(this is how I would like you to imagine Caro and I as we embark upon the book tour.)

There are so many goings-on going on, I can hardly stand it! But in a good way. I love being busy. I work best in crazypants mode, so my motor is really humming as autumn has begun rolling out the leafy carpet.

The first bit of excitement is that I was accepted to be a member of Boston Handmade!! I’ve long been an admirer of the amazing artists involved and it’s a great honor to be accepted. I’ve been wanting to immerse myself more into creative pursuits and this is exactly what I needed. It’s time to being my A-game because there is some serious talent in this group.

Rhinebeck is less than two weeks away. WHAT!?! How did this happen? Honestly, I’m stunned. I haven’t been for the last two years, so I’m really excited to get back to my favorite stomping grounds. And I fired up the Rhinebeck Bingo machine, too! The sign-up deadline is October 9th at noon, so spread the word and climb aboard the Bingo train.

Knitting It Old School has been getting some great feedback, Caro and I are so delighted, it’s almost embarrasing how much we giggle about it. Girlish glee abounds. My favorite comment so far about it is from Pam Wynne, the designer of Rally. In her words, “at least 50% this book is 100% bananas.” Ha! That made me laugh and laugh. Clearly she gets it.

We kicked off our promotional extravaganza with the WEBS podcast, Ready, Set, Knit. Check it out, we sound like we actually know what we’re talking about. I did say “um” a fair amount, but I’m working on it. Kathy and Steve have such a great rapport on the show, it cracks me up. She is an amazing interviewer, I was impressed with how smoothly it went and how comfortable she made us feel. Thanks, Kathy!

We’ll also be doing a book signing and trunk show at WEBS on October 9th, so come by and let us scribble in your books. I have to say, I still feel weird writing in books, I spent most of my childhood being told that it was just about the worst thing you could do, and now people just hand me books to deface.

We’re still cobbling together our tour schedule, but it’s filling up fast. Here are some highlights:

Oct 16&17 – We’ll be signing books in the authors tent at Rhinebeck

Oct 30&31 (and hey, maybe the 29th) – signing books at Stitches East at the Elegant Ewe‘s booth. Kelly Bridges, who created the gorgeous Apres Ski Skirts works there, too!

Nov 6th – book signing and trunk show at Purl Diva in Brunswick, Maine.

Nov 12th – Big presentation with photos and everything at the Common Cod Fiber Guild.  We’re going to talk about the whole book-making process and I promise it’s going to be really fun. We’ll be laughing a lot as we tell you some crazy stories and show you behind the scenes shots. We’ll also be showing some of the pieces that inspired the designs in the book.

I’ll update the blog as we add things. We’ll be heading to different parts of the continent later in the year, so stay tuned for details!

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! Here’s a quick sneak preview from Knitting It Old School. This is Speedway, it’s based on those super-cool hot rod jackets from the 60s. There’s a matching ladies version in red with black and white stripes. SO cute! The yarn is Louet Gems Sport Weight, so it’s a project, but the finished product will be a sturdy sweater that your speed demon will love.

Speedway was designed by Caryn Lantz of Fuzzy Noodle Knits. This and the sweater on the cover, Saucy Convertible, were the first two things I commissioned for the book. That was four years ago. Yikes! I can’t even tell you how amazing it is to finally have these projects ready for the spotlight.

There are more sneak peeks available at Caro’s Flickr page!

Photo by Denise Siegel

You know how sometimes you have a few extra minutes during the day to just relax? For some reason a couple of years ago, I decided I don’t need those any more. I chose instead to fill up those minutes with a new project. This time, it was going to involve yarn AND paper, two of my favorite mediums. It turned out to be way more project than I could handle and I put it aside for a while, then the lovely Caro of Splityarn fame came to my rescue. She’s my knight in wooly armor, that one. This was definitely a two-person job and Caro was the best co-conspirator a gal could ask for.

So almost two years later (seriously, two years!) I am proud to announce that the project is complete and will be ready for public consumption soon! Hopefully by the third week in August. Think of it as a mix tape of vintage style, made with love just for you (and you, and you. Yes, you, too.)

I give you:

Knitting It Old School — 43 Vintage-Inspired Patterns!! We crammed this thing just as full as we could get, then we sat on it to make room and stuffed even more in. It’s available for pre-order now!!

Caro and I are delighted beyond words, so we’ll just be over here squealing for a little bit. It’s taken a long time, but we amassed some of the most amazing designers and commissioned some of the ass-kickiest designs you’ve ever seen. If you’re reading this blog, you’re going to love it. Love. It.

The cover design is by Marnie MacLean , the first knit-blogger I ever followed. Funny how that works out, isn’t it? The sweater is called “Saucy Convertible” because you can wear it a few ways. The model is named Camille and she and the other models we used are absolutely adorable. This book is colorful, light-hearted, and most of all, it’s chock full of retro goodness. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re feeling classic or kitschtastic. I swear.

Seriously.