'Tis the Season for Handcrafted Christmas!

If author Susan Waggoner had her way, every Christmas would be a handcrafted one...

... and now, yours can be too! If you've been spending these last few chilly evenings hearing those sleigh bells ringing and dreaming of a blanket of white snow, then prepare to sate your holiday yearnings with Handcrafted Christmas: Ornaments, Decorations, and Cookie Recipes to Make at Home! This collection of more than thirty-five warm, inviting projects and recipes inspired by the treasures and flavors of the 1920s through the 1960s are certain to make you nostalgic for Christmases past.

Get ready for the most wonderful time of the year by taking a look at the image gallery here. And start planning your own vintage-style celebrations with everything from pinecone wreaths and punched-tin votive holders to beloved cookie swap recipes like Chocolate Sour Cream Drops and Pecan Tassies. Handcrafted Christmas is in stores now.

Celebrate Fall by Knitting-A-Long with Guest Blogger and STC Craft Author Katie Startzman

Hello! I’m Katie Startzman, author of STC Craft’s The Knitted Slipper Book. I blog at Duo Fiberworks with my twin sister Laura Poulette. Thanks to STC Craft for inviting me to guest post here!

We will soon be deep into slipper season—blustery, gray days and downright cold starlit nights. As someone who delights in making and wearing slippers, I look forward to this time of year. It’s an opportunity of pile on the handknits, make lots of soup, and catch up on my reading by the woodstove. But we’re not quite there yet. Here in Kentucky, we still have a good long stretch of crisp Fall weather ahead of us, and the layers I put on in the morning get peeled off as the day warms up.

To celebrate the changing seasons, I wanted to do a knit-a-long that featured a pair of slippers that would be a good fit for this transitional time of year. The Cotton Loafers from The Knitted Slipper Book are shoe-like slippers that are made from soft organic cotton and rustic jute twine. They’re my knitted mash-up of boat shoes, espadrilles, and loafer moccs. They feature functional leather lacing, and the thick jute sole is sturdy and comfy.

 

I’ll be hosting the knit-a-long on my blog, over the next two weeks. In a series of posts, I’ll share tips and tricks to knitting these quick-to-finish, stylish slippers. You can view the first post here. Since many folks are unaccustomed to knitting with jute, I’ll also be sharing a free pattern that combines the cotton and jute to make a mini-tote.

Thanks to Blue Sky Alpacas, we have giveaways planned too—a sweet kit of organic worsted cotton yarn, jute, and a hand-stenciled canvas project bag made by yours truly.

**To enter the giveaway here, leave a comment between now and Friday, September 26 sharing something that you love about this time of year.** The winner will be announced on Monday, September 29.

Be sure to join us at Duo Fiberworks in the coming days to knit with us and for a chance to win a kit over there too. Here’s the schedule:

Monday, September 22:      Inspiration and design

Thursday, September 25:    Knitting the jute sole, project kit giveaway begins.     
    
Monday, September 29:      Knitting the slipper upper: Also share free pattern for the Bird Nest Mini-Tote

Thursday,  October 2:         Seaming and finishing details, announce giveaway winner

Get Playful this season... we're sure you'll be charmed!

Up next this fall is Playful: Fun Projects to Make With + For Kids, an enchanting new book from Merrilee Liddiard.

Throughout you'll find easy instructions for 26 captivating projects that are as fun to make as they are to play with—everything from masks and dollhouses to magic wands and table tents!

 

Check out our image gallery, enter for a chance to win a signed copy on Merrilee's blog, and don't miss this magical book trailer:

And if you're in the Provo, Utah, area, join Merrilee and her team for a book launch party next Tuesday, 9/23:

Now if you'll excuse us, we're one step away from building a tent under our desks.

Wind those bobbins...Gertie Sews Vintage Casual is on sale today!

Our latest fall 14 book release comes just in time for the changing seasons. We're thrilled to introduce the latest from Gretchen "Gertie" Hirsch—Gertie Sews Vintage Casual: A Modern Guide to Sportswear Styles of the 1940s and 1950s.

In this follow-up to Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, Hirsch returns with more iconic styles from the mid-20th century. Think sportswear made popular by fashion darlings like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, including knit tops, beach rompers, house dresses, wide-legged trousers, capri pants, and more.

With instructions for creating a 30-plus-piece casual wardrobe plus illustrations by the amazing Sun Young Park, this helpful guide offers all the inspiration and know-how you need to look delightfully dapper this fall.

Read more about the book on Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing, and check out our image gallery here. Plus, stay tuned for news about Gertie's fall pattern collection from Butterick and a new fabric line with Fabric Traditions at JoAnn's stores this spring!

What will you sew this season? Tell us in the comments section!

