Knit the Sky: Cultivate Your Creativity with a Playful Way of Knitting


Lea Redmond - 2015
    Challenging herself to capture the changing colors of the sky in her knitting, Redmond loaded up her yarn basket with shades of blue, gray, and white and set out to knit a strip reflecting each day's shades. In 365 days, she imagines having a one-year weather report in the shape of a scarf. This is just one of 30 adventurous knitting challenges she shares with readers in this whimsical, inspiring collection. These are knitting projects like no other, as the goal is not just to have a finished project but to have a one-of-a-kind piece that tells a story about the knitter's life experience. Some of the projects invite the knitter to engage with others: friends knitting two scarves at once on the same needles, or a grandmother sharing a "basket of berries" with her grandchildren through matching basketweave-patterned hats. Others encourage contemplation: a knit 1, breathe 1 meditation stitch; creating an heirloom scarf for a yet-to-be descendent; or using a map to a favorite place as the basis for a pattern stitch. Accompanied by basic instructions for all the needed stitches, techniques, and patterns, Knit the Sky is a complete creativity starter kit for any knitter looking for a fresh approach to the craft.

The Year of Cozy: 125 Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Adventures


Adrianna Adarme - 2015
    You’ll love Adrianna Adarme’s easy-to-follow instructions and will enjoy getting lost in her warm and comforting photographs. Organized by the months of the year and by categories as “Live,” “Do,” and “Make, ” this book offers ideas for activities, recipes, and DIY projects that make the little moments in life just as exciting as the big. Adarme gives us special (but totally doable) things we can do for others and ourselves. From quick recipes to easy crafts, she focuses on simple, inexpensive undertakings that have a big reward: happiness. The Year of Cozy will surely inspire you to march into your kitchen and craft closet to make something you can truly be proud of.

Quilting Techniques for Beginners: Learn How to Quilt


Elizabeth Betts - 2013
    Start by learning the basics of piecing and how to use a rotary cutter, then making a quilt sandwich, quilting, and finally, binding your new project! A fantastic guide for anyone looking to start a new hobby, Quilting Techniques for Beginners will have you quilting in no time!

Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Knitting (Leisure Arts #15914)


Donna Kooler - 2004
    Thanks to Hollywood's newfound obsession and updated, stylish designs, a whole new generation has caught on to the art of knitting. For those just starting out or veteran knitters, expert Donna Kooler's newest, Encyclopedia of Knitting, will get those needles clicking. This comprehensive guide covers all the basics, from the history of knitting, tools, and materials, to how-to instructions for 164 stitches and stitch patterns, with tons of photos and diagrams to show the way. Includes instructions for both right-handed and left-handed knitters, with narrative directions and symbols to make learning easier. Contemporary projects by today's top knitting designers are suitable for a variety of experience levels and include a man's vest, a baby's dress, and decorative pillows. If the runaway success of her two previous Encyclopedia volumes is any indication (and we certainly think so ), this one has "bestseller" written all over it.

I Spy DIY Style: Find Fashion You Love and Do It Yourself


Jenni Radosevich - 2012
    Transform your basics into designer fashions. Turn hardware store finds into statement necklaces or embellishments for a chic dress. Recreate red carpet-ready looks and add your personal touch. Filled with 30 step-by-step projects inspired by celebrities, designer runways, and classic styles, as well as tips from fashion insiders such as Rachel Roy, Olivia Palermo, and Rebecca Minkoff, I Spy DIY Style has everything you need for easy-to-make looks that will up your style quotient without sacrificing your budget.

Zombie Felties: How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead


Nicola Tedman - 2010
    Charming, easy-to-make, and undead, Zombie Felties contains 16 irresistibly haunting projects to celebrate the zombie zeitgeist. Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate awaken their inner George A. Romero and focus their creative attention on the malleable, fuzzy softness of felt inside Zombie Felties: How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead. Inside, crafters will find instructions for more than 15 zombie creatures, including a Romero-esque Day of the Dead Zombie. Additional Zombie Feltie projects include: * Zombie Bride * Zombie Puppy * Vampire Zombie * Zombie Bunny * Folklore Zombie * Zombie Surfer, and more! With only the most basic of sewing skills, crafters can raise their own macabre multitude of Zombie Feltie creations from the undead with an average construction time of less than one hour per pattern. Each design includes a full-color photograph of the finished project, as well as an illustrated, instructional overview, pattern diagrams, and a convenient list of everything needed to complete the project. Zombie Feltie friends can be customized with limitless embellishments and they make great Halloween decorations, party favors, finger puppets, key rings, and even mobile phone mascots. Get ready to shudder as you stitch!

