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!

STC Craft at NY Sheep and Wool Festival

Beautiful Yarn Rainbow from Harrisville Designs. Photo courtesy of Laura Poulette.

Last Saturday, the STC Craft team spent a beautiful fall wekend in Rhinebeck at the 33rd annual New York State Sheep & Wool Festival (10/19 – 10/20). We were in good company among 40k+ attendees ranging from knitters, crocheters, and handspinners to lots of fiber-producing livestock!

We proudly hung our STC Craft banner above a wide selection of our craft and design titles on sale via the Hudson Valley-based Merritt Bookstore. The stars of the day were our fabulous authors, doing demos and signings from the morning opening to the afternoon close.

Highlights included: 

• Steady crowds flocking to see The Yarn Whisperer, Clara Parkes, requesting autographs and providing some yarn tales of their own. 
• A Knitted Slipper tree for displaying sample projects, made by hand just for the event by the twin sister of The Knitted Slipper Book author, Katie Startzman.

The Knitted Slipper Tree.

• Multiple festival attendees greeting Amy Herzog and gushing about how her book has changed their whole knitting experience—we even sold out of Knit to Flatter!
• Fans of Gretchen Hirsch (in the Shirtwaist Dress from her book!) coming to get their new copies of Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing signed (and to hear about Gretchen's second book, coming soon).

Project samples from STC Craft titles on display.

With other autumnal-themed treats like fresh cider and homemade jams, live llamas and alpacas, and tons of vendors of yarn and knitting gear, the festival is a great destination for everyone, young and old, who wants to spend a happy day in the country. Plus, the fall foliage makes the trip even more worthwhile! A big thank you to our STC Craft fans old and new who stopped by the booth to meet our authors and check out our books—hopefully everyone got some great ideas for new projects!

The source.

The Yarn Whisperer Is Coming to a Town Near You!

Author and yarn expert Clara Parkes will be traveling from coast to coast to read from her new memoir, The Yarn Whisperer, beginning next week! In this captivating, poignant, laugh-out-loud funny collection of stories, Clara explores the role knitting has played throughout her life. At each stop she'll read a selection from the book and sign copies, conduct a light-hearted quiz show with her famous 'Claramels' as prizes, take questions from the audience, and stay until the last skein has been squeezed!

Hear what the critics are saying: 

"I see a lot of yarn books in this gig, and "Whisperer" is not only the best I've seen this year, it's one of my all-time faves. Seriously, it's that good." - The Oregonian

"I don't want to stop reading. Each chapter is a little jewel." - Knit Circus

Can't wait? Then listen to an excerpt from The Yarn Whisperer, read by Clara herself!

Don't miss Clara in your city! Tour dates & venues include*:

October 10 at 7pm - Seattle area, WA @ Third Place Books

October 11 at 6pm - San Francisco, CA @ Book Passage

October 12 at 4pm - Portland, OR @ Powell's Books

October 13 at 2pm - Pasadena, CA @ Vroman's Bookstore, featuring a special appearance of the Yarnover Truck!

October 14 at 7:30pm - Denver, CO @ Tattered Cover

October 15 at 7pm - Minneapolis area, MN @ The Bookcase

October 16 at 6pm - Chicago, IL @ Sulzer Library (with books provided by The Book Cellar)

October 17 at 6:30pm - Nashville, TN @ Parnassus Books (with support from beloved Nashville yarn shop Bliss Yarns)

October 19 & 20 at 11:30 am & 3pm - Rhinebeck, NY @ New York Sheep & Wool Festival (with books provided by Merritt Books)

October 24 at 7pm - Portland, ME @ Longfellow Books

*Copies will be available for purchase at all signings. Please be sure to support your local independent bookseller!

Tiny World Terrariums: A Twig Terrariums Party Report from Assistant Editor Wesley Royce

Last Friday night Twig Terrariums had a launch party for their book Tiny World Terrariums: A Step-by-Step Guide to Easily Contained Life. Katy and Michelle are two of the sweetest, and most enthusiastic, people I’ve had the good fortune of working with while here at ABRAMS, and their launch party was so much fun, filled with great food and drinks. When I received the proposal for Tiny World Terrariums last spring I was so excited. We had been on the lookout for a terrarium book for a while; a tip from our sales department let us know that some accounts had been requesting one, and I immediately knew that this was the book we had been looking for. The terrariums at Twig are fun and unique, filled with scenes that open up the tiny worlds and pull people in to take a closer look. In the book, Katy and Michelle take readers through each step of creating a happy, healthy terrarium so even those with a black thumb can keep theirs alive. If you’re feeling especially motivated you might even want to take one of Twig's NYC workshops. Terrariums make great gifts, and honestly thrive on neglect; I’ve had one living in my windowless office for a year and it is still doing fine.

