The Geekish Reader

Title:   Knits for Nerds Author:   Toni Carr Source:   NetGalley Synopsis: The best of science fiction, manga, and animaguiri meets knit one, purl two as knit siren and part-time roller derby girl Joan of Dark offers up an out-of-this-world assortment of knitting nerdiness inside Knits for Nerds . The patterns for 30 iconic clothing and accessory items inspired by popular TV shows, books, films, comics, and more--including Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars , and Firefly. In addition to a wardrobe of costume finery, hobbyists will also find instructions for practical projects such as an e-reader cover or a laptop bag crafted of checkered fabric that serves double-duty as a chessboard and carryall, as well as patterns for plush toys inspired by Star Trek , robots, and the comic book Squee! Wear (and knit!) your nerdiness on your sleeve with Knits for Nerds . Best. Pattern. Book. EVER!  If you couldn't already tell that I was a bit of a geek, ...

Title:   My First Sewing Book Author:   Susan Akass Source:   via Publisher (Thomas Allen) Synopsis: Here are 35 brilliant projects that will help you learn how to sew. If you’ve never used a needle and thread before, don’t worry – start with the Sewing Techniques section, which simply explains how to do every stitch. Then pick something to make from one of the four chapters. In the Toys chapter, you’ll find juggling animals, sock monsters and rag dolls, while in Fashion Fun, there are gorgeous bags, hair accessories and more. Next, discover some brilliant Decorations – from hanging felt stars to pretty lavender bags. Finally, Great Gifts is packed with ideas, such as the finger puppet cards, felt egg cosies or the sausage dog draft excluder. All the instructions and cute step-by-step artworks are easy to follow; plus, each project has a grade so that you can start with easy sewing and move onto using more advanced stitches as you get better at ...