Number Five

One of the very best parts of book-writing is when you're all done, and have moved on to other projects, and almost forgotten all about the frustrations and the deadlines (I call this "Author-nesia"). It's a similar phenomenon to the way mothers forget about childbirth, and ensures the continuation of the species.

And then one fine day, you open the mailbox, and there's this surprise inside:

This is my fifth book. It's for kids and adults who want to learn to knit together, and I'm really proud of it. Some things I included that I think make it special:

• Projects that progress from super-simple to more challenging
• Clear and concise photos for every single step
• The tools you need to get started
• How and why to create swatches
• Measuring your knitting
• How to read a knitting pattern
• Yarn substitutions
• Blocking
• How and where to engage in the knitting community

And of course, the projects are super-fun. My personal favorite is the Dog Sweater, modeled by our very own Bailey, who is a complete ham for the camera. Phillip felt it was important to show him how nice he looks:

I'm also one of the models in the photos (yikes!) All of the knitting hands are mine, and there are a few shots of the rest of me having fun knitting with kids. I think you can tell that we really did have fun.

Of course, the book isn't only for kids. I wanted it to be an accessible jumping-off point for new knitters of any age. If anyone has ever asked you to teach them how to knit, please point them HERE, or better yet, haul them into your LYS/living room/lap, help them hold the string, and make a new knitter. We'll all be better for it.

Making New Knitters

View fullsize

The Knitting Lesson, by Hendrik Johannes Haverman, Amsterdam, 1857-1928.

I've been working on a book about knitting.  Specifically about adults and kids knitting together, which is a subject close to my heart.

This project calls for me to think like a new knitter, and remember what mattered most to me when I was first learning.  Since that was a long time ago, I've relied pretty heavily on my family, as newly-minted knitters, to keep me on track.

Lately I've gotten a little bogged down by the responsibility of it all.  It's such a privilege to pass on the thing you love.  The things we treasure are also our burdens to bear, if we care deeply about what happens to them.  But that's a pretty heavy point of view for a kids knitting book!

I mentioned this to my friend Karen F. who reminded me of one important thing:  No knitting book can have everything in it. 

Of course, she's right.  If anything, I should be making sure that the content is streamlined enough not to be intimidating.  Thanks, K - for saying the right thing at the right time.

I wonder if this means I should cut the chapter on Icelandic lace?