Inside Twig's amazing studio

Twig's creations on display

Authors Katy Maslow & Michelle Inciaranno brewing their signature "Twig Juice"

Found objects make each terrarium unique

The happy crowd

Green-themed treats

[Photos by Ellie; check out the rest on our Facebook page]

 Want to learn more about Tiny World Terrariums?

Find the book on our website.

Check out our image gallery.

Visit Twig Terrariums online here and here.

Tiny World Terrariums Launch Party

If you're in the NYC area, we hope you'll join us tomorrow night at the Tiny World Terrariums book launch! Authors Michelle Inciaranno and Katy Maslow are hosting the bash at Twig Terrariums' studio in Brooklyn. There will be books for sale, terrariums on display, refreshments from The Good Batch and Brooklyn Brewery, a raffle, and a palm reader.

...yes, a palm reader. This is not an event to be missed.

Here are the details:

Tiny World Terrariums Book Release Party
Friday, April 13th | 7pm – 10pm
Free & open to the public!

Twig Terrarium Studios
274 3rd Avenue | Brooklyn, NY 11215 [map]

RSVP to the event on Facebook and, for those of you who can't make it, stay tuned for a sneak peek at the brand new book!

STC Craft at Vogue Knitting LIVE New York

The second annual Vogue Knitting LIVE NYC is this weekend, and if last year's show was any indication, midtown Manhattan will transform into a knitter's mecca come Friday. STC Craft is excited to be part of the festivities. If you're attending, we hope you'll check out our author events! Here's the full schedule:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14TH
9am - 10am
Lecture by Norah Gaughan (Knitting Nature, Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans): "A Design Retrospective"

3pm - 4pm
Signing at the Knitty City booth (#2301-2307) with Norah Gaughan (Knitting Nature, Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15TH
9am - 10am
Lecture by Kaffe Fassett (Kaffe Fassett's Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts): "Kaleidoscope of Color"

10am - 11am
Signing at the Knitty City booth (#2301-2307) with:
Melanie Falick, publishing director of STC Craft and author (Weekend Knitting, Knitting for Baby)
Kristy McGowan (Modern Top-Down Knitting)

10:30am - 11:30am
Lecture by Norah Gaughan (Knitting Nature, Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans): "A Design Retrospective"

12pm - 1pm
Lecture by Debbie Stoller (The BUST DIY Guide to Life): "Lace Exploration"

3pm
Free panel with STC Craft authors Melanie Falick, Debbie Stoller, Norah Gaughan, and Kristy McGowan, along with Trisha Malcolm, Erin Slonaker, Betsy Perry, Laura Zander, and Kirsten Kapur: "When Knitting Becomes a Career"

4pm - 4:30pm
Signing at the Knitty City booth (#2301-2307) with Debbie Stoller (The BUST DIY Guide to Life)

MONDAY, JAUARY 16TH
12pm - 1pm
Lecture by Debbie Stoller (The BUST DIY Guide to Life) "Lace Exploration"

Also, stop by Blue Sky Alpacas' marketplace booth at any point throughout the weekend to check out an adorable display of prehistoric pals from our book Knitted Dinosaurs.

Hope to see you there!

Image by Thayer Allyson Gowdy from Knitting 24/7 by Veronik Avery

The BUST Holiday Craftacular in NYC This Weekend!

We all know that handmade gifts are the way to make loved ones feel warm and fuzzy. Well, New York crafters, listen up: At this weekend's BUST Magazine Craftacular, at 82 Mercer St., you can not only shop 'til you drop for cute indie goods, but you can also create some DIY gifts of your own.

At The BUST DIY Guide to Life Lab there will be classes on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon on how to make friendship bracelets, bath bombs, terrariums, snow globes, and rad retro hairstyles. All projects are excerpted from The BUST DIY Guide to Life, and authors/BUST magazine co-founders Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel will be on hand to sign copies of the book (which makes a great gift in and of itself). 

Here's the full schedule:

Pre-register online to reserve your space. Hope to see you this weekend!

The BUST DIY Guide to Life Book Tour Begins!

Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel, two of the founders and co-publishers of BUST Magazine, are currently on the road with The BUST DIY Guide to Life book--a big fat labor of love that contains more than 250 favorite DIY and craft projects from the past 15 years of BUST Magazine.

San Francisco and Portland, BUST's boss ladies are heading your way this week! They'd love to meet lots of BUST readers and DIY enthusiasts, so stop by one of the bookstores below, say hi, and get your book signed in person.

