For Custom Knits, Anna Christian, our graphic designer, worked on many versions of the cover. Here are 3 that we liked but didn't make the cut.

Click here to see a gallery of images from the book and the the cover that "won."

We work with wonderful graphic designers on STC Craft books. After we send them photographs and sample copy (often a year or more before a book actually goes on sale), they design sample spreads. And once we've approved those, they generally work through 4 passes--over the course of many months--during which time the design and text are refined. Inevitably, there are times when we are unable to use a few of the most beautiful spreads.  When I suggested to Brooke Reynolds, the graphic designer of Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin (photographs by Thayer Gowdy), that we share some of those deleted "scenes," she jumped at the opportunity and sent me these spreads.

This is the original table of contents. Each circle shows a snippet of the artwork Lena designed for a project in the book.

This is the original introduction to chapter one. We ended up cutting it to 1 page because we were short on space.

We didn't have room for the photo of Lena working on the artwork for the Cafe Apron, but we did use the photo of her drawing pad in the section of Chapter 1 about transforming a design idea into artwork for printing.

To see more of what Brooke is up to, check out her new blog. And, while you're at it, check out Thayer's new blog too.

Here at STC Craft we're thrilled to celebrate the publication of Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey and Chika Mori. To see a gallery of images from the book, click here. To read a Q & A with Chika Mori, click here.  To read a Q & A with Therese Laskey, click here. And, for a limited time, to download free instructions for the adorable Squirrel Tea Cozy on the cover, click here.

We're working on a sock book with Judy Sumner. She has been sending the socks to me in batches for months now. Recently, I arranged all of them on a desk  in my office for a meeting with a photographer. Later on when I commented to Judy about how beautiful I thought they looked, she mentioned that she had never actually seen all of them in one place. So, here's a photo I took that day--for Judy's enjoyment and yours.

Check out Heather Ross's new blog. In addition to being a wonderfully talented fabric and clothing designer and illustrator whose book, Weekend Sewing, we'll be publishing in the beginning of 2009, Heather is also a great storyteller (which you'll find out right away when you start reading her blog), cook, and friend. On more than one occasion she's actually made me lunch and brought it to me at the office. And then there was the Italian truffle she dropped off for me as a surprise . . . and this sweet illustration, which arrived in my e-mailbox after I told her a story about my mood one weekend.