Elegant Stitches: An Illustrated Stitch Guide & Source Book of Inspiration


Judith Baker Montano - 1995
    Helps readers learn about silk ribbon stitches, crazy-quilt stitches, composite stitches, and left-handed stitches.

Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts


Joelle Hoverson - 2007
    A follow up to the Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, this book - designed for use by both first-time and long-time quilters - features 30 patchwork and quilted projects organized according to the amount of time it takes to complete them: less than 2 hours, 2 to 4 hours, 4 to 8 hours, 8 to 12 hours and 12 hours or more.

Knitting Without Tears: Basic Techniques and Easy-to-Follow Directions for Garments to Fit All Sizes


Elizabeth Zimmermann - 1970
     In Knitting Without Tears, you'll find elegant designs for: Color-pattern Norwegian ski sweaters Seamless patterned-yoke sweaters Hooded garter-stitch jackets for babies Watch caps, socks, slippers, mittens, and more! This classic and influential book is poised to inspire a whole new generation of knitters who have yet to discover the joys and comforts of knitting. As the lady herself once put it, "properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either."

Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls


Martha Waterman - 1993
    Everything you need to know to design and knit your own shawls is provided, including detailed instructions for eight shawls.

Basic Black: 26 Edgy Essentials for the Modern Wardrobe


Sato Watanabe - 2014
    Author Sato Watanabe has published many books that are favorites among Japanese sewing fans. In this book, she shows you how to make genuinely professional-quality pieces quickly and inexpensively at home. DIY Sewing designs include:Lace Shirred BlouseTiered Sleeveless DressZip-up Vest with High NeckFrilled Shirt in CharcoalFlannel Short CoatAnd much more…All of the styles and fashion are easily customized to create your personal style, and there is something for everyone and every occasion in this book—from a bright two-texture combo dress to a relaxed, bohemian tunic—and everything in-between. All the styles are thoroughly modern and practical, ranging from softly feminine or straight-line simple to smartly-tailored or loosely-deconstructed.Simple lines make these garments perfect for women of all ages and all sizes. This book includes a complete western-sized sewing pattern for each design that is easily adjusted to fit your body form. The understated, graceful designs in this book are ones that you'll come back to again and again.

Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are


Danny Gregory - 2015
    For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can't seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5– to 10–minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule—whether on a plane, in a meeting, or at the breakfast table—along with practical instruction on techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that's exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with Gregory's encouraging words and motivating illustrations, Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art.

Little Book of Book Making: Timeless Techniques and Fresh Ideas for Beautiful Handmade Books


Charlotte Rivers - 2014
    Packed with wonderfully eclectic examples, this book explores the intriguing creative possibilities of bookmaking as a modern art form, including a wide range of bindings, materials, and embellishments. Featured techniques include everything from Coptic to concertina binding, as well as experimental page treatments such as sumi-e ink marbling and wheat paste. In addition to page after page of inspiration from leading contemporary binderies, Little Book of Bookmaking includes a practical section of 21 easy-to-follow illustrated tutorials.

At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much


Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - 2005
    At Knit’s End captures the wickedly funny musings of someone who doesn’t believe it’s possible to knit too much and who willingly sacrifices sleep, family, work, and sanity in order to keep doing it. Covering everything from the deadly “second sock syndrome” to a pile of yarn so big it can hide a washing machine, this hilarious collection will have knitters in stitches!

The New Crewel: Exquisite Designs in Contemporary Embroidery


Katherine Shaughnessy - 2005
    This book offers a fashionable, contemporary update of crewel embroidery with designs and a colour palette that will have every crafter reaching for their needles and thread.