Walker, author of Treasury of Knitting Patterns.Elizabeth Zimmerman once wrote, "So please bear with me, and put up with my opinionated, nay, sometimes cantankerous attitude. I feel strongly about knitting." Perhaps her passionate opinions, as well as her love of wool craft and her delightful style, hark back to her English upbringing or long residence in the Wisconsin woods; in any case, the "Busy Knitter," as she calls herself, is one of the most charming and informative, as well as "un"ventive (her word) knitter-authors anywhere. This book gives full scope to her tireless imagination through a year's worth of projects, fitted to the seasons, moods, and needs of knitters who would like to design their own work.The year begins with an Aran sweater and proceeds to February baby things, a March Shetland, April blanket, May mittens, and so on through the months, completing the zodiac with November moccasin socks and a December last-minute wishbone sweater. Projects are completed in the midst of canoe trips, fishing expeditions, travel, and snowstorms. The author continuously comments on the project, its history, other ancient and modern customs, and personal beliefs.Mrs. Zimmerman works step by step with the reader, suggesting alternative methods and ideas as she goes. Her patterns are "classic," historically suited to wool, thus remaining ever-fashionable as well as tasteful and attractive. The knitter may easily adapt the designs at will, creating new, individual projects. Mrs. Zimmerman's hints (such as how to measure gauge when working a pattern and tips for baby's items) help ease the way and will instruct even the most experienced knitter. This corrected edition of the Knitter's Almanac will provide at the very least a year's worth of knitting pleasure to intermediate and advanced knitters and may even help stimulate a knitting passion.

    The combined contents offer readers an unmatched collection of great ideas and techniques, from the latest supplies (papers, adhesives, paints, pens) to innovative layouts (mandalas, diagonals, cutouts, grids). Sidebars highlight specific genres, such as pillow books, nature journals, and illuminated manuscripts. Plus, newly added content includes journaling artist profiles along with galleries of their work, new techniques, and a new project where readers learn to make a journal from a butter box.

    Start your own business selling one-of-a-kind treasures shoppers can't find in regular stores. For crafters, it's a revolution. Never before has it been so easy to start a worldwide crafting business with millions of paying customers -- with no up-front investment --all in an afternoon! If you're a skilled crafter, artist, or antique hunter, you're 90 percent there. Just follow the step-by-step instructions in this book to register at Etsy, photograph and list your items for sale, and rake in the cash. Learn how thousands of Etsy crafters, young and old, have launched their business on a shoestring, usually part-time at home. Customers discover your items because of good old-fashioned word of mouth-with an Internet twist, courtesy of Facebook, Google, and Etsy itself. You'll learn the best tools for making it all work, no computer geekery required. You'll see how to sell more items more quickly, earn more money, and have more fun, spending more of your time doing what you loved in the first place-creating new things, finding new treasures, and meeting lots of new people obsessed with the same stuff as you. Even if you're shy! -- Read easy-to-follow guides for registering on Etsy.com and selling your handcrafted items, vintage finds, or crafting supplies. -- See how crafters like you have built a full-time business from scratch. -- Learn how to price your items to maximize your sales and fatten your profits. -- See how to photograph your items like a pro and avoid the amateur mistakes. -- Learn how to process your Etsy payments and avoid scams. -- Get legitimate tax deductions for your home studio or office, and travel expenses. -- See examples and insider tips from dozens of Etsy's top sellers. -- Learn to use keywords to drive visitors to your Etsy shop. -- Learn techniques for getting word of mouth and "free advertising, and why paid advertising is usually a waste of money. -- Take your business to the next level by attracting wholesalers and retailers. -- License your designs to extend your reach and create more cash. -- Automate your administrative chores with Etsy apps.

    A String and a Prayer recounts the history and symbolism of prayer beads, teaches basic techniques for stringing beads and a host of other objects into prayer beads, and offers a variety of prayers and rituals to use those beads on a daily basis. Beads have appeared throughout history. Prayer beads are used in the spiritual practices of cultures as diverse as the African Masai, Native Americans, Greek and Russian Orthodoxy, as well as the religious rituals of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. But prayer is highly personal. By infusing prayer beads with personal associations, we can keep our spirituality fresh. The beads are a device to help build and rebuild meaningful ritual in our lives. With myriad ideas about what makes objects sacred and where to find sacred objects from the personal, perhaps beads from a grandmother's broken rosary, to the unusual, maybe seashells from far away found in a thrift store A String and a Prayer offers many suggestions for different ways that beads can be made and used, exploring the creative roles they can play in our relationships, ceremonies, and rituals. "You are the expert, trust yourself. Let the instructions be a guide to your own creativity," write the authors.

    Times to BookSense) with 215,000 copies in print. So influential is the book that the number of Stitch 'n Bitch knitting groups tripled in the past six months--spawning a Stitch 'n Bitch Nation.Written by Stitch 'n Bitch author Debbie Stoller, Stitch 'n Bitch Nation features 50 hip, new, even funkier and more fabulous patterns by Stitch 'n Bitch designers, who come from San Francisco to Brooklyn, Chicago to Cambridge to St. Paul, Minnesota. The Om Yoga Mat Bag. Felted Monster Slippers. The London Calling Union Jack Sweater, because even punks get cold in winter. A Double-Duty Shrug. Polka Dot Tankini. That '70s Poncho. The Boob Tube. Spiderweb Capelet, Cabled Newsboy Cap, Chunky Baby Booties and Baby Bunny Hat. And the most ingenious project, a Knit-Your-Own Rock Star doll--with a choice of Joey Ramone or Henry Rollins. All designs are complete with full-color photographs and step-by-step instructions, and are made from sexy, contemporary yarns, including multicolored angora, alpaca, lace, and mohair. Includes the best tips, shortcuts, and techniques from Stitch 'n Bitchers, profiles of knitters and their groups, and a how-to refresher on all the stitches used in the book.