Here is the full schedule. You can also follow Debbie and Laurie's day-to-day adventures on the BUST blog and on Twitter.

Thursday, November 3
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
7:00pm
Princess Animal: workshop & signing
803 Valencia Street, San Francisco CA 94110
 
Friday, November 4
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
7:00pm
Books Inc. at The Marina: talk & signing
2251 Chestnut Street, San Francisco CA  94123

Saturday, November 5
PORTLAND, OR
2:00pm
Powells Books: talk & signing
1005 W Burnside St., Portland, OR 97209

4:00pm
Ace Hotel: Happy Hour with Debbie & Laurie *RSVP required; contact Ellie for details
403 SW 10th St., Portland, OR 97209

Saturday, November 19
NEW YORK, NY
2:00pm
The New York Public Library: NYPL Crafternoon
Fifth Avenue at 42nd St., New York, NY 10018

Weekend Handmade: The Blog Tour

Today, Kelly Wilkinson--blogger, journalist, Weekend warrior, and "hipster Martha Stewart"--embarks on a one week blog tour to celebrate her new book. Not only is she stopping at some of her (and our) favorite blogs, but she's also taking the tour to the next level with a special Weekend Handmade theme. Kelly says it best:

"For the tour, I decided to mix it up a little and break a creative, relaxing weekend down into its chronological parts, and find a guest “host” for each segment. If you are confused, it’s okay. It will all be revealed over the next week, as will the details of what makes for a perfect weekend."

Intrigued? So are we. Here's where you'll find Kelly in the days to come:

Tuesday, October 4: Say Yes to Hoboken 
Wednesday, October 5: Diggin Food
Thursday, October 6: Not Martha
Friday, October 7: Mighty Girl 
Monday, October 10: SF Girl By Bay 
Tuesday, October 11: Design Mom 
Wednesday, October 12: Crafty Pod

Hope you'll follow along!

STC Craft Authors at TNNA This Weekend

This weekend, knitting industry insiders will gather in Columbus, Ohio for the annual TNNA summer show. TNNA attendees get a preview of what lies ahead for fall--exciting products, new publications, and fresh trends in the yarniverse. If you're Columbus-bound, we hope you'll join us for several STC Craft author events throughout the show.

On Saturday and Sunday, Teva Durham will be signing copies of Loop-d-Loop Lace, the latest addition to her groundbreaking Loop-d-Loop series. Stop by R & M West Coast on Saturday at 11:00 am or visit Unicorn's Booth on Sunday at 3:30 pm to congratulate Teva on her beautiful new book. 

One of our new fall titles making its debut at the show: My Grandmother's Knitting, by Knitalong author Larissa Brown. My Grandmother's Knitting is a collection of stories and patterns inspired by those who taught us how to knit. Contributors include some today's biggest names in knitting: Ysolda Teague, Jared Flood, Meg Swansen, Cookie A., Ann Hansen, Teva Durham, and Wendy Bernard, among others.

Showgoers can learn more about My Grandmother's Knitting and its contributors at R & M's booth on Saturday at 2:00 pm. Larissa will be signing a limited quantity of advance copies so be sure to get there early! Later that day, Pico Accuardi Dyeworks will be toasting the book's launch at its booth. Head over at 4:00 pm for an exclusive giveaway and a peek at some of the beautiful projects from the book.

You don't have to attend TNNA to get a sneak peek at fall crafting. Online readers, stay tuned! Over the next few weeks, we'll be revealing more info, images, and behind-the-scene details about our upcoming titles.

Until then--enjoy a breezy summer weekend, everyone!

You're Invited: A Launch Party for Oliver + S Little Things to Sew

This weekend, join STC Craft and Oliver + S Little Things to Sew author Liesl Gibson as we celebrate Liesl's new book with a special New York event.

On Sunday, April 10th, stop by the beloved children's bookstore Books of Wonder for an afternoon of craft-y fun. Liesl will be signing copies of Oliver + S Little Things to Sew, and guests can dress paper dolls in Oliver + S fabrics while enjoying tasty treats. All ages are welcome!

See below for the complete details and feel free to contact us with any questions. To see a gallery of images from the book, click here.

Hope to see you Sunday!

 

 Oliver + S Little Things to Sew Launch Party

Sunday, April 10th, from 1 – 3 pm; free and open to the public

Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 989-3270

[map]

Subway: F, M to 14th Street
4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W to 14th Street – Union Square

Announcing the Crafting a Meaningful Home Blog Tour!

Take a break from holiday gift guides and join author Meg Mateo Ilasco on the Crafting a Meaningful Home blog tour! You'll find plenty of inspiration and some exciting surprises.

