The Pattern Companion

Design patterns are not "reusable solutions" but instead create a rich language developers can use to communicate, collaborate, and make collective decisions about design. When you study design patterns, you are teaching yourself about what a good design is and why. Design patterns exemplify the principles and strong practices that developers can depend on to build high-quality solutions. Developers can rely on these essential skills to guide their design considerations. Scott L. Bain has trained thousands of developers in design patterns for over 20 years, providing them with a rich background in this valuable discipline.

This book, with inspired patterns by the most famous designers in the world today - including Priscilla Hauser and Areta Bingham - his collection is sure to delight decorative painters in search of new motifs. The good-looking projects, all with large, easy-to-follow worksheets, cover such favorite topics as Birds and Bugs, Beautiful Blooms, By the Sea, Fruits and Fronds, and Borders and Elements. Paint a Hummingbird and Trumpet Vine; Cabbage Roses; a 'see-worthy' combination of shells, ocean flora, and seahorses; Holly and Ribbons; or a leaf border. Whether you follow the photos and use the patterns as suggested or come up with original ideas for applying them, the effects will always be fabulous.

Attractive sweaters for everyone in the family, and cozy afghans, too: these patterns are for knitters who know their craft and now seek beautiful projects, inspirations, and challenges. Relative newcomers will find some items suited to their skills; the more experienced will enjoy working with projects that have elaborate designs and stitch combinations. Knit a stylish Crop Top with pretty eyelets, a Sparkling Mohair Shell using the stockinette stitch, a Roomy Cabled Aran Cardigan for either men or women, a Ruffled Cardigan for baby, a Kid’s Catch-Stitch Pullover, a Color-Blocked Jacket with Detachable Hood, a Wee Willie Winkie blanket, and a Herringbone Lace Afghan. Numerous helpful charts throughout cover both colorwork and textured stitchery.

Find an extraordinary variety of stylish projects, from a comfy , richly textrured "Cable Aran Cardigan" to a sophisticated "Sparkling Mohair Shell." There are designs for women, sweaters, from men and women, and projects for children.

In this compelling, heartwarming novel from New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick, one woman finds new purpose in a new phase of life . . . “Whatever comes your way, find the happiness in it.” Hope Carpenter received that advice from her mother decades ago. Now, with their four children grown, Hope and her husband, Rick, are suddenly facing an uncertain future, after a forced retirement strains both their savings and their marriage. Seeking inspiration and a financial boost, Hope gets a job teaching crafts to inmates at a local women’s prison. At first, Hope feels foolish and irrelevant, struggling to relate to women whose choices seem so different from her own. But with time, and the encouragement of the prison chaplain, she begins to discover common ground with the inmates, in their worries about their children and families, their fear of having failed those who need them. Just like her, they want to make something of themselves, but believe it might be impossible. Embarking on an ambitious quilting project, Hope and her students begin to bond. Together, piece by piece, they learn to defy expectations—their own and others’—and to see that it’s never too late to stitch together a life that, even in its imperfections, is both surprising and beautiful. Praise for Marie Bostwick and Her Novels “Reading Marie Bostwick is like wrapping yourself up in a warm, hand-crafted quilt.” —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author “It takes great skill to write a heartwarming story about grief, and Bostwick proves she is up to the task. . . . A great addition to any women’s-fiction collection.” —Booklist “Beautiful, thought-provoking, tragic and redeeming, The Second Sister is a feel-good goldmine.” —USAToday.com

This is for the seamstress who knows her way around a needle and thread, but wants more great projects and new techniques to add to her repertory. Anyone with some experience will find something to delight, instruct, challenge, and inspire--whether it's surmounting a frustrating fitting problem, finding the perfect present, or discovering an ingenious way to make use of vintage linens. Four information-rich sections feature fabulous accessories, eye-catching wome's clothing, handsome children's wear, and baby gifts and toys, while the introduction covers everything from tools to measurement charts. Sew an Asian-style eyeglass case, monogrammed memory album, jointed teddy bear, doll's clothes, bibs and burp cloths, a girl's floral dress, chenille jacket, and many other lovely things.

“A cozy and charming collection of essays about the joys of knitting—complete with lovely patterns and yummy recipes” (Kate Jacobs, author of The Friday Night Knitting Club). A Knitter’s Home Companion is an illustrated collection of stories, patterns, and recipes from beloved knitter and essayist Michelle Edwards. This heartwarming title will appeal to knitters interested in not only stitches, yarn, and patterns, but also in the lives of other knitters, the lessons that can be learned from their craft, the ways knitting helps knitters cope during difficult times, and the role of knitting in family life. “Let [this book] keep you company when you need another knitter’s voice beside you,” Edwards writes in her introduction. Like a good friend, A Knitter’s Home Companion will inspire readers to laugh, cry, remember, be thoughtful, cook, and, of course, pick up their needles—sometimes to soothe, sometimes to celebrate, and sometimes to just pass the time. Divided into four chapters—Motherhood, Home, Community, and Legacy—stories range from “But She Doesn’t Have Any Underpants,” about the challenges of knitting for family to “Home Ec Workshop and the Mystery of the Indian Slipper,” about finding community at a local yarn shop. Projects range from mittens and socks to a baby blanket and afghan.