Meet Natalie

 

I vividly recall the day nearly three years ago that Natalie Chanin, author of Alabama Stitch Book: Projects and Stories Celebrating Hand-Sewing, Quilting, and Embroidery for Contemporary Sustainable Style and founder and head designer of Alabama Chanin, came to my office to discuss her book proposal. I think we became friends in the first five minutes. Click here to read a recent Q&A with her about her commitment to sustainable design, her motivation for writing her book, and her decision to return to her hometown of Florence, Alabama, after living around the world. Click here to see a selection of projects from her book.

Knitalong

To read about our new book Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown, click here.

To see a gallery of some of the 20 projects in Knitalong, click here.

To read a Q&A with the authors, click here.

To download our Knitalong Kit, a guide for individuals who are considering organizing their own knitalongs, click here.

(Photo above courtesy of Library of Congress/from Knitalong Chapter 1: Hanging Out)

Happy Spring!

Flower Coasters from Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey and Chika Mori (upcoming, Fall 08).

Swatch Garland

 

I found this guirlande (garland) on the Tête de Linotte blog and post it here with permission (and thanks). I love the idea of tracking projects this way. With enough swatches and a strong enough cord, you could even suspend swatches from one end of a room to another.

Knitting for Peace/Project Linus Blanket

 

It's always pleasing to see projects people have made from the books we publish at STC Craft. The blanket here from Oiyi's Crafts caught my eye yesterday. It's the Project Linus Security Blanket. This blogger got the pattern from our book Knitting for Peace by Betty Christiansen, but it also appears here (on the Project Linus website). If you don't already know, Project Linus is a wonderful organization that distributes handknitted blankets to critically ill and traumatized children. The pattern is basically three rows repeated over and over--and two of them are either all knit or all purl. (It doesn't get much easier than that.)

The sweater in the photo--called the Quickie ("5-Hour") Baby Sweater--comes from The Fiber Gypsy. The pattern is free but each person who uses it is asked to make at least one sweater for charity (a good deal all around).

Gallery and Author Q&A for Knitting New Mittens & Gloves

 

Knitting New Mittens & Gloves is now available in stores. If you'd like to see a gallery of some of the projects from this book, click here. If you'd like to read an interview with Robin Melanson, the author, click here.

Thanks, Jane

 

Isn't this hyacinth pretty! I am absolutely fascinated by it. I was inspired to learn how to force hyacinths in water after seeing Jane Brocket's photos of her hyacinths on her blog yarnstorm and in her book The Gentle Art of Domesticity. Jane's book was published in England (where she lives) a few months ago and, I am happy to report, STC will be publishing it in the United States next fall. Thanks, Jane, for teaching me about hyacinths and for trusting STC with your book. (And thanks, Suzan, for insisting I check out Jane's blog in the first place.)

Swedish Heartwarmer on Ravelry

 

I was very happy when I found out yesterday that a knitalong for Priscilla Gibson Roberts's Swedish Heartwarmer Shawl from Handknit Holidays is starting on Ravelry. It's such a stunning project but definitely one that requires dedication. What better way to stay focused than with a little help from your friends! If you're not a member of Ravelry yet, don't be intimidated by the waiting list--they process new memberships amazingly quickly.

Sarah Talks Weaving

 

Henry weaving (from Kids Weaving)

If you're interested in tapestry weaving, you'll want to listen to Sarah Swett, author of Kids Weaving, talk about her work in the most recent episode (that is, #24) of Weave: A Podcast for Handweavers. Below is one of her tapestries. To see more, click here. I am always captivated by her ability to capture the subtleties of domesticity, women lives, and nature in her work.

 

Miss Havisham's Gardener

(50" X 38"; wool warp and weft; all natural dyes)

Knitting on NPR

Yesterday morning Sabrina Gschwandtner, author of KnitKnit: Profiles & Projects from Knitting's New Wave, was interviewed on on NPR's The Bryant Park Project. Click here to listen to the interview and see the audio slide show. Sabrina talks to the hosts about her book, the many forms knitting can take (including graffiti, protest, and art); historic and current wartime knitting; knitting and community; and more. Photo above of Isabel Berglund's "City of Stitches" from Sabrina's book.

Slow Down

 

There is a very interesting article in today's New York Times called "The Slow Life Picks Up Speed." It's about  Slow Design, a growing movement  that emphasizes creating and consuming products in a slow, environmentally careful, and fair way.  Natalie Chanin, author of the Alabama Stitch Book, is one of several inspiring artisans/business owners/authors featured. (Photo above from Natalie's book)

Montreal Tuque

 

 

I'm currently attempting to make my way through the many skeins of yarn that I have collected over the last decade or so. And so I present my recently completed version of the Montreal Tuque from Knitting Classic Style by Veronik Avery. I made it with three colors of a soft, smooth, sturdy merino wool called Emmanuella from Goddess Yarns that have been in my stash for quite some time. This hat is super-easy to knit, the style seems to suit just about everyone, and because it's a 3-by-1 rib, there's a lot of flexibility in the sizing. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a simple, satisfying project that can easily be made with an assortment of stash leftovers--or newly purchased yarn, of course. It all depends on what phase you are in, in your knitting life--the building-up phase or the working-through phase.

Congratulations, Hannah!

