Happy National Curmudgeon Day!

Best Quote I Heard All Day
“Time doth flit; oh shit.”  -- Dorothy Parker

Yes, it's been six months since I've written an entry here. Well, now that I've finished writing the interactive book and decided to dump being a senior technical writer/editor/trainer, I'm back to my original work. Knitting. I'll be editing a friend's Lopi designs book, doing my own design work, and writing the blog once a week.

So my friend Monica shot me a message on Facebook today to let me know that it's National Curmudgeon Day. No shit! You know, I'm far less curmudgeonly than I was. Yeah, I'm gonna be 63 in April and you'd think that I'd be even more cranky. Not. My publishing career began as assistant knit/crochet editor at the long-gone McCall's Needlework & Crafts...30 years ago. So the joy of designing and writing knitting shit has made me a fucking angel. Now you'll read what I'm doing and creating...although I'll still have a bit of crankiness, no doubt. Heh.

Vogue Knitting Live in NYC

Gotta tell you all to get your asses to Vogue Knitting Live. Two years ago, I went to the first one and had a blast. The Sunday before last, I trotted into the city to hang out at the Marquis Mariott where the NYC Vogue Knitting Live was held, and go to the Marketplace. The Marketplace was filled with wonderful companies. I discovered Neighborhood Fiber Co., which sells beautiful hand-dyed yarn. I'm using some of their sock yarn for my sock book.

 

Fabulous fun. Yes, there were tons of people there but it was swell talking to strangers. I chatted with these beginners who were fumbling with their needles and little garter stitch swatches.

 

Was so happy to see my friends Carol Sulcolski and Lars Rains. I'll be editing Lars's book--he's an incredible Lopi designer. Didn't see my boy Franklin because he was teaching. Nonetheless, going to Vogue Knitting Live is something all knitters should try to do. The next VKL will be in Seattle the beginning of April. I would love to teach at VKL. Yeah, I do have a specialized workshop that I plan on submitting to Trisha Malcolm next week. After all, I've spent many years teaching people how to knit as well as working as a technical trainer. But even if I don't teach at VKL, I will continue to go. It's the ultimate knitter's conglomeration! So get off your ass and sign up for one that is closest to you, either Seattle, Chicago, or New York City. Here's the link. Click THIS.

 

 

Mar's Interactive Book...Where the Fuck is it?

I did finish the book early September. A ton of writing. Originally, it was to be published this month. However, due to a backlog with the developers, the publisher has put it off until November, in time for Christmas. They will set up a web page soon, a landing page where you can read about the book and probably see the cover. "Interactive" means a pile of 38 videos, lots of pop-ups, links, and other stuff...like six of my designs for beginners.

 

When we filmed the videos, it was 100+ degrees that August day. Brett Bara, who does a crafts DIY show, did the videos. Sure, I could have done them but the publisher wanted someone who had experience in being filmed. Brett did a great job. Here's Brett and me at the shoot, sweating.

 

 

 

 

Over and Done

So next week, I'll put up some pictures of my design work for the sock book that I will self-publish and put up on Ravelry. The first sock book will be cuff-down lace socks. Here's one, called Diamonds Are a Girl's BFF socks. The next sock book will be Fair Isle socks, then textured socks, and finally cabled socks.

Writing a book is so rare and handy! And a load of stressful work But my mother is so proud of me. You know, Ellie will be 90 in August and still knits like a lunatic.

 

Later, skanks. Be back next week.

 

 

 

The Time is Ten Bloggin' Years

Best Quote I Heard All Day
"You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic"--Calvin & Hobbes

The 10th anniversary is tin. So send me some fucking cans! I'll knit some moronic can covers.

Ten years ago today I started screwing around with Blogger. My first entry was a review of Vogue Knitting Fall 2002. After that, I started squawking. August 16th entry started Best Quote I Heard All Day, "Rare and handy" appeared thereafter.

This blog was a total grief therapy...and still is, to some degree. When Jimmy died in January 2002, I was a lost soul. I will never stop grieving. By July, I needed something that would connect me to people with whom I shared the same interests. Fiber crap.

Besides keeping my brain focused on writing, this blog has given me wonderful friends, who began as Tontant Weaders. No matter how cranky I could get, my love for every reader was the most important. I don't just write for myself, although writing is something that has been part of me since age 7, right when I learned how to knit. Here's me when I started the blog.

Ten years later, here I am at 62.

My hair's a little shorter now...this picture I took with my Macbook last month. So 10 years aging, not too bad. I don't feel like an old bitch. Heh.

Now that I'm back to writing a book plus my two blogs, life is happy. My one regret is that Jimmy never read the blog, although he was with me when I first set up the Knitting Curmudgeon web site on AOL, back in 1998. He laughed his ass off but he himself was the Ship Modeler Curmudgeon, always barking at the New Jersey Ship Model Society meetings, which he founded. He was the one who encouraged me to learn everything about knitting. He was a well-known writer and ship modeler, I was his editor for his book and articles. For 33 years, we leaned on each other.

Therefore, I dedicate this blog to that rare and handy man. I know he's looking down from above and saying, "Keep writing, honey. Don't fucking stop."

Later, skanks. Love you all.

Silly Frilly Yarn, Undercover Lace, and Knitting Careen...Career

Best Quote I Heard All Day
"Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him to the public." Winston Churchill

The truth. Right now, my book is in the Master phase. I shouldn't take time off to write this blog entry but I need a break.

Always loved new knitters. While up in Maine in June with friends John and Mary Jean, I taught her how to knit. She was having a lot of anxiety over a family issue so I went and bought her that Boye Beginner's Knit Kit along with two skeins of junky acrylic, which was all I could find up there. Focusing on knitting seemed to help her feel a little better. That's why I'm happy to write this how-to book. Maybe it will help other people feel better when they pick up the stix.

Yeah, I had to put my sock book away but I plan on publishing it by November at the latest.

Silly Fucking Frilly Yarn
WTF are yarn companies thinking? That these stupid ruffly yarns are nice? NOT. They're a pain in the ass to knit. Frankly, if you want some ruffles, knit them. Buy Nicky Epstein's "Knitting on the Edge" book and do it yourself.

I have never been a fan of silly yarn. Yeah, Fun Fur, the original silly yarn. Now there are shitloads of this crap. Make your own textures. Granted, that takes a certain amount of skill but there are too many lazy knitters encouraged by this garbage.

Undercover Lace
Waiting for the yarn for the book--Universal Yarn is contributing their great Deluxe Worsted with which I'll do samples of knitting plus three designs--I still need something for my hands when I'm not writing. So I grabbed some Universal Yarn Garden 10, a fabulous Egyptian cotton laceweight, and started doing my "Ellie's Scarf" design. Yes, this is one I created for Mom. Gawd, she'll be 89 next month and still knits like the rest of us loonies. Here it is, on the needles.

I'll probably put the pattern up on Ravelry if you want it. Once I finish the book, I'm going to submit a couple of sock designs to one or two of the mags. Most likely Vogue Knitting first.

Knitting Careen...Career?
At 62, I still feel like I'm 32. Go figure. When I was 33, I got the job at McCall's Needlework & Crafts. Now, almost 30 years later, I want to go back to publishing, work as a knitting or directions editor. Not that there are many of those jobs out there but some of my friends have been pushing me to do an online knitting mag. If I do, I would make it a traditional knitting magazine because that's where my head's at. Even though I haven't knitted other people's designs in four years, my favorite designers are those who are classic. Not to mention EZ, there's Alice Starmore, Beth Brown-Reinsel, Sharon Miller, Deborah Newton, my dear Kristin Nicholas, Gwen Bortner, Kathy Zimmerman, Veronik Avery, and a bunch of others.

You know, I'm allowed to put quotes in my book. So the first is one from EZ, the second one from the Yarn Harlot. Maybe I should put my own in--Knit rare and handy, skanks. Waddya think? Nah, I'm sure the publisher won't go for that one. Heh.

Later, skanks. I'm back to writing...and mourning the deaths of those poor souls in Colorado. The next post will be for the blog's 10th anniversary on the 25th. Jeez. Ten years of this. Holy shit.