In an era of decluttering gurus, cleaning bloggers and aspirational pantries, Kerri Sackville has studied the evidence and decided, ‘Nah, way too much trouble. The Life-Changing Magic of a Little Bit of Mess is a refreshing read.
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If the cool days and even colder nights here in Melbourne haven’t inspired you to pick up some knitting needles to make yourself something cosy to wear, then perhaps these six books will. Knitting is not only practical but can also be a form of mindfulness and zen as many of these titles suggest.
For those of you that are are open to a little less zen when it comes to knitting, perhaps the Heavy Metal Knitting World Championships would be more up your street. Heavy Metal Knitting is about combining handicrafts and heavy metal in a super unique way. Unfortunately the championships were held last weekend in Finland, but if you get practising, there’s always next year!
52 Weeks of Scarves: Beautiful Patterns for Year-round Knitting by Laine
Who doesn’t love a scarf? 52 projects have been collated by leading knitwear designers from across the world and showcase an exceptionally wide range of yarns, techniques and difficulty levels. Nothing brings more comfort than a hand-knitted scarf – from a light wrap for cool shoulders on summer evenings or spring mornings, to a beautiful shawl as the centrepiece of autumnal outfits, or a cosy collar to be layered under winter coats. Whether you’re creating a shawl for yourself or a cowl for a loved one, there’s care in every stitch. Knitting is more than just knit, knit, purl. It is a feeling. This stunning book contains a beautiful scarf pattern for every week of the year.
Harry Potter Knitting Magic: More Patterns from Hogwarts and Beyond by Tanis Gray
Featuring over 28 projects pictured in gorgeous full-colour photography, Harry Potter: Knitting Magic, Volume 2 includes patterns for toys, apparel, and costume replicas pulled straight from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. Harry Potter: Knitting Magic, Volume 2 also includes fun facts, original costume sketches, film stills, and other behind-the-scenes treasures. It is the perfect gift for lovers of the original Knitting Magic and Harry Potter fans everywhere.
Knitting for Beginners: The Ultimate Craft Guide by Rachel McGregor
Sometimes you just need to start at the beginning. Are you looking for a complete beginners step by step guide to knitting, or do you want to get a knitting project going but are unable to work out on what you would like to do? then this is the best book for you. Start creating projects, with this complete book you won’t feel lost in between steps and end up getting tangled in a knot. knitting For Beginners is a fab book for all knitting novices.
Contemplative Knitting by Julie Cicora
Contemplative Knitting shows how knitting creates connections and communities, and how the repetition of knitting can be calming. Julie Cicora discusses in Comemplative Knitting how the act of ‘pearl one knit one’ can take the stress of the everyday away and calm the mind. This book is for those knitters looking to connect themselves a little deeper to their craft.
The Power of Knitting: Stitching Together Our Lives in a Fractured World by Loretta Napoleoni
In a fractured world plagued by anxiety and loneliness, knitting is coming to the rescue of people from all walks of life. Economist and lifelong knitter Loretta Napoleoni unveils the hidden power of the purl and stitch mantra- an essential tool for the survival of our species, a means for women to influence history, a soothing activity to calm us, and a powerful metaphor of life. This book is a voyage through our history following the yarn of social, economic and political changes – from ancient Egypt and Peru to modern Mongolia, from the spinning bees of the American Revolution to the knitting spies of World War II, and from the hippies’ rejection of consumerism to yarn-bombing protests against climate change. For the author it is also a personal journey of discovery and salvation, drawing on the wisdom her grandmother passed along as they knit together. Revealing recent discoveries in neuroscience, The Power of Knitting offers proof of the healing powers of knitting on our bodies and minds. Breaking through societal barriers, even nursing broken hearts, and helping to advance cutting-edge science, knitting is still a valuable instrument for navigating our daily lives.
The Beginner’s Knitting Manual: The Ultimate Book of Tips and Techniques by Debbie Tomkies
Learning to knit can be frustrating when it takes too much time and effort to begin your first project. The Beginner’s Knitting Manual introduces an array of stylish projects that offer a quick start. Even if you’ve never tried to knit, you’ll find that it offers plenty of chances to make something interesting, satisfying, practical, and beautiful.
Step-by-step instructions, accompanied by full-colour photos and stitch patterns, are suitable for intermediate-level knitters as well as beginners.
Enjoy!
Textile artist Magda Sayeg transforms urban landscapes into her own playground by decorating everyday objects with colorful knit and crochet works. These warm, fuzzy “yarn bombs” started small, with stop sign poles and fire hydrants in Sayeg’s hometown, but soon people found a connection to the craft and spread it across the world.
They may have been scratchy, they may have been too small, the sleeves were often a little tight but they were made with love. Hands up who had a home-made jumper for school when you were little?
Sometimes the idea of making small changes at home to help the environment can feel so small and insignificant that we begin to wonder if they really are helping. Good news. We have found six amazing books that show that your small changes really do make a big difference. What’s even better, is that they each outline a number of new and inventive ways we can change our behaviour for lasting impact.
