It just keeps getting better

Yes, you read right. Elann.com, long-time good friend of Knitty, has agreed to sponsor Team Knitty.

Elann will be matching our donation total, to a generous ceiling of $2000CDN! At the rate we're going, that means we'll have at least $4000 (that's FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS) to donate to breast cancer research.

I'm so moved by their support and by the support of everyone who's been so generous since we wrote about the run/walk that I'm just about speechless.

Thank you.

If you'd like to join the good company on the right, please click on Shannon, Jillian or Stephannie's button and donate to Team Knitty through them. I think my pot is full enough and others need to feel the warm fuzzies that I've had all this week.

Thank you, Ann and Robert of Elann.com.

p.s. Team Knitty's current total [unmatched] is $1570!

More info on Team Knitty

Man o man, we are motoring! Team Knitty has collected almost $1500 so far, including our Paypal donations. Thank you! Thank you! and also Thank you!

Don't forget -- the names below the Team Knitty button on the right sidebar need your support, so if you haven't donated yet, please click on one of their links instead. Everyone wants to have a great donation total!

I also realized that, if you're donating by Paypal, you won't automatically get a tax receipt. If you're in the US, that's of no concern anyway [since the tax receipt is only good for Canadian residents], but if you're in Canada, please note that you'd like a receipt when you make your donation [and include your address!] and I'll write up a manual pledge sheet so you do get it when the donations are submitted in September. For anyone who's already donated, if you'd like a receipt and are in Canada, please drop me a note with your name and address so I can keep things tidy.

A bit of a learning curve here, but all for a good cause. Thank you so much for your continued support...and spread the word! We would really like to kick cancer in the butt.

My jaw has hit the floor.

People. People! How wonderful are you? YOU ARE WONDERFUL! Look over at the right of this page -- all those people [and more join them every few minutes!] responded to my e-mail to the Knitty readers list and plea on at the Knitty coffeeshop. I was hesitant to send out such a message when people hadn't signed up for charitable soliciations along with their Knitty news, but clearly it was the right thing to do. Thank you all for being so approachable and supportive!

We've raised more than $1100 so far for breast cancer research! That's a beautiful thing.

We have a lot more to do. Thanks to assistant team captain, Shannon, we're going to ramp up the deal. I'll be setting up a page for Team Knitty members to track their pledges and there will be prizes involved. Shannon has very generously offered to dish out some seriously hot Anezka Handmade swag...that's her new online shop that's opening any day now...as prizes to the top fundraisers on our team. [Me excluded, of course.] I'll add some Knitty shop swag to the deal.

Thanks to Jillian, the Knitty catalyst, we've been planning to make this a big year for breast cancer awareness and support. In addition to Team Knitty, watch for an extra-special surprise mini-issue this October.

I'll soon add links to the other team members' donation pages. Support them, too! It all goes to the same place, and it makes every team member feel good. The donation pages will be up till September, so if you're a little skint now, please come back when you have a dollar to spare. And I'll keep adding names from my donor list right up till the end. Woo hoo! Ed note: due to popular demand, I've opened a special Team Knitty paypal account, just for donations for the walk. So if you don't like using credit cards OR you've had trouble with the CBCF website, please try this! The button is up at the top of the donors list. Thanks!

Thank you so very much for your support. You are wonderful people.

The Run [walk!] for the Cure...and Team Knitty!

Longtime readers of this blog will remember the birth of Team Knitty last fall at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure.

Well, I got my information in the mail today and the website's up and running early this year, so ladies and gentlemen...Team Knitty is back!

What is Team Knitty? It's just a group of Knitty staff and readers who collect donations that go to fight breast cancer. Then we gather in early October [this year it's October 3] to do the walk. Last year, my foot made me turn back at the 1k mark, but no matter. I know I can do at least 1k this year, and maybe the whole 5.

If you're in Toronto, or can get here, and want to join Team Knitty, you're very welcome! Leave your e-mail address in the comments [disguise it for spam-prevention purposes] and I'll send you an invite. You could also go to the CBCF website and join that way. Our team name this year is "knitty.com" and you should be able to search for it.

