Master Your Craft with These Books on Sewing, Knitting, and Crochet

Unexpected Afghans presents 29 innovative interpretations of a favorite at-home essential. From best-selling author Robyn Chachula comes an in-depth look into crocheting traditional afghans using contemporary techniques, colors and patterns.

Written by acclaimed macramé artist Isabella Strambio, this book offers a unique combination of practical and personal, inviting you to embrace a mindful and meditative experience through knotting. Each knot tied is a chance to slow down and experience the satisfaction of making something beautiful with your hands while nourishing your soul in the process.

Interested in knitting but unsure where to start? Everyday Knitting offers simple, step-by-step tutorials geared toward beginning knitters. Master the basics of knitting and improve your technique with clear, comprehensive instructions for casting on, binding off, knit and purl stitches, and more. Once you’ve mastered the basics, move on to fun and functional practice projects to hone your skills.

Take a colorful journey through the seasons with this essential guide to sustainable, botanical dyeing from noted expert Aurélia Wolff. A captivating blend of chemistry, culinary flair and the magic of dye-pot alchemy, natural dyeing allows you to create your own vibrant, uniquely colorful results.

Just as poetry laces together the simplest of words into dramatic lyrical pieces, Poetic Crochet uses basic stitches to create a romantic, breathtaking collection of shawls and wraps. When creating this classic, wearable collection of shawls, wraps, and stoles, you’ll explore a variety of shawl shapes, construction techniques, borders, and edgings. Author Sara Kay Hartman shares her tips for selecting the fibers that work best in shawl making, how to achieve a beautiful drape, how to play with gauge when crocheting shawls, and more.

Explore traditional Japanese embroidery pattern designs! This craft book not only produces the Sashiko basics simple designs but also comes with lovely stitch patterns, contains over 50+ sashiko stitch items with various geometric forms, shapes, and combinations such as flower sashimi, basket weave, ten trees, Hirayama road, cross sashimi, musical note patterns, and tree patterns. In addition, It is full of practical items such as dish towels, purses, coasters, tissue cases, pouches with zippers, bags, eyeglass cases, and mini shoulder bags.

Celine Semaan has designed more than contemporary and colorful 6″ x 6″ blocks to get your creativity flowing. Blocks are the best way to try out new stitches and color combinations, and they can then be used to make four projects, including a blanket, pillow, and wall hanging. There is a basic overview on color theory, more than 40 granny square patterns, each with: written instructions, chart, and detailed photos, showing stitch detail.

From cast-on stitches to binding off, this handbook details the simple steps needed to turn seemingly complicated sock knitting projects into easy and enjoyable activities. Helpful photographs and instructional drawings ensure that even inexperienced knitters will be able to produce high-quality socks and handle more complicated techniques, such as the Kitchener stitch at the toe. More adventurous knitters can add variety and flair by following one of 16 unique designs or trying one of the dozens of rib, cable, and lace patterns provided. With plenty of tips and a handy stitch dictionary, this guide unleashes the creativity and fun of sock knitting.

Young knitters, old knitters, hip knitters, traditional knitters: they all enjoy different styles. But every knitter from age 5 to 95 needs a good dictionary of stitches.  400 Knitting Stitches is a comprehensive guide that invites knitters to experiment with a variety of new stitch combinations.

Weaving together interviews, first-person essays, and artist profiles, This Long Thread explores the work and contributions of people of color across the fiber arts and crafts community, representing a wide spectrum of race, age, region, cultural identity, education, and economic class. These conversations explore techniques and materials, belonging, identity, pride of place, cultural misappropriation, privilege, the value (or undervaluing) of craft, community support structures, recognition or exclusion, intergenerational dialogue, and much more.

A Well-Crafted Home includes 60 simple, creative projects that will tailor a space to your taste. More than just “DIY” crafts, these carefully designed projects call for good materials like linen, leather, and wood so the finished product will last you a lifetime. Ranging from beginner to more advanced, each item elevates a room in a way you’d never expect, proving that even the smallest touch of handmade can make a house a home.

From durable market totes to cross-body boho bags, there’s a purse for every occasion. After mastering basic macramé techniques, discover how to add special details, such as wooden handles, metal buckles, and zippers, to elevate the style and function of your designs. With its assortment of small-scale projects, this book is great for beginners, but also provides fresh inspiration for veteran macramé enthusiasts looking to create wearable art.

