Books Off the Beaten Path: The Yarn Barn of Kansas List of Hidden Gems

Book-loving crafters generally have a few special titles tucked on the shelf between the major must-have references: a self-published monograph, a slim paperback, or an in-depth look at an esoteric technique. In this episode, Susan Bateman and Melissa Parsons return with more hidden gems from the shelves at Yarn Barn of Kansas. Special guest Liz Gipson also joined us to talk about her own book on choosing yarn.

Multishaft Weaving

Weaving Designs by Bertha Gray Hayes: Miniature Overshot Patterns by Norma Smayda, Gretchen White, Jody Brown, and Katharine Schelleng
This delightful collection of overshot patterns are refreshingly short-repeat and often asymmetrical, a playful and inspiring way to experiment with a traditional structure. Melissa’s so enthusiastic about the book that she loves to introduce it to any weaver.

Krokbragd: How to Design & Weave by Debbie Greenlaw
Friendly and accessible, this introduction to the colorful Scandinavian weft-faced structure covers both rigid-heddle and multishaft looms. The book includes several projects, including an irresistibly cute farm sampler.

Krokbragd: Contemporary Weaving with Colour by Angie Parker
A more technical take on krokbragd, this is aimed at weavers who already have some experience under their belt, with a more contemporary design sensibility and beautiful photography throughout.

M’s + O’s: A Contemporary Look at a Traditional Weave Structure on 4-shafts by Suzi Ballenger
This brand-new 70-page monograph invites weavers to take a fresh look at an underexplored structure. Ballenger’s examples and designs show M’s and O’s with contemporary style and unexpected laciness. Although M’s and O’s isn't generally Melissa’s favorite structure, this book inspires her to take another look.

Inkle & Tablet Weaving

In Celebration of Plain Weave by Annie MacHale
With a color theory explanation specifically for inkle weaving and information on designing beautiful bands, this spiral-bound color study is a must for bandweavers even before you get to the 200 pattern charts. Melissa and Susan especially love MacHale’s asymmetrical designs.

Please Weave a Message by Linda Hendrickson
An entire book of graphed-out alphabets for tablet weaving, using as few as 24 to 52 cards, perfect for weaving a name or message into a keepsake band—especially good for handwoven gifts!

Rigid Heddle

Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom by Betty Davenport
Decades ahead of its time and now in its eleventh printing, this book walks rigid-heddle weavers through pickup, deflected weft, and other structures well beyond plain weave.

A Weaver’s Guide to Yarn by Liz Gipson
Teacher Liz Gipson gathered her thoughts on yarns into a practical framework for choosing your materials by need rather than guesswork, including a fiber checklist and a helpful “decoding yarn information” section. Written especially for rigid-heddle weavers, this is a book Melissa would hand to every beginning weaver.

A special guest this episode, Liz joined the conversation to talk about how reader questions and teaching experience helped her write the book that weavers need.

Finishing

Finishes in the Ethnic Tradition by Suzanne Baizerman and Karen Searle
Rescued from out of print, this illustrated guide goes far past the overhand knot, gathering fringe, wrapped-edge, and embellishment techniques from weaving traditions worldwide.

Knitting

Barbara Walker’s Treasury Series (A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury, and A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns)
Full of ideas to design and customize plain knitting projects, Barbara Walker’s iconoc treasuries give knitters permission to create. These four hefty stitch dictionaries include hundreds of charted designs you can drop into a project of your choosing.

The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd
Written to pair perfectly with a stitch dictionary, this book turns "I love this yarn but have no pattern for it" into a finished sweater, sock, or hat. Ann Budd offers designs for gauges from 3 to 7 stitches per inch and child to adult sizes.

Reversible Knitting by Cecelia Campochiaro
A stitch dictionary where every pattern looks as good from the back as the front! This collection of motifs is ideal for scarves, blankets, and anything meant to be seen from both sides.

The Wonder of Wool: A Knitter’s Guide to Pure Breed Sheep by Justine Lee and Jess Morency
Dramatic black-and-white sheep portraits pair with breed-by-breed spinning and knitting notes in this exploration of British heritage wools. The book also includes full patterns built around specific wools.

Spinning

A Spinner’s Dozen: 14 Darn Useful Tools by Stephenie Gaustad
A charming hand-illustrated case for the spinning tools worth hunting down in antique stores, this is Stephenie Gaustad’s fun and gentle nudge to explore the old spinning ways and discover how the right tool buys you more time for the parts of spinning you actually love.

Listen to the Wool: A Why-to Guide for Joyful Spinning by Josefin Waltin Less a technical manual than an invitation to slow down, this book encourages readers to embrace your mistakes as markers on your craft journey. It might make you a better spinner—even if you don’t change your yarn after reading.

Listen to our chat and tell us: What are your favorite craft books that more people should know about?

This episode is brought to you by:

Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com to shop, learn, and explore.