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    For those who have always wanted to or tried and failed to learn to draw it provides simple step-by-step instruction, plus easy-to-follow practice exercises, and provides the motivation and inspiration readers need to be successful. For those who already draw, Everyday Sketching and Drawing offers another technique to add to their drawing arsenal.Why do so many adults come to view drawing as difficult or fraught with anxiety? Traditional art instruction is often bogged down with jargon, rules, and admonishments that unintentionally stifle the joy of drawing for its own sake.Steven Reddy's new and easy approach to drawing instructs sketchers to document their unique and compelling lives in realistic yet playful sketches that record the places, spaces, and objects that help define them as individuals. He reminds artists to slow down, notice, and attend to the sketch-worthy scenes and subjects that are unstaged and always there in our everyday lives. He offers a versatile technique that can lead to a skill that fills sketchbooks with the visual details that differentiate one life from another. This approach is a meditative, relaxing alternative to academic concerns about perspective, proportion, and accuracy. Reddy encourages artists to capture in whimsical but detail-specific illustrations their unique, subjective interpretation of their visual surroundings.Steven Reddy's drawing method produces extremely detailed and realistic scenes of objects and scenes in everyday life in a relatively short period of time (60 minutes to 3 hours or more, depending on the sketcher's preference). Modifying a technique utilized by Old Master oil painters, the drawings pass through 5 clearly articulated stages where each step focuses on one visual concept at a time.

    With 18 original designs, each a knitted interpretation of a traditional kimono style, this handbook makes knitting homemade kimonos deceptively easy. Projects are based on rectangular forms that require very little shaping, and are ideal first-garment projects for knitters wanting to venture beyond scarves. Clever details in stitch patterns and edgings, such as the use of silk, linen, and bamboo yarns, add sophistication and elegance to even the simplest designs. The flattering drape and luxurious style of the kimono will appeal to veteran and beginning knitters alike.

    The rich, historic traditions of plant and animal fibers are fascinatingly juxtaposed with recent advances in synthesized fiber and mankind’s use of fibers in the past, present, and future, while detailed, image-laden instructions for four intermediate projects demonstrate the range of possibilities, from sturdy, plied yarns to playful, novelty yarns. Spinners are also offered guidance on planning a project from start to finish, as well as how to care for and store completed projects.

    From quick “try it” ideas using shapes and patterns to doodled portraits and contour drawings, these step-by-step projects are wild creative fun. The featured artists include Cori Dantini, who provides a “Recipe for a Face”; Flora Chang with innovative watercolor designs; and Teesha Moore who offers ideas for adding personality to doodled characters.

    They come in many colorways and fiber contents--and they're everywhere. Best of all, they're versatile; you can use these fabulous fibers for a lot more than socks. You can make shawls!Learn how to work from a knitting chart; instructions for 15 striking shawls are charted "and "written outGet tips for choosing the right yarn--from fiber content to color--plus tips on using stitch markers, making shawls bigger, and moreMake great gifts; find a variety of knitted-shawl patterns to suit yourself and your friends

    Not only will Violette inspire you with her own journal pages, she'll teach you techniques for creating your own unique pages.You'll learn to:Create juicy backgrounds and whimsical borders for your pages to help get the ideas flowingLove doodling, even if you think you can't drawMake image transfers of photos or even your own artworkDevelop your own fanciful lettering and so much more!Create freely, express yourself and enjoy the journey with Journal Bliss!

      This addictive-to-read anthology celebrates yarn—specifically, the knitter’s reputation for acquiring it in large quantities and storing it away in what’s lovingly referred to as a “stash.” Consider contributions from knitting and teaching luminaries, including:    BUST co-founder Debbie Stoller    Meg Swansen, daughter of master knitter Elizabeth Zimmermann    Knitting blogger and author Susan B. Anderson alongside offerings from knitting greats Amy Herzog, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, and Franklin Habit—plus, stories from a romance novelist, an illustrator, a PhD-wielding feminist publisher, a globetrotting textile artist, a licensed clinical social worker, and the people behind the world’s largest collective online stash, Ravelry.com. The pieces range from comical to earnest, lighthearted to deeply philosophical as each seeks to answer the question of how the stash a knitter has accumulated over the years reflects his or her place in universe.   The stories in A Stash of One’s Own represent and provide validation for knitters’ wildly varying perspectives on yarn, from holding zero stash, to stash-busting, to stockpiling masses of it—and even including it in estate plans. These tales are for all fiber artists, spinners, dyers, crafters, crocheters, sheep farmers, shop owners, beginning knitters to yarn experts, and everyone who has ever loved a skein too hard to let it go.

    A Basic Stitch Guide and clear, easy-to-follow instructions are included.

    Projects range from casual cardigans and scarves to stylish wraps and sweaters. The book is divided into three moods: Farm Hands, the most casual design section; Ivy League, which focuses on more sophisticated knitwear, and Southern Comfort, which has slightly dressier garments ideal for holidays and special occasions.

    Serafini explains the fundamentals behind her work, from stitches to color theory, and lays out 25 beautifully textured projects that feature fabulous focal-point beads. Sherry Serafini is a renowned beading teacher and a featured artist in the book Masters: Beadweaving. Other books in Lark Jewelry & Beading's Beadweaving Master Class series have been authored by Diane Fitzgerald, Marcia DeCoster, Laura McCabe, Maggie Meister, and Rachel Nelson-Smith.

    Now, the best of those projects, including step-by-step instructions and full-color photographs, have been collected into a single encyclopedia. Organized by topic from A to Z, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts contains complete instructions and brief histories for more than 30 techniques, detailed descriptions of the necessary tools and materials, and easy-to-copy templates. Martha and her team of crafts editors guide readers through each subject, from botanical pressing and decoupage to rubber stamping and wreaths, with characteristic clarity and unparalleled attention to detail. Crafters of all skill and experience levels will appreciate the many variations presented for each technique. For example, candlemaking presents a comprehensive array of poured, rolled, and cutout candles, including instructions for making your own one-of-a-kind rubber candle molds, floating candles, sand candles, and more. Each craft in the book takes on charming new dimensions with innovations that could come only from the team behind Martha Stewart Living.In addition, each entry in Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts is chock-full of tips and advice. Handy glossaries in the entries–such as a comprehensive gem glossary, a glitter glossary, and a color glossary for making tinted wax–are valuable references that crafters will refer to again and again. What’s more, the Tools and Materials section outlines the best essential supplies that every crafter needs to have on hand, and the Sources pages clue readers in to the vendors and suppliers that the magazine’s crafts editors rely on most.Filled with solid technical know-how, and presented with gorgeous color photographs, this handy guide can be read page by page and kept as a lasting reference by crafters and artisans alike.

    Media favorite Allison Hoffman—whose delightful creations have graced the sets of Conan, Martha Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and more—explains how to craft and customize these Japanese dolls at every stage. Youll learn everything from depicting the face of the person youre designing to getting the clothing, hair, and accessories just right. The possibilities are infinite . . . and infinitely fun!

     Along with the familiar fabrics and recycled garments, she gets into the spirit of exploration with unexpected materials, from paper and tire tubes to neoprene. And with the skill level set at beginning to intermediate, every crafter can join in!Projects include:Bags and Totes  Home décor and gift items Wearables, such as hats and other accessories

    The first fully comprehensive practical guide combining a facinating history of the art, an inspirational gallery featuring the work of the world's top origamists, detailed descriptions of paper to use, and over 80 step-by-step projects to entertain, challenge and delight.