Novel Living is coming to a bookshelf near you

As a book publisher, naturally we are always thinking about the physicality of books: how they look, feel, and smell; how they fit into our lives (both literally and figuratively); how they can transcend physical form to shape our very reality.

In our latest release, Novel Living, Lisa Occhipinti celebrates physical books and the many ways they enrich our lives, especially in this digital era. She shares her unique ideas for collecting and displaying them, for conserving and preserving them, and for crafting with them. 

Feeling intrigued? Check out the cover. That DIY wallpaper in the photo features library pockets. Cool, right?

Here's a standard wooden ladder transformed into modern bookshelving.

 This is a Book Sling Lisa uses in her guest room and chooses the books to hang on it according to her guest's interests.

And these beautiful Page Poufs are an artistic statement composed of book pages.

Want to see more? Check out our Novel Living image gallery, the gallery for Lisa's first book The Repurposed Library, plus these "Five Genius Decor Ideas" from Novel Living that were featured in the Huffington Post last week.

Cirilia Rose Taps into All Aspects of the Knitting Persona in Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads

According to Cirilia Rose, there are three moods to knitters' personalities. We're Magpies, collecting small amounts of precious yarns and not always knowing quite what to do with them. We're Homebodies, sometimes preferring the quiet of our own perch. And we're also Nomads, venturing into the world to meet friends and gather inspiration. Of course, on different days and times in our lives, we might be more one than another. 

MAGPIES

 

HOMEBODIES
 

NOMADS

In Rose's new book, Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads: A Modern Knitter's Guide to Discovering and Exploring Style, Rose explores these three different moods with a 25-piece collection of handknits. An astute cultural observer, Rose also shares engaging stories about her experiences as a designer, stylist, and world traveler, and her eclectic tips for capturing and honing personal style.

Rose's sensitive presentation is made all the more special with gorgeous photography by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed. View more from the book in our image gallery, plus our project pattern library on ravelry.

'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.

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 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.

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.

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! 

Get Ready for New Fall Releases!

With summer drawing to a close, we're thrilled to share our new fall releases with all of you! This fall, get ready to:

Knit sweet, cozy footwear with Katie Startzman:

Learn a new medium with Lena Corwin:

Knit a fashionable winter wardrobe from the top down with Kristina McGowan:

Inspire the tween in your life to get creative with her buddies, with doodle queen Dawn DeVries Sokol:

And read stories about a life in knitting from renowned knitter and author Clara Parkes:

Click on the book covers above to see additional inspiring photos from our new books, and make sure to keep an eye out for these titles, coming soon to bookstores near you!