SMP Craft

Being a big knitter and crocheter, I am a scarf and shawl fiend! Scarves are easy and fun to knit and the perfect accessory to change up an outfit. I just love how comfy and how versatile they are. I’m such a big fan of scarves that I’m a little ashamed to admit that the enormous collection hanging on my closet door is so big that that when I try and close it, a scarf end always gets stuck poking out from the door!

Scarves, Shrugs & Shawls by Sarah Hatton contains 22 fabulous designs that you can wear all year round. My favorite part about the book is the “How To Wear” section which gives readers loads of ideas plus instructions for how to wrap, fasten, belt, or tie on your latest scarf project. In the pages above, I share with you the knitting pattern plus the “How to Wear” ideas for Sarah’s Multiway Stole. A few weeks ago I spotted this same design at Uniqlo — a large rectangular scarf with buttons up part of one side. Which made me think (as most crafters do), why buy one when I can make my own? I really hope you enjoy knitting this multifunctional and gorgeous piece. I think it’s the perfect Springtime accessory to wear — you can change the way you wear it based on the temperature outside!

In honor of Passover, we’d like to share with you authors Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray’s Passover menu picks from their book The New Jewish Table (on sale now!). Click through the Issuu pages above to see their picks plus get their Quinoa Salad with Figs and Mint recipe. Mmmmm….delicious! I don’t know about you, but this year we’ll be combining cultures (much like Todd and Ellen have in this book) and I’ll celebrating an Easter-Passover Seder with friends and cooking straight from this book the Quinoa Salad recipe and the Kassoffs’ Sweet Noodle Kugel. What are you making for Passover?

Come one, come all! Bead Crochet Jewelry authors Bert Freed and Dana Freed will be at the Kinokuniya store next month signing copies of their book and demonstrating how to bead crochet. Having taken a bead crochet class with them before, I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the NY area. Hope to see you there!

Happy Spring! Despite it being in the low-40s here in New York, the flowers are just starting to poke out of the ground, which gives me hope that warmer temperatures and spring dresses are just around the corner! To celebrate the season we’re having a giveaway for our fabulous new book 50 Sunflowers to Knit & Crochet by Kristin Nicholas along with some Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton yarn.

We are so excited about this book. The sunflower patterns are bright and cheery and come in all shapes and sizes. Plus, there are patterns for leaves and stems, butterflies, ladybugs, and bumblebees to add to the collection. Looking through this book just puts you in a good mood. It radiates springtime and sunshine. And there’s no one better to translate a field of sunflowers into knit and crochet patterns than author Kristin Nicholas. Kristin lives on Leyden Glen Farm, a working sheep farm in western Massachusetts with her husband and daughter (Oh, and not to mention, 400 sheep, 3 border collies, 2 Great Pyrenees guard dogs, 10 cats, 30 chickens, 1 guard donkey, and 1 guard llama). In the summer, her family grows a field of sunflowers that was the inspiration for this book. Check out the video below to see Kristin working on the farm and to hear how she incorporates color beautifully into her work and life.

If you’d like to enter win a copy of 50 Sunflowers to Knit & Crochet along with two skeins of Lion Brand’s Kitchen Cotton yarn, then leave a comment below (and while you’re at it, feel free to sign up for our newsletter at the top-right of this page). Please only one comment per person and, sorry, but this contest is for U.S. and Canadian citizens only. This giveaway will run from March 21 — March 28  and two winners will be chosen at random using random.org on Friday, March 29. Good luck!

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Winners!

Congratulations to Sylvia Buonanni and Christine Newpower, the winners of our book and Kitchen Cotton yarn giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered and for the overwhelming response! Check back again soon for more giveaways!

The tools to paint the perfect feature wall

Here’s an excellent guide for how to paint a feature wall like a pro! From the Laura Ashley blog, our new author Will Taylor of the Bright Bazaar blog (who I introduced you to a few weeks ago) will show you the best way to make a wall in your house pop with color. Personally, I love feature walls! They add some visual interest without overwhelming a room with too much color. Check out Will’s post here to find all the helpful how-tos, tips, and tricks to easily bring a dash of color in to your home.

