Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation

Join the movement! Four million strong and counting, hip, young chicks with sticks are putting a whole new spin on knitting — while turning last fall's Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook into a surprise national bestseller (from The New York Times to the L.A. Times to BookSense) with 215,000 copies in print. So influential is the book that the number of Stitch 'n Bitch knitting groups tripled in the past six months — spawning a Stitch 'n Bitch Nation.

Written by Stitch 'n Bitch author Debbie Stoller, Stitch 'n Bitch Nation features 50 hip, new, even funkier and more fabulous patterns by Stitch 'n Bitch designers, who come from San Francisco to Brooklyn, Chicago to Cambridge to St. Paul, Minnesota. The Om Yoga Mat Bag. Felted Monster Slippers. The London Calling Union Jack Sweater, because even punks get cold in winter. A Double-Duty Shrug. Polka Dot Tankini. That '70s Poncho. The Boob Tube. Spiderweb Capelet, Cabled Newsboy Cap, Chunky Baby Booties and Baby Bunny Hat. And the most ingenius project, a Knit-Your-Own Rock Star doll — with a choice of Joey Ramone or Henry Rollins. All designs are complete with full-color photographs and step-by-step instructions, and are made from sexy, contemporary yarns, including multicolored angora, alpaca, lace, and mohair. Includes the best tips, shortcuts, and techniques from Stitch 'n Bitchers, profiles of knitters and their groups, and a how-to refresher on all the stitches used in the book.

"With its spiffy prose and no-fail instructions, Stoller's 2003 Stitch 'n Bitch made it doable — easy, even — for gals (and the occasional guy) to knit up a cool bag or a happening scarf in a few nights. The book's sequel is a bit like the follow-up to many great movies: it draws you in, but doesn't pack anywhere near the punch of the first one, probably because the first one set the bar so high. Still, Stoller should have no problem packing the theaters, as it were: readers who've mastered most of the lessons in Stitch 'n Bitch will flock to it. Its opening section explains the complicated but worthwhile process of changing a pattern to suit your tastes: shortening sleeves, changing necklines, using a heavier or lighter yarn to create different effects, etc. Stoller uses her signature sharp, matter-of-fact voice to demystify these potentially confusing processes. After these lessons, the book takes a 180, launching into a smorgasbord of patterns for knitted designs ranging from the beautiful (sweaters like the Spiderweb Capelet and Clover Lace Wrap) to the hackneyed (a Two for Tea teapot cozy or been-there-done-that Roller Girl Legwarmers). Vignettes covering Stitch 'n Bitch knitting clubs from Arlington, Va., to Seattle, Wash., add a community feel, and the photos of models sporting knitwear superimposed on quintessential American backgrounds (Mount Rushmore, an urban Chinatown) add to the book's 'knitting for the masses' spirit." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

For the four million hip, young chicks with sticks, the author of Stitch 'n Bitch puts a whole new spin on knitting. Stoller's latest book, Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, features 50 new, even funkier and more fabulous patterns by designers who come from San Francisco to Brooklyn, Chicago to Cambridge to St. Paul.

A celebration of the whole Stitch 'n Bitch movement and phenomenon, Stitch 'n Bitch Nation features 50 fabulous, trendy patterns that Gen-Xers really want to wear and can't find in other knitting books. It includes A Double-Duty Shrug and Skirt, Polka Dot Tankini, That '70s Poncho, Cabled Newsboy Cap, Mudflap T, and a "Knit-Your-Own Rock Star Doll." New York Times best-selling author Stoller profiles the most interesting Stitch 'n Bitch groups, gives 200 invaluable tips, shortcuts, and advice, and shows you how to make any pattern your own.

Debbie Stoller is the bestselling author of the Stitch'n Bitchseries of knitting books and calendars. She comes from a long line of Dutch knitters, has a Ph.D. from Yale in the psychology of women, and is the editor-in-chief of Bustmagazine. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.