Mandy Moore's Blog, page 118

Now we're just getting nosy

We're getting near the end of Loooooove week. What? Here…we explain it all on Monday's post.

The lucky winner of yesterday's "Name your fictional town" contest, chosen by Rachael herself: Becca, who wrote, "I would name the town Lester, as a bad joke on the pronunciation of Leicester."  Congrats, Becca — you'll be receiving a copy of Rachael's brand-new book, HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME!

Today's the last day of our probing questions with Rachael. Tomorrow, we have an extra-special surprise for everyone and the biggest prize this week! Don't miss it!

Rachael and Lala

Knitty: How did knitting and romance find themselves together in your novels?

Rachael: I've always been a writer, but I was, for a long time, a more "serious" writer. I wanted to write Great Things (which, of course, never got written, as things with such weight attached to them often don't). Then in 2006,  I took part in National Novel Writing Month (an online challenge to write a novel in the month of November). I knew, that Halloween night, that I had one evening to figure out what I was going to speed-write a novel about. I knew I loved two things: romance and knitting, and perhaps if I wrote about what I loved, the going might be easier. And it sure was. I put a knitter and a sheep rancher together (both need wool, but not for heat; they generate enough of their own), and they took over the story. It was a fun, wild ride, and I realized at the end of the month that I loved my little book, and that it was better written than my serious stuff ever was. Over the next year I doubled its length and did revisions, and eventually took it out to find agent representation, and the rest is history.

K: Has anyone you loved (romantically) ever knit for you?

R: Oh, yes. An old boyfriend learned to crochet just so he could make me a yellow afghan, in honor of the first short story I ever published. And my wife, Lala, knits me socks. In fact, she's almost done with my Christmas pair! (From 2009, okay, but they're coming! 75% done!)

K: What is in the water in Cypress Hollow? It seems to attract hot men like bees to honey.

R: Ha! Someone once pointed out to me that it seemed like all the men in Cypress Hollow had great butts. I never knew I was someone who really appreciated that side of a man until I reread some of my work—yes, the heroine always, at some point, is behind the hero, admiring the view. Huh. Illuminating.

And then, of course, there are the men like Elbert Romo and Pete Wegman, the older ranchers and town locals who probably had great backsides in their time, but are now more well known for being loving and kind and funny, and I adore them just as much.

K: Is Cypress Hollow based on a real town or a whole bunch of towns that you've spliced together?

R: It changes—when I first created it, I thought I was making it up. Now, I realize that I've drawn from many small towns I've known. In my head, it's a cross between tiny Pescadero (south of Half Moon Bay) and the coastal ranching town I lived in during my teens (Arroyo Grande). And when people from small towns write to me and say that I got it just right, that people really DO interact the way they do in my books, it makes me feel fantastic.

K: Would you rather own a yarn store or book store?

R: Bookstore! For sure. No, wait. Yarn store! Seriously, interesting question. I hadn't ever stopped to consider the fact that my first heroine, Abigail, owns a yarn store, and my second heroine, Lucy, owns a bookstore. I worked in a small-town bookstore for five years, so I know that commerce, that kind of trade, better than I know the yarn industry, but I certainly know the PRODUCT sold in yarn stores. But my brain is so tied now to being at my desk, creating worlds, that it would be hard to work retail in any form. I consider those who own yarn and bookstores my heroes, and I respect their chutzpah and bravery in the face of today's often stormy economy. I pledge to continue to do my part in the form of purchases!

It's our last book-day giveaway…maybe today will be your lucky day!

This time, to win, leave a comment to this post by Thursday, March 10th at midnight, eastern time. In your comment, tell us what your fictional heroine does for a living. Rachael will pick her favorite and that lucky person will win a copy of HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME.

See you here again tomorrow for the big finale! A present for everyone AND the biggest prize yet!

WWW: Now with added Rachael!

The love started Monday…if you're wondering what's going on today, take a peek!

The lucky winner of yesterday's "Name the novel you'd write that would combine knitting and your favorite genre contest", chosen by Rachael herself: Jennifer B who wrote "Anjuli – It was in a wonderful novel called The Far Pavilion by M. M. Kaye, and I have always loved it."

Congrats, Jennifer — you'll be receiving a copy of Rachael's brand-new book, HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME!