Celebrate Fall with STC Craft

We're back! We hope you enjoyed a lovely and relaxing summer. We reveled in some lazy warm days and even some exotic getaways, but now we're excited to share our fall news.

We've got a stellar lineup of books to share, bursting with inspiration, ideas, and instruction.

View our full fall 2014 lineup by clicking here, or on the catalog cover below:

 
Quilt back from Roderick Kiracofe's Unconventional & Unexpected

 First up this season is Roderick Kiracofe's brand new Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar 1950-2000, available today!

From the esteemed author of The American Quilt, Unconventional & Unexpected explores the amazing quilts created during the second half of the 20th century.

Get a sneak peek of more from Kiracofe's fabulous collection in our image gallery, and check out what the New York Times had to say about Unconventional and Unexpected here!

We're looking forward to sharing a fabulous season with you!

STC Craft Summer Reads

It's officially summer and we're celebrating by kicking off our sandals and cracking open some new warm-weather reads! Whether you're looking for an engaging travel partner or a treat for a morning at the beach, these books are sure to inspire:

For yarn lovers eager for a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays about a well-knit life:

Stockinette, ribbing, cables, even the humble yarn over can instantly evoke places, times, people, conversations, all those poignant moments that we’ve tucked away in our memory banks. Over time, those stitches form a map of our lives.
—From the Preface

For readers who love their stories with a side of DIY:

To make anything by hand, whether it is to feed or to warm or to shelter yourself, to succeed in meeting some small—or not small—need that exists within us, this is what we and every other thing with a heart that walks this earth are meant to do with our hands and with our days. And when you are inside a structure that you have built yourself, whether your walls are made of plastic or grass or brick or beans, you will be at home.
—From How to Make a Teepee from Plastic Flowers

For creatives looking for that little push to break new ground:

Now that people know I paint—I've included my artwork in books I've written, made public my darling pleasure—they not only want to attend writing workshops, they ask me when I will teach painting. I jokingly say, Never. But if they pay close attention, I'm teaching painting all the time when I talk about writing.

—From the Introduction

Happy reading!

Gifts for the Crafty Grad

It's that time of year again—the time when scores of hopeful grads set off for new adventures! Whether yours is gearing up for college life or setting off for that first job, here are some of our favorite books to set them up in style.

For the architecture or decorative arts major who loves interior design:

For the bookish types who wish they'd never left:

For DIY mavens looking for the next big thing:

And for any new grad who may need a little help navigating their newly found independence: 

For more great gift ideas, check out our full catalog here.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2014!

STC Craft Presents Wendy Bernard's Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary

Ready to learn something new, knitters? Check out the Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary, available starting today wherever books are sold. In this all-encompassing guide, designer Wendy Bernard does something no other author has done before—she presents instructions for working 150 popular stitch patterns four different ways: top down, bottom up, back and forth, and in the round.

Ready for some armchair travel? Then join STC Craft and Wendy and Blue Sky Alpacas for a 10-stop blog tour. Wendy will share different stitches and online tutorials at each stop, starting right now!

May 20: Knit and Tonic & Blue Sky Alpacas Blog - Blog tour kick-off

May 22: FreshStitches - Knits & Purls

May 24: Hey Jen Renee - Ribs

May 26: Very Shannon - Textured, Slipped, & Fancy

May 28: Miso Crafty Knits - Yarnovers & Eyelets

May 30: The Sweatshop of Love - Cables

June 3: Stockinette Zombies - Lace

June 4: Mari Knits - Colorwork

June 6: Lattes and Llamas - Hems & Edgings

June 21: Ready, Set, Knit! Podcast - Yarn.com podcast!

You can keep tabs on the blog tour by following Wendy on Twitter (@KnitTonicWendy) and Blue Sky Alpacas (@BlueSkyAlpacas), as well as Wendy's Ravelry page for updates and patterns. 

View our image gallery for sneak peeks at the interior.

Heather Ross Hits the Road with the How to Catch a Frog Book Tour!

Illustration © Heather Ross

Much of Heather Ross’s creative work has been inspired by her eccentric upbringing in the 1970s in a family of artists and idealists in a rural corner of Vermont, an environment defined by stunning natural beauty, creative and innovative living, and daily lessons in self-reliance. In How to Catch a Frog: And Other Stories of Family, Love, Dysfunction, Survival, and DIY, Ross retraces her path from bohemian childhood to adult life as an artist, entrepreneur, mother, and wife.

For the next couple of weeks Ross will be traveling the country to spread the word about her new book. Catch Heather for a reading and signing at a stop near you--and support your local bookstore! Every one who purchases a book at a book tour stop will also receive a special-edition print (see above right) from Heather. Plus, Heather will be previewing her new fabric line with Windham.

Heather's Schedule

May 10 @ 1PM: Corte Madera, CA - Book Passage in the SF Ferry Building (51 Tamal Vista Blvd.) 

