Eight small projects are provided to help you practice your new hand- or machine-stitching skills Step-by-step illustrations, a friendly, conversational style, and a generous dose of humor keep the learning easy and fun Treat yourself to an enjoyable, anxiety-free first quilting experience and lay a solid foundation for your quiltmaking with this resource that you'll turn to again and again

    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.

    Each animal is assembled using several basic crochet stitches even beginners can easily master and the results, from a winsome little lamb to a wide-eyed lemur, make for delightful yarn friends.

    And in the closet. And anywhere else you've stashed yarn. They're friendly little monsters, and they're ready to come out and play! Popular designer Rebecca Danger presents 20 patterns for the most adorable monsters ever to climb off a pair of knitting needles. All are shown in two colorways, and most are done in two yarn weights, to help you pick the perfect yarn to suit your monster's personality.

    Created by successful online designers from around the world, the adorable items range from a sweet garland of little birds to super-cute matryoshka doll ornaments. All can be made with simple sewing techniques, and there are both no-sew and eco-smart options, too. Both indie and mainstream crafters will love these fresh new ideas!

    Packed with wonderfully eclectic examples, this book explores the intriguing creative possibilities of bookmaking as a modern art form, including a wide range of bindings, materials, and embellishments. Featured techniques include everything from Coptic to concertina binding, as well as experimental page treatments such as sumi-e ink marbling and wheat paste. In addition to page after page of inspiration from leading contemporary binderies, Little Book of Bookmaking includes a practical section of 21 easy-to-follow illustrated tutorials.

    Projects include jewelry, thigh-high stockings, retro bags, scarves, sweaters, shrugs, camis, and home décor objects, exploring color, texture, design, embellishment, and how to customize patterns to fit personal style. Basic crochet techniques are covered along with tutorials on sizing, design, and special techniques. Up-and-coming designers are profiled throughout the book to give an entertaining and inspiring insight into this new generation of crocheters, what inspires them, how they find community with other crocheters, and creative ideas for breaking the rules and representing their individual crochet style.

    Featuring 14 projects, clear instructions and charts, inspiring color photos, and 60 Viking motifs.

    Charming, easy-to-make, and undead, Zombie Felties contains 16 irresistibly haunting projects to celebrate the zombie zeitgeist. Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate awaken their inner George A. Romero and focus their creative attention on the malleable, fuzzy softness of felt inside Zombie Felties: How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead. Inside, crafters will find instructions for more than 15 zombie creatures, including a Romero-esque Day of the Dead Zombie. Additional Zombie Feltie projects include: * Zombie Bride * Zombie Puppy * Vampire Zombie * Zombie Bunny * Folklore Zombie * Zombie Surfer, and more! With only the most basic of sewing skills, crafters can raise their own macabre multitude of Zombie Feltie creations from the undead with an average construction time of less than one hour per pattern. Each design includes a full-color photograph of the finished project, as well as an illustrated, instructional overview, pattern diagrams, and a convenient list of everything needed to complete the project. Zombie Feltie friends can be customized with limitless embellishments and they make great Halloween decorations, party favors, finger puppets, key rings, and even mobile phone mascots. Get ready to shudder as you stitch!

    Whatever.If you would describe your favorite crafts as supercute" - no, let us rephrase: If the idea of handcrafting the most nauseatingly adorable plush bunny you've ever seen sets your heart atwitter - feel free to stop reading. We'll understand. Really.If you're still reading, you may be cynical and fed up with syrupy crafts as we are. (Huzzah!) For you and your likeminded AntiCraftspeople, we have hand-selected twenty-five projects from the most talented crafters you'll never find in the mainstream (whatever that even means). Behold:Creations your goody-goody little sister will roll her eyes at, including snake-motif thigh-highs and a duct-tape corset.Tips and sidebars to celebrate (with as much enthusiasm as any of us can muster) your delightfully dark nature, including suggested mood-enhancers (soundtracks, movies, etc.) for making each and every item.Basic techniques for knitting, crochet and jewelry-making virgins - complete with step-by-step photos to save you from the embarrassment of asking that annoyingly perky coworker for help.Join us in the AntiCraft movement - where self-expression, no matter how socially unacceptable, is given a scalpel and room to operate."

    Jillian Moreno leads you through every step of yarn construction, with detailed instructions and step-by-step photos showing you how to select the fiber you want (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), establish a foundation, and spin a beautiful yarn with the structure, texture, and color pattern that you want. In addition to teaching you the techniques you need for success, Moreno also offers 12 delicious original patterns from prominent designers, each one showcasing hand-spun yarns.

    Part instruction manual and part pattern collection, Knit to Flatter teaches you how to assess your shape—top-heavy, bottom-heavy, or proportional— and then knit accordingly. With a great sense of fun and acceptance, Amy Herzog presents silhouettes and styles that work with each body shape, along with four ideal sweater patterns per category. She then provides patterns for 10 more sweaters with guidelines for customizing, so they can be tailored to flatter. Each pattern is written in up to 10 sizes, and the garments are photographed on models with genuine curves. No smoke and mirrors here. Just real beauty!

    Plus, the projects are cute to boot!” —Sue Daly, founder of the Renegade Craft FairNo more spending more than you can afford on clothes! Chic & Simple Sewing shows you how to make modern, stylish, and fun clothes you’ll want to wear every day. Plus, you’re in control. You pick the fabrics, the cut, the size—all tailored just for you, not mass-manufactured on an assembly line. For about the price of two or three commercial sewing patterns, this book will give you full-size patterns to make the more than 20 garments, including a classic shift, A-line skirt, and figure-flattering wrap dress. What are you waiting for? Your new, one-of-a-kind wardrobe awaits!

    Steffani starts with the basics, outlining two rub-off methods—tracing onto paper or draping with fabric—and explaining essential tools, materials, and sewing techniques. She then shows how to duplicate a skirt, a dress, a blouse, and a handbag, from rubbing-off the original, to creating the pattern, to cutting and sewing the new version, to making adjustments and incorporating a variety of other elements and details—not only refreshing your favorite fashions but replenishing your whole wardrobe with brand-new looks.

    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.