March is National Craft Month, so get crafting with inspiration from the craft books available in our collection. Crafting is not only a fun pastime or source of income but is also beneficial for your health. It can help your mental well being by reducing stress and anxiety, reduces risks of or decreasing cognitive decline impairment, and increases community engagement. The craft books we selected listed below offer something for everyone, whether you are a complete beginner or a veteran crafter.

Begin, or go further in, your creative journey with our selection of nonfiction instructional guides and handbooks, histories of crafting, or memoirs and biographies of artisans and craftspeople. Or, if you're unsure about actually doing crafts yourself, follow fictional characters as they craft in between dealing with friendships, romances, murder and mysteries, and the general ups and downs of life. Enjoy the selection of crafty cozy mysteries and yarn-tastic dramas.

Happy crafting and reading!

Nonfiction

Instruction Guides and Handbooks

DB 58586 Stitch ‘n Bitch nation: the knitter’s handbook by Debbie Stoller

Cofounder of trendy New York City knitting circle gives a brief history of this needle craft. Presents the basics: how to cast on, bind off, and knit. Explains advanced stitching and repair techniques and provides details for over thirty projects, including Pippi Kneestockings, Sparkle Hat, and Under the Hoodie. Some strong language. 2003.

DB 121097 Homemade perfume: create exquisite, naturally scented products to fill your life with botanical aromas by Anya McCoy

"This unprecedented, comprehensive guide from renowned perfumer Anya McCoy is an inspiring resource for anyone interested in creating artisanal perfume at home. Discover simple step-by-step methods for making perfume without harsh chemicals. Jump right in, using local plants and common household ingredients. Soon youll be building your own scent collection and creating unforgettable gifts for friends and family." --WorldCat.

DB 118183 The beginner's guide to wheel throwing: a complete course for the potters wheel by Julia Weber

"Welcome to the wheel, from artist and instructor Julia Claire Weber. In The Beginner's Guide to Wheel Throwing, you'll find all you need to develop the skills (and patience) you need to make your first forms. You'll start at the beginning of the process with a tour through a typical ceramics studio, a discussion of the best clays for throwing, as well as a variety of centering methods. Then unleash your creativity with the chapters that follow. You'll find: Starter projects like cups, bowls, and plates to hone your skills. Tutorials on important topics like trimming and handles. A unique decal workshop, unlocking the potential of image transfer. Throughout the book, skill-building is front and center, with tips and tricks to help you crack the code and make pieces you're proud of. Gallery work from some of today's top artists are sure to inspire potters of all levels. What will you make first? For beginners and those returning to ceramics, the Essential Ceramics Skills series from Quarry Books offer the fundamentals along with fresh, contemporary, and simple projects that build skills progressively." -- Provided by publisher.

DB 114628 Learn to sew and embroider: 35 projects using simple stitches, cute embroider, and pretty appliques by Emma Hardy

"Pick up this book and you'll soon be a sewing whiz, using a wide variety of hand stitches and learning how to sew on a zipper, attach buttons, embroider, and appliqué. In Jewelry and Accessories, you can make adorable watermelon slice brooches or a fun raccoon scarf, while Toys and Dolls features a fake fur teddy bear that would make a great gift--he's so sweet, though, that you might want to keep him for yourself!" -- Provided by publisher. -- For grades 3-6 and older readers.

DB 112423 Botanical soaps: a modern guide to making your own soaps, shampoo bars and other beauty essentials by Maria Tarallo

"Sustainability is creeping into all aspects of our lives. The beauty industry is one of the biggest polluters, littering our oceans with used plastic bottles and containers. In response to this there is a growing movement of people looking for cleaner and greener ways to beautify. Learn how to simplify your beauty regime with Botanical Soaps as this book shows you how to create your own beauty products using all natural ingredients. Demystify your skin type and discover how to combat bathroom plastic, minimise your routine by making your own soaps, shampoo bars and other beauty products, including lip butters, cleansers, bath salts and natural deodorants. Botanical Soaps is a beautiful and inspiring lifestyle guide that will encourage you to green up your beauty regime with all natural, organic projects that are kinder to both the planet and your skin." -- Provided by publisher.