And now, onto day 3 of the week of Looooooove!

Knitty: Are you ever tempted to pull stories from the news into your fiction, or do you want the world you create to be free of that stuff?

Rachael: I can honestly say I'm never tempted to pull the news in—I listen to NPR three or four days a week, and I feel I'm usually pretty up on the news, but there's nothing that dates a manuscript more than reading old news (unless it's being done for a specific purpose, to ground a novel in a particular time). I like my novels to stand alone, politically neutral (although there is an occasional mention of current things that I really love, like Twitter and Ravelry—those things will still be big in a few years, right?).

K: Will Cypress Hollow have its own web page…or blog?

R: Actually, Mildred tweets! She gives us the low-down on Cypress Hollow.

K: How do you find the time to work full time, write novels, knit and still be a pleasant and lovely person?

R: You're TOO KIND. Normally, in life, I run pretty fast. I wake up ready to go, and I go-go-go until bedtime. I'm not good at relaxing (until I try really hard, and then I get TOO good at relaxing and don't want to do any work—that happened last week).

But really, the first thing to go is the knitting. After all, I have to write, and I have to work (luckily, I can sometimes knit in the down times at work, which is a blessing—at least a little bit gets done), but I don't actually HAVE to knit to survive, you know. But we all have lots of hours in the day, it's just about how you use them. No matter what, I have a pair of socks-on-the-go in my purse, and I knit them when I'm at the movies or standing in line. When I'm hanging out with friends, I knit. I write early in the morning, before work. Sure, I get tired, but it's what I love, and it's worth it. Also, I don't have kids, like a lot of my writer friends do. I don't know how THEY do it.

A few hundred thousand of the millions.

In honor of the centenary of International Women's Day, a group called SitAndKnitABit in the UK has organized the 100 Million Stitches project.  Designed to mark the anniversary, and bring attention to the challenges and discrimination that women have faced over the years, and that continues today.

Let us introduce you to Mary Westwell, of Manchester, UK. For more than 10 years, Mary knitted dolls for sick children in the Manchester area, which she had her sons deliver to the children – entirely anonymously. She knitted over 2,000 dolls and toys over the years, and despite bids to find out who was behind the scheme, managed to keep it a secret. Mary gave her grandchildren permission to reveal her secret shortly before her death last month, at the age of 98.

In you're in the UK, add WoolFest 2011 to your calendar, June 24 & 25, held in Cumbria. This year's event promises to be the biggest ever, with a whole new floor of vendors added at the venue.

Let's give away another copy of Rachael's new book!

This time, to win, leave a comment to this post by Wednesday, March 9th at midnight, eastern time. In your comment, name the fictional town where you'd set your knitting-based novel. Rachael will pick her favorite and that lucky person will win a copy of HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME.

Good luck, y'all, and stay tuned…we've got prizes every day this week with a special big surprise on Friday, and lots more Rachael!

Spinning a tale with Rachael

The love started yesterday…if you're wondering what's going on today, take a peek!

The lucky winner of yesterday's "Name the novel you'd write that would combine knitting and your favorite genre contest", chosen by Rachael herself, is "Needle Me Knot, Little old ladies using unique methods to kill." She loved both the title and the premise.  Although it was DIFFICULT to pick, sez she. Winner is Sherry from Idaho. Congrats, Sherry — you'll be receiving a copy of Rachael's brand-new book, HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME!

And now, onto day 2 of the week of Looooooove!

Rachael and the cat of her heart, Digit*

Knitty: Your first novel was full of sheep and fiber and spinning!…but nothing in book two. Will it return?

Rachael: The spinning comes back in the third book, WISHES AND STITCHES (out in October). In fact, we see Eliza spinning, and the fiber she spins becomes integral to the plot (and hides a secret). And hey, I just learned to weave on my darling little Schacht Cricket loom! So there's nothing saying that weaving won't play a role somewhere, someday soon…..

K: Do you spin? What wheel(s) do you have?

R: I am passionate about spinning, although I'm only intermediate at it. The more classes I take, the more I realize that I'm a production spinner more than anything else. While the action is soothing, I really love having the finished product (I'm similar in knitting this way, too). I'm fast, and I use the long-draw method. I have two wheels, both Ashfords (my mother was from the town they're from, Ashburton, New Zealand): a Joy and a Traditional. I'd love a Majacraft someday—I think they're lovely.

