The four exceptional projects demonstrate the level of uniqueness and beauty that can be achieved with these expert techniques and how to achieve the elusive “perfect fit” that defines a successful end product. Knitters will gain a clearer understanding of commercial pattern instructions, improve their attention to detail with a meaningful test swatch, and acquire a stronger knowledge of proper body and garment measurements.

    Now, the influential needlecraft guru has become a “two-timer,” bringing the same ingenuity, innovative eye, and solid fashion sense that she’s always exhibited in her knitting design to the world of crochet. In Loop-d-Loop Crochet, Durham presents more than 25 designs that are as up-to-the-minute, style-wise, as they are thoroughly steeped in crochet stitchwork tradition. Each of the projects, which range from purses, skirts, shawls, and sweaters for the whole family to a hammock and a pair of brocade boots, epitomizes Durham’s signature design sensibility, which she describes as “a tension of opposites—rough-hewn yet delicate, stark yet feminine, organic yet structured.” Decked out in evocative color photographs (by Adrian Buckmaster), a diverse cast of models show off the finished garments. Beginner and advanced crocheters will find Durham’s novel approach refreshing and inspiring. And for newcomers just making the switch from knitting, Loop-d-Loop Crochet provides the perfect introduction to what Durham terms the “flip side” of needlecraft’s heritage. Crochet is a freeing experience, Durham says—a sentiment with which her many fans are certain to agree.

    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.

    Use it to gather those vital details about your contacts, legal matters, health, financial affairs, instructions, and more. Enter the information in this guided planner, and keep it in a secure location. Valuable and practical, it is a tremendous gift for your family and personal representatives. The I'm Dead, Now What? Planner covers: My Personal InformationMy Medical InformationKey Contact InformationAt the Time of My PassingMy DependentsImportant DocumentsFinancial InformationCommercial/Business InformationWhat Beneficiaries Can ExpectPersonal PropertyInsuranceMy PetsWhat to Pay, Close, and CancelEmail and Social MediaMiscellaneous InformationMy Personal WishesLast WordsNote: This planner is not a legal document and does not replace a valid will.

    Inkle weaving is a simple technique that offers ample opportunity for experimentation by beginners and experienced weavers. This book provides 400 patterns for loom enthusiasts and is the most comprehensive tool available to weavers.You’ll discover:*An overview of inkle weaving’s history and traditions.*Instructions for loom set-up and simple techniques.*An astonishing 400 woven patterns—some making their first debut.*Illustrated samples and charts.*Drafts provided throughout the entire guide.An incomparable guide, Anne Dixon offers all of the tips, tricks, and techniques to these traditional and modern patterns and introduces a bounty of new, innovative designs as well. Inkles can be used for a variety of projects ranging from belts and braces to trims and neckpieces. They can be stitched together to make bags, mobile-phone purses, cushion-covers, table-mats, and much more.Also included is a foreword by Madelyn van der Hoogt, the editor of Handwoven magazine and the author of The Complete Book of Drafting and The Weaver’s Companion (Interweave). She opened the Weaver’s School in 1984 and teaches weaving workshops throughout the United States and Canada.

    Some knitters are discouraged by the thought of baggy hemp sweaters and droopy cotton socks when they consider vegetable fibers, but this authoritative, fun, and light-hearted guide promises that, while wool has no equal when it comes to elasticity and warmth, the right tricks and techniques produce non-wool fashions that fit well, wear well, and hang beautifully. Knitters are taught to knit swatches to study the behavior of a yarn, to choose an appropriate pattern, and to master techniques for reinforcing stitches and inserting knit-ins of springier yarn to keep cotton, silk, and other fibers from sagging. Key information about durability, weight, pilling, and special handling is provided for acrylic, bamboo, cotton, hemp, Ingeo, linen, lycra, nylon, polyester, rayon, silk, soy, Tencel, and viscose yarns, and a chapter of helpful tips advises on needles to use (and avoid), how to start new balls and weave in ends, how to work intarsia and Fair Isle patterns, smart ways to control the cost of materials, and the right methods for washing, drying, and blocking the finished pieces.

