a vibrant collection of inspiring and instructional books specializing in knitting, sewing, quilting, drawing, and other “maker” genres.
It's a new year and, so time to introduce a new collection of books. Click here for a sneak peek at images from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross, one of our new books for Spring 09 (due in stores in February). Check back later in the week for more sneak peaks of 2009 titles.
I wish you bountiful happiness this holiday season.
(Photo above by Susan Pittard from Handknit Holidays)
Wow! I was so amazed by the response to our giveaway. And I loved reading about the gifts everyone is making. Congratulations to Dara, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Ashley, and Bre, whose names were selected and who will be receiving the books they requested. And thanks to everyone (nearly 1,000 of you!) for participating. There is definitely more crafting going on this year than in the past few years. I hope that all of the gifts turn out well and are enjoyed by their recipients. And, I hope that once you've completed all of the making and celebrating, you will have plenty of time leftover for some good, old-fashioned holiday resting.
(Photo above by Ericka McConnell from Weekend Knitting)
We keep hearing that a lot of gifts are going to be handmade this year. What are your plans? Please take a moment to answer our Handmade Holidays "Questionnaire" below (leave your responses in the Comments section).
*Are you making more handmade gifts this year than you have in previous years?
*Please tell us something about the gifts you're making.
*What is the title of one STC Craft book that you'd like to receive as a gift this year?
On Friday, December 12 at 3PM, we'll pick 5 people at random from the list of responses and send each one the book s/he requested. To see all of our books, click here (and be sure to flip through all 6 pages). Thanks!
(Photo above by Susan Pittard from Handknit Holidays)
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Above left to right: Rag Boa from Alabama Stitch Book and Luxe Neck Warmer from Knit 2 Together.
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Above left to right: Filigree from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves (instructions also included for shorter/quicker version) and Fringe from Knitting New Scarves.
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Above left to right: Kelly's Pincushions from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts and Flower Washcloths from Weekend Knitting.
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Above left to right: Wide S-Hook Bracelet from Hardwear (almost everything in this book can be made in less than an hour for less than $15) and Felted Rings from AlterKnits Felt (these rings take less than 20 minutes to finish).
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Above left to right: Printed Notebooks from Printing by Hand and Flower Coasters from Zakka Sewing.
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Above left to right: Arm Bag from Save this Shirt and Snack-Wrapper Wallet from AlternaCrafts.
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Above left to right: Felt Needle Case from Kids' Embroidery and Neck Cozy from Kids Crochet.
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Above left to right: Meathead Hat from Knitalong (sizing provided for adults also) and Knitted Ornaments from Handknit Holidays.
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Above left to right: Sunflower Tam and Nautilus Poncho from Knitting Nature (I've wanted to make the Nautilus since the first time I saw it).
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Above left to right: Fishnet Knee-Highs and Silk Slip from Knitting Lingerie Style (note that the top of the slip is knitted and the bottom is fabric). NOTE: To see a gallery of selected images from the books featured here and others, see the Gallery listings at right.
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Check out this article in today's New York Times.
The reporter Tim McKeough interviewed Joelle Hoverson, the creative force behind Purl and Purl Patchwork and the Purl Bee as well as author of STC's Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts, about burgeoning interest in knitted furnishings and accessories, both conventional items like blankets and more unusual ones like ottomans and rugs.
Right away I started thinking about the home dec projects in Leigh Radford's new book AlterKnits Felt, including the ottoman and pillow, chairs, and rug below.
To see more projects from Leigh's book, click here.
Larissa Brown, coauthor with Martin John Brown, of Knitalong, mentioned on her blog the other day that she had been looking at the runner-up covers I have been posting and wondered if there had been any other Knitalong covers considered that she hadn't seen. For that book, we didn't seriously consider a lot of different options. We had two single-image covers that we liked but we didn't think either of them communicated enough about the book's content to work. Here they are (the second one was cut so early in the process that we didn't even begin to think about a back cover):
To see a gallery of images from Knitalong and the final grid cover, click here.
When Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave's children were small, she made her first paper costumes for them. Today she is world reknowned for her interpretations of fashion in paper. Something to think about as you're putting the finishing touches on your Halloween costumes tonight. (All photos from Paper Illusions: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave)
I go into most of our cover meetings with a strong opinion about which of the covers I'm presenting for a particular title I like best. For Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin, I actually had several favorites. Here are two of the covers we considered (with their corresponding back covers). All graphic design and photography by Robert Rausch.
To see a gallery of images from Alabama Stitch Book and the final cover, click here.
This is one of the my favorite covers that wasn't chosen for the American edition of The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket; it was created by graphic designer Alissa Faden Click here to see a gallery of images from Gentle Art's interior as well as the cover that Alissa designed that was chosen. And visit Jane's blog to see the British cover (and the cover to Jane's other new book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer).
Click here to see a gallery of images from the book and the the cover that "won."
We work with wonderful graphic designers on STC Craft books. After we send them photographs and sample copy (often a year or more before a book actually goes on sale), they design sample spreads. And once we've approved those, they generally work through 4 passes--over the course of many months--during which time the design and text are refined. Inevitably, there are times when we are unable to use a few of the most beautiful spreads. When I suggested to Brooke Reynolds, the graphic designer of Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin (photographs by Thayer Gowdy), that we share some of those deleted "scenes," she jumped at the opportunity and sent me these spreads.
This is the original table of contents. Each circle shows a snippet of the artwork Lena designed for a project in the book.
This is the original introduction to chapter one. We ended up cutting it to 1 page because we were short on space.
We didn't have room for the photo of Lena working on the artwork for the Cafe Apron, but we did use the photo of her drawing pad in the section of Chapter 1 about transforming a design idea into artwork for printing.
To see more of what Brooke is up to, check out her new blog. And, while you're at it, check out Thayer's new blog too.
Here at STC Craft we're thrilled to celebrate the publication of Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey and Chika Mori. To see a gallery of images from the book, click here. To read a Q & A with Chika Mori, click here. To read a Q & A with Therese Laskey, click here. And, for a limited time, to download free instructions for the adorable Squirrel Tea Cozy on the cover, click here.
We're working on a sock book with Judy Sumner. She has been sending the socks to me in batches for months now. Recently, I arranged all of them on a desk in my office for a meeting with a photographer. Later on when I commented to Judy about how beautiful I thought they looked, she mentioned that she had never actually seen all of them in one place. So, here's a photo I took that day--for Judy's enjoyment and yours.
Check out Heather Ross's new blog. In addition to being a wonderfully talented fabric and clothing designer and illustrator whose book, Weekend Sewing, we'll be publishing in the beginning of 2009, Heather is also a great storyteller (which you'll find out right away when you start reading her blog), cook, and friend. On more than one occasion she's actually made me lunch and brought it to me at the office. And then there was the Italian truffle she dropped off for me as a surprise . . . and this sweet illustration, which arrived in my e-mailbox after I told her a story about my mood one weekend.
For a long time I've wanted to include the STC Craft catalog on this blog but couldn't figure out how to do that with my meager technical skills. Then one day last week, Julia Coblentz, our marketing director, suggested that I post it as a pdf download. So simple and so obvious. Click on "Online Catalogue" at top right to check it out. Thanks, Julia, for your idea. And thanks to Christopher Blank, our web marketing manager, for sending the files for me to post so quickly.
I met Lena Corwin about 5 years ago when Kelli Ronci suggested that she illustrate her book Kids Crochet. Since then, I've met so many people that know Lena that I wonder if everyone is somehow connected to her in that strange way that everyone is somehow connected to Kevin Bacon. I'm excited to report that Lena's first book, Printing by Hand, is hitting bookstores this week. I've posted a Q&A with Lena here. And a gallery of images from the book here.
