Great for the beginner and the expert, this book offers readers exercises to improve their work.

    This thorough, imaginative collection of sock shapes and patterns gives you the tools to construct an astounding variety of custom socks.All heels and toes are carefully explained and clearly photographed, and you can plug in your own numbers to work at the exact size and gauge you want. If you'd rather just pick up the needles and start knitting, Sock Architecture also includes 17 fully designed patterns. Most span five sizes, from women's extra small through men's large. And most of the patterns offer guidelines for an adjustable size so you can choose your own gauge, size, or both. Make socks that are as unique as you are!Lara demystifies popular sock-knitting techniques and gives you tips and tricks that could only have come from the mind behind the Math4Knitters blog and podcast. Terrified of grafting? Love afterthought heels but hate retrieving those tiny left-on-hold stitches? Adore the look and fit of your usual top down heel, but hate picking up gusset stitches and dealing with that weird little hole at the top of the heel flap? Lara gives you all the tools and methods you need to address these issues and build your own great socks.

    This beautifully organized treasury is ideal for all skill levels.•Find each technique presented with step-by-step written instructions, clear how-to illustrations, and a photo of the finished edge•Learn the advantages and disadvantages of each method, including suggestions for when to use it•Discover workhorse and specialty cast ons and bind offs for colorwork, cuffs, ruffles, fringe, lace buttonholes, and more

    The skills of the average sock knitter are increased through design exploration and advanced stitch manipulation, treating the sock as a knitted canvas where elements are strategically and intentionally placed. New designs of floral lace patterns, angular geometric shapes, and unusual cables are presented along with detailed instructions on modifications to suit needs and aesthetics. The incredible range of style and complexity in this guide runs from sweet and simple to delightfully imaginative.

    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.

    Sashiko is traditionally used to mend and repair clothing and textiles, but it can just as easily be used to create beautiful, decorative projects for the home. With fifteen projects applying a modern, on-trend aesthetic to this ancient craft, Make and Mend shows readers how to apply sashiko stitching to a variety of craft projects, such as repairing torn jeans, mending a ripped hem, and making decorative pillows, napkins, a tablecloth, and a totebag. Touching on the concepts of beauty in minimalism and resourceful simplicity, as well as a fascination with Japan and Japanese design, this easy and accessible book appeals to both the seasoned maker and total beginner.

    Known as a “modern” quilter, she actually draws much of her creative vision from quilts of the past. In Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration, Schmidt pays homage to the quilters and quilts that came before her. Each of the 20 traditional quilt designs she has reinterpreted here (among them are Irish Chain, Mariner’s Compass, and Orange Peel, to name a few) is introduced with a lively overview of the pattern’s history. Instructions are illustrated, templates are provided at full size on a pullout pattern sheet, and a complete techniques section is included at the back of the book.Praise for Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration:"Denyse Schmidt's contemporary art quilts are things of enduring style and beauty, but few fans realize her 16-year career as a textile artist began when Schmidt fell in love with tried-and-true, centuries-old traditional quilt patterns . . . Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration is the artist’s return to this fertile terrain, featuring her colorful and updated take on 20 time-tested designs. Full-page photos of gorgeous quilts full of those bold geometric shapes that first inspired her provide ample motivation, while detailed instructions, a pull-out book of templates, and a section detailing tools and techniques offer plenty of how-to support, even for novice makers." —American Craft Magazine"The book contains 20 traditional quilt styles that look exceptionally modern, hip, and fresh, with limited color palettes and minimal use of prints. To me, it is the best of both worlds—tried-and-true patterns with stories to tell, interpreted by this talented woman who helped define modern quilting. The modern/traditional debate is moot here, which is refreshing and wonderful." —Sew Mama Sew!“It's been 7 years since Denyse Schmidt's first book, and believe me, this new volume was well worth the wait...Whether you consider yourself a traditional or modern quilter, there is plenty of inspiration here, in projects that play with the tantalizing pairing of vintage patterns and contemporary colors. Although Denyse explains the origins and alternate names of many of the patterns, she rarely offers them straight: she riffs off old patterns like Mariner's Compass and Wagon Wheel and strips them down to stark basics." --Meg Cox, Journalist, Author, and President of the Alliance for American Quilts"Denyse Schmidt never ceases to inspire us . . . We are very excited to announce her latest book, the simply breathtaking Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration. Delving back to the traditional styles that first sparked her passion for quilting, Denyse gives these twenty quilt patterns a modern spin with bold, beautiful fabric choices." —The Purl Bee "In this book, [Denyse] shows off a new gamut of wonderful quilts . . . She writes in such a quiet and contemplative way, reminding me that quilting at its best isn't meant to be done in a hurry to crank something out." —Spoonflower.com

    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.