One other thing...the purpose of the walk is to raise money for breast cancer research. So I'm asking for your support. I've added a button to my bar at the top right of the page. Click on it or this link and it will take you to my online donation page. Don't feel you have to, but if you can make a donation in any amount, that would be very, very cool.

Big bonus:
- If you're a Canadian, you get a tax receipt.
- If you're in the US, your money goes 25% farther! So a $25 donation would only cost you $18.50 US [ish].

As always, if you make a donation, I'm very glad to write the name of the person you wish me to walk for on my bib. With the other names...

I walk for my aunt, who had cancer and a recurrence, but has been in remission for more years than we can count [thank heavens]. I also walk for my Grandma and my hub's dear Aunt Marlene, who died just a month apart in 1999 of unspecified cancers. And now I also walk for my sister's mother-in-law, Jo, who was diagnosed earlier this year and is doing well.

I'm very sad to add more names to the list, but every walk brings us closer to a cure. So it's all good.

Thanks for your support.

Tidbits

1. Starbucks is coming out with a low-fat frap, sometime next week [at least in Canada]. I saw the calorie count. Ready? Coffee frap [i'm assuming it's the tall size] is normally 190 cals. Coffee frap light is 110, and only 1 g of fat. I am the happiest girl in the world today!

2. Knitty production for our Sex & the Knitty issue is progressing so well that we hope to be live July 1 or 2. This is a very good thing. Stay tuned...as we get closer, I'll give you a firm date.

3. There will be new merch in the Knitty store to celebrate the issue. Snork.

4. My Charlotte is progressing well after suffering a small setback. Just after snapping that last picture [and knitting another 10 rows], I noticed that the row count was off. And then the pattern was messed up. It got pretty ugly. There was a burp on one edge, and if any pattern deserves to be burp-free, it's Charlotte. Steph, bless her, came to my rescue and freehand ripped back to before the trouble spot and then [get this] inserted a lifeline on the open stitches. You've never seen anything like this - it was magical. Only someone who really understands this lace pattern could attempt this and only Steph was kind enough to do it for me. She picked everything up perfectly and I was able to continue without the burp.

I knit for 3 hours on it last night, as well as several hours each day over the weekend. My hands are tender as all get out, but I'm well into the 4th color [solid section] and I just can't stop [I've done 50 rows since Saturday]. And I'm not making the same mistakes as I was before. Funny -- row 1 is the hardest for me not to screw up. I keep adding in YOs where I shouldn't.

Nice, just not for me.

It had to happen. My latest direct-from-Germany Birkenstock order produced a pair that don't suit me. So what do I do?
eBay, of course!


They're really nice. They just aren't me. Oh well.

Knittyheads (:-)

Gotta love those Knitty coffeeshop patrons. Look what one of them went and did!


[the icon is made of yarn...clevah!]

It's a handy web ring where you can surf the blogs of the coffeeshop folks. Started by Zibibbo, everyone's favorite Italian-resident expat. More buttons! Woo hoo!

Charlotte progress!

This has taken a while, but I'm getting there.



As the rows get longer, I am able to do about 4-6 rows before I have to stop. Here's a closer view so you can see the colours. The third color is a little more leafy green than it shows here, but you get the idea.



Ah, sweet Charlotte!

p.s. What's that ridiculously long [yet perfect for showing off the full size of Charlotte] cord I'm knitting with? Why, it's the new 50" cord from the Denise people! Neat, eh?

TNNA highlights, by a tired-but-happy editor

We're back, safe and sound and quite tired. But it's a good tired.

