There’s a poorly-kept but still little-known secret here at the South Branch. We have a knitting group. It was started a few months ago in the most wonderful way for a library program to start: organically and based on patron needs. A  wonderful patron who enjoys knitting and wanted to share that joy with others and came to me about starting a group. Now she comes in one Saturday a month and guides a small group that uses our community room to knit and chat.

In case this group wasn’t a clue, we at the South Branch love crafters and have a few crafters on staff, including yours truly. (As an example, this foxy little crochet cozy helps keeps my tea warm and gives my desk a bit of always-welcome whimsy.) We love chatting crafts as well and have a combination of knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing and other skills that patrons are always welcome to talk to us about! While we’re a couple of months after National Craft month (apparently created by the Craft and Hobby Association in 1994), for which the South Branch did a display of craft books and crafty fiction in March, there’s never a bad time to get out the knitting needles, crochet hooks, felt, yarn, beads, glitter, glue sticks and more! We love offering craft-based programs for kids and adults at all the library locations to help keep the community’s creative juices flowing.

Since the blog turned 1-year old this past Thursday and 1 year is a paper anniversary, I thought it would be appropriate to combine crafting with the paper anniversary and share this tutorial on how to make origami books:

this one to make an origami bookcase to put your origami mini books:

and this intricate origami cat bookmark (because who couldn’t use another bookmark!) for those of you ready for a challenge:

As further celebration of things crafty, here are some books that can teach you some great crafts start-to-finish, whether you’re just exploring a new hobby or are an experienced crafter:

The Knowledgeable Knitter by Margaret Radcliffe

This wonderful, illustrated compendium is great for new knitters and experienced. This book will teach you the basics of pattern reading, yarn weights and how to purchase knitting needles and accessories through several projects and adding borders, embellishments and more. This is not a pattern book, you’ll have to find those elsewhere, but Radcliffe will show you techniques that even an experienced knitter might not be familiar with step-by-step instructions and helpful, guiding illustrations. what’s more, she even put an appendix with an illustrated glossary of terms for quick reference. This is one book that can be easily digested in bites to learn one or two new techniques or might need to be renewed several times to give yourself a complete knitting course.

The Embroidered Garden by Kazuko Aoki

This lovely, unique book has fanciful patterns inspired by nature and gardening. In an untraditional format, Aoki starts with showing the reader the finished projects to give a sense of the variety of stitches, ideas and projects one can achieve. The projects are arranged by their seasonal inspirations so the reader gets four sections with an array of project possibilities including card-making, coordinated sewing sets and more traditional samplers. She follows with a section on gaining real-life inspiration by going out into nature to see what inspires you. After the reader is fully inspired and eager to start, she offers the more traditional how-to section with stitch glossaries and pattern guides. This book has such pretty patterns, it may just make any nature-lover take up a needle and thread!

Crochet Ever After by Brenda K. B. Anderson

This book is a delightful collection wearable fairy tales to make. From adult “Bad Apple” fingerless mitts to a unicorn hoodie for kids, these patterns are all inspired by fairy tales, some literal, some fanciful, all adorable and infinitely wearable. Make no mistake, these are not all patterns for children. There are some lovely, sophisticated and whimsical adult patterns in here as well. This book is for anyone looking to take a more fanciful approach to their crocheting. (I’ve got my sights set on the dragon neckwarmer featured on the cover, myself….)

Stamp Stencil Paint by Anna Joyce

I had to add this book to the collection because the concept was just so cool. Joyce encourages the crafter to take patterns to a whole new level and with a bunch of new media in unexpected ways. Starting with basic instructions on sizing, scale and mixing colors and supplies, she then takes the reader on a discovery of patterns that can be applied to virtually anything. She offers templates and step-by-step instructions along with project ideas that are unexpected, but amazing. In combination with the gorgeous photos that accompany each project, this book is well worth browsing through, just to get inspired.

Freeform Wire Art Jewelry by Gayle Bird

This book somehow manages to be both basic and comprehensive in this slim, but heavily-illustrated volume that could take anyone from novice to jewelry-maker in short order. Bird talks to the reader about tools, wire, color theory to ensure that the designs can be complementary and step-by-step techniques. She then follows with a series of patterns and instructions for jewelry that is both classy and modern and is easily adaptable to tastes and personal style. I tend to stick to more traditional needle-work myself, but after exploring this book and seeing a few patterns that I’d love to make, I might just become a jewelry-making convert…

I want to congratulate Free For All for one year of bookish wonderfulness and our awesome head-blogger Arabella for her wonderful work, tireless devotion to the blanket-fort cause and letting me play around in this sandbox to reach out to our great patrons and chat about the fun things at the South Branch. Till next week, dear readers, here’s to more years of bookish adventures together!