New Book! Lena Corwin’s Made by Hand
Lena Corwin’s new book, Made by Hand, is as brilliant as it is beautiful! Made By Hand includes an incredible collection of projects, ranging from printed and dyed textiles to knit toys; from fabric origami to soap making; from sewn garments to weaving, and much more. We are excited to have a handful of these projects on display at Purl Soho right now!
Lena is known for celebrating beauty and craftsmanship through collaborations with an impassioned community of creators. Here, she has brought together an enormously talented group of crafters: Cal Patch, Jenny Gordy, Shabd Simon-Alexander, Jennifer Sarkilahti, Liane Tyrrel, Caitlin Mociun, Wendy Hanson, Jaime Rugh, Ilana Kohn, Emily Eibel, Sian Keegan and Erin Considine, with stunning photography by Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes.
These simple and effective projects are inspired by the classes Lena has held in her studio… classes Lena taught or curated or found herself wanting to take. Each project includes a materials list and step-by-step instructions, plus in-progress photographs which make you feel like Lena’s right next to you.
Purl Soho is honored and delighted to have contributed to the making of this fantastic book with the donation of some of Lena’s beautiful materials. Below are some images of projects from Lena’s book, as well as the materials you can find at Purl Soho to make your own versions!
Rotary-Printed Cloth Napkins with Lena Corwin

Try: Purl Soho’s Collection of Solids
Knitted Socks with Jenny Gordy

Jenny used: 2 skeins of Koigu’s Koigu Premium Merino and 1 skein of Anzula’s Squishy for the contrast yarn
Sewn Children’s Tops and Bottoms with Wendy Hanson

Wendy used for the Bottoms: 3/4 yard of 45-inch wide fabric (for Pants), 1/2 yard of 45-inch wide fabric (for Bloomers), 21 inches of 1/2-inch wide soft stretch elastic, 17 inches of 1/2-inch wide soft stretch elastic
Wendy used for the Tops: ½ yard of 45-inch wide fabric, 3/4 yard of 45-inch wide fabric, 11 inches of 1/8-inch soft stretch elastic
Try: Liberty of London’s Tana Lawn Classic or Seasonal prints along with Kokka’s Fine Solids
Woven Placemats with Jamie Rugh

Jamie used: ¾ yard of quilting-weight cotton fabric per placemat for the warp and 1 yard quilting-weight cotton fabric per placemat for the weft
Try: Liberty of London’s Tana Lawn Classic or Seasonal prints along with Robert Kaufman’s Brussels Washer or Rowan’s Shot Cotton
Knitted Cat Toys with Emily Eibel and Ilana Kohn

Emily and Ilana used: 1 skein of Madelinetosh’s Tosh Merino DK and 1 skein of Koigu’s Koigu Premium Merino
Freeform Knit Throw with Erin Weckerle

Erin used: 12 to 18 skeins of worsted weight yarn in a variety of colors
Try: Purl Soho’s Worsted Twist or search our entire collection of worsted weight yarns here
Sewn and Stuffed Toys with Sian Keegan

Try: our Shop by Color function! Or how about our red Spectrum Bundle? And for green felts, click right here!
Woven Camera Strap with Erin Considine

Erin used: 3 skeins of sportweight linen yarn in colors of your choice
Try: Louet’s Euroflax
To get a copy of Made By Hand, just click here. To read more about it, visit the book’s site here. Also, check out some behind-the-scenes videos here. And don’t forget to swing by our shop at 459 Broome Street in the Soho district of New York City to see some of these treasures in person!
PS: For Lena Corwin’s other book, Printed by Hand, click here… and for more books from the publishers Steward Tabori + Chang, including Purl Soho’s very own Joelle Hoverson’s three books, click here!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
What a womderful looking and sounding book. Off to have a better look. Xo
Wow, that looks like the perfect craft book.
Will someone please make me one of these? I don't weave but I do want one. Any Etsy suggestions appreciated. Thanks!! Love all your work.
Does this book offer tutorials on the projects? I am particularly interested in learning how to make this camera strap, does the book show how?
Hi Kristen-
Yes, this book shows you how to make all of the projects featured here.
Thanks for your question!
Molly