One of my favorite bits of advice that he offers is to loosen wall plates before you tape them off and paint. This way you can get paint behind the wall plate (not on it), and when you tighten the plate back up and remove the tape, the color runs right up to the plate without any weird gaps or uneven brushstrokes.

Will makes the process seem dangerously easy, that it could spell trouble for me. It’s been a snowy, wet, and dreary week in New York, and the idea of adding a little color back in to my life it too tempting!

This Tuesday, March 5 at 2:30 p.m. (EST) come hang with the authors of our upcoming book The New Jewish Table: Modern Seasonal Recipes for Traditional Dishes. Right in time for Passover, authors Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray will be releasing their book and “hanging out” live via Zagat’s Google+ page.

Todd and Ellen will be on hand to discuss their new book which is filled lots of “love and lox,” dish about the Washington D.C. dining scene (their restaurant, Equinox, is just steps from the White House!), and chat about other fun topics.

I had the pleasure of meeting Todd and Ellen a few months ago when they stopped by the Flatiron Building to meet the  St. Martin’s Press team. In tow, they had suitcases stuffed with delicious recipes that Todd made straight from the book: Chopped Liver with Sweet Marsala Onions, Sweet and Sour Eggplant on Crispy Garlic Toast, Gruyere Cheese Puffs, BBQ’d Wild King Salmon with Sweet Corn, and Morrison Street Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Obviously editing recipes and staring at photos of food doesn’t come anywhere near the experience of actually tasting the real thing. And wow, were we blown away! The recipes take traditional Jewish meals  and blend it with unexpected modern flavors and ingredients. My favorite example of this is the Chopped Liver which has hard-boiled eggs folded in to the pate, and then there’s a surprisingly delicious Italian twist added in with the Marsala wine. It was such a unique and ingenious combination that I couldn’t stop eating it! I think I could have eaten the entire bowl if I was left to my own devices. Lucky for my colleagues, my mother taught me how to share!

If you want to participate in the Google+ Hangout, click here to RSVP and join in the fun. Then, on March 5th, don’t forget to click back on the same link to participate in the livestream and ask Todd and Ellen any burning questions you might have. To pre-order a copy, click the following link: http://us.macmillan.com/thenewjewishtable/ToddGray#buy-the-book

We’re excited to announce that Sarah Hatton, author of Scarves, Shrugs & Shawls, will be hopping the pond to come teach workshops and sign books in the U.S. and Canada for most of the month of March! Check out her tour schedule below to join a workshop and meet this uber-talented designer! Click on the links to the different locations to learn how to sign up.

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Friday, March 1 
6:00p.m.–8:00p.m. — Meet the Designer: Sarah will be signing copies of Rowan Studio and copies of her books.
Saturday, March 2
4:00p.m.–6:00p.m. — “Martha” Meet Up: For graduates of the Churchmouse Yarns & Teas “Martha” cardigan classes, as well as anyone who has tackled the cardigan on their own, here’s your chance to meet the designer and show off your handiwork.
Sunday, March 3
10:00a.m.–1:00p.m. — Understanding Lace and Designing Your Own Lace Charts workshop
2:30p.m.–5:30p.m. — Understanding Texture: Infinite Possibilities in Two Stitches workshop

River City Yarns West, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Monday, March 4
6:00p.m.–8:00p.m. — Meet the Designer: Pattern & Book Signing
Tuesday, March 5
1:00p.m.–4:00p.m. — Understanding Lace and Designing Your Own Lace Charts workshop
5:30p.m.–8:30p.m. — Understanding Texture: Infinite Possibilities in Two Stitches workshop
Wednesday, March 6
1:00p.m.–7:00p.m. — Amending a Pattern and Pattern Writing Basics workshop

Knitting Time, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Friday, March 8
6:00p.m.–8:00p.m. — Trunk Show & Book Signing
Saturday, March 9
10:30a.m.–5:00p.m. — Amending a Pattern workshop
Sunday, March 10
1:30p.m.–4:30p.m. — Understanding Textures workshop

Haus of Stitches, Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
Friday, March 15
5:00p.m.–8:00p.m. — Understanding Texture workshop
Saturday, March 16
10:00a.m.–3:30p.m. — Amending a Pattern and Pattern Writing Basics workshop
Sunday, March 17
1:00p.m.–4:00p.m. — Understanding Lace and Designing Your Own Lace Chart workshop

Have you seen Scotland’s latest tourism campaign? It’s simply brilliant! I really can’t think of a better reason to visit Scotland than these two adorable Shetland ponies wearing Fair Isle sweaters! This is a cuteness-factor overload!

