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Soft, shapely knitting meets pretty, crocheted edgings and flowers in a collection of designs guaranteed to convert the knitting-only crowd to the pleasures of crochet. A little crochet can add a lot of fun to knitted sweaters, scarves, hats, placemats - the possibilities are endless. Simple crocheting instructions get every knitter quickly up to speed with projects that will inspire them to enter the world of crocheted embellishments and trims.

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A crochet border is the perfect finishing touch on the edges of any fiber project, but creating one often means turning a corner and shaping the edging around a 90-degree angle. This isn't simple, and most edging patterns don't include specific instructions for turning the corner. Edie Eckman comes to the rescue with this collection of 150 colorful crochet frames that do supply these instructions. Color photographs by John Polak let you see the details up close. Easy, marvelous crochet borders are just around the corner!

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Discover the fun and satisfaction of spinning your own yarn! This step-by-step guide shows you how to create 80 distinctive yarns, from classics such as mohair boucle to novelty features like supercoils. Lush photographs illustrate the process of turning fleece into yarn, reveal the unique architecture of each yarn, and show exactly how to manipulate and combine fibers to get the results you want. With this must-have reference, you can create any yarn you desire.

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Backyard chickens meet contemporary design! Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy give you 14 complete building plans for chicken coops that range from the purely functional to the outrageously fabulous. One features a water-capturing roof, another pays homage to mid-Modern architecture, and still another sports a built-in composting system. Some designs suit beginning builders, while others are challenging enough for experts. Full-color photographs and detailed construction illustrations accompany the step-by-step building plans.

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Beds, organizers, Adirondack chairs, a play table, and more! It's easy to build inexpensive, quality furnishings with this indispensible collection of woodworking projects from Ana White, the popular blogger who has inspired millions of homemakers with her stylish furniture plans and DIY spirit. As a young mom on a tight budget, White learned to make her own well-designed pieces inspired by the styles in her favorite stores ... saving thousands of dollars in the process. Now, in this reference for woodworkers of all skill levels, Ana shares everything she has learned along the way. Inside The Handbuilt Home you'll find:

• Plans for 34 versatile furniture projects for every room in your house ... from beginner-friendly home accessories to sturdy tables, a media center, kids' items and storage solutions
• Comprehensive information on using off-the-shelf lumber and basic equipment ... almost every project can be made with a drill, a saw and some hand tools
• Easy-to-follow instructions, costs and time estimates to guide even the most amateur of carpenters through any project

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Cob (an old English word for lump) is old-fashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Becky Bee's manual is a friendly guide to making your own earth structure, with chapters on design, foundations, floors, windows and doors, finishes, and of course, making glorious cob.

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When it comes to survival, one size definitely does not fit all. That's exactly what author F. J. Bohan discovered when he and his family set out on a quest for self-sufficiency, a journey that has lasted more than 17 years.

Living on the Edge describes why Bohan and his wife made the decision to pull their four sons from public school in the East and set off in a converted school bus to the American Southwest. On a very limited budget, the Bohans began their new life in a tent pitched on public campgrounds. As soon as they could, they purchased remote ranchland, where they built a rustic cabin from the ground up. It grew as they could afford to add on, and they also homeschooled the boys so well that all four received scholarships to the schools of their choice. On their journey, the Bohans learned a lot about living off the land and off the grid, mostly through trial and error. In this book, the author graciously shares valuable lessons on the following:

• Keeping a wife, four boys, two dogs and two cats happy in a tent for 18 months
• Creating power for a tent or cabin through a combination of solar panels, car batteries, generators and oil
• Heating and cooking on wood stoves
• Finding creative ways to earn money in an insular, impoverished rural area
• Securing enough water in the desert for a family of six, plus animals, to live on
• Erecting fences—literal and figurative ones—for privacy and security
• Raising chickens, goats and ducks for food, while avoiding bears, bobcats, skunks and other country critters

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Author Steve Hughes includes building plans and step-by-step instructions for more than 30 winemaking essentials, including a crusher, a de-stemmer, presses, pumps, and a bottle filler. He even offers a range of options for cellar racking. Along the way, Hughes leads readers through the entire process of winemaking--how to use the equipment, how to set up a winery, the best ways to store and analyze wine, and the best ways to filter, bottle, cork, and label. With this guide, you'll have everything you need to affordably enjoy delicious, high-quality, homemade wine.

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The first canning manual and cookbook authored by a Michelin-starred chef and restaurant owner, The Preservation Kitchen reveals a world of endless flavor combinations using revolutionary ideas that bring homemade preserves deliciously to life. Pairing science with art, Paul Virant presents expert preserving techniques, sophisticated recipes, and seasonal menus inspired by the award-winning fare at his restaurant, Vie, in Western Springs, Illinois.

Imaginative tangy jams, brandied fruits, zesty relishes, cured meats, and sweet and savory conserves are the focus of the first half of this book, while seasonal menus pairing these preserves with everything from salads and cocktails to poached fish and braised meat compose the second. Brandied Cherries used in Cherry Clafoutis, or as a garnish for the Beer-Jam Manhattan, are a sweet reminder of the summer harvest. And the Chicken Fried Steak with Smoked Spring Onion Relish anticipates warmer days when you’re still deep in winter. Alongside recipes and menus, Virant draws on his extensive technical knowledge and experience to provide detailed and comprehensive guidelines for safe canning practices, testing pH, pressure canning, water bath processing, and storing. But no matter how precise the science, Virant never forgets the art in each handcrafted preserve and thoughtfully developed recipe. His unique approach re-imagines seasonal eating by harmonizing opposite or unusual partnerships: the brightness of summer fruit may be tempered with the earthiness of meats and winter produce, or the delicacy of spring vegetables might be enriched by the robust herbs and spices more typical of fall. The Preservation Kitchen not only demonstrates and instructs, it encourages and explores the limitless possibilities of capturing the seasons in a jar.

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The How-to Guide to Building With Straw Bales (Post and Beam Infill) DVD covers post and beam construction using a structural support system in the home (typically wood), with straw bales as infill insulation (nonstructural bales). In nearly three hours of instruction, this best-selling DVD walks you through the entire baling process of a post and beam home, step-by-step. You'll learn how to:

• install toe-ups
• properly set up your baling layout and bale walls (including inside and outside corners)
• create niches, truth windows and window seats
• work with tall walls, as well as rounded and straight edges
• weedwhack your walls
• apply welded wire mesh
• work with electrical and plumbing systems in your walls
• get your walls completely ready for the plastering process
• and more!