Our beginners guide contains all the essential information you need in order to succeed. It covers the basic techniques, well illustrated with over a hundred images, and explains everything you need to know in an understandable way. Bonsai Empire is the world's most visited Bonsai website and has provided beginners with quality information for over a decade. We have developed this guide to help you get a taste of this fascinating and living art, and hope you'll enjoy it as much as we do! This book includes: - Over 100 stunning images - Over 80 pages - Explanations of the basic techniques - Care guides on the 10 most popular tree species - Background on the history, definition and styles Walter Pall: "Now here is the ultimate book to lead beginners. I am happy to have been able to contribute to this" Mauro Stemberger "Very clear" and "With great quality drawings and pics"

    The founder of her own popular line of food-inspired fashions, Twinkie Chan has whipped up a feast of head-turning scarves, mittens, hats, and more so that her many fans can learn to make her culinary creations at home.You'll find recipes for food-themed scarves that feature sushi, salad, gingerbread men, buttered toast, eggs and bacon, ice-cream cones, popcorn boxes, and more. You'll also learn how to make a pair of strawberry fingerless mittens, a chocolate cupcake hat complete with a cherry on top, and even a coconut-lemon cake tissue box cozy. Twinkie Chan's Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies is divided into three chapters--Sweet Things, Fruits and Veggies, and Savory Stuff--and comes complete with an illustrated how-to section, lists of "ingredients" for each project, easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions, and full-color photos and illustrations. Beginning and experienced crafters alike will go wild for these quirky, colorful, wearable confections.

    There are soft and lacy patterns; some that mimic knitting, weaving, or patchwork; and others that use large openwork and popcorn stitches. And every stitch design features a photo, reader-friendly instructions, and a diagram showing each stitch and its placement—so it’s easy to understand the entire design at a glance. The guide also includes a pictorial index, which displays the complete pattern, and directions for all basic crochet stitches. Both beginners and experienced crocheters alike will turn to this invaluable reference for years to come.A Main Selection of the Crafter's Choice Book Club.

    Hallowed be thy code. Thy commits merge without conflict. Thy will be done in production as it is on local. I'm sure you guys are busy and all, but I can't log out."As a programmer, Ike knows all about Virtual Dive Experiences (VDX), but when he suddenly wakes up in a virtual game he's never heard of, he’s too busy struggling to survive to worry about how he got there. Luckily, he's got a trick up his sleeve: The ability to program custom enchantments for his gear.He’ll need that and more to figure out what’s going on, since there’s no tutorial and True Calling plays by its own rules: Your class and race are chosen for you, the NPCs are indistinguishable from the players, every quest is unique, and the GMs keep leaving Ike’s prayers unanswered.

    You can apply this exciting new technique to absolutely any sock pattern to help you to knit fabulous, perfectly formed pairs of socks for the whole family.

    The orchid is used for everything from medicine for elephants to an aphrodisiac ice cream. A Malaysian species can grow to weigh half a ton while a South American species fires miniature pollen darts at nectar-sucking bees. But the orchid is also the center of an illicit international business: one grower in Santa Barbara tends his plants while toting an Uzi, and a former collector has been in hiding for seven years after serving a jail sentence for smuggling thirty dollars worth of orchids into Britain.

    In five chapters centered around the tenets of slow knit­ting—sourcing carefully, making thoughtfully, thinking environmentally, experimenting fearlessly, and exploring openly—Hannah Thiessen challenges knitters of all skill levels to view their practice in a new way. Each chapter contains explorations of fiber types; profiles of well-known yarn types, makers, and yarn suppliers; and garment patterns inspired by the featured fibers. With contributions from knitting superstars Norah Gaughan, Bristol Ivy, and many others, Slow Knitting proposes an approach to knitting that is both minimalist and all-encompassing, and emphasizes what makes knitting a meditation, a passion, and a unique necessity.

    Each flower's meaning is described through passages and captivating illustrations. 45 full-color illustrations.