DB 108164 Craft lab for kids: 52 kstb.DIY projects to inspire, excite, and empower kids to create useful beautiful handmade goods by Stephanie Corfee

"Through 52 fun, customizable crafts activities, Craft Lab for Kids promotes creativity and hands-on making for kids age 8 and up." -- Provided by publisher. -- For grades 3-6. 2020.

DB 69781 Small loom and freeform weaving: five ways to weave by Barbara Matthiessen

Beginner's guide to weaving using portable and inexpensive framing options such as knitters looms, handheld Weavettes, homemade board looms, pins, and found objects. Includes instructions for some thirty small-scale projects ranging from wearables to home decorations. Covers design basics, weaving techniques, and finishing procedures. 2008.

DB 54350 Crocheting in plain English by Maggie Righetti

Commonsense approach to this handcraft that is appropriate for beginners and informative for more advanced crocheters. Covers its history and basic preparations; planning projects and stitch techniques; easy-to-follow lessons; finishing touches; and sensible solutions to nagging problems. 1988.

DB 53883 Cool stuff: things to make and do by Jennifer Traig

A straightforward how-to manual of projects that can be accomplished in less than one day. Presents simple ways to decorate household objects or personalize belongings. Provides lists of materials needed with step-by-step directions for completing the product. For grades 4-7. 2001.

Histories of Crafting

DB 104611 Craft: an American history by Glenn Adamson

A historian and curator examines the history of America through the lens of craft. He shows the contributions artisans have made to society, from colonial times to the maker movement of today. 2021.

DB 90367 Crft: an inquiry into the origins and meaning of traditional crafts by Alex Langlands

Archaeologist examines the meaning of the Old English word "craeft," which denoted a sense of knowledge, wisdom, and resourcefulness through the history of production of goods made by human hands. Topics include making hay, sticks and stones, beekeeping, textiles, homebuilding, agriculture, and more. 2017.

DB 59722 No idle hands: the social history of American knitting by Anne L. Macdonald

Historian and lifelong knitter presents a history of knitting in America from colonial times to the 1980s. Using magazine articles, knitting brochures, and responses from knitters around the country, Macdonald shows how needlework as a necessity, or for pleasure, shaped the lives of women throughout the years. 1988.

Memoirs and Biographies

DB 84484 Knitlandia: a knitter sees the world by Clara Parkes

Knitwear designer shares stories from her travels since 2000, when she began the email newsletter Knitter's Review. Tales include befriending a legendary yarn designer in New Mexico, her annual trek to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, and visiting Iceland to commune with the local knitting community. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.

DB 106441 Hooked: how crafting saved my life by Sutton Foster

A Tony Award-winning actress combines memoir with an ode to crafting as therapy. She describes how she channeled her emotions into her creations as she navigated the significant moments in her life, and they gave her tangible reminders of her experiences. Includes supplemental material. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

DB 113482 Unraveling: what I learned about shearing sheep, dyeing wool, and making the world's ugliest sweater by Peggy Orenstein

"The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground up: learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater. Orenstein hoped the project would help her process not just wool but her grief over the recent death of her mother and the decline of her dad, the impending departure of her college-bound daughter, and other thorny issues of aging as a woman in a culture that by turns ignores and disdains them. What she didn't expect was a journey into some of the major issues of our time: climate anxiety, racial justice, women's rights, the impact of technology, sustainability, and, ultimately, the meaning of home. With her wry voice, sharp intelligence, and exuberant honesty, Orenstein shares her year-long journey as daughter, wife, mother, writer, and maker--and teaches us all something about creativity and connection." -- Provided by publisher. -- Some strong language, some violence. Commercial audiobook.

