Everyone has heard the mantra 'Knitting is the new yoga' but not everyone is lucky enough to have someone to show them the ropes and get them started on their very first row. Unless they have a friend or relative to teach them how to start, often would-be knitters turn to the so-called 'beginners patterns' but these can be confusing, difficult to follow, and more often than not written in 'knit' rather than English. This book will be a tried and tested guide for people at the very beginning of their knitting lives, looking for guidance and patterns for projects that they can use to make that first all-important step to 'Beyond the Scarf'.Contents include: Knitting Basics: Getting Started; Knitter's First Project: The Scarf; Workshops: Decreasing; Creating a Rib; Changing Colour; Increasing; Finishing; Knitting a Flower; Cable: Making a Cable; Making a Cable Bag; Eyelets and so on...

    Included are innovative patterns and tips for knitting socks with customized fit--even for all ten toes. Safe and easy directions are given on dyeing yarn from pour-dyeing methods to dyeing with Kool-Aid. With photos and illustrations of finished examples, sock patterns such as newborn socks and magic genie toe socks, and advice on how to create one-of-a-kind projects, it will appeal to all levels of knitters and spinners.

    Practice 8 meandering stitches for beginners, plus creative variations on each, with step-by-step visuals and quilted samples. Start your free-motion journey on the right foot with proven techniques to help you disguise mistakes and transition between designs with ease.

    Ideal for those with some sewing experience looking to break away from the restrictions of traditional patterns, this guide offers the details for both hand and machine appliqué techniques, as well as a history of appliqué and how it was rediscovered in the fiber arts. Featured are 20 modern, stylish sewing projects ranging from aprons, skirts, pillows, and totes to a duvet cover, wall clock, blouse, baby quilt, and scarf. With step-by-step instructions, color photographs, and comprehensive how-to embroidery instructions, this is an all-in-one resource and guide.

    Sweaters get damaged or go out of style but we still love the prints, colors, and textures. You don't have time to knit it from scratch. It's ecologically correct. And most of all--it's fun!Sweater Surgery shows you how to upcycle all your slightly worn, slightly damaged, or plain old out-of-style sweaters into fabulous new items for your wardrobe and your home. Readers learn how to choose, cut, restitch, felt, and embellish old sweater fabric, transforming it into beautiful handbags, mittens, scarves, hats, hoodies, skirts, jewelry, soft toys, pillows, and more!Complete instructions for 27 projects, plus a huge gallery of exciting ideas for further inspiration.

    With an emphasis on recycling, making projects from scratch, and improvisation - as well as detailed, easy-to-understand instructions - this title gives crafters the skills they need to self-express, by shaping their own environments, whether they're working on their bodies, their bedrooms, their lockers at school, or their first apartments.

    A String and a Prayer recounts the history and symbolism of prayer beads, teaches basic techniques for stringing beads and a host of other objects into prayer beads, and offers a variety of prayers and rituals to use those beads on a daily basis. Beads have appeared throughout history. Prayer beads are used in the spiritual practices of cultures as diverse as the African Masai, Native Americans, Greek and Russian Orthodoxy, as well as the religious rituals of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. But prayer is highly personal. By infusing prayer beads with personal associations, we can keep our spirituality fresh. The beads are a device to help build and rebuild meaningful ritual in our lives. With myriad ideas about what makes objects sacred and where to find sacred objects from the personal, perhaps beads from a grandmother's broken rosary, to the unusual, maybe seashells from far away found in a thrift store A String and a Prayer offers many suggestions for different ways that beads can be made and used, exploring the creative roles they can play in our relationships, ceremonies, and rituals. "You are the expert, trust yourself. Let the instructions be a guide to your own creativity," write the authors.

    This book will be a delight to the enthusiastic fiber crowd that is growing by leaps and bounds. It captures all the excitement of experimental, handspun yarns, and includes recipes for handspun yarns, project ideas for knitters and crocheters, tips on how to use one-of-a-kind handspun yarns (whether you spin them or buy them at yarn boutiques), and a gallery of handmade creations. The book also features profiles, anecdotes, essays, and thoughts on fiber arts and the creative process. Contributors range from Alpaca farmers and cutting-edge spinners to well-known knitwear designers.There is has been a resurgence in interest in spinning and in using one-of-a-kind yarns, particularly by the all new knitters and crocheters, and there are no other cutting-edge, inspiring books out there to satisfy this enthusiastic audience.

    Then rev up the sewing machine for fast mends that put the pedal to the metal. Even with a limited budget and not much time to spare, you can create eye-catching repairs with visible mending--35 examples and more than 150 photos make it easy to put your unique mark on everything you mend!

    Each easy-to-follow pattern is presented with step-by-step diagrams, hilarious commentary, and full-color photographs of the bloodcurdlingly sweet creatures in their natural environments. Creepy Cute Crochet comes complete with helpful crochet tips and a down-and-dirty course in doll making, with each pattern ranked by difficulty level, so even beginners can share in the fun.The scary-cute photographs, accessible instructions, and illustrated patterns are sure to be a hit with indie crafters, angsty teens, and hip moms everywhere.

    She calls on her years of experience as Knitty's Managing Technical Editor, where she has edited hundreds of sock patterns, to share this information in a way that is easy to understand with patterns that inspire.So go ahead and treat yourself to these 15 original sock patterns that are easily customizable and work with any needle configuration. Your feet will thank you!

    The DIY Bride helps brides put their stamp on the big day without breaking the bank. Written by the creator of the number one Web site for wedding crafts, DIYBride.com, this fun, easy guide showcases unique, easy-to-do craft projects that range from beautiful handmade announcements and invitations to personalized favors and much more. Khris Cochran includes valuable cost-comparison sidebars that clearly detail the huge savings involved. She also shows brides how to involve their friends and families in the project-making process, making this a fun journey for all. The DIY Bride is an essential purchase for any woman who dreams of an unforgettable wedding--from the inside out.

    Readers will learn how to make odd and endearing one-of-a-kind creatures from a variety of sock styles. Softcover F&W Media Inc

    Whatever.If you would describe your favorite crafts as supercute" - no, let us rephrase: If the idea of handcrafting the most nauseatingly adorable plush bunny you've ever seen sets your heart atwitter - feel free to stop reading. We'll understand. Really.If you're still reading, you may be cynical and fed up with syrupy crafts as we are. (Huzzah!) For you and your likeminded AntiCraftspeople, we have hand-selected twenty-five projects from the most talented crafters you'll never find in the mainstream (whatever that even means). Behold:Creations your goody-goody little sister will roll her eyes at, including snake-motif thigh-highs and a duct-tape corset.Tips and sidebars to celebrate (with as much enthusiasm as any of us can muster) your delightfully dark nature, including suggested mood-enhancers (soundtracks, movies, etc.) for making each and every item.Basic techniques for knitting, crochet and jewelry-making virgins - complete with step-by-step photos to save you from the embarrassment of asking that annoyingly perky coworker for help.Join us in the AntiCraft movement - where self-expression, no matter how socially unacceptable, is given a scalpel and room to operate."

    Other projects include home–computer face–lifts, Xerox wallpaper, aluminium lighting fixtures, and cosy shoe–storage systems. In additional to Todd's brilliantly engineered projects, the book comes complete with a tutorial on modern home design in the form of sidebars and short essays throughout –everything from that now–famous Eames chair to the case–study houses of the 1950s.Handmade Modern promises to revolutionise the way the reader looks at his or her own home and capacity to beautify a space. Chic, accessible, and fun, this is the achievable new look of modern home design.