Knitlandia is here! Read a sample chapter today.

Today's the day! We're excited to present the latest memoir from the esteemed Clara Parkes, Knitlandia: A Knitter Sees the World, available now! For a sneak peek from the book, read sample chapter "From Baseball to Broadway: Swatching in the Big Apple" here. 

In addition to her physical book tour that we posted about last week (first stop: launch party in Somerville, Mass tonight, next stop-- NYC tomorrow!), Clara also has a blog tour lined up later this month. Hope you will join us on our blog tour, below: 

Feb 22           Knit and Tonic 

Feb 24           My Sister’s Knitter 

Feb 26           Mary Jane Muckelstone 

Feb 29           Knit Circus

March 2          Yarniacs 

March 4          Leethal 

March 7          Tin Can Knits

March 17         Marly Bird

Clara Parkes is knitting her way to a city near you on the Knitlandia tour!

Beloved knitter and author Clara Parkes has been charming readers across the globe with her heartwarming, hilarious, and humble tales of a life in knitting. In her latest memoir, Knitlandia: A Knitter Sees the World, Parkes weaves her personal blend of wisdom and humor into this eloquently down-to-earth guide that is part personal travel narrative and part cultural history, touching the heart of what it means to live creatively.

Building on the success of The Yarn Whisperer, Parkes’s rich personal essays invite readers and devoted crafters on excursions to be savored, from a guide who quickly comes to feel like a trusted confidante. Join Clara as she takes you along on 17 of her most memorable journeys across the globe over the last 15 years, with stories spanning from the fjords of Iceland to a cozy yarn shop in Paris’s 13th arrondissement.

...And now you can join her in real time as she celebrates the release of Knitlandia on 2/16—coming to a city near you starting next week!

As an added bonus, if you purchase a book at any of the tour stops, you'll get a free (and very cute, in our humble opinion) gift with purchase! Plus, you'll be supporting local indie booksellers—a win for everyone!

Can't make it to the tour? You can still follow along online with Clara's blog tour! We'll post an updated tour schedule later this month, with "tour stops" beginning 2/22. Check back for more info!

 

Spring is Here Over at Abrams!

Well... not quite, but even with some snow in the forecast, we're looking forward to sharing our exciting list of spring books with you!

We've been working hard to bring you a fresh crop of the beautiful and inspiring books that have long been a part of our fiber as an imprint of Abrams.

Below is a sneak peak of the books debuting in the coming season. Click through each cover to read more on our website, and stay tuned for exciting updates here— catch our authors as they visit a city near you, follow along on blog tours, and stay tuned for sneak peeks, contests, giveaways, guest posts, and more!

Wishing you a happy and productive season.

—your friends at STC Craft / Abrams

STC Craft Authors at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC This Weekend!

Join STC Craft authors at Vogue Knitting Live! at the New York Marriott Marquis this weekend for signings at the Knitty City booth (#712 - 714), readings, and teaching sessions throughout the weekend.

STC Craft Author Schedule of Events: 

Clara Parkes, author of The Yarn Whisperer:

  • Signing: Saturday noon-1PM at Knitty City Booth
  • Reading: Saturday 3:30-4:30PM at Astor Ballroom

Kristy McGowan, author of More Modern Top-Down Knitting:

  • Signing: Saturday, 3-4PM at Knitty City Booth

Amy Herzog, author Knit to Flatter:

  • Lecture: Friday Evening
  • Signing: Sunday 11:30AM- 12:30PM at Knitty City Booth

Stop by, say hello, enjoy, get your books signed. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

STC Craft at NY Sheep and Wool Festival

Beautiful Yarn Rainbow from Harrisville Designs. Photo courtesy of Laura Poulette.

Last Saturday, the STC Craft team spent a beautiful fall wekend in Rhinebeck at the 33rd annual New York State Sheep & Wool Festival (10/19 – 10/20). We were in good company among 40k+ attendees ranging from knitters, crocheters, and handspinners to lots of fiber-producing livestock!

We proudly hung our STC Craft banner above a wide selection of our craft and design titles on sale via the Hudson Valley-based Merritt Bookstore. The stars of the day were our fabulous authors, doing demos and signings from the morning opening to the afternoon close.

Highlights included: 

  • Steady crowds flocking to see The Yarn Whisperer, Clara Parkes, requesting autographs and providing some yarn tales of their own. 
  • A Knitted Slipper tree for displaying sample projects, made by hand just for the event by the twin sister of The Knitted Slipper Book author, Katie Startzman.

The Knitted Slipper Tree.

  • Multiple festival attendees greeting Amy Herzog and gushing about how her book has changed their whole knitting experience—we even sold out of Knit to Flatter!
  • Fans of Gretchen Hirsch (in the Shirtwaist Dress from her book!) coming to get their new copies of Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing signed (and to hear about Gretchen's second book, coming soon).

Project samples from STC Craft titles on display.

With other autumnal-themed treats like fresh cider and homemade jams, live llamas and alpacas, and tons of vendors of yarn and knitting gear, the festival is a great destination for everyone, young and old, who wants to spend a happy day in the country. Plus, the fall foliage makes the trip even more worthwhile! A big thank you to our STC Craft fans old and new who stopped by the booth to meet our authors and check out our books—hopefully everyone got some great ideas for new projects!

The source.

The Yarn Whisperer Is Coming to a Town Near You!

Author and yarn expert Clara Parkes will be traveling from coast to coast to read from her new memoir, The Yarn Whisperer, beginning next week! In this captivating, poignant, laugh-out-loud funny collection of stories, Clara explores the role knitting has played throughout her life. At each stop she'll read a selection from the book and sign copies, conduct a light-hearted quiz show with her famous 'Claramels' as prizes, take questions from the audience, and stay until the last skein has been squeezed!

 

Hear what the critics are saying: 

"I see a lot of yarn books in this gig, and "Whisperer" is not only the best I've seen this year, it's one of my all-time faves. Seriously, it's that good." - The Oregonian

"I don't want to stop reading. Each chapter is a little jewel." - Knit Circus

Can't wait? Then listen to an excerpt from The Yarn Whisperer, read by Clara herself!

Don't miss Clara in your city! Tour dates & venues include*:

October 10 at 7pm - Seattle area, WA @ Third Place Books

October 11 at 6pm - San Francisco, CA @ Book Passage

October 12 at 4pm - Portland, OR @ Powell's Books

October 13 at 2pm - Pasadena, CA @ Vroman's Bookstore, featuring a special appearance of the Yarnover Truck!

October 14 at 7:30pm - Denver, CO @ Tattered Cover

October 15 at 7pm - Minneapolis area, MN @ The Bookcase

October 16 at 6pm - Chicago, IL @ Sulzer Library (with books provided by The Book Cellar)

October 17 at 6:30pm - Nashville, TN @ Parnassus Books (with support from beloved Nashville yarn shop Bliss Yarns)

October 19 & 20 at 11:30 am & 3pm - Rhinebeck, NY @ New York Sheep & Wool Festival (with books provided by Merritt Books)

October 24 at 7pm - Portland, ME @ Longfellow Books

 

*Copies will be available for purchase at all signings. Please be sure to support your local independent bookseller!