DB 121730 Threads of life: a history of the world through the eye of a needle by Clare Hunter

"For the mothers of the disappeared in 1970s Argentina, protest was difficult. Every Thursday they marched in front of government buildings wearing headscarves embroidered with the names of their lost children. Through sewing, they found a way to campaign. In Tudor England Mary, Queen of Scots was under house arrest and her letters were censored, so she sewed secret treason into her needlework to communicate with the world outside. From the political propaganda of the Bayeux Tapestry and First World War soldiers with PTSD, to the maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World, Threads of life stretches from medieval France to contemporary Mexico, from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland. It is a chronicle of identity, protest, memory, power and politics told through the stories of the men and women, over centuries and across continents, who have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard, even in the most desperate of circumstances."-- From publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

DBC24680 Beyond stitch & bitch: reflections on knitting and life by Afi Scruggs

A collection of essays that explores the emotional and spiritual experiences common to those who knit. Its stories chronicle how knitting can be a spiritual, meditative experience, and how one can learn patience, creativity, discipline, and diligence from knitting. Intertwined with the essays are knitting patterns with easy how-to steps and photographs. Adult. Unrated.

DB 97428 Vanishing fleece: adventures in American wool by Clara Parkes

Knitwear designer chronicles the process of turning wool into garments after buying a bale of wool from a sheep breeder. Discusses the harvesting of wool, the state of wool mills in North America, production decisions, the dyeing process, and designing knitwear. 2019.

Fiction

Crafty Cozy Mysteries

DB 70181 Paper, scissors, death: Scrap-n-craft series, book 1 by Joanna Campbell Slan

St. Louis. Scrapbooking housewife Kiki Lowenstein's comfortable life is shattered when her husband George's naked corpse is found at the local Ritz-Carlton. While trying to create a new life for herself and her daughter, Kiki tracks George's killer and uncovers his sordid secret life. Includes paper-crafting tips. 2008.

DB 122246 Dire threads: Threadville, book 1 by Janet Brolin

"When Mike Krawbach, the town's corrupt commissioner, who keeps denying her renovation plans, is found dead in her yard, Willow Vanderling, Threadville's newest resident, becomes the prime suspect and works to clear her name."-- From publisher.

DB 96611 Crewel world: Needlecraft mysteries, book 1 by Monica Ferris

When Betsy Devonshire arrives in Excelsior, Minnesota, all she wants is to visit her sister Margot and get her life in order. She never dreamed her sister would give her a place to stay and a job at her needlecraft shop. Things have never looked so good--until Margot is murdered. Contains some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 1999.

DB 80491 Death by cashmere: Seaside knitters mystery, book 1 by Sally Goldenbaum

Not long after Isabel "Izzy" Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the sleepy fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside Knitters. When Izzy's renter drowns mysteriously, the women decide to investigate. Commercial audiobook. 2008.

DBC06805 Lye in wait: a home crafting mystery, book 1 by Cricket McRae

A soap maker, who uses lye to make her products, discovers her handyman dead in her studio. He was killed with lye, but the soap maker has all her supplies locked up tight. The detective has his own ideas about the situation. The soap maker wants to search down some clues herself, even when that brings her into some danger.

Yarn-tastic Dramas

DB 68562 Casting spells: Sugar Maple series, book 1 by Barbara Bretton

Part-sorceress and knitting-shop owner Chloe Hobbs must fall in love to preserve a spell protecting the supernatural residents of Sugar Maple, Vermont. Various matchmaking efforts--involving trolls and selkies--fail until Chloe meets homicide detective Luke MacKenzie. Unfortunately he's human. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2008.

DB 93957 A single thread: Cobbled Court Quilts, book 1 by Marie Bostwick

The end of Evelyn's marriage was a wake-up call, prompting her to move to Connecticut and open a quilt shop. She bonds with three women who show up for one of her quilting classes, and when Evelyn faces breast cancer, she leans on them for support. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2008.

DB 65774 An Elm Creek quilts sampler: Elm Creek quilts, books 1-3 by Jennifer Chiaverini

Women forge friendships while sharing their needlecraft. In The Quilter's Apprentice, Waterford, Pennsylvania, newcomer Sarah McClure takes quilting lessons from her crotchety employer Sylvia Compson. In Round Robin, the quilters open an instructional camp. In The Cross-Country Quilters, five new members join the group. 2001.

