Each stitch is accompanied by a full-color photo and diagram to make learning even easier, while sidebars guide you through tricky parts of various stitch patterns.knit and purl patterns - ribs - bobbles and textured stitches - slipstitch patterns - twist-stitch patterns - cables - drop-stitch, eyelet, and lace patterns - borders and edgings - color knitting patterns

    Learn to sew traditional and silk ribbon embroidery, make raised stitches, and embellish with beads, charms, buttons, and mirrors. Step-by-step photo instructions show exactly how to sew 85 different stitches. Learn how to combine and place stitches to enhance a finished piece and how to work with embroidery threads, ribbons, fabrics, laces, beads, buttons, and other embellishments.Includes 8 complete embroidery projects to stitch and embellish. An essential embroidery reference for everyone from beginners to experts.

    The patterns range from designer sweaters and knits for kids to small take-along projects. More than a pattern book, this delightful collection is like a trip to the yarn shop, a private session with the best knitters around, and a friendly chat with the country’s most passionate knitters all rolled into one.

    The patterns are suitable for almost everyone, whether adventurous beginner or expert. You can create a single-colour bear, a two-tone bear, a striped bear and even a panda – all from one basic pattern. There are also instructions to create a host of clothes, including bride & groom outfits, a graduation outfit, a Santa costume, a ballet outfit, and a sports outfit. If you’re after a cute dress, nightshirt, coat, hat, sweater or dungarees – you’ll find patterns for these, too. The designs can be personalized and you can ‘mix and match’ items to create the perfect gift, not just for new babies and children, but for all bear lovers and almost any occasion! The teddy bears and outfits are all knitted using light worsted/double knitting/8-ply yarn and size US3 (3.25mm) straight knitting needles. The bears are about 7in/18cm tall. The patterns include both US and UK knitting terms. INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO KNIT? More years’ ago than I now care to remember! My Mum’s twin sister Sheelagh taught me when I was about seven years old, just before she emigrated from the UK to Canada. HOW DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS? Partly from the toys and dolls I loved when I was little, but I’m also as addicted to online browsing all the beautiful creative websites out there as anyone else. WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT KNITTING? With toys and dolls, which are my knitting of choice, it’s about seeing the little creatures develop their own personality when you sew them together and embroider the features. I’m always amazed that you can create something so cute from just some oddments of yarn and a pair of needles. There’s a bit of effort needed too… but really, not that much. WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO BEGINNER KNITTERS? Like any skill, knitting takes a bit of patience. So start with something small. Think baby hats, fingerless mitts or a knitted lavender bag… definitely not a scarf. They’re simple but they take too long for beginners. And choose some lovely yarn. If you’re putting in all that effort, you’ll appreciate it! WHICH OF YOUR KNITTING BOOKS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Well it has to be my Knit Your Own Royal Wedding back in 2011 when William and Kate tied the knot. Suddenly I found myself being interviewed by newspapers and magazines across the world… I still find it hard to believe. And frankly, it's going to be hard for me to top that! WHAT WAS THE FIRST PATTERN YOU EVER DESIGNED? Apart from some pretty dodgy dolls’ clothes when I was about eight, it was a pink and blue striped owl. I still have it perched on a shelf in my little work room upstairs. The first knitting book I designed was called Knitivity which was a knitted nativity. WHAT NOTIONS CAN'T YOU MANAGE WITHOUT? I’m actually quite a good improviser but I was quite annoyed recently when I lost one of my favourite very short knitting needles which are ideal for knitting small items. Thankfully my son eventually found it by accident, behind my row of knitting reference books. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE KNITTING STITCHES? I love simple combinations of stitches like wide ribbing stitch and waffle stitch. They’ve got enough interest to keep you alert but are still simple enough to keep mistakes and unravelling to a minimum. WHAT'S THE MOST IRRITATING THING THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE KNITTING? Well there’s the obvious one of knots in a ball of yarn that you don’t see till you’re mid-row.

    In The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters, Sherri Lynn Wood presents a flexible approach to quilting that breaks free of old paradigms. Instead of traditional instructions, she presents 10 frameworks (or scores) that create a guiding, but not limiting, structure. To help quilters gain confidence, Wood also offers detailed lessons for stitching techniques key to improvisation, design and spontaneity exercises, and lessons on color. Every quilt made from one of Wood’s scores will have common threads, but each one will look different because it reflects the maker’s unique interpretation. Featured throughout the book are Wood’s own quilts and a gallery of contributor works chosen from among the hundreds submitted when she invited volunteers to test her scores during the making of this groundbreaking work.

    It’s easy, fun, and can be done right in your own kitchen! Self-taught dyer Gail Callahan shows you a variety of simple techniques to turn plain, outdated, or leftover yarn into vibrant “new” fibers using ovens, crockpots, frying pans, and other standard kitchen equipment. Detailed advice on color theory, self-striping, “grocery store” dyes, and handmade multicolor skeins make successful dyeing a cinch, even for complete beginners.

    This comprehensive reference gives you the know-how you need to get gorgeous, polished results every time. More than 50 expert techniques cover increases, decreases, seams, blocking, decorative finishes, and more Master each method with step-by-step illustrations, easy-to-read text, and dozens of color photos Bring along this handy guide wherever you go--the spiral-bound design lies flat for trouble-free knitting

    From a colorful parrot to a friendly dolphin, a prowling tiger to farmyard ducks and hens, every project has easy-to-read patterns and clear advice on how to create just the right expression on each face.

    In this book, Gail Marsh looks at some of the techniques and tools that embroiderers of the day used to create their stunning items of clothing.

    Learn how to choose and mix colors, and create a multitude of effects using only one set of tubes. Discover how to make your own equipment, set up a "studio" space, and use household materials to save money. Beginners can follow processes stage-by-stage, while more experienced artists can dip in and out for help with specific problems. A unique section on how to develop your art and take it to a wider public is full of professional secrets which can bring you success much more quickly. “Try it” and “Fix it” panels placed throughout the book suggest ways of practicing and developing new skills, and avoiding or correcting common painting errors.

    A must-have book for any quilt or craft library." --Denyse Schmidt (author of Denyse Schmidt Quilts). . . My approach to quilting is an approach for true beginners. I don't like triangles, circles, hexagons, diamonds, rhombuses, or any shape that makes measuring a chore. (Can we stop right here and ponder the word rhombus? Man, that word is hilarious.) In this book, every project is designed using only squares and rectangles. Why just squares and rectangles? Because straight seams are easy to stitch!Craft a modern quilt with independent quilt-maker Boo Davis, whose fun, slightly quirky designs take quilts into new graphic territory. Using only simple shapes like rectangles and squares you'll see robots, skulls, alarm clocks, and owls come to life as fabulous, full-size quilts. With 10 charming quilt patterns, and 15 eye-popping patchwork projects perfect for afternoon or weekend crafting, Dare to Be Square Quilting reinterprets quilt traditions such as basket weave, rail fence, and housetop designs in a bold new way. With advice on color and fabric selection, and an extensive how-to section on quilting, Davis teaches the fastest, simplest, and most reliable methods modern quilting has to offer.Dare to make a quilt that's funny, fabulous, and from the heart . . . Dare to be square!

    Each braid features a beautiful close-up photograph, materials list, step-by-step instructions, and easy-to-follow color illustrations to guide crafters along. Each technique is explored indepth, followed by tips on starting and finishing braids and advice for incorporating braids into other textile projects.

    Irish makes it easy for beginners to learn the creative craft of woodburning in Pyrography Basics. All that aspiring beginners need is this book and an inexpensive woodburning tool to start adorning wood, gourds, leather, paper and more with beautifully burned images and patterns. The author provides a thorough introduction to basic tools, materials and techniques. Readers learn how to set up a practice board to experiment with strokes and settings before moving on to working projects with confidence. Six skill-building projects provide step-by-step exercises in using temperature, time, layering, and texturing to create artistic tonal values.

    King of the whittlers.' Sunday Telegraph Barn The Spoon, as he’s affectionately known is a rare master craftsman in the art of spoon carving. In this book he generously shares his extraordinary skill, gentle philosophy and his life’s work – designing and carving beautiful spoons that are both a joy to use and hold.The simple, ordinary spoon is part of our everyday lives, intimately entwined with the acts of eating and socialising, from stirring our first cup of coffee to scraping the last bit of pudding from the bowl. And who doesn't like to spoon in bed? Barn’s spoons will take you on a journey into the new wood culture, from understanding the relationship between wood, the raw material and its majestic origins in our trees and woodland, to the workshop and the axe block, and into your own kitchen. Barn will show you how to use the axe and knife, from how they should feel in your hand to honing the perfect edge when carving your own spoons. Featuring sixteen unique designs in the four main categories of spoon – eating, serving, cooking and measuring spoons, Barn takes you through the nuances of their making, how each design is informed by its function at the table or in the kitchen, and the key skills you will learn – such as creating octagonal handles, manipulating grain patterns and mastering bent branches. Beautiful photography will inspire and act as a blue-print to help perfect your technique.

    A selection of 30 beautiful designs suggests the range of this increasingly popular material, and the illustrated instructions make the craft's fundamentals easy to learn. Because the simplest projects come first, beginners can work their way through the book progressively, building on their skills. Novices will have fun making the carved trough, sandcast bowl, and elegant relief panel. More sophisticated projects, including a decorative walkway and polished table, come next, and they'll bring charm to any outdoor space. More adventurous artists can unleash their creativity on a "Garden Guardian" sculpture or water feature. A Selection of the Crafters Choice and Homestyle Book Clubs.