FABULOUS FELT HATS: Dazzling Designs from Handmade Felt by Chad Alice Hagen

Chad Alice Hagen has been a part of the world of handmade felt for over twenty years. Her hand-felted wool has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of the Mint Museum of Art + Design and The Minneapolis Institute of Art. Chad’s time is divided between teaching feltmaking internationally, producing a production line of felt wearables, and creating large felt artworks for corporate and private collections. She lives and works in Asheville, North Carolina.

SIMPLY FELT: 20 Easy and Elegant Designs in Wool by Margaret Docherty and Jayne Emerson

Natural, tough, and beautiful—felt is an extraordinary textile. Using natural woolen fibers hand-rubbed with water, you can create a durable, versatile fabric for making a wonderful collection of garments and home accessories. Best of all, felt never frays. Authors Margaret Docherty, an expert felt maker and teacher, and Jayne Emerson, a textile designer, have teamed up to present the fundamentals of felting: choosing fibers and colors, making flat felt and boiling felt, and stitching felt. They also cover the more advanced process of inlaying other fibers to vary felt design and texture. The felting techniques are demonstrated with 20 beautiful projects in a range of contemporary colors; projects include a cozy cloche hat, a charming child's jacket, warm slippers, delicate scarves, square and inlayed throw pillows, and an exquisite, long-lasting rug. Each project is presented with simple, step-by-step instructions and illustrations, and offers alternative samples and suggestions that help you to create your own designs. Now you can bring the highly sought-after handcrafted style of felt into your wardrobe and home décor-this book promises to make it simple, and oh, so beautiful.

128 pages, softcover

Featherweight Felt: Making Felt Scarves with Sharon Costello

Step-by-step instructions for creating 6 lightweight felt scarves using a variety of fibers and innovative techniques. Detailed instruction in full color — 163 minutes worth!

• Wensleydale Lace
• Lattice (Merino Wool)
• Merino-Tencel Blend
• Bonded Silk & Merino
• Nuno (wool felted into fabric)
• Nuno variation

DVD

Color, 163 minutes

Featherweight Felt: Making Felt Scarves with Sharon Costello

Step-by-step instructions for creating 6 lightweight felt scarves using a variety of fibers and innovative techniques. Detailed instruction in full color — 163 minutes worth!

• Wensleydale Lace
• Lattice (Merino Wool)
• Merino-Tencel Blend
• Bonded Silk & Merino
• Nuno (wool felted into fabric)
• Nuno variation

VHS Cassette

Color, 163 minutes

SHEARING DAY: Sheep Handling, Wool Science, and Shearing with Blades by Kevin Ford

Some books come along that just can't be introduced fully in few words. Getting that fleece correctly off all those sheep so the wool is ready, the sheep safe, and the sheerer doesn't have to depend on electrical connections, is an ancient task. The author presents us with a thorough study of this endeavor that is also a good story of his experience in this world of sheep shearing. Spinners and wool handlers will not find this information any where as well presented. Many photos of the how's and why.

Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools: Collected Works of the Save the Sheep Project, edited by Deborah Robson

Spin-Off Magazine presents a gallery of the work of spinners who consciously use the wool and support the growing of rare sheep breeds. Looking at the beautiful color gallery of finished pieces, ranging from socks to Navajo rugs isn't the same as feeling them, but all the detailed information about each piece and the accompanying essays make this a valuable reference and inspiration for serious spinners.

In Sheep's Clothing: A Handspinner's Guide To Wool by Nola Fournier and Jane Fournier

So you've been spinning awhile and a variety of breed's fleece are available. Which one will suit your needs? What are it's properties besides the obvious ones? How should you prepare your choice for your project? This new handbook clarifies through photos, specs, and suggestions for many breeds from three classifications of sheep breeds: fine wools, long wools, down wools, and miscellaneous crosses. Each classification has a quick reference guide for each of its breeds. This reference book will inform your fleece selection and fine tune your spinning so you get what you expect.

Projects for Alpaca and Llama edited by Crris Switzer.

Crochet (scarf & tam, toy 'paca bear), Felting (pin, vest), Knitting (baby booties, child's cap, doll, hat & cowl, mittens, socks), Knititng-Felting (mittens), Locker Hooking (pillow), Machine Knitting (ear-warmer), Weaving (belt, blanket, pillow, scarf, shawl, sweater-vest, vest)

60 pages, softcover, 8.5" x 11"

Spinning Llama and Alpaca by Chris Switzer.

"Everything you might ever want to know about spinning the wool from the popular Andean camelid, but couldn't find the best book for", would describe this new book. All kinds of camelid raising lore, wool handling facts, spinning hints, including dyeing, abound here. Along with all the photos and illustrations, there are even some actual samples of wool and yarn.

50 pages, softcover, 8.5" x 11"

SPIN SPAN SPUN by Bette Hochberg.

This delightful book is accurately reflected by its subtitle. It contains page after page of historical, biblical, fictional, mythological, and biological references to spinners, spinning, wool, cotton, flax, spinning wheels and spinning. While the book will not make you a better spinner, it will give you a lot of enjoyable reading.