May 12 @ 7:30PM: Portland, OR - Powell’s City of Books (1005 W. Burnside St.)

May 13 @ 7:30PM: Denver, CO - Tattered Cover (2526 E. Colfax Ave.) 

May 14 @ 7PM: Austin, TX - Book People (603 North Lamar)

May 15 @ 7PM: Wayzata, MN - The Bookcase (824 East Lake St.)

May 17 @ 2PM: Chicago, IL - Book Cellar, hosted at the Sulzer Library (4455 N. Lincoln Ave.)

May 22 @ 7PM: Brooklyn, NY - Powerhouse Arena, NYC (37 Main St.)

Early praise for How to Catch a Frog:

These brave and beautiful stories reveal the essence of Heather's singular creative gift--her talent for turning chaos into something magical and unexpected, with resourcefulness, wit, and wisdom.

–Denyse Schmidt, designer and artist 

You will be instantly smitten by this intoxicating memoir filled with truths, mystery, and magic. What a treasure to peek into the makings of this beautiful dreamer! 

–Amy Butler, artist and author

Can't make the tour? Enter for a chance to win a free copy of the book via Goodreads!

This Mother's Day, Give the Gift of Creativity

If you're still searching for the perfect gift for the moms in your life, may we suggest one of the books in our gift guide below or from our catalogue here.

	For the crafty bibliophile mom, there's BiblioCraft from NYPL librarian Jessica Pigza, with over 20 projects inspired by the library and lots of invaluable guidance for mining library collections for inspiration.
	Textile-minded moms will love Cassandra Ellis's Cloth, an inspirational guide to the beauty, history, and utitlity of natural textiles, with over 30 sewing projects for the home made out of linen, cotton, silk, wool, and hide.
	For the mom with a green thumb, check out Handmade for the Garden from Susan Guagliumi, with over 75 ingenious ways to enhance your outdoor space with DIY tools, pots, supoorts, embellishments, and more.
	Moms with less of a green thumb will love Livia Cetti's The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers, where they'll find step-by-step nstructions for creating 27 realistic blooms—no weeding required!
	For moms looking for a little inspiration to write, paint, or otherwise create, consider Natalie Goldberg's Living Color, one part creativity guide, one part memoir from the bestselling author of Writing Down the Bones.
	Moms with an affinity for great storytelling will love fabric designer and illustrator Heather Ross's captivating tales about her unconventional upbringing in her memoir How to Catch a Frog: And Other Stories of Family, Love, Dysfunction, Survival, and DIY.
	Knit-savvy moms will savor the all-encompassing Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary from Wendy Bernard, featuring over 150 stitch patterns to work top down, bottom up, back and forth, or in the round.

Looking for more ideas? Try Made by Hand, The Knitted Slipper Book, and The Yarn Whisperer. 

Whatever you gift the moms in your life this year, we here at STC Craft are wishing you a lovely day spent with people who inspire you to create beautiful things.

Today's Bloom: The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers

Though it's a rainy Tuesday here in New York, a little burst of spring has arrived, with Livia Cetti's The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers: A Guide to Making Unbelievably Realistic Paper Blooms, in stores today!

The country’s premiere paper-flower artist, author Livia Cetti is known for her high-style, gorgeous tissue and crepe-paper flowers—which are often mistaken for real flowers.

In The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers, for the first time Cetti shares her techniques for hand crafting popular blooms, including peonies, poppies, roses, and hibiscus, and for combining them to create garlands, centerpieces, wreaths, corsages, and boutonnieres.

Whether your goal is to decorate for a spring wedding or shower, celebrate a birthday or graduation, or just add a bit of color to your home, you'll find endless inspiration in the pages of this step-by-step guide.

View our image gallery for more stunning photos from this book, plus a cherry blossom tutorial from a recent issue of InStyle! We know what we'll be doing on this rainy afternoon....

Spring Refresh with CLOTH by Cassandra Ellis!

There's something wonderful about changing our homes to reflect the change in seasons. When cold winter winds begin to blow in, we nuzzle in to wooly accessories; spring's arrival speaks of light cotton pieces; and linen's cool touch and open weave makes it ideal for the summer months.

For those of us who mark the passing of time in precious pieces and scraps of fabric, Cloth: 30+ Projects to Sew from Linen, Cotton, Silk, Wool, and Hide by Cassandra Ellis is just the inspiration we need for swapping out those woolens for a little spring refresh!

For a chance to win a copy of the book, as well as a bundle of five silk fat quarters, head on over to Spoonflower to enter! And of course, check out the CLOTH gallery for more décor inspiration, and make sure you get your hands on a copy of this beautiful book, available now everywhere books are sold.

Spring Has Sprung: Handmade for the Garden Has Arrived!