    Offering detailed explanations and step-by-step photography to demonstrate procedures, this handbook includes a complete reference section featuring tool shapes, an index of gems, a glossary, standard sizes and measurements, conversion tables, and an extensive list of resources. Additionally, the manual offers a directory of tools and materials—including a key to identifying tools for a “beginner’s kit”—a historical introduction to jewelry, and suggestions for photographing and promoting completed pieces. Remarkable cutting-edge pieces by jewelry makers and designers from around the world are used to illustrate the various processes involved in creating exceptional jewelry. Covering everything from traditional metalsmithing skills and using alternative materials, such as plastics and resin, to discussing issues involved with outsourcing work to specialist external suppliers, this is an indispensable and essential resource for both students and professionals.

    No one understands this better than Liesl Gibson, who is both a mom and the founder of Oliver + S, a sewing pattern company known for its contemporary yet classically sensible kids’ designs, its precise, easy-to-follow instructions, and its charming paper doll–inspired packaging. In Oliver + S Little Things to Sew, you’ll find 20 acessories for children, such as a hat with bear ears, scarf, vest, tutu, art smock, backpack, and quilt—all impeccably photographed by Laurie Frankel. The book includes two full-size pattern sheets and, as an added bonus, two cardstock paper dolls that can be dressed with “clothing” cut from the book’s jacket—a little something extra to keep young ones occupied while grownups stitch new items for their wardrobes! Praise for Oliver + S Little Thigns to Sew:“Making a bucket hat probably isn’t on anyone’s bucket list, but maybe it should be. The reversible bucket hat in the book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew (STC Craft, 2011) is classic, cute and comfortable. And author Liesl Gibson maintains that making it is a treat for grown-ups as well as the young recipients.” —Holly Ramer, Associated Press

    Even if you've never held a crochet hook before, Maggie Righetti's sound instructions and encouragement will help get you startd. If youre an experienced crocheter, you'll find dozens of tips for perfecting your techniques. This comprehensive, common-sense guide covers virtually everything you need to know about crochet:Selecting threads and yarnsDetermining gaugeWorking with the right toolsHow to interpret patterns and instructionsIncreasing and decreasingHow to fix mistakesBasic stitches (chain, double, triple, slip)Sixteen different fabric pattern stitchesAssembling the finished productHow to block, clean, and care for crocheted articlesand much moreEach technique is illustrated with clear drawings, charts or photos. Complet with a detail glossary of crochet terms, Crocheting in Plain English is one sourcebook no crocheter should do without.

    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.

    Begin by exploring a variety of weave structures, including finger-manipulated laces, tapestry, and color play with stripes, plaids, and multicolor yarns. Then move on to more complex designs and irresistible projects, from pillows and curtains to bags, shawls, and even jewelry. Explore warp-face patterning, weft-pile weaving, weaving with fine threads, woven shibori, shadow weave, and the textural effects you can create with different yarns and with wire and conductive thread. Everything you need to know is here, with fully illustrated step-by-step instructions to ensure success.

    Everyone wishes they could sketch stylish scenes, but busy lives leave almost no room for sitting down with a pad and pen to practicing. Many people give up on their potential hobby (and artistic outlet) because they feel they just don’t have the time to lay the groundwork. Here’s a secret though: you do! All you is a strategy for incorporate sketching into your daily life.Sketch Now, Think Later covers the tools, techniques and tips that author and Urban Sketching Correspondent of Boston Mike Daikubara has developed in his more than 15 years as a practicing artist, and will show you how to fully dive into any sketching situation with limited time and tools, and still be able to produce memorable, great looking, fun sketches!

    A generation of smart, highly educated young people are spending their time knitting, canning jam, baking cupcakes, gardening, and more (and blogging about it, of course), embracing the labor-intensive domestic tasks their mothers and grandmothers eagerly shrugged off. They’re questioning whether regular jobs are truly fulfilling and whether it’s okay to turn away from the ambitions of their parents’ generation.How did this happen? And what does it all mean? In Homeward Bound, acclaimed journalist Emily Matchar takes a long, hard look at both the inspiring appeal and the potential dangers of this trend she calls the New Domesticity, exploring how it could be reshaping the role of women in society and what the consequences may be for all of us.This groundbreaking reporting on the New Domesticity is guaranteed to transform our notions of women in today’s society and add a new layer to the ongoing discussion of whether women can—or should—have it all.