Button up, ponies! It’s chilly out there!

Alright, so it’s a bit of false advertising. I’ve been to Scotland and sadly not once in my travels did I spot a Fair Isle-sporting pony! Someone needs to fix that pronto! A few years ago there was a massive call online to knit sweaters for penguins who were affected by an oil spill in New Zealand (the sweaters prevented them from preening themselves and ingesting the oil). Why not start a campaign to knit sweaters for underdressed ponies!? I know, I know. Ponies don’t really need sweaters, but…but…I just really want to see more photos of cute squat animals wearing Fair Isle! Is that so wrong?

If you’d like to help me realize my dream of seeing more Fair Isle-wearing ponies, then have I got the book for you! The Very Easy Guide to Fair Isle Knitting is not only a great introduction to Fair Isle, there are over 60 gorgeous patterns (plus ideas for variations) and 11 easy-to-make projects in the book, all containing clear step-by-step instructions, color-knitting charts, and close-up photographs. You’ll learn everything from basic two-color seeding to all-over Fair Isle pattern knitting. Check out the sample pages below to get a peek at the pattern directory (some of which I think any pony would love to wear!) I even included a Fingerless Mitts project, which I think would be a cinch to adapt into some hoof warmers!

The Very Easy Guide to Fair Isle Knitting
Step-by-Step Techniques, Easy-to-Follow Stitch Patterns, and Projects to Get You Started
 by Lynne Watterson
$22.99/$26.50 Can.
144 pages, trade paperback

Loom Knitting for Babies & Toddlers (click on the cover to buy)
More Than 30 Easy No-Needle Designs
$24.99/$28.99 Can.
144 pages, trade paperback

Here’s the latest book from our loom knitting maven, Isela Phelps. This book is filled with delightful patterns for babies and toddlers that are fun, easy, and quick to make on a loom. The patterns featured in the book include a range of cute and colorful mittens, sweaters, hats, booties, socks, blankets, toys, and more, and all the projects are explained using the clear step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and photos that are a trademark of these beginner-friendly books. The best part is that all the projects can be made on any type of loom, including the newer ones that are  just coming on the market.

And speaking of looms, we’re giving away the Martha Stewart Crafts-Lion Brand Yarn Knit & Weave Loom Kit along with a copy of Loom Knitting for Babies & Toddlers to one lucky winner! This loom is awesome! Like its name says, you can easily knit and weave scarves, hats, blankets, and all of Isela’s wonderful designs! The kit comes with 18 loom pieces that you can arrange in over 30 different configurations, hundreds of small- and large-gauge pegs, plus all the tools you’ll need to create a beautiful range projects. Check out the video below to see all the things you can do with this bad boy!

If you’d like to enter to win this wonderful book and handy loom, then please leave a comment below (and while you’re at it, feel free to sign up for our newsletter at the top-right of this page). Please only one comment per person and, sorry, but this contest is for U.S. and Canadian citizens only. This giveaway will run from February 21 — March 7 and the winner will be chosen at random using random.org on Friday, March 8. Good luck!

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Winners!

Congratulations to Helen, the winner of our book and Knit & Weave loom kit giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered and for the overwhelming response! Check back again soon for more giveaways!

Our new author Will Taylor (a.k.a Mr. Bazaar) runs the fantastic blog Bright Bazaar, which is a feast for the eyes. Will covers all things colorful and I guarantee you that you’ll get lost on his website scrolling through the loads of bold and beautiful color combinations.

Check out the charmingly adorable video above that Will made of himself running around London in a red sweater and bow tie, getting inspired by color, and typing his manuscript on a vintage yellow typewriter. It just makes you want to hop on a plane to London to stroll the streets with him while he dictates the colors you should paint every room in your house.

I know this announcement is way far in advance of the Fall 2014 pub date, but we’re so excited to be working on this new project with the great Mr. Bazaar that we can’t help but share his enthusiasm and let you all know about his wonderful blog and the exciting news about what’s sure to be a fantastic book!