    And it’s all in one flirtatiously fresh package.Aimed at the knitter who is super-passionate about socks, The Joy of Sox delivers on its name. With their tantalizing cables, intricate lacework, and intriguing color work, the patterns represent the very best in sock design. There are revamped classics, bold new styles, and even a few themed socks—like the diamond lace thigh-highs and toeless pedicure socks. In addition to the results of our online knitting poll, you’ll also get fun stuff, including info from knitting personality Laurie Perry and phenoms Laura Bryant and Shannon Okey.

    A chapter on understanding color principles offers novice spinners the skills needed to easily work with color while providing advanced spinning techniques for the expert dyer. A gallery of finished pieces as well as appendixes on dye workshops and metric conversions are included.

    Yesterday’s wartime Red Cross sock drives have evolved into today’s meet-ups at locales as diverse as cafes, state fairs, and major league ballparks, as well as international online gatherings; in fact, at any given time tens of thousands of people worldwide are involved in knitalongs, organized around a particular yarn, a favorite social cause, an intriguing project, a special event, or myriad other themes.Authors Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown present an inspiring look at centuries of people knitting together, and why knitters find the interaction so meaningful and worthwhile. Along the way, they offer 20 projects especially suited for different types of knitalongs. The Barn Raising Quilt and the Traveling Scarf, for instance, call on individual knitters to collaborate on a single project; while the Pinwheel Blanket and the Meathead Hat encourage a community of knitters to improvise on the same pattern to come up with a variety of results. Also included is essential information about finding, joining, and starting knitalongs.Hundreds of knitters participated in the knitalongs hosted by the authors as part of their research, and this book will inspire thousands more to get involved in the knitalong movement. The only book that celebrates this tradition of community and purpose, Knitalong is sure to have a powerful impact.

    In this follow-up to Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing, Gretchen “Gertie” Hirsch celebrates the classic casual styles that icons like Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Rosie the Riveter made famous—think wide-legged trousers, fitted capri pants, beach rompers, shorts, knit tops, jeans, and day dresses. In Part I, Hirsch introduces key techniques for sportswear construction—from working with knit fabrics to the intricacies of pant-making—and in Part II, she showcases a 30-plus-piece vintage-inspired casual wardrobe.

    We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It’s easy to say that humans are “wired” for story, but why?In this delightful and original book, Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. He argues that stories help us navigate life’s complex social problems—just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling has evolved, like other behaviors, to ensure our survival.Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal. Did you know that the more absorbed you are in a story, the more it changes your behavior? That all children act out the same kinds of stories, whether they grow up in a slum or a suburb? That people who read more fiction are more empathetic?Of course, our story instinct has a darker side. It makes us vulnerable to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are more “truthy” than true. National myths can also be terribly dangerous: Hitler’s ambitions were partly fueled by a story.But as Gottschall shows in this remarkable book, stories can also change the world for the better. Most successful stories are moral—they teach us how to live, whether explicitly or implicitly, and bind us together around common values. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.

    While there are literally dozens of ways to get yarn on and off the needles, most knitters stick with the methods they learned as beginners, missing out on the opportunity to create edges that are more functional and long-lasting as well as decorative, adding distinctiveness to their finished knits.In Cast On, Bind Off, master knitter Leslie Ann Bestor offers a one-of-a-kind reference to more than 50 different ways to begin and end a knitting project - from the charming bobbles of the picot approach to the tidy, refined edges of the tubular method. For each method, she provides detailed instructions with step-by-step color photography, advice about best uses, and tips for making the most of the technique's strengths and appropriateness. At-a-glance charts pinpoint the right cast on or bind off for various types of knitting and cast on/bind off pairs that work especially well together.Today's knitters are branching out and exploring new knitting styles - from chunky cables to delicate lace - and all they are missing is the perfect cast on or bind off technique to create edges as beautiful, professional, and functional as the stitches that come between. Cast On, Bind Off is an indispensable tool for every knitting bag - a trusted reference that will ensure each project is polished and pleasing .... from start to finish.

    Thanks to the 100 ideas in this volume, the craft is now available to everyone. In as little as an afternoon, beginners will be on their way to folding, gluing, and sewing handmade books in a variety of shapes and styles, from rolled scrolls to Jacobs ladders, folded flexagons to case bindings. Complete with photographs of the authors own master books and statements by more than 40 established book artists, this collection is sure to inspire. Culled from the authors best-selling books Creating Handmade Books, Unique Handmade Books, and Expressive Handmade Books, these projects will fuel bookbinding adventures for years to come.