also a thoughtful attempt to understand man’s age-old predilection for stacking wood and passion for open fires. An intriguing window into the exoticism of Scandinavian culture, the book also features enough inherently interesting facts and anecdotes and inspired prose to make it universally appealing. The U.S. edition is a fully updated version of the Norwegian original, and includes an appendix of U.S.-based resources and contacts.

    A telling gesture. A unique posture. When you're struck by am image or impression you want to use in your art, you must record it - quickly! - before it's gone.But what's an artist to do when there's no time for a carefully rendered drawing or even a good photo? Some quick field sketching, that's what!This book will revolutionize the way you sketch. David Rankin reveals the simple secrets to creating quick, impressionistic field sketches from life - and how to work with them once you're back in the studio. With the tools and methods described here, you'll be surprised how easy it is to draw rapid visuals of landscapes, animals, figures, crowds, any subject.So the next time you're taken by a sudden, fleeting inspiration, you can capture it. And make the most of it in your art.

    The section on people gives simple tricks for showing emotion (angry, surprised) and action (skipping, doing a handstand). There's also a section on clothing that shows how to draw coats and jackets, shoes and boots, bell-bottoms and skinny jeans. From tricycles to tanker trucks, the book gives tips on drawing all kinds of moving vehicles.At then end of each chapter, author and artist Chika Miyata challenges you to synthesize what you've learned and create a scene. At the end of the chapter on animals, the challenge is to draw a zoo. At the end of the chapter on food, the challenge is to keep an illustrated food journal.Each entry is broken down with step-by-step illustrations, making this book perfect for beginners or experienced artists in need of a quick refresher and a great resource for those who want to express themselves through illustration or cartooning. Each book in the Almost Everything series offers readers a fun, comprehensive, and charmingly illustrated visual directory of ideas to inspire skill building in their creative endeavors.

     Shoeboxes and paper bags are fine for other cats. But your favorite felines deserve luxurious living spaces! This DIY construction guide includes fun and easy instructions for making cardboard trains, ships, food trucks, rockets, and other hideouts. Also included are tips for climbing towers and scratching pads that they can use to stay sharp.All twenty projects are quick to assemble and require inexpensive and easy-to-find materials. You can customize them to match your cat's wildest desires!

    Metal becomes your canvas as you learn the basics of enameling with a torch, then dive into 22 exquisite pieces, ranging from quirky "cattywampus" earrings to ethereal pendants to delicate multi-stranded necklaces. Find out how easy it is to create unique and colorful enamel pieces in this innovative, comprehensive guide to the world of torch-fired enameling.Inside you'll find:- A hands-on, in-depth approach to enameling beads, pendants and other metal findings using a torch instead of a kiln.- An extensive enameling workshop, with information on equipment, materials and safety considerations.- Tips and tricks for making truly unique pieces: learn how to modulate color, create burnt edges and manipulate the gas/oxygen ratio to achieve color flashes and smoky hazes.- Jewelry and metal-working techniques, from wire-wrapping to etching copper sheet, that create a perfect backdrop to your stunning enamel creations.Light the torch, gather your enamels and start painting with fire in Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry.look. make. meet.

    But as soon as he gets on campus, Ben finds out that Spy School is way more deadly than debonair. And given his total lack of coordination and failure to grasp even the most basic spying skills, Ben begins to wonder what he’s doing here in the first place.Luckily, through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he could actually become a halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life!Ideal for newcomers to the series and loyal fans alike, this collection includes paperback editions of Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, Spy Ski School, and Spy School Secret Service.

    Finally, all the years of law school and countless hours dedicated to studying are over and she’s working the case she hoped she’d get. This could make or break her career. She’s ready for it. What she doesn’t expect is the ominous threats and the very real possibility she could lose her life because of it.Cairo sacrificed everything for his career. Now it’s time to say goodbye and walk away with his head held high. That is, it will be after one final case, but this is no ordinary case and the attorney is no ordinary woman. She’s smart, sexy, and naïve about the danger she’s in.Notorious mob kingpin Moses Giovanni never loses. People are expendable to him. And the hot young attorney with a chip on her shoulder is next on his list of people who need to be erased.Find out how one case brings Bria, Cairo, and Moses face-to-face. The fight is on. Will Cairo’s last case end in disaster? Can he keep Bria safe from harm or is he in over his head?

     From the author of the bestselling WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT comes this spellbinding new novel. Marvellous Ways is eighty-nine years old and has lived alone in a remote Cornish creek for nearly all her life. Lately she's taken to spending her days sitting by the river with a telescope. She's waiting for something - she's not sure what, but she'll know it when she sees it. Drake is a young soldier left reeling by the Second World War. When his promise to fulfil a dying man's last wish sees him wash up in Marvellous' creek, broken in body and spirit, the old woman comes to his aid. A Year of Marvellous Ways is a glorious, life-affirming story about the magic in everyday life and the pull of the sea, the healing powers of storytelling and sloe gin, love and death and how we carry on when grief comes snapping at our heels.