Back to the drawing board. Literally.

by Joanna

I am sure you all know what it is like to be disappointed, to lose something, to realize that your creative efforts have been lost, damaged, or just plain aren't going to work. As you may know, we have been wrapping up our third children's book this winter. My husband Eric illustrates my stories, and, if you have seen them, you understand me when I say he puts an incredible amount of detail into every drawing. 

A few weeks ago, he was about 80% done with the artwork, and was just getting ready to lay a final watercolor wash onto the illustrations when this happened:

If you look at the paper, you can see a series of wrinkles running across the entire page. This is the same paper Eric used for our first two books, so this was a complete shock to us. Whether due to a change in his illustration style, or the quality of the paper, or just the fact that he has been drawing, erasing, and redrawing over the same pages for the last year while he has refined the artwork, the drawings are not salvageable. For a brief moment we talked about shelving the entire book project. But that didn't last long. 

He immediately went to work researching the best kind of paper to match his style and approach to illustration. It needed to be very strong and stable to handle the many layers of drawing and erasing and redrawing that he puts into every page. He started with this durable watercolor board:

After one illustration, though, it was obvious that the rugged texture of the paper was going dull some of the fine and detailed pencilwork that Eric includes in his illustrations. After another week of trial and error he was able to, once again, hand transfer each illustration to a durable yet smooth watercolor paper.

It looks like this paper has the perfect texture and strength for the artwork. So, it is back to the drawing board. Literally. After working on this book for a year, last week he sat down at his table to a stack of completely blank pages. And started again. 

To say I am proud of him would be a great understatement. 

I will update you soon.

Thank you for your kind thoughts.

In which Angela brings chocolate from Brooklyn and we laugh all night at Allegra's...

by Joanna

Last weekend I was able to catch up with some friends at Fancy Tiger Crafts down in Denver. Allegra and Angela are such fun and creative people! Angela was in Denver filming a class for Craftsy, which should be available very soon, and Allegra came straight from performing a concert with Devotchka. 

Ysolda was presenting trunk shows from her two newest books and also doing a book signing. It was a great night to be at the shop.

This is, in my opinion, the best photo booth pic of the evening! Emily looks so happy.

We had so much fun chatting and visiting together. Angela brought some treats from her Brooklyn neighborhood. This is truly the best chocolate I have ever had.

I never seem to be able to leave Fancy Tiger empty handed- there are always a few things that just have to come home with me. The fabric has a special purpose which I will be able to reveal to you this spring... a little clue is that it has something to do with Allegra...

Rocky Mountain Nordic Ski Escapade (or, Coffee and Snow)

by Joanna

Eric and I escaped to the nearby Rocky Mountains for two days of cross-country skiing.

The trails were perfect.

The snow was fresh.

The coffee tastes better at 9,000 feet.

We found a grove of aspens, where hearts and initials remain...

...from weekenders before.

Learning to Spin on the Ashford Traveller

by Joanna

I always said I would never be a spinner. I hardly have time to knit the yarn I already have, why would I start making it myself? But sparked by our daughter's earnest desire to learn to spin, and inspired by a lovely morning at a harvest festival spinning booth with Amy Clarke Moore, we found ourselves "on the market" for a spinning wheel.

A very kind and generous woman, hearing of our new interest from a mutual friend, emailed me one afternoon. As she was in the process of remaking her studio into a writing space to work on her new book, and didn't have room for her wheel anymore, she offered it to us. 

I was floored. It was providential. We said yes, and it came home with me that very night.

 Our preschooler, who is fascinated by anything that turns, is my biggest cheerleader. "Here it comes!" he calls out as I start a new bobbin. "You're doing it!" he shouts as I get into a nice rhythm.

"Can I do it?" he asks. So he helps me gently guide the roving along. Then, quite proudly, "You made it, mom! You made it!"

Creating something by hand, something beautiful that you love, is an amazing experience. That is right, son. I made it. I guess I might be becoming a spinner after all.

Sockupied Spring 2012

by Joanna

The end of my Twitter bio states, "I also do bits and pieces at Interweave." I don't suppose I could have been more vague, could I? So I thought that I would share with you some of the things that I contributed to the most recent edition of Sockupied. In addition to working with the editor early on to brainstorm some concepts for the issue, I also wrote a few articles for this knitting eMag. 

In this issue, I review some absolutely stunning naturally dyed sock yarns, from the likes of A Verb For Keeping Warm, The Natural Dye Studio, and Swan's Island, to name a few. I never grow tired of exploring new yarns, especially ones that are crafted by hand like these are. I also included reviews of favorite knitting tools and notions from some of the designers who have patterns in this issue, such as Cat Bordhi, Deborah Newton, Donna Druchunas, and Lorilee Beltman. It was great to unlock a bit of their design style by hearing what they can't live without while developing a new pattern. (By the way, Lorilee's design, Our Paths Cross, which you see on the cover, has me diving into my sock yarn stash for the perfect colors. The argyles are worked in a vertical stranding technique, which I can't wait to try.)

Well, there you have it, a bit and a piece, for now. I have a lot of other things in the works, so there will be more soon!

Phoebe's Birthday Trunk Show is at TNNA, and why we aren't at TNNA.

by Joanna

The trunk show of knitting patterns from our upcoming book, Phoebe's Birthday, is on display at the Brown Sheep booth at TNNA in Phoenix this weekend. The knits are there, but I'm not. 

I would have enjoyed going to TNNA this winter, but it just wasn't the right time for us. We are enjoying a quiet weekend at home, spending time with the children (we have three) and working on projects around the house and on the book.

I love hand work. Hand knitting, embroidery, and hand quilting. I love sharing this with children and families. I can't tell you how pleased I am that our new book will include a quilt pattern. Amy Butler has provided some amazing fabric for me to work with. It is stunning. I haven't done a lot of quilting over the last three years, and it feels great to slip on my old thimble again.

Eric and I "take turns" at home and in our studios, juggling family and life in general. Our books are a creative conversation that we pass back and forth through days and nights of borrowed time. We are really eager to share this new one with you. But it will take some time before it is done. And we are okay with that. We are enjoying the ride, and hope you will like what we have made once it is all done!

Fancy Tiger gets fancier

by Joanna

photo courtesy of Fancy Tiger

Eric spent a few days between Christmas and the New Year at