DB 65750 The Friday Night Knitting Club, book 1 by Kate Jacobs

Single mother Georgia Walker runs a Manhattan yarn shop where knitters gather regularly to work on projects and share stories. Aging widow Anita, pre-law student Peri, and secretive Lucie join the club as unexpected events--including the return of Georgia's ex--unravel their lives. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2007.

DB 58642 The shop on Blossom Street Blossom Street series, book 1 by Debbie Macomber

Three diverse women--tough girl Alix, hopeful mother Carol, and unhappy wife Jacqueline--attend a beginners' knitting class hosted by cancer survivor Lydia in her Seattle yarn store. All four become friends and make unexpected discoveries about themselves and each other. Some explicit descriptions of sex. 2004.

DB 82111 Boys don't knit (in public) by Tom Easton

After a brush with the law, Ben, a dyed-in-the-wool worrier, must take up a new hobby as a condition of probation and chooses knitting. Amazed and conflicted by his own skill, Ben strives to keep his talent a secret. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2015.

DB 96385 The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs

After a scandal, Caroline Shelby returns home to Oysterville with two children for whom she is now the legal guardian. Reconnecting with old friends, she starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle as a place where the women of the town can share their troubles and support each other. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

DBC13285 The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

The society of small town Harleyville, Kansas is built around a quilting circle, The Persian Pickle Club. The members band together when a new addition brings with her a dark secret that tears the fabric of the group.

DBC04974 Waking up in the land of glitter: a Crafty Chica novel by Kathy Cano-Munillo

Free-spirited Latina Estrella "Star" Esteban has made a mess of everything. If losing her almost-boyfriend Theo and her job wasn't enough, she is practically drowning in glitter--350 pounds of it. With the help of some craft crazy friends, and even an enemy, she sets out to correct her mistakes and change her life for the better. Some strong language.

DB 92924 The glassblower, book 1 by Petra Durst-Benning

1890. The three daughters of glassblower Joost Steinmann must find their way in the world after he dies. Johanna looks for work, Ruth longs for love, and Marie is fascinated by the all-male tradition of glassblowing. Translated from the original 2003 German edition. Violence and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2014.

DB 92799 The Saturday Evening Girls Club by Jane Healy

Boston, 1908. Four friends, daughters of immigrants, meet every Saturday for a pottery class. Caprice, Ada, Maria, and Thea have ambitions beyond their parents' expectations and must juggle the conflicting desires. Each has the opportunity to find love. 2017.

DB 71685 The lace makers of Glenmara by Heather Doran Barbieri

Kate, an aspiring fashion designer from Seattle, travels the back roads of Ireland to recover from a broken heart. An extended stay in Glenmara with traditional lace makers, a new project, and a chance for romance give Kate a fresh perspective on life. Some strong language. 2009.

DB 64371 Avielle of Rhia by Dia Calhoun

Fifteen-year-old Princess Avielle is the only member of the royal family to survive a deadly attack. While hiding among the townsfolk, she discovers her magical gift for weaving and must find out whether her destiny will lead her to good or evil. For grades 6-9. 2006.

DB 36885 Carver by Ruth Yaffe Radin

Ten-year-old Jon, who is blind, and his mother return to live with his grandmother at Kellam's Landing, where Jon attends public school for the first time. His new friend Matt tells him about Carver, an embittered old man who carves exquisite wooden birds. Jon's father had loved carving birds before his fatal accident, and it becomes important to Jon to also learn the craft, although he knows that his mother will not approve. For grades 4- 7.

If you would like more craft books, try searching our online catalog at https://kstb.klas.com. You can search for “Crafts” or even by individual crafts, such as knitting, quilting, crocheting, etc. There are more books available in our collection. These are just some of the books we have available about crafts. If you find something you would like to read, you can order it directly through the online catalog, email or call the office with your order, or download the books using BARD.

BARD, Braille and Audio Reading Download, is a web-based service provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) and Kansas Talking Books offering patrons access to downloadable audio and electronic braille books and magazines, as well as music information and learning materials. The books listed above and in our catalog are all (for the most part) available for download through BARD. For more information