Books to read

As a self-taught maker, this list is my own personal and ongoing art/craft bibliography and is regularly updated.

It’s a small, but growing collection. Happy reading!

logo small.png

Comics

Lynda Barry. 2019. Making Comics.

Ivan Brunetti. 2013. Aesthetics: A Memoir.

Ivan Brunetti. 2011. Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice.

Embroidery / Needlepoint

Nathalie Mornu. 2017. Embroider Your Life: Simple Techniques & 150 Stylish Motifs to Embellish Your World.

Dolls, Toys, and Felties

Jenny Doh. 2012. We Make Dolls!: Top Dollmakers Share Their Secrets & Patterns.

Jess Brown. 2014. The Making of a Rag Doll: Design & Sew Modern Heirlooms.

Nelly Pailloux. 2009. Felties: How to Make 18 Cute and Fuzzy Friends from Felt.   two projects here

Knitting – Patterns & Theory

Ann Budd. 2007. Getting Started Knitting Socks.  a classic which led to my absolute first pair of socks

Andrea Rangel. 2017. AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary: 200 Modern Knitting Motifs.

Hannah Fettig. 2015. Home & Away: Knits for Everyday Adventures.

Kate Davies. 2016. The Book of HAPS.

Kristina McGowan. 2013. More Modern Top-Down Knitting: 24 Garments Based on Barbara G. Walker’s 12 Top-Down Templates.

Knitting – About

Ann Hood (ed). 2014. Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting.   book review

Barbara Levine. 2016. People Knitting: A Century of Photographs.   book review

Betsy Greer. 2008. Knitting for Good!: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social, and Political Change Stitch by Stitch.    book review

Clara Parkes (ed). 2017. A Stash of One’s Own: Knitters on Loving, Living with, and Letting go of Yarn.

Mac Barnett. 2012. Extra Yarn (children’s book).

Joanne Turney. 2009. The Culture of Knitting.

Rachael Matthews. 2017. The Mindfulness in Knitting: Meditations on Craft and Calm.

Sandy Black. 2012. Knitting: Fashion, Industry, Craft.

Art, Craft, Creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert. 2016. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.

Faythe Levine. 2008. Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design.

Julia Cameron. 2016. The Artist’s Way.

Lewis Hyde. 2007 [1983]. The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World.

Mason Currey. 2013. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work.

Robert Henri. 1923. The Art Spirit.  post with excerpts