Take up your hook and with the expert guidance of crochet and amigurumi expert Sarah-Jane Hicks, recreate the wonderful world of Aardman Animations’ beloved twosome, Wallace & Gromit! 

Taking inspiration from the short films A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and A Matter of Loaf and Death, crochet eight of the key characters from these ripping yarns; ‘props’ including the Cooker and Rocket from A Grand Day Out; and sheep from A Close Shave. You can also make the characters’ accessories and costumes!

These include: Gromit’s raincoat and sou’wester from The Wrong Trousers, Shaun the Sheep’s trademark woolly jumper (from A Close Shave), and master criminal Feathers McGraw’s ‘cunning disguise’…

Sarah-Jane Hicks introduces the key crochet techniques required to make up the characters, then features the patterns required with images of the finished works, all enhanced with stills from the films they appear in.

Featured characters include: Wallace, Gromit, Feathers McGraw, Shaun the Sheep, Wendolene Ramsbottom, Piella Bakewell, Preston the cyberdog and Fluffles the poodle.

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The only instructional book on watercolour painting you will ever need!

Whether you are just starting out with watercolour painting, or you’re looking to push the boundaries and take your skills to the next level, this book contains all the inspiration and practical know-how needed to create perfect paintings and wonderful watercolour designs.

With passion on every page, you can discover:

-A step-by-step photographic guide to over 90 techniques and top tips on watercolour paintings
-Showcase spreads include stand-out paintings to analyse how the artist achieved particular effects
-Comprehensive range of techniques suitable for both beginners and experienced painters

This awe-inspiring art book starts from the very basics, such as choosing the right brushes and practising colour mixes, and then offers a plethora of tips and tricks to creating the most wonderful watercolour designs, tackling all techniques, from composition to colour theory, graduated tones to glazed tints, monochrome and more!

Each technique and stylistic approach is demonstrated by a professional artist working on an original painting, which is photographed at different stages of development to give unique insights into the artistic process involved. Tried the techniques but don’t know what to paint? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Explore a diverse range of themes, subjects and topics. From perspectives to portraits, still life to sunsets, fur and feathers, to painting the weather – there’s something for everyone to discover and love.

Did you know that interest in watercolour has increased by 25% in the last five years? So whether you’re looking to try out a new skill this New Year or perfect your paintings even further, then this may be the book for you!

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National treasure hunt

Fromage Frais! Del Boy Trotter is on the run, with dodgy detective Roy Slater hot on his heels. With the manhunt going from Peckham to Hull and from Margate to Miami, will the long arm of the law finally catch up with him?

The police chase plays out over ten minutely detailed, search-and-find artworks, with Peckham Echo front pages, articles and adverts also dropped in throughout, to move the story along.

In this immersive plunge into the world of Only Fools and Horses, finding Del Boy is just the beginning. The pages are packed with artful clues, in-jokes and subtle references to all 64 episodes, testing the sleuthing skills of life-long fans of the classic show.

Can Del Boy dodge the detective? Mange tout!

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Which nations have launched which animals into space?
Which countries have no sea views?
Where were our planet’s now-extinct species last sighted?
Who is behind the great avocado boom?
Where can you hug the world’s oldest trees?

With infographic maps covering the entire globe, Wild Maps will delight cartography fans and nature lovers, as well as anyone with an interest in all that is fascinating and awe-inspiring on Planet Earth (and beyond).

Beautifully designed and illustrated, Wild Maps is an eye-opening celebration of our world, and the plants and animals with whom we share it.

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23 knitting patterns for jumpers and cardigans to last a lifetime

Combining her love for the outdoors and knitting, Linka Neumann presents patterns for Scandi-style jumpers, cardigans and a headband that will keep you warm and dry, no matter how rough the weather is.

Drawing on traditional Norwegian knitting methods, these designs for thick, woolly knits are not only comfortable and cosy, but also represent an authenticity and style that has stood the test of time. Linka takes inspiration from nature and wildlife for her fresh yet timeless designs. From the Norwegian forests, snow-covered landscapes and fjords to reindeer, wolves and her beloved Husky dogs.

Many of the designs come with variations to suit all tastes, whether you prefer a jumper or a cardigan, a thick or thin garment, sewn-on arms or round yokes. The patterns include instructions for a range of sizes and for both female and male body shapes. There is also a pattern for making Linka’s signature Wilderness Sweater in children’s size.

The projects are showcased in a stunning Norwegian landscape that will make you yearn for the outdoors. And no matter how long or short your adventure, you will be cosy in your bespoke, home-knitted jumper. These knits chime with an eco-conscious, anti-fast fashion sentiment and will literally last you a lifetime of adventuring!

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In his ‘illuminated’ books, William Blake combined his handwritten text with his exuberant imagery on pages the like of which had not been seen since the great decorated books of the Middle Ages. To have Blake’s great prophetic poems – Jerusalem and Songs of Innocence and of Experience, for example – in cold letterpress bears no comparison to seeing and reading them in Blake’s own medium, with his sublime and exhilarating colours.

This edition, produced together with The William Blake Trust, contains all the pages of Blake’s twenty or so illuminated books reproduced in true size, an appendix with all Blake’s text set in type and an introduction by the noted Blake scholar, David Bindman.

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