Highlights:
- number of celebrities met [or re-met]: 8 [Debbie Bliss, Sally Melville, Nicky Epstein, Louisa Harding, Pam Allen, Ann Budd, Rob & Matt].
- number of celebrities hugged: all except Louisa and Debbie.
- number of patterns for the fall issue snagged at this show: 2 [one was walking around on someone who's a big Knitty reader and the other was a new display model at a cool yarn company]
- best yarn fondled: a tiny ball of handspun soy silk that Shannon spun for me. I am hoarding it until it is joined by more of its kind.
- number of knitting bags coveted: countless
- number of knitting bags ordered: 1
- number of new items brought back to review for the magazine: 5
- number of new items coming in over the next few weeks: beyond counting. SO MUCH good new stuff!
- number of new knitting books personally autographed to me by the author: 1 [ann budd's new book of sweater patterns, which you will plotz when you see, it's so good]
- number of must-have books on my list: 2 [nicky epstein's "knitting on the edge" and "embellishments"]
- number of first-edition knitty buttons given out at the show: 75

Seeing the new products was fun, especially at the Cascade booth. You know they make my favorite Fixation, but you wool lovers will be happy to see all the new things coming this fall. Totally different than their staples and really knittable. Some novelty, many not. Neat.

Rowan's booth was so busy, I couldn't even steal a moment to thank our contact for their continued support. Yay Rowan!

I introduced Knitty to Tahki Stacy Charles, Berroco, Brown Sheep, Dancing Fibers, Blue Heron, Lantern Moon and Southwest Trading Company. Many others already knew us and were excited to see what we were doing. The new stuff from Crystal Palace included something in linen that defies description. I begged a sample ball to test swatch and play with and will report when it comes.

A new company has come up with a solution to the knitter's painful same-dyelot search. We'll probably see them in our pages soon and since the founder of the company is a knitter herself, she really gets what it is we want. You'll love them.

I saw my book featured at Unicorn, who distributes most of the knitting books you buy. That was very cool.

I got to go to a reception that Interweave held for their advertisers where Pam Allen's new book, Scarf Style, was on display. The scarves from the book were scattered around the room and we all got to drool over them. Most excellent.

Most importantly, the filofax is nearly full with contacts from every company. And my head is spinning with everything I saw and things to think about for Knitty.

It was a real treat to meet the readers of the magazine who saw my yellow Knitty bag [you could see it across a football field in the fog, the sucker is so bright] and introduced themselves. Knitty readers are the nicest, you know.

So that's all I have energy to type now. Such a good weekend.

Happy Birthday to the Catalyst

and my friend, Jillian.

Zingerman's for everyone!

Little fuzzy rabbit face turns 10!

This is a huge milestone. We are ecstatic. Our little fuzzy baby is 10 years old today!


This is what she looked like when we brought her home. Tiny, with a head in proportion to her body. Then her body kept growing. :-) I took this picture by setting her up on a half wall in our kitchen. She was so freaked about being up high that she hunkered down and stayed still. Very unusual for a bunny.

Little fuzzy rabbit face was one of hundreds [it seemed like] that were living in a dedicated barn just north of the city. We met her breeder [more on that later] at the Royal Winter Fair and decided we needed a mini-rex in our lives. So we drove up there and hub picked her. She was bigger than all the other non-showable rejects [Who would consider our darling a reject? Screw 'em!] and hub thought she was perkier. I couldn't pick. They were all so cute!

So we put her in a little wicker animal carrier and drove her home. Hub had to go to work that night, so I sat in the living room and little fuzzy sat in her cage. Not sat, exactly. She stood up on her hind legs, tiny front paws clutching the wires of the cage, freaked out beyond measure.

She wasn't our first bunny, so we knew this wasn't quite normal. I called the breeder and he told me she'd calm down. So I sat with her and talked softly and eventually, hours later, she did.

About age 5, she began to mellow and enjoy being around people besides us. She's high-strung, but she is a prey animal, after all, and they tend to be a little wary of loud noises.

Mostly, she's the most loving slightly wild creature you can imagine living with. She knows us very well. She loves her routine and hates being disturbed from it. She gives kisses for hours and loves having her head rubbed.

She is a fine rabbit. We adore her.

And should the time come that we ever need to bring home a new bunny, we won't be going to a breeder. Since getting our baby, we became intimately acquainted with the House Rabbit Society, where we learned about how to care for her finicky digestive system and -- most importantly -- that there are enough rabbits in shelters all over North America to keep us all in bunnies for years to come. People buy them at easter and abandon them outside when they reach puberty and get destructive. It's beyond sad.