 

I'm very happy to report that Hannah Rogge's newest book Save this Shirt: Cut It, Stitch It, Wear It Now has been named a 2008 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association. This is Hannah's second YALSA honor. Her first book, Hardwear: Jewelry From a Toolbox, earned this award in 2007.

-To see a gallery of projects from Save this Shirt, click here. 
-To see a gallery of projects from Hardwear, click here.
-To read about a weekend Hannah I spent together in November, click here (and scroll down).
-For a list of all of this year's YALSA winners, click here.
-And please join me in congratulating Hannah--an extraordinary crafter, author, and friend.

Ready for 2008

I can't imagine staying organized without my planner. And each year I buy the same one -- a 5.25" x 8.25" moleskine diary with one page of writing space per day. At the end of December, I put my old one on the shelf with the others from previous years, then start a new one for the year about to begin. It is a small ritual that I enjoy. However, this year I  made a minor change. I stitched a reverse-applique cover for my journal out of recycled cotton jersey . . .

 

. . . following the instructions in Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin (founder of Alabama Chanin). Natalie's book will be in stores in March, one of the four new STC Craft books to be released in the first four months of 2008.

 

With my new planner ready and looking so special, I can hardly wait for the new year to begin. 

Joy

 

About a month ago, Heather Ross, a friend and the author of the upcoming Weekend Sewing, came to my house so we could do some work together on her book and also to make holiday cards using her portable printing machine called the Print Gocco Kit. The Print Gocco comes from Japan, where--according to the people who sell it--one out of three families has one. Basically, you create your artwork (or Heather creates it for you), then using the Print Gocco, burn a screen (as in silk screening), then one-by-one print your cards. Heather knew what she was doing (she actually created her wedding invitations this way) so it didn't take us very long and it was lots of fun. The artwork depicts my dog Maggie catching a Frisbee (her favorite activity). I present this card here as my way of wishing you that kind of pure joy this holiday season and in 2008!

Knitalong News

Check out this great article about knitalongs--and, in particular, Sock Wars--from the 17 December issue of the Wall Street Journal. If you like the article, you'll probably like Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together, a new book by Larissa Brown and Martin John Brown that is currently at the printer and will be in stores in April or maybe a little sooner.

New Galleries

While reviewing the traffic here, I regularly notice that the galleries are quite popular. So, in an effort to give you more of what I think you want, I have added three new galleries this evening: Knitting Classic Style, Knitting Nature, and Save this Shirt. At this stage of the process, when the books are completed and I have a chance to look at--and enjoy--the images inside of them without worrying about the myriad tasks that go into making them, I always feel somewhat  amazed that we actually reached this point, that the author and I and the rest of the publishing team actually finished.  Of course, there are always new books to work on. It is, in fact, an ongoing cycle--one book is delivered to stores at the same time that another proposal lands on my desk. Often people ask me how many books I am working on at one time but I've never sat down to figure that out as doing so feels rather overwhelming. Tonight I will continue to put off that task and simply enjoy the galleries, which make everything look so easy. I hope you will as well.

Sheep as Inspiration for Art

As a knitter, I have developed a deep appreciation for sheep. How could I not, considering all of the beautiful fiber they so generously share with us year after year? And so I am particular intrigued by Andy Goldsworthy's new book called Enclosure. It recounts in words and photos his Sheepfolds Project, for which he restored over 40 stone enclosures once used by farmers to shelter, count, and wash their sheep in six districts of Cumbria. In the introduction to the book, James Putnam explains: "Sheepfolds are beautiful and graphic reminders of the days of early shepherding out on the hill, on common land."

The book also includes a collection of fascinating works related in various ways to sheep, for example, this shot (part of an 8-part series called "Wool Throws") of Goldsworthy tossing wool fleece into the air.

 

And these works in which Goldsworthy incorporated wet (and sometimes frozen) wool into the landscape.

 

 

 

Ornament-Making with Leigh

Meet Leigh Radford, author of AlterKnits and One Skein, and learn to transform colorful roving into beautiful felted balls that can be joined together to create one-of-a-kind ornaments, garland, jewelry, or even a pincushion.

 
Saturday, December 8th and Sunday, December 9th, 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Churchmouse Yarns & Teas
118 Madrone Lane
Bainbridge Island, WA; 206-780-2686

Thursday, December 13th, 6 pm - 9 pm
Close Knit
2140 NE Alberta Street
Portland, OR; 503-288-4568

 
(Photo of Leigh's ornaments from Handknit Holidays) 

I Love the Kids' Books

Sometimes people ask me which of the STC Craft books I like best, a question I cannot answer. In part, this is because I need to be diplomatic. But, more than that, this is because I believe that each book is unique and special in its own way. It sounds sappy and maybe like a cop out to some people, but it's true.

Still, there are a few books that I think are especially important, and those are the three books in our kids' crafting series--Kids' Embroidery by Kristin Nicholas, Kids Crochet by Kelli Ronci, and Kids Weaving by Sarah Swett. These books teach all of the basics and also a little bit about how crafting fits into cultural history.

If you know children who like to make things with their hands, I hope you will check out these books, and, if you have some extra time over the holidays, do some crafting together. I believe that when we teach kids these skills, we are giving them a gift that will last their entire lives (sappy but true, once again).