Despite what the weather report says, Spring has sprung here at STC Craft with the arrival of Handmade for the Garden by Susan Guagliumi! Get your green thumbs ready to tackle over 75 projects sure to get you (and your garden!) in a spring state of mind, ranging from planters and embellished pots to trellises, mosaic walls, and more.

For those of you who have been hungrily browsing seed catalogs all winter (or those of us who are starting small with a windowbox of herbs), one quick peek at this gallery will be sure to get you ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty!

Handmade for the Garden is available today everywhere books are sold.

Get Inspired This Spring with 20+ Projects from BiblioCraft

We're so excited to introduce BiblioCraft: A Modern Crafter's Guide to Using Library Resoures to Jumpstart Creative Projects, from New York Public Library rare book librarian Jessica Pigza, on sale starting March 18.

Featuring over 20 projects inspired by the library, as well as information on how to use library resources as tools to aid your design process, BiblioCraft also boasts a contributor list of creative superstars, including STC Craft authors Natalie Chanin, Gretchen Hirsch, Heather Ross, and Liesl Gibson!

Here's the artwork from a 1922 edition of Heidi that inspireds Heather Ross's Kitten Pocket Dress --and Kittens.

And here's the dress with kittens.

And click here to see a gallery of more "before and after" images from BiblioCraft.

View Jessica's busy tour schedule, kicking off with her launch party at Brooklyn Craft Company in Greenpoint this week!

Jumpstart Creativity This Spring with Natalie Golderg's Living Color— Available Today!

With the days getting longer and temperatures warming up ever so slightly, we're so excited to welcome our first book of the spring season: Natalie Goldberg's Living Color: Painting, Writing, and the Bones of Seeing.

Warm, saturated hues adorn the pages of Goldberg's memoir, interspersed with essays on creativity, writing, and living with passion and purpose. Also included are 22 exercises focusing on expanding your creativity, with the hope "to jostle your mind out of the ordinary, out of logic, and maybe after a moment of shock, snap you into feeling and creating from a non-rational place, where things are interconnected on a whole different level."

Read a Chapter Excerpt. Click on the image below to enlarge the spread. 

View More. Shake off the doldrums with this inspiring guide—updated and expanded with a new chapter, new creativity exercises, and additional paintings. View more images from Living Color in our gallery. 

Catch Natalie on Tour! Beginning later this month, Natalie will sign books and speak at book tour stops across the country. More info on her site.

Win a Copy. Check out the book on Goodreads and enter for a chance to win a copy! 

STC Craft Author Lynne Barr Is Teaching Knitting Techniques on Creativebug!

Lynne Barr fans rejoice—video tutorials of the knitting expert's innovative techniques are coming to Creativebug!

Complementing the unique and groundbreaking techniques featured in STC Craft favorites The Shape of Knitting, Reversible Knitting, and Knitting New Scarves, these classes show the knitting expert in action as she demonstrates how to use "traveling pleats" to make a hat with a unique twisted top design, and double knit to create reversible multi-colored pieces. Best of all, she also provides valuable lessons on how to create your own charts using any stitch patterns you please!

While the names of the techniques might sound intimidating, they are easy to grasp with Lynne Barr walking you through the instructions one stitch at a time. These classes are the perfect companions to your Lynne Barr library—make sure to check them out today!

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!

Get Your Crafting in Gear in the New Year with a Creativebug Class Giveaway!

The new year is right around the corner and here at STC Craft we are already looking forward to the excitement that 2014 will bring. Along with personal resolutions, the thrill of opening up crisp new calendars and planners, and the promise of a fresh start, we'd like to extend an exciting offer to you and a friend.

If learning something new is on your to-do list for the new year, we'd love to help! From now until the end of the month, we're offering one lucky reader a chance to win two free 3-month subscriptions to Creativebug classes—one for you, and one for a friend.

Launched last year, Creativebug is an innovative online learning site offering creative classes on subjects ranging from embroidery to bookbinding to wire jewelry-making, with options for well-seasoned and beginner crafters alike. Their all-star roster of instructors includes STC Craft favorites Natalie Chanin, Liesl Gibson, Heather Ross, and Kelly Wilkinson as well as our own Melanie Falick.

Enter by joining our newsletter in the form below by December 31st at 11:59 p.m. EST. One winner will be chosen at random. Current newsletter subscribers are invited to enter as well (and please feel free to follow us on twitter and facebook, too!).

Enter below for your chance to win. Click here for official rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you'd prefer to get a jump-start on a new crafting course while you have a little down time over the holidays, Creativebug is also offering special subscription rates—up to 50% off!—available now through December 31st:

3-month subscription for $30
6-month subscription for $60
12-month subscription for $99

To find out more about this offer, and to learn more about Creativebug, visit their site and blog.

Happy Holidays from STC Craft!

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday and a wonderful new year!