    Card Captor Sakura. Magical Girl Rayearth. They’re magical girls, and they’re some of the biggest names in manga. Magical girls, ordinary schoolgirls given superpowers, are hugely popular in Japan and the United States. Now Christopher Hart shows fans everywhere how to draw these manga shoujo faves. Faces and body proportions, action poses, costumes, expressions, transformations, special effects—they’re all here, all in Hart’s distinctive step-by-step approach. So are magical fighting boys and everybody’s favorite, the cute, furry manga mascots. Hart demonstrates how to create funny mascots, magical boys, fighting teams, and supporting characters, plus how to design layouts. Magical girls show us that we all have special powers deep inside—now Manga Mania: Magical Girls and Friends let those special drawing powers reveal themselves at last!

    With designs contributed by more than 50 creative builders across North America, the projects include tables, stools, workstations, benches, laptop stands, shelves, art panels, organizers, headboards, doghouses, dollhouses, and more. A photo of each finished project is accompanied by a list of needed tools and materials, cutting and assembly diagrams, and clear step-by-step instructions.

    Now she shares her recipe for a stylish home: take a whole lot of Scandinavian influence, mix in a dash of flea-market finds, and then top it all off with expressive handmade touches. The result? An entirely fresh approach to home dcor and contemporary living. In this lavishly illustrated book, Lotta shares her decorating secrets, design resources, entertaining tips, and family traditions. Tucked away at the back shes included stencil pages and perforated recipe cards featuring classic Swedish dishes. Equal parts inspiration and how-to, this charming book shows readers how to create a warm home with elements of simple Scandinavian-influenced style.

    Combining traditional techniques with contemporary design, Max Bainbridge teaches you how to identify wood types, source timber, and set up a basic toolbox, then offers step-by-step carving and cutting techniques for making your own pieces. With little experience and very few tools, you’ll learn to create hand-carved bowls, cutting boards, spoons, knives, and spatulas, perfect for adding a touch of the handmade to your home. With further advice on finishing your projects—how to sand, ebonize, scorch, and texture the surfaces, as well as wax and oil your new, beloved kitchen creations—each of your handcrafted projects will be imbued with a tangible history visible through the maker’s mark. With beautiful photography and clear how-to instruction, Heirloom Wood gives you everything you need to create timeless kitchen keepsakes to be passed down from generation to generation.

    Pretl offers crafters her original method for creating decorative beaded boxes and lids in a wide range of surface designs and shapes. Working only with cylinder and seed beads, needle and thread, crafters can create an impressive array of clever and colorful miniature containers. With step-by-step illustrations and easy-to-follow word graphs and patterns, Pretl leads the reader through the techniques for creating three-sided, five-sided, and six-sided rectangular, square, and stacked boxes. Four-color photographs of each of the 12 designs introduce each set of instructions. Detailed drawings illustrate the beading techniques.

    With easy-to-make patterns for adorable characters and accessories, Hello Kitty Crochet allows you to make all your favorites, new and old, from Badtz-Maru and My Melody to Pekkle, Purin, and Little Twin Stars. Whether you’re a seasoned crocheter or have never picked up a hook, you’ll find helpful tips and how-tos for creating kawaii crafts. It’s the perfect way for crafters and cuteness lovers alike to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Japan’s most famous kitty.

    In fact, right up to the Industrial Revolution the fiber arts were an enormous economic force, belonging primarily to women.Despite the great toil required in making cloth and clothing, most books on ancient history and economics have no information on them. Much of this gap results from the extreme perishability of what women produced, but it seems clear that until now descriptions of prehistoric and early historic cultures have omitted virtually half the picture.Elizabeth Wayland Barber has drawn from data gathered by the most sophisticated new archaeological methods—methods she herself helped to fashion.

    They’ll also learn whether knitting swatches is really necessary and how big to knit a piece before felting. Twenty-four detailed projects include stylish bags, totes, hats, and mittens; warm and fuzzy vests and slippers; and decorative pillows, placemats, and coasters. With a section on embellishing felting and felting on felt (needle felting), knitters will be inspired to create these beautiful projects for friends and family, from the baby’s first felt hat to the furry slippers for cold winter nights.

    This inspiring book shows you how to record your experiences, using sketchbooks, journals and photography, to create personal narratives that can form a starting point for more finished stitched-textile pieces. Acclaimed textile artist and teacher Cas Holmes, whose work is often inspired by her life and the journeys she makes, helps you find inspiration through your own life and explains how to record what you see in sketchbooks and journals, which can often become beautiful objects in themselves. She explains how you can use photography, both as documentation and as inspiration, and sometimes incorporate it into the work itself, along with found objects and ephemera. Throughout the book are useful techniques that can be harnessed to add extra interest to your work, such as methods for making layered collages, how to 'sketch' with stitch, and advice on design and colour. If you want to create beautiful, unique work inspired by your life and travels, this is the perfect book for you.

    91 color images; 32 line drawings.