[Our little fuzzball was spayed at 6 months, and if she hadn't been, it's likely she would have had uterine cancer by age 8. The statistics are overwhelming. But in addition to the health benefits of spaying/neutering, it also results in a calmer, happier, less destructive bunny. ]

the Filofax solution.

So I knit a pink cover, in bulky Fixation [!] to cover my cheapo filofax dealy.

It looked like a bad diaper cover with no leg holes. Did it fit? No. Did I measure? Repeatedly.

There was only one solution. I broke down and splurged:



The real thing. A pink leather [ooh, the smell!] Filofax. Model is Cross. Size is personal, in case anyone cares. That's the size that holds standard biz card refills. And since standard refills are a fraction of the price of Filofax branded ones, that matters.

I didn't plan it, but see how nice my Knitty biz cards look in there? It's the same pink! Freakish.

I ended up relying on the generosity of Amy [indigirl] and her folks who received the package and reshipped it to me. Thanks, Amy!

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Small business tip:
Getting custom biz cards printed has always been an expensive PIA. But we have a decent ink jet printer and Avery [bless them] makes invisible perf business card sheets that are exquisite. The finish is smooth and the print looks like offset, or as close as you can get -- even better than laser! I can print one sheet or 10 and change the color of the logo every time if I want. You can't beat that.

do. not. faint.

What you are about to see will challenge everything you know about me.


yes. that's a charlotte. MY charlotte. the original cotton ho™ is knitting with koigu.

you do understand, i'm sure. i'm allergic to wool [shut up, amy], and almost every animal fiber makes my hands burn. if i work with it long enough, i get a cold. for some reason, thankfully, koigu merely makes my fingers tender and oversensitive, but that's all. so if i keep it to an hour here and there, i can actually knit with merino.

this does not mean that i'm changing my preference away from plant fibers. koigu is so extraordinary that you'd think i was mad if i didn't try to knit with it, wouldn't you? and the finished product can be worn with something between it and my skin. but i don't see koigu socks in my future.

i'm having a grand time, and full credit goes to steph for her patient, thorough tutorial friday night. i finally get it. i'm almost done the exclusive section of color b and will soon be introducing color c. can't wait!

speaking of...have you seen steph's charlotte poncho? it's so clever!

fun book things!

To celebrate the publication of my first book, I launched a new website, just for book stuff.

As you'll see, there's not much content yet, but there is a place to join the mailing list.

In the meantime, I'm learning about PHP and all sorts of other programmy stuff. It makes my head hurt. Luckily my hub is quite good with all this.

you GUYS!

O, such exciting times at Knitty.

We always have new blood each issue, but it gets more exciting when I am able to get some of the best web-based talent to agree to work with us.

Sometimes they write me; sometimes I write them.

We have one of each coming up soon. For summer, Rachael joins us with her first feature article for Knitty. I've told her I hope it's the first of many. She's really wonderful and if you haven't read her blog, you're missing big.

For fall, you can look forward to a new regular column written by Larissa Brown, artist, knitter and writer. The subject? It's very her and perfectly us. Larissa is a talented artist with a unique approach to everything she does. I'm really looking forward to our collaboration.

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Meanwhile, I'm finalizing the lineup for the summer issue and I think you'll be delighted. It's all very yummy.

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The spring surprise is ALMOST here. Moments away. Hang tough!

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And a last little bit of businessy news. I'm more than jumping out of my ergonomic-yet-affordable office chair with happiness to report that I'm going to be attending the TNNA convention in Columbus, OH, next weekend.

This means that I finally get to meet many people who've only been e-mail addresses to me till now. It also means that I get to fondle a lot of yarn, see what's coming and share it all with you. So watch for a little post-surprise surprise update when I return...with all the latest on what you can expect to see in your LYS this fall.

If you'll be at the convention, do say hi. You'll recognize me by my glowing yellow Knitty messenger bag and pink Filofax.