On the Need to Become Craftier: Inspiration to Help an Often Underdeveloped Section

August 08, 2007

By Melissa Lion

According to the recent New York Times article "The Knitting Circle Shows Its Chic," needlecrafts are a $1.07 billion industry. Women with pointy sticks and thread or yarn are a force to be reckoned with. In many bookstores, however, the selection of knitting books and other craft-related titles doesn't reflect the intensity that today's crafters feel for their hobbies. Instead crafting sections are often a source of apathy for a bookstore. The different-sized books, the seemingly endless subsections, and what feels like a constant flow of crafting books from publishers add up to disorganized shelves and frustrated booksellers and crafters alike.

By using the section's real estate better -- creating a small deep selection of craft books instead of one that's too broad and difficult to manage -- you'll improve the experience for both the shop and the shopper.

Serious crafters look for reference books. "If you want the real knitters, you've got to have serious design books that are more creative, fashionable, and well produced," said Alison Hansel, author of Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter (Wiley), a collection of whimsical patterns for children and adults based on the Harry Potter books and movies. "Books from Interweave Press [like Scarf Style and Lace Style], from Stewart, Tabori & Chang [like Last Minute Knitted Gifts and Loop-d-Loop], from Potter Craft, and Lark Publishing." Additionally, Hansel recommends always carrying classic books by Vogue Knitting, Elizabeth Zimmerman, Mary Thomas, Maggie Righetti, Barbara Walker, and Ann Budd, and "less of those 'learn to knit quick, easy, easy, easy' types of books." Like a variety of traditional dictionaries in the reference section, classic craft reference books are the mark of a quality crafting section.

Crafters are a meticulous species. (Who else would spend hours making loop after loop for a pair of socks or hand sew a quilt?) So, appeal to that nature: After culling the crafting section, organize it by craft -- separate knitting from sewing and keep paper crafts and woodworking in their own subsections -- and then organize alphabetically by author within each sub-genre. Whenever possible, it's a good idea to display face-out books with lovely covers.

Amy Karol, whose Bend-the-Rules Sewing (Potter Craft), is a beautiful book appropriate to any level, noted, "Crafters are visual. The spines of books don't draw me in, the covers do. Seeing a book set up, facing out, and in plain view, that's when I notice it and buy it."

Karol's book, which has recently gone into its second printing, features home accessories and kids' clothing in crisp, bright, sweetly nostalgic photos that are typical of the new batch of craft books. Gone are the days of sterile photos of families wearing bulky sweaters and holding skis against a painted ski slope background. The photography in the latest batch of craft books is art in itself with many of the images and much of the tone of the book taken from authors' successful blogs.

Many new craft book authors are prolific bloggers whose sites spur the viral promotion of titles among today's net savvy crafters.

Karol's blog, Angry Chicken, is regularly found in most crafters' blogrolls. "Some bloggers are known for their craft book reviews," she said. "They know what they are talking about, and their opinion can really help sales."

Internet crafting superstar Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the author of three knitting memoirs, chronicled her book tour on her blog, yarnharlot.com, where she regularly documented her struggles to make bookstores understand that they should set up more than 30 chairs for her event. The photos from her events capture knitters sitting in those 30 chairs, on the floor, standing shoulder to shoulder in aisles, and leaning against bookcases.

Hansel's Blue Blog is the home of sockapalooooza, a knitting sock exchange, where knitters are paired with a pal for whom they will knit socks. More than 1,000 knitters all over the world are participating in the exchange with thousands more keeping track of the knitters' progress.

Another addition to the world of craft information exchange on the web is Ravelry, a MySpace page for fiber crafters with more than 25,000 members signed up or on a waiting list to be invited. The site will only intensify crafters' exchange of ideas and information, leading to fiber trends that will be more widespread, and to larger book sales.

Crafters not only look to each other for craft inspiration, but most craft blogs have a separate book category where the blogger will list books she is currently reading and reviews of books she has read. Karol explained, "I think I have a book disorder. Actually, I know I do. I look at book covers a lot, too. The subject isn't important -- just the books themselves are very inspiring to me visually."

Sandra Foose, whose Paper Quilts: Turn Traditional Quilt Motifs Into Contemporary Cards and Crafts will be released in October by Potter Craft, draws inspiration from all sections of a bookstore. As a former food stylist, she focuses on cookbooks, gardening, antique guides, and quilting books. "I have two double closets full of books. Resource books are a wonderful source of inspiration," Foose said.

Though crafters can sometimes find themselves in the timesink of clicking from one craft blog to another, all crafters get out and shop -- and they ardently support their local independent craft stores. If bookstores were to reach out to this vibrant community, book sales would follow.

"We're paying top dollar for yarn (usually about $100 for one sweater) and will definitely pay for good pattern books," said Hansel. "You'd think we'd have enough yarn or enough pattern books at some point, but somehow, no, we can always justify more!"

Karol agreed, "Craft book buyers are like cookbook buyers -- you can never have enough craft books. So if you engage a crafter, and they buy a good craft book at your shop once, they will buy again." Both women suggest a regular craft night at bookstores. Hansel's knitting group meets at her local independent bookstore. "When we knitters get together, we often talk books, and sometimes we get up and buy a book someone recommends right there during knitting!"

Bookstores might also consider creating a crafting book group, one where group members would meet to discuss a pre-chosen book, but they would craft while discussing the title. Stitchnbitch.org has a list of knitting groups by city and knitty.com hosts a lively virtual coffeehouse chat that covers everything from book reviews to knitting groups bookstores could contact.

The Internet has certainly launched the newest crafting craze, one that will help ensure this billion-dollar industry keeps growing. But despite the virtual nature of today's crafting, all crafters love to touch and hold their crafts. They love to meet one another face to face. The fanaticism is always sensual, with crafters often describing the smell of yarn or the feel of a fabric. "Human beings are meant to create things by hand," said Foose.

Like books, crafts are integral to the development of the human mind and the peace in our souls. Crafters are a passionate group who flock to those who share a love of independence and creative thought. They exchange information with unrivaled enthusiasm and always have time to answer a question. A little like indie booksellers. It's time for the two groups to get acquainted.

Melissa Lion is the author of Swollen (Laurel Leaf) and Upstream (Wendy Lamb). She was a bookseller for five years, and began knitting the same year she learned the importance of F16 in IBID.

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