In time for the one year anniversary of the 2011 earthquake in Japan, a collection of essays and stories by Japanese writers on the devastating disaster, its aftermath, and the resolve of a people to rebuild. On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake occurred off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a 50-foot tsunami that crushed everything in its path—highways, airports, villages, trains, and buses—leaving death and destruction behind, and causing a major radiation leak from five nuclear plants. Here eighteen writers give us their trenchant observations and emotional responses to such a tragedy, in what is a fascinating, enigmatic and poignant collection.

On a cold afternoon in a cold little town, where everywhere you looked was either the white of snow or the black of soot from chimneys, Annabelle found a box full of yarn of every colour. It seemed like an ordinary box. But it turned out it wasn't.

In these two novellas, Kimura Yūsuke explores human and animal life in northern Japan after the natural and nuclear disasters of March 11, 2011. Kimura inscribes the “Triple Disaster” into a rich regional tradition of storytelling, incorporating far-flung voices and experiences to testify to life and the desire to represent it in the aftermath of calamity. ​ In Sacred Cesium Ground, a woman from Tokyo travels to volunteer at a cattle farm known as the “Fortress of Hope,” tending irradiated animals abandoned after the reactor meltdown. The farm closely resembles an actual ranch that has been widely covered in Japan, and the story’s portrayal of those who stubbornly care for animals in spite of the danger speaks to the sense of futility and meaningfulness in the wake of traumatic events. Isa’s Deluge depicts a family of fishermen whose crotchety patriarch draws on old tales of the floods that have plagued the region to fashion himself as the father of the tsunami. Together, the novellas present often-unheard voices of one of Japan’s peripheral regions and their anger toward the government and Tokyo for mishandling and forgetting their part of the country. Kimura’s command of dialect and conversational language is masterfully translated by Doug Slaymaker. Postapocalyptically surreal yet teeming with life, Kimura’s stories will be a revelation for readers looking for a new perspective on the disaster’s consequences for Japan and on the interrelated meanings of human and animal lives and deaths.

Holiday time is magical in Sea Harbor, as the Seaside Knitters turn winter yarns of deep reds, greens, and golds into gifts. But when murder comes to this small New England town, they must set aside their needles to pursue justice—and restore joy to the season. In Sea Harbor the scent of snow fills the salty air, and at Izzy’s Seaside Yarn Studio, the Knitters feast on cookies, knit their gifts, and plan their holiday gatherings. Across town, Mary Pisano is sparing no expense to transform the estate she inherited from her grandfather into a bed-and-breakfast. When the Pisano family gathers for their annual meeting, Mary offers to put up her cousins in the refurbished family home, hoping to dispel any ill will over her inheriting the estate. But hard feelings are likely the cause when Mary’s cousin Pamela is found dead on the B and B’s snowy back porch. While the Seaside Knitters begin unraveling the case, Izzy Chambers is knitting her brow over her own mystery—the mystery of love. As the holiday draws nigh, the four friends will need all their crafty know-how to solve the crime and restore holiday peace—and the magic of mistletoe—to Sea Harbor.

The world’s first comic-strip knitting book, Knitstrips presents 22 original patterns, boundless humor, and seriously appealing knitting instruction Inspired, original, and laugh-out-loud funny, knitstrips are patterns and knitting instruction mixed with advice and humorous commentary—and presented in illustrated comic book panels. Launched in 2016 on the mega-popular knitting site Modern Daily Knitting, the strips gained instant popularity and have attracted thousands of avid fans. The book includes 22 brand-new patterns and is designed to mimic a bound collection of comic books in a series: each “issue” with its own cover and wry theme—from yarn stashes to binge knitting—that is close to the heart of knitters. Issues offer four to six knitting patterns each, plus designer highlights and a variety of stories and technical discussions. The result is a fresh, lively knitting adventure that is like nothing the fiber world has seen before.

Japanese stitch patterns are eye-catching and much sought after by devotees, but before now, they often seemed out of reach, whether locked behind Japanese-only instructions or tangled up in difficult-to-decipher illustrations. Japanese Stitches Unraveled offers 150 rare patterns inspired by these elusive and intricate Japanese stitch designs, along with fully illustrated charts, familiar symbols, and clear instructions for every single stitch. Each stitch pattern receives Bernard’s unique four-direction makeover—topdown, bottom-up, back-and-forth, and in-the-round. To showcase the knitting in action, Bernard also includes instructions for six garments as well as her famous formulas for knitting without a pattern.

"A "Locavore's Guide to Knitting" of sorts, this book showcases 30 beautiful fashion, acceessory and home dčor projects made exclusively with yarns manufactured and sold in the USA. As well as offering thoughtful, in-depth profiles of the businesses and yarns, the text raises awareness of the importance of preserving local business, ecological sustainability and humane treatment of livestock. Finally, it is a stunning book of fashion (accessories too): gorgeous projects for all skill levels in a variety of American-made yarns"--