Modern crocheters who shun granny squares and frilly toilet-paper cozies will be delighted by the projects in Pop Goes Crochet. From the laid-back hoodie inspired by Cameron Diaz to a Gwen Stefani-esque punk-plaid shrug, a curvy handbag that's an homage to burlesque icon Bettie Page, and a "man-poncho" styled after the one worn by Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, each one is a tribute to a pop culture icon--and fun to make as well. For more out-of-the-ordinary, current crochet patterns, check out Cool Crochet by Melissa Leapman or Positively Crochet! by Mary Jane Hall.

Whether you're craving an authentic Sazerac, looking for a zippy libation to serve at your backyard barbecue (Watermelon Mojito, anyone?), or hoping to wow your dinner guests with the dazzling flavor combinations of gourmet cocktails, Mix Shake Stir has you covered. Author Danny Meyer, owner of the celebrated NYC restaurants Tabla and Grammercy Tavern (among others), collects 140 of his bartenders' favorite cocktail recipes in this book, from classics to innovative drinks to casual beverages for a crowd. Take it from the New York Times: "At this point in the cocktail craze, infusing a bottle of rye with ginger [...] can only win you friends."

In Tacos, chef and restaurateur Mark Miller "makes street food into art" (New York Times Book Review). After waxing rhapsodic about the tacos he's eaten at stands in Mexico, Miller shows home cooks how to make their own authentic, traditional tacos such as Pork Carnitas or Chicken with Mole Verde. He also shares recipes for breakfast tacos as well as his inventive "personal riffs" on the taco (such as Thai shrimp tacos, bacon taquitos with honey and red chili, and several tacos with vegetarian fillings). Recipes for a variety of salsas, sides, and drinks round out this mouth-watering book.

In their debut cookbook, Tennessee restaurateurs and Food Network stars Pat and Gina Neely serve up more than 120 of their favorite recipes with a full ration of the warmth and charm that fans of their TV show love. Sharing family stories as well as the personal significance of particular dishes, Pat and Gina hold forth on Memphis-style BBQ rub and sauce--and also divulge their recipes for perfect coleslaw, gumbo, collard greens, sweet potatoes, desserts, and more.

In this instructive and enticing book, author Fred Thompson (Barbeque Nation) explains how he was converted from the church of charcoal to join the 70 percent of Americans who grill using gas. Thompson offers tips on purchasing and using a gas grill--for those not yet initiated--and shares some neat tricks for getting wood-smoked flavor sans wood chips. Recipes span rubs, sauces, marinades, and a bevy of barbecue-ables from every type of meat (including wild game) to grilled seafood, pizza, side dishes, vegetarian entrees, fruits, and desserts. Fire up the grill!

If you're in the market for home decor and furnishings, there are inexpensive treasures galore at thrift stores, secondhand boutiques, antique auctions, and yard sales. But how can you put your fabulous finds together and achieve a total effect other than Early Modern Hodgepodge? In The Vintage Home, Judith Wilson (former decorating editor of Homes & Gardens magazine) guides readers through selecting and arranging vintage furniture and accessories to create the style you want, whether it's country, retro, modern, or urban.

In this age of telecommuting, home offices aren't just for small business owners anymore. For those who want an office consisting of more than laptop-plus-chair, this book offers help not only with building desks, cabinetry, and shelving, but also with planning and designing an office to fit your particular needs and the space that you have available. Professional woodworker and author Niall Barrett covers the basics of office layout, good lighting, ergonomics, and more and gives step-by-step instructions for building 12 modular office pieces. For additional furniture designs, also check out Danny Proulx's Build Your Own Home Office Furniture.

Are you eager to give your home a new look but short on money, time, or both? In addition to demonstrating a variety of ways to refinish, reupholster, and repurpose furniture that's either well-worn or merely dull, professional stylist Helen Carey shows readers how to make attractive and inexpensive replacement slats for vertical blinds, recover a used lampshade frame, and build a room-divider screen (among other things). The more than two dozen quick and economical projects in this book are suitable for DIY beginners, and the gallery sections illustrate even more inspiring re-dos.

This authoritative guide to the woodworking techniques necessary for building tables, boxes, drawers, and more collects articles from past issues of Fine Woodworking magazine. It also covers the basics of hinges, locks, veneering, and inlay that make projects both functional and handsome. Beginning and experienced woodworkers alike can benefit from the six books in this series, which offer instruction ranging from fundamentals (The Basics of Craftsmanship) to creating original pieces from scratch (Practical Design).

Refurbishing used furniture--particularly when its upholstery needs to be replaced--can be intimidating. Packed with detailed information about tools,  techniques, and fabrics, The New Upholstery provides thorough, step-by-step instruction in the craft and 18 projects that even novice upholsterers can tackle. Whether you want to start with a simple footstool or rise to the challenge of reupholstering a leather club chair, this book will help you recognize quality used furniture that's worth the overhaul and take you through the process of remaking it from the inside out.

There's a certain mystique surrounding woodworking that can make it seem a daunting craft to learn--and, as this book points out, the "macho culture of lumberyards" doesn't help. Author Marilyn MacEwen, a professional woodworker, acknowledges her craft's high intimidation factor and then dismantles it with clearly laid out information and steady encouragement. Covering not only the basics of wood, tools, and techniques but also how to read woodworking plans and understand the jargon of the trade, MacEwen offers 16 gorgeous projects to make, including a bed, a chair, a CD cabinet, and a dining room table.

Woodworkers looking for a significant project to tackle need look no further than Beds. This "lavishly illustrated" (Library Journal) book provides plans and complete, step-by-step instructions for building nine classic beds, including a relatively simple platform bed as well as a Windsor bed, a Shaker-style bed, a pencil-post bed, and a sleigh bed. Just imagine furnishing your own boudoir with one of these beauties; it gives a whole new meaning to the saying about making your bed and lying in it.