Marie Segares is the proprietress of Underground Crafter , and a proud member of The {NewNew}. Although she works with many types of crafts, for the past few years, she has been really focused on needle arts, especially crochet. She elaborates: "My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was about 9 and I have been going strong every since! 2007 was a big year for me, crochet-wise. I became a Certified Crochet Instructor and Certified Crochet Teacher through the Craft Yarn Council of America and I began teaching beginner and intermediate crochet classes. That made me really "up my game" in terms of my knowledge of crochet and the types of designs I make, since I had to be able to teach all sorts of things to my students. "

Marie loves designing things which combine the type of very strong craftsmanship and attention to detail that her grandmother showed her but with a more relaxed and modern look. " I design year round but I find myself most actively selling my handmade items during the fall and winter. This is probably because I love making hats so much, and especially cold weather hats. I started making hats in 2007 - before that, I mostly made blankets and baby clothes. Once I picked it up, it was like I couldn't stop. There are just so many variations in the styles and colors you can make with a crocheted hat, and I really love the process of shaping and the geometry that's involved with figuring out how to make the right size."

Recently, Marie's designs were chosen to be included in the book 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats by Annie Modesitt. Marie tells us about getting involved with the book: " When I heard about the idea for 1,000 Fabulous Knit Hats, of course I was determined to get some crochet designs in there. After all, there is no reason why crochet can not be as fabulous as knitting. I submitted 7 different hats, and all of them were included in the book. "

"To me, the book is more like an inspiration notebook than the typical pattern books you can buy. There are images of 1,000 different crochet and knit hats in a wide range of styles, sizes, color combinations, etc. Designers from all over the world are included, so there is tremendous variety. Every time I open the book, I feel inspired to make something new. I am very proud to be included in the book along with some of my favorite professional designers, and I hope that the winners of this giveaway feel as inspired as I do - either to create or to wear something totally new!"

You can win a copy of 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats!! We have TWO COPIES of this great book to give away! Here is how you win a copy:

1. You must sign up to follow this blog. If you already follow this blog, thank you.
2. Visit Marie's Etsy shop HERE
3. Come back and leave a post in comments that lets us know what your favorite item in her shop is.
4. In your comment, if you add a link to a tweet you did about this giveaway, a link to a blog entry you write about this giveaway, or a link to a facebook mention about this giveaway it counts as THREE extra entries. Do all 3 promos and get an extra TEN entries!
5. Good Luck! This giveaway will end Monday August 16 at 12:00 noon EST. Winners contacted via email. Winners must be in the USA only- sorry international readers.