having a good team makes all the difference

Doing your own photoshoot when you write a knitting book seems like a really good idea at the time. 10 months from the shoot. And then it comes and omygod -- what the HELL were we thinking?

Except we did good. So maybe it wasn't such an insane idea in the first place? Why did it go so well? We had an amazing team. Like no attitude, all teamwork and stunning results. [You'll have to wait till Big Girl Knits 2 is published to see those.]

Meet our photographer and her lovely assistant:

Lise and Matthew. We could not have hoped for better. We can't praise these guys highly enough. Should we ever do another shoot, they're hired, if they'll have us.


Here are Jillian and model Tamarah [you may recognize her from the most recent issue of Knitty] looking over the day's work. Pictures like this make it clear why *i* didn't shoot this book.


Here is our saviour, our heroine, the best [highly overqualified] PA a pair of knitting book authors could hope for. And she's a knitter, too. Jacquie, we love you. Please come have beer with us.


Shooting a knitting book is hard work.


Here is Ms Jillian taking a well-deserved quick break. Don't you love this porch? You'll have to wait to see more of it when the book comes out in 2008.


The final key member of our team is Rikki. What's that in her hands? Yes, it's yarn. Malabrigo, to be specific. Rikki came in as a crocheter, but watch this...


[Rikki meets the ballwinder and swift, thanks to Laura]


Voila! Rikki's now a continental knitter, after a few short lessons from Jillian. That's Jacquie in the foreground wearing her Iro Clapotis, coveted by all in attendance. You may get to see Rikki again at a future s&b. She fit right in.


And a last shot of the team just after we wrapped the shoot.

What you don't see are the other two models and any of the sweaters. One could say nyaa nyaa, but what we really want to say is that this book...it feels REALLY good. So hopefully the suspense will be worth it.