You Need This Book! The Yarn Barn of Kansas Required Reading List

Book Club Podcast: Fiber art veterans Susan Bateman and Melissa Parsons compare notes with host Anne Merrow about the books every weaver, spinner, knitter, and crocheter should have on the bookshelf—plus big news about a classic weaving directory.

They’re the first books you reach for, the ones you’ll never part with, and the first thing you recommend to every new crafter. If you have only one book on weaving, spinning, knitting, and crochet, make it one of these. In this episode of the Long Thread Podcast, three book lovers talk about what reading material we’d never be without.

Multishaft Weavers

Technique Books

Learning to Weave by Deborah Chandler

The classic book on four-harness weaving, this updated edition includes clear and approachable explanations, illustrations, and instructions for warping both from front to back and back to front.

Weaving for Beginners, Revised and Updated by Peggy Osterkamp

Another look at weaving fundamentals, Osterkamp’s thorough book is especially strong in back-to-front warping.

Pattern Directories

Big news for “The Green Book”—A Handweaver’s Pattern Book by Marguerite Porter Davison

The first version of Davison’s four-harness pattern directory was published in 1944, and weavers have been hunting for used copies since it went out of print decades later. A group of weavers has been quietly working on a major new edition, with new samples woven in color and contemporary drafts, which Schiffer Publishing will release in 2027! Handwoven and Yarn Barn of Kansas join the crowd of weavers eager to add the new book to our shelves.

A Weaver’s Book of 8-Shaft Patterns from the Friends of Handwoven, edited by Carol Strickler

Organized by structure and endlessly browsable, this is the book 8-shaft weavers keep within reach when dreaming up a new project.

Rigid-Heddle Weavers

Ashford Book of Rigid Heddle Weaving by Rowena Hart

A thorough guide to the fundamentals, this is unbeatable for its step-by-step warping and threading photography.

Inventive Weaving on a Little Loom by Syne Mitchell

This creative and ambitious book shows you ways of weaving that you never thought possible on a rigid-heddle loom. The useful "tech support" section offers troubleshooting suggestions for common mistakes.

Knitters

Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book

Clear, well organized, and full of photos and illustrations, this book has taken more knitters from scarves to sweaters than any other, with basics on everything from individual stitches to garment design.

Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt

For the knitter who wants to understand the mechanics behind every technique, this reference book dives deeply into the hows and whys of every knitting topic.

Crocheters

How to Crochet by Sara Delaney

Small, affordable, and exactly right for getting started.

The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop by Dora Ohrenstein

Once you’re past the basic stitches, this book teaches you construction, shaping, texture, and other intermediate and advanced topics.

Spinners

The Spinner’s Book of Yarn Designs by Sarah Anderson

Friendly, comprehensive instructions for yarns from simple plied yarns to complex layers of twist and grist. Don’t be fooled by the textured yarns on the cover—this is not just for art-yarn spinners; Anderson’s studies on durability and suggestions for use make this a must-have for any spinner.

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius

The Field Guide to Fleece by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius

Not just for spinners, these fiber resources—the one always on your bookshelf and the smaller version you take to a festival—include details about the sources, traits, and uses of more animal fibers than you ever knew existed.

Listen to our chat and tell us: Do you agree? What craft books make your must-have list?

This episode is sponsored by:

Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com to shop, learn, and explore.