Need we remind you that Crafting a Meaningful Home is a smart addition to your shopping list? Make one of the projects for someone special or give a copy of the book as a hostess or housewarming gift. (Check out Etsy and Design Mom for creative wrapping ideas.)

To find out more about Crafting a Meaningful Home and its talented contributors, watch this beautiful video produced by Meg and photographer Thayer Allyson Gowdy.

And without further ado, the schedule:

December 9    Not Martha Giveaway: Meaningful Items in Your Home

December 10  Papercakes Finds  Project Share

December 13  Uppercase  Contributor Spotlight: Lisa Congdon

December 14  Dwell  Contributor Spotlight: Sian Keegan

December 16  Craftzine ...Book Review

December 17  True Up Fabric Traditions & Memories

December 20  ReadyMade Project Share: Family Banner

December 20  Oh Joy! ...stay tuned for details!

December 21  CasaSugar Interview with Meg Mateo Ilasco

December 22  Anthology Magazine blog Full-Length Video Premiere

The Modern Top-Down Knitting Blog Tour Has Begun!

This month take a break from holiday preparations and join Modern Top-Down Knitting author Kristy McGowan on a blog tour to celebrate her beautiful new book (not to mention the launch of an impressive new website).

Don't miss the first stop--a fantastic interview with Shannon Okey over at Knitgrrl.  See below for the upcoming schedule of Q + A's,  giveaways, style spotlights, and more, hosted by some of our favorite craft blogs.

Have you checked out the Modern Top-Down Knitting image gallery yet? Click here for a peek at the book's super chic projects!

Modern Top-Down Knitting Blog Tour

November 11: Knitgrrl  Q + A/Giveaway

November 21: Whip Up Yarntalk!

November 29: Go Knit in Your Hat Project share

November 30: Narrating Life Handmade Holidays

December 1: Knit-a-While Q + A

December 2: Happy Honeybee  Q + A/Book review

December 7: Uncommon Grace Project share

December 8: Knit and Stitch

December 9: Craftsanity

Meet STC Cooks

Did you know that STC Craft has a new "sister" blog called STC Cooks? It's a great site where you can read about all of the cookbooks that STC publishes and lots of other foodie culture, plus get free recipes.

One of my favorite STC cookbooks, published this fall, is Baked Explorations: Classic American Dessserts Reinvented by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliatito. This weekend I tried out their recipe for Soft Candy Caramels. These pretty nuggets taste like a high-quality version of the little square supermarket caramels I remember loving as a child. Mine turned out a little harder than they were supposed to because I let the caramel mixture get a tad too hot, so I couldn't cut them into neat squares (as you can see in my photo above), but they're still delicious. I hope you'll check out STC Cooks. And if you're in New York this week, be sure to attend the Baked Brownie Bake-Off at the Brooklyn Kitchen. It's a fundraiser for the Greenpoint Reformed Church Soup Kitchen and the judges are none other than Baked Explorations authors' Lewis and Poliafito.

You're Invited: Crafting a Meaningful Home Party in San Francisco

Click here and here to see sample pages and images from the book.

Click here to see photos from the event.

Hillary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls Blog Tour Begins Today

Here it is: the itinerary for the Wee Wonderfuls blog tour, which starts today over at Angry Chicken. Stay tuned for news about a special giveaway. In the meantime, if you'd like to see a sampling of projects from Wee Wonderfuls, click here; a WW video here; a few inside pages here.  

September 27: Angry Chicken  Interview

September 30: My Paper Crane  Review/Image Gallery

October 1: True Up  Review/Vintage Fabric Giveaway

October 4: Ohdeedoh  Review/Q + A

October 6: Inchmark  A Peek Inside Vintage Books

October 8: House on Hill Road  A Wee Wonderfuls Project/Q + A

October 13:  Cathy of California  Drawing Inspiration from Vintage Toys

October 14: Handmade News and The Happy Honeybee Blog  Artisan Spotlight

October 15: SEWN  Review/Q + A

October 19: Betz White  Review

October 20: Cute Everything  Review

October 22: Sew, Mama, Sew!  Giving Gifts the Wee Wonderfuls Way

October 25: The STC Craft blog Tour finale

November 9: *Bonus!* Etsy "The Storque" blog How-Tuesday

Coming Soon: ReadyMade "Make Nice" blog  Make Your Own Mermaiden

Kaffe Fassett's Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts Blog Tour!

We've sure been keeping Kaffe Fassett and Liza Lucy, authors of Kaffe Fassett's Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts, busy lately! They've barely kicked off their US tour-trotting shoes and have already tackled our first round of Quilt-A-Long questions.