Net Zero: How We Stop Causing Climate Change by Dieter Helm
What can we really do about the climate emergency? The inconvenient truth is that we are causing the climate crisis with our carbon intensive lifestyles and that fixing, or even just slowing, it will affect all of us. But it can be done. In Net Zero the economist Professor Dieter Helm addresses the action we would all need to take, whether personal, local, national or global, if we really wanted to stop causing climate change. Net Zero is Professor Dieter Helm’s measured, balanced view of how we stop causing climate change by adopting a net zero strategy of reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon absorption. It is a rational look at why the past 30 years efforts has failed and why and how the next 30 years can succeed. It is a vital book for anyone who hears the clamour of Extinction Rebellion and other ecological activists, but wonders what they can actually do.
How to Garden the Low-carbon Way: The steps you can take to help combat climate change by Sally Nex
Keen on starting your own garden but unsure about your environmental impact? This guide will give you practical advice on which soil to use, plants that are best for absorbing carbon dioxide, low-carbon fertilisers, and cutting out single-use plastic. What’s more, this garden book is completely backed by scientific research! Explore the benefits of no-dig gardening, how to use fewer plants, using hedges instead of fences and how to grow shrubs that support wildlife.
This is a fantastic gardening book with a simple, step-by-step guide to either learn about gardening or to reference as your garden grows. You’ll quickly become acquainted with the benefits of growing a garden that positively contributes to the environment. Plus, you’ll have all the fun rewards a gardening hobby has to offer.
Things You Can Do: How to Fight Climate Change and Reduce Waste by
Eduardo Garcia
Award-winning climate journalist Eduardo Garcia offers a deeply researched and user-friendly guide to the things we can do every day to fight climate change. Based on his popular New York Times column “One Thing You Can Do,” this fully illustrated book proposes simple solutions for an overwhelming problem. No lectures here, just accessible and inspiring ideas to slash emissions and waste in our daily lives. In each chapter, Garcia digs into the issue, explaining how everyday choices lead to carbon emissions, then delivers a wealth of things you can do to make a positive impact. Things You Can Do is the book for people who want to know and do more to save the planet.
Kiss the Ground: How the Food You Eat Can Reverse Climate Change, Heal Your Body & Ultimately Save Our World by Josh Tickell
Kiss the Ground explains an incredible truth: by changing our diets to a soil-nourishing, regenerative agriculture diet, we can reverse global warming, harvest healthy, abundant food, and eliminate the poisonous substances that are harming our children, pets, bodies, and ultimately our planet. This richly visual look at the impact of an under-appreciated but essential resource, the very ground that feeds us, features fascinating and accessible interviews with celebrity chefs, ranchers, farmers, and top scientists. Kiss the Ground teaches you how to become an agent in humanity’s single most important and time-sensitive mission: reverse climate change and effectively save the world-all through the choices you make in how and what to eat.
Sustainable Home: Practical projects, tips and advice for maintaining a more eco-friendly household by Christine Liu
Sustainable Home is an oldie but a goodie. It is an inspirational and practical guidebook to maintaining a more environmentally friendly household. Sustainability enthusiast and zero-waste advocate Christine Liu takes you on a tour through the rooms of your home – the living area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom – offering tips, tricks and 17 step-by-step projects designed to help you lead a more low-impact lifestyle. Whether it is by making your own toothpowder, growing your own herb garden or up-cycling old pieces of furniture, there are numerous ways – both big and small – to make a difference.
Remodelista – The Low-Impact Home: A Sourcebook for Stylish, Eco-Conscious
Living by Margot Guralnick and Fan Winston
Low-impact living is about making thoughtful, eco-friendly choices in your home. But being sustainable doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style. That’s where Remodelista comes in. In this comprehensive guide, they decode the secrets to creating a home that’s good for the planet – and totally liveable. First, the team invites readers on in-depth tours of the living quarters of a dozen homeowners who have interpreted this ethos in myriad ways: an Australian architect’s state-of-the-art family home, a rental apartment in Brooklyn outfitted with materials salvaged from the neighbourhood, and even a farmhouse in England made of hemp. Then they take us room by room to dissect the most impactful swaps we can make for a healthier home, from a gentler laundry routine courtesy of the Celsious sisters to chef David Tanis’s low-tech approach to cooking. There are simple DIY projects to encourage you to reuse and repurpose rather than buy new, plus the ‘Vintage 75’ – a roundup of everyday household goods that are easy to find used, and are typically better made and more affordable than their brand-new counterparts. And, of course, there’s remodelling advice for all budgets and scopes: whether you’re looking to choose healthy paint, swap out your rug, upgrade your windows, or overhaul your whole place. It all adds up to an eco-conscious approach that’s about living not only responsibly but also with joy and style. This book is so new, it’s not even out yet. Fear not, you can click through the hyperlinks to pre-order it.
Enjoy!
Growing vegetables, recycling, composting, eating meat-free, there are so many little changes we can make at home that make a positive impact on the planet, which would you suggest we all adopt?
This week on the blog we will be sharing books that inspire us all to make small changes at home to help the environment. Be sure to check back on Thursday for our top six picks.
Still invites readers to take on the philosophy of the SLOW movement: Living Sustainable. Local. Organic. And Whole.
In Declutter Like a Mother, Allie Casazza comes alongside you to explore why decluttering calms anxiety in your heart and lessens tension in your relationships.
With a keen eye for detail, Beautifully Organised guides readers to graciously share your home with family and friends creating treasured shared experiences and memories.