Fiber and yarn enthusiasts nationwide will celebrate Ann Budd’s latest addition to The Knitter’s Handy Book series. Answering to a growing interest in knitting sweaters from the top down and knitting seamless sweaters that require little finishing, this handy book offers instructions for knitting five basic sweater types: circular yoke, raglan, modified-drop shoulder, set-in sleeve, and saddle shoulder. Patterns are offered in multiple sizes and yarn gauges and for a broad age group.

Great for new and experienced crocheters alike, Crochet Stitch Dictionary offers 200 stitches with detailed written, charted, step-by-step photo instructions that clearly explain where the yarn goes each step of the way.

Break the rules. Knit outside the lines! AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary takes an unexpected look at stranded colorwork with 200 new motifs. These non-traditional colorwork charts are perfect for the creative knitter looking to break away from the ordinary. Derived from graphic design elements, these fresh motifs include everything from geometric mountains, waves, and spirals to modern bikes, skulls, and sheep.

This book includes twenty gorgeous, accessible knitting patterns, and includes both brand-new designs and a selection of tried and tested fan-favorites. There is a project here for everyone; the designs vary in difficulty, and cover a range of sweaters, tops, cardigans, hats, and scarves. Each project includes a full pattern, explanation, and four-color photographs. There is a techniques section at the back of the book to provide the knitter with any extra information they need to tackle every piece in the book.

Learn to sew beautiful, simple handmade clothes and begin a journey to loving the body you have. Draft patterns and sew clothes that fit your unique body! In this garment-making primer, sewing is an act of radical kindness and self-care. Learning to sew for yourself enables you to make exactly the kinds of clothes you want, and empowers you to solve the fit issues that come with buying commercial clothing designed to fit one “ideal” body type. Sanae Ishida, author of the award-winning Sewing Happiness, guides you through the process with her inspiring personal story and gentle instruction in the simple art of pattern-making and garment sewing.

The possibilities of crochet cables are endless! In this stunning collection, author and fiber artist Bonnie Barker debuts 18 gorgeous new designs for today’s crafter. From start to finish, this all-in-one guide will get you hooked on crocheting contemporary, Celtic-inspired stitches.

Feel the magic of Outlander at your fingertips with this officially licensed book of knitting with twenty projects for apparel, accessories, and home décor that take inspiration from memorable episodes. A love letter to the fans, Outlander Knitting will have you wishing you could time travel to the Highlands.

Master beginner and advanced colorwork knitting techniques in Interweave’s most comprehensive colorwork guide to date!  With chapters outlining more than a half dozen colorwork knitting techniques, The Colorwork Bible is your updated exploration of both beginner and advanced level skills with a vibrant, modern palette and inspired projects.

Cozy Knits is a fabulous collection of 50 all-new patterns. Join editor Tanis Gray as she brings together an all-star cast of today’s top knitting designers to create dozens of delightful projects. All of the designs in Cozy Knits are knit with Cascade Pacific and Cascade Pacific Chunky yarns. These affordable yarns come in an endless array of colors and are a blend of superwash merino wool and acrylic, making them ideal for creating projects for babies and kids, gifts, home decor items, and everyday accessories and garments.

Offering charts and plans for making infant through adult-sized projects, this unique book provides knitters with a complete resource of more than 350 patterns for caps, tams, scarves, vests, sweaters, mittens, gloves, and socks that are written for multiple gauges to accommodate all weights of yarn from bulky to fingering.

The perfect resource for new and experienced crocheters alike, The Step-By-Step Guide To 200 Crochet Stitches offers 200 stitches with detailed written, charted, and photographed instructions.

In The Art of manipulating Fabric, Colette Wolff has set herself just this task, and she succeeds brilliantly. Working from the simplest possible form, a flat piece of cloth and a threaded needle, she categorizes all major dimensional techniques, shows how they are related, and gives examples of variations both traditional and modern. The result is an encyclopedia of techniques that resurface, reshape, restructure and reconstruct fabric.

The ultimate guide to creating and styling modern macramé projects in the home from top creative tastemaker and sought-after macramé artist Emily Katz.

An exquisite, full-color guide to sashiko, a simple Japanese stitching technique that uses stunning patterns to decorate or repair clothing, accessories, and home textiles.

Created for knitters who want standard sweater patterns in a variety of sizes and gauges, as well as those who want a template from which to develop their own designs, this book provides easy-to-follow charted instructions for 18 sweaters, three in each of the six most popular sweaters constructions. Each style is then provided in 15 sizes ranging from toddler to large adult, then further divided into six possible gauges: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 stitches per inch combining for 90 options for each of the six styles, or 540 patterns in all.