Good thing they are a hardy pair, because not only will they be offering their inspiration, encouragement, and advice here on the first Tuesday of every month (last date, July 6th!); they are also extending their wisdom and influence to our friendly neighborhood blogs! Follow their wild ride through the blogosphere below, and be sure to get your free pattern and Quilt-A-Long badge and link to our Quilt-A-Long Facebook group from here!

May 3: Quilt-A-Long Begins! http://www.melaniefalickbooks.com 

May 6: Review http://to-be-charmed.com

May 7:  Kaffe and Liza’s Top Ten Quilting Blogs http://quilting.craftgossip.com

May 10: Review and “Liza Lucy Stories!” http://goknitinyourhat.blogspot.com

May 11: Podcast Interview with Kaffe and Liza http://www.PatSloan.com

May 13: How the "Kaffe Fassett Collective" designs together http://whipup.net   

May 14: Choosing Colors www.knitgrrl.com

May 17: Art vs. Craft http://www.thisisloveforever.com

May 18: The Question of Dabbling http://www.yarnstorm.blogs.com

May 19: Choosing Patterns http://www.houseonhillroad.com

May 20: Interview http://sewmamasew.com

May 21: Review http://www.ohbara.com

May 25: Review http://usineurope.typepad.com

May 27: Why a Design Wall and Reducing Glass http://thelastpiece.typepad.com  

May 28: Interview: Tradition Today http://www.materialobsession.typepad.com

May 31: Interview http://thelongthread.com

June 1: Kaffe and Liza's Quilt-A-Long / 

June 2: Review http://quiltersbuzz.com

June 3: Quilt-A-Long Sharing http://blog.fatquarterly.com

June 4: Review http://www.trueup.net

June 7: Review http://bemused.typepad.com

Norah Gaughan's COMFORT KNITTING + CROCHET: AFGHANS Blog Tour!

April 8:   http://www.grumperina.com/knitblog

April 9:   http://blog.yarn.com

April 12: http://blog.yarn.com

April 13: http://goknitinyourhat.blogspot.com

April 15: http://www.craftgossip.com

April 21: http://to-be-charmed.com

April 22: http://www.houseonhillroad.com

April 23: http://www.knitgrrl.com

April 26: http://www.crazyauntpurl.com

April 27: http://www.thehookandi.com

April 27: http://www.belleepoquewhimsy.com

April 28: http://www.knitandtonic.net

April 29: http://whipup.net

April 30: http://www.alabamachanin.com/journal

To see photos of some of the 50+ afghans in this book, click here.

KNITS MEN WANT Blog Tour!

Knits Men Want author Bruce Weinstein has been teaching knitting for over 10 years, and in that time, he's seen his fair share of well-intentioned gifts knitted for men--full of bright colors, crazy cables, itchy yarn, and...what?! Did you really intarsia yourself on his sweater?

Sometimes the response our gift gets depends on the man. But, according to Bruce, and considering the tales of Cringe or Crush? he's heard from his students and fans, there are tried-and-true rules we should be aware of before we stay up until 3am on Chirstmas Eve crafting our labor of love.

Rules, shmules, I say! Only, why am I now the proud owner of the giant, shawl-wide, extra-bulky scarf I knitted for my main squeeze? I mean, didn't he see that H&M ad with the guy in that enormous cowl-necked sweater? Doesn't he know that sporting the illusion of a shrunken head is très chic? And why did he wear my second, slimmer attempt all winter long?

Bruce will answer my burning questions, and yours, during the course of his blog tour this month. Follow the schedule below, and be sure to check out and contribute to our hilarious Cringe or Crush? Sweepstakes!  Grand prize is a signed copy of Knits Men Want and this 8'' x 10'' print from the book, by photographer Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed!

April 7: BUST blog contest kickoff! http://bust.com/blog

April 9: Review/Q&A - http://www.knitgrrl.com

April 14: Review - http://www.houseonhillroad.com

April 15: Their a$$ from their elbow - http://whipup.net

April 16: Husband review - http://goknitinyourhat.blogspot.com

April 19: Review/Q&A - http://www.purlbee.com

April 22: Boyfriend sweater curse! - http://blog.yarn.com

April 23: Review - http://to-be-charmed.com

April 26: Review - http://www.crazyauntpurl.com

April 28: The perfect project -  http://www.thehookandi.com

April 28: Review - http://www.knitandtonic.net

April 30: Top 10 knitting blogs - http://www.craftgossip.com

ENTER THE SWEEPSTAKES HERE!