    From Jo Ann's Cowboy Cookies and Vickie's Tomato Pie to scrumptious Chicken Casserole Supreme and Comfort Corn Pudding, this new collection features 25 of Vickie and Jo Ann's most delicious recipes for sharing with family & friends!

    Lynne Barr beckons all levels of knitters back to their humble beginnings and shows them 27 modern designs, each created using a new technique or a new take on a traditional one.

    Kinzel. The new designs include "Maidenhair," "Diamond," "Grand Slam" (a special feature for bridge players), "Arabesque," "La Traviata," "Maple Garland," "Lilac Time," "Trifolium," and a set of three of Mrs. Kinzel's noted floral patterns, "Daffodil," "Balmoral," and "Rose of England."Marianne Kinzel, well known to knitters in the United Kingdom and the United States, has long been admired for her clear presentations and original designs. In this second volume, she begins with basic instructions, allowing the average knitter to work easily from the instructions in the patterns. Other chapters outline many new designs in lace knitting for two needles, for knitting with wool, for oval and oblong designs, and for round designs. Over 29 complete projects include lace by the yard, altar lace, dress trimmings, tea cloths, scarves, stoles, dinner cloths, and cheval sets. Instructions are presented both in the traditional written-out method and in the chart-and-symbol method. There are keys to the charts in the three languages, lavish and helpful illustrations, and sound practical advice on knitting techniques plus finishing and laundering each piece. There are also instructions for altering the patterns to your own special needs.The designs in this book are among Marianne Kinzel's most requested. Amateur and professional knitters alike will note the extraordinary virtuosity underlying such a design as "Lilac Time," which can be adapted to so many different forms, and the contemporary appropriateness of such designs as "Grand Slam," "La Traviata," and the "Daffodil," "Balmoral," and "Rose of England." You will also find the projects comparatively short in time and low in cost to accomplish.

    

    With needles clicking, they weave together not just garments to warm the body but also comfort and companionship to nurture the soul.This tradition is flowering today through knitting ministries, a worldwide ecumenical movement of small groups of women who gather to pray and knit for those in need. As they create shawls for people burdened with illness and sorrow, their handiwork becomes an expression, not only of their love and concern, but also of the loving care of the God who works through them.In this beautifully illustrated book, the authors--a United Church of Christ minister and a Roman Catholic laywoman--share stories of how the knitting ministry has touched lives and hearts around the world. They offer directions for knitting the shawls and for starting a parish or community knitting ministry. The book also provides a selection of prayers, written from many faith traditions, to offer along with each completed shawl.

    With over 30 crochet patterns on the menu, there's something here to please every palette. In addition to snack items that can be stitched up in a flash, you'll find: patterns to plan a meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert; basic crochet techniques to get you started right away; and short "ingredients" lists to make finishing an item quick and easy. Whether they're play food for the kids or fun projects for you, you'll love increasing your daily fiber intake with Tasty Crochet!

    Beautiful models display the clothing, and every exquisite pattern shows how classic can be very sexy. Sterling

    The first book without knitting patterns to capture the knitting audience, it has been widely imitated, but no other book has endured so well. With Knitting Heaven and Earth, Lydon again breaks new ground, this time following the emotional ties that become bound up in her handicrafts when a series of wrenching events—a heartbreaking romance, the death of her father, a devastating diagnosis of breast cancer—leave her reeling. Through it all, Lydon finds new reserves of strength in knitting, in the skeins of sumptuous yarn and colorful thread that help her make sense of the trials of the heart.

    In Tudor, England, when Mary, Queen of Scots, was under house arrest, her needlework carried her messages to the outside world. From the political propaganda of the Bayeux Tapestry, World War I soldiers coping with PTSD, and the maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World, to the AIDS quilt, Hmong story clothes, and pink pussyhats, women and men have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard, even in the most desperate of circumstances. Threads of Life is a chronicle of identity, protest, memory, power, and politics told through the stories of needlework. Clare Hunter, master of the craft, threads her own narrative as she takes us over centuries and across continents—from medieval France to contemporary Mexico and the United States, and from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland—to celebrate the age-old, universal, and underexplored beauty and power of sewing. Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we have to tell our story.