K: What are you spinning right now?

R: Ooooh, I'm spinning a GORGEOUS yellow-brown merino/silk batt from Lisa Souza. I'm addicted to her batts. Now there's something I can spin without worrying about what I'm going to make from it—I just love spinning her stuff. Such colors! Such softness! (However, now that I think of it, I believe I'm going to spin it up and use it as the weft in a scarf with a dark brown warp. Oh, YUM.)

*One of the most amazing things I've ever read was the day that Rachael's cat Digit, lost for months and thought dead, came home. You must read it.

Today, we've got a copy of Rachael's new book for another lucky KnittyBlog reader!

This time, to win, leave a comment to this post by Tuesday, March 8th, at midnight, eastern time. In your comment, tell us what you'd name the heroine of the novel you've always wanted to write. Rachael will pick her favorite and that lucky person will win a copy of HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME. Good luck, y'all, and stay tuned…we've got prizes every day this week with a special big surprise on Friday, and lots more Rachael!

How would you combine these colors?

Jillian sez: There will be more spinning fun next week. I'll be continuing my investigations into marling. I want to explore how to use natural colors to make a variegated colorway go further and how to blend two colorways to create depth of color. Anything you'd like to see?

Welcome to the week of LooooooVE

we love this book.

Nope, it's not Valentine's Day any more…it's the week of love in print, specifically in the pages of Rachael Herron's newest novel, HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME, set in the fictional town of Cypress Hollow. Both Jillian and I got to read the book early, and we absolutely loved it. So we decided to make big hoopla when the book was finally available to y'all!

This week, we're celebrating the convergence of knitting and romance with daily giveaways, and peeks into the love-filled mind of author, knitter, spinner, and general all-around nice person, Rachael Herron*. Today, we start with a little getting-to-know-you stuff.

Knitty: Part of each novel you've written is focused on an original knitting pattern that you design. Where in the writing process does the sweater design fit in? Do you create the character around the sweater or is the sweater based on the character, or do they grow together as you write the novel?

Rachael: It's interesting—the way the patterns have grown along with the books is completely organic. If I'm struggling with the book, I'm struggling with the pattern. The man's raglan gansey in HOW TO KNIT A LOVE SONG went smoothly, as did most of the book writing. The women's cardigan in HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME was tricky for such a simple pattern—I had problems solving obvious issues, and had the same issues in the novel. (Plot? What? Collar? Really?) And when the book finally came together, so did that dang collar issue I'd been having [see the sweater below right]. It's like the writing and knitting paralleled each other exactly.

Rachael in Lucy's sweater...the pattern is in HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME

It's fun, though. In the first book, Abigail is a knitwear designer, and the man's sweater she designs ends up fitting our hero Cade to a T. In the second book, bookstore owner Lucy loves the last sweater her grandmother ever made, loves it so much she's desperate to recreate the sweater. And when I wear the prototypes of these sweaters, it's as if they catch some of the spirit of these fictional characters. I find it extremely fun.

K: Can we look forward to a Cypress Hollow pattern book one day? Or a yarn line?

R: I dream sometimes of a collection of Eliza Carpenter patterns. In the new novel, the heroine Lucy finds a rare copy of a precious pattern book (fictional, of course), but it makes me long to have the book for real. Wouldn't that be lovely? A coffee-table book called Silk Road, with Eliza's best patterns mixed in with stories of her life…. And then I remember that she's fictional too, and that I'd have to write it. But maybe someday!

K: Have you planned the whole series out? How many books can we look forward to?

R: I've got three more books (for a total of six) planned out at this point. I'm super excited to start working on them! The third is completely done and will be out in October: WISHES AND STITCHES. This one comes with a wedding shawl pattern (designed by Romi, since while I love knitting lace, I'm not up to designing it well yet).

So to start the week off right, how about we give away a copy of this book, eh? I say yes! Jillian says yes! Rachael says yes!

To win, leave a comment to this post by Monday, March 7th at midnight, eastern time. In your comment, tell us what you'd name the novel you'd write that would combine knitting and your favorite genre [romance, horror, mystery, whatever...it's up to you!]. Just the title, please.  Rachael will pick her favorite and that lucky person will win a copy of HOW TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME.

Good luck, y'all, and stay tuned…we've got prizes every day this week, and lots more Rachael!

*Rachael Herron received her MFA in writing from Mills College, and has been knitting since she was five years old. It's more than a hobby; it's a way of life. Rachael lives with her better half in Oakland, California, where they have four cats, three dogs, three spinning wheels, and more instruments than they can count. She is a proud member of the San Francisco Area Romance Writers of America and she is struggling to get better at playing the ukulele.

Knitty Friday: Surprise WIPs & FOs

Two very different projects in our latest surprise – the quick-knit Fallberry fingerless mitts, and a larger project, the Oranje colorwork cardigan.

HolySimian has an excellent Oranje in the works – she's calling it her Avocad(j)o.

Can't wait to see this grow!

And Vampy has chosen a totally different but just as wonderful colorway…

And fast, too! Ready for steeking!

Melrog's Fallberry mitts.

Great color choice.

Imagsay's version.

Hot drinks and mitts - ideal for the end of winter.

And AgnesTville's…

Sophisticated and lovely.

WWW: Marking an anniversary with yarn, Knitting for Health and the Periodic Table of Fibers

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Beautiful!

A stunning and very meaningful yarnbomb – a flower-festooned fence – created to mark the 1 year anniversary of the February 27th, 2010, earthquake in Chile that left many dead, injured and homeless.  The yarnbomb was installed on the fence of one of the destroyed buildings.  More pictures and detail at the link – note that the text is in Spanish.

A nice piece from CBS News' "The Early Show" about a Mayo clinic study that proves that knitting can help your health – keeping older minds sharp, assistance with stress and pain management, and even strengthening the immune system.

Did you say there would be lobster, too?

Whitehead Light Station, a historic light station on an Island off the coast of Maine, hosts all sorts of fabulous retreats and workshops. This coming September 2-7, friend of Knitty, Shannon Okey, is hosting a retreat, "Knitting from the Yarn Up".

This design and technique-intensive workshop is focused on understanding fundamentals such as measuring, sizing, and gauge, as well as exploring advanced knitting techniques and creating custom patterns and hand-dyed yarn. Developed for knitters with at least modest experience, this course will be enjoyed by all who strive to enhance their knitting skills and deepen their understanding of pattern development.

And the food and scenery are terrific, too! More details here.

Image copyright Nora Leonard Roy

Knitter and graphic artist Nora Leonard Roy offers this Periodic Table of Fibers for our enjoyment… Lots of excellent detail, the fibers are categorized by type – fine wool, longwool, down type, etc.

It's raining yarn in this promo video for Canada's Much Music TV station, featuring the band Hedley and their "Sweater Song".

And if you're in Toronto, consider spending the first Thursday of the month with the team from Worn Fashion Journal for their "Thursday night, your socks need mending" event. It's a mending night – they invite you to bring your worn out clothes for a night of "fixing and refreshments".

Spinning Tuesday: Knitting Marls & Our Mitten Winner

The winner of the Shelburne Mittens kit is comment number 1125, Lisa S!

Thank you to the lovely folks at Rowan Yarn and Westminster Fibers for donating this prize.

 

Now for some spinning. As requested, the marled yarns knit into swatches.

First the blue and white:

3 weights of marling -yarn

3 weights of marling - knit

closer!

Like the yarn, the fatter the original yarn the marl in the knitted fabric is more pronounced.

In the finest sample it looks like flecks.

 

How about the blue and green yarn:

3 weights of blue/green marl

3 weights blue/green marl - knit

closer!

I wish I had spun larger samples of these, but I do like how the colors blend even more when the yarn is knit. There is striping and pooling, but it's interesting to me.

Thank you for asking me to knit my samples, I like the marl more as knit fabric than just yarn. Time for more experiments!

Obsession Thursday: Whut's a Wovel?

[This is Amy, really. I occasionally write stuff about things I like. This is one of those posts. There's no financial gain in this for me...I just want to share, because this thing has solved a problem for us.]

Okay, so whut IS a Wovel? A wheeled shovel. It looks like this:

this is a wovel. a wheeled shovel. get it?

It made the gadgety press in 2006, but didn't appear in our house until last week. See, what you don't know is that my hub has been going through some heart-related stuff recently, and shovelling was banned by his cardiologist. Me? I've got hand problems and my back can never stand the strain of shovelling. And with this snowy winter? We were in trouble. [Neighborhood kids never come around here asking for shovelling work. Not sure why.]

He saw the Wovel on sale, and I [who had thought it was awesome in 2006, but had no real need for it, since hub was a super-shovelly man until these recent problems] was right on the case. It came in a few days and he put it together after our recent snowfall. It took 1.5 hours to assemble. But it was worth it.

It works like this:

It's all about pushing and using leverage. it's brilliant.

Hub says it's faster than the snowblower [which he was not banned from using], lighter and much more enjoyable. He loves this thing. Like really loves it.

Stupid name, awesome product.

WWW: Fishes & Fashions; 92 Years and Counting

Kirk Dunn's marvelous contribution to the event. Image courtesy Textile Museum of Canada.

The Textile Museum of Canada has announced their annual fundraiser, the BMO Financial Shadow Box silent auction. Over 150 textile artists are participating – each has contributed an original work of art, all within the same basic shadow box. The items are available for viewing now online and at the museum between February 23 and March 3rd.  The auction takes place at a gala event March 3rd at the museum. All proceeds go to support the museum's exhibitions, collections, and education programs.

The Fashion Museum of Antwerp has announced "Unravel", a new exhibition about Knitwear in Fashion, running from March 16th to August 14th.

The exhibition includes a wide variety of exquisite knitted garments and accessories, with a focus on high fashion pieces. Pieces by international designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Sonia Rykiel and Missoni will be showcased beside historic couture pieces by Schiaparelli, Patou and Chanel, and more avant-garde and cutting edge pieces by established designers and newcomers on the international fashion.

To quote the museum's press release, "The exhibition will address the important decades of knitwear in fashion, demonstrating knitwear's popularity both on and off the catwalk, and unravelling the changing status of the relationship between knitwear and fashion. Thematically, it will showcase the various roles knitwear has played in social and fashion (r)evolutions and will address knitwear's different and fluid association with comfort, wellbeing and chic."

We at Knitty are officially looking for an excuse to travel to Antwerp to visit!

Jimmy Beans Wool has announced their second annual "Jimmy Beans for Brains" scholarship program. Open to any knitter or crocheter who is attending an accredited post-secondary institution this fall, there are six $3,000 merit-based scholarships available.

Ms. Kenick with her latest FO

The Nashua Telegraph, in Nashua, New Hampshire, profiles a local resident, 101-year-old Polly Kenick, who has been knitting since third grade. That's 92 years at the needles, and going strong!

Polly is participating in a program to knit helmet liners for soldiers.

A warm and stylish tree in Park Slope.

Laurie Russell of Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, knits sweaters for trees along her street. These aren't just quick-knit pullovers, they are very nice cardigans, featuring some excellent textual work, and well-chosen buttons.

Spinning Tuesday: What I've noticed about marling

Barber pole, peppermint stick, marl are all used to describe a type of yarn that has two high-contrast singles plied together. It's a type of yarn I really don't care for.

Though I have recently made marled yarns with less contrast that I've really liked. I've also noticed the weight of the yarn makes a difference in the marling.

So I've been experimenting, want to see?

Lovely blue and white Romney

I started with high contrast blue and white Romney, spun and plied to three different weights: bulky, worsted and DK/fingering.

3 weights of marling

Here's what I see, as the yarn gets thinner and the twists per inch number gets higher, the colors blend more, which I like, even at a high color contrast.

Merino dyed last summer

I tried the same experiment with some fiber I dyed last summer, that was blue, green, yellow and white – much less contrast. I spun and plied it on itself, deliberately getting it to marl.

3 weights of blue/green marl

Still stripey, but even more visually pleasant to me even at the bulky weight, because of how the colors work together.

Both colorways all weights

Here are both color/weight experiments side by side.

Now I am thinking about how to use marling to blend colors, to get certain colors to pop, and to make a deep and rich colored yarn, and about what color combination or characteristics work best at each weight.

I kind of knew this would send me into a thinking and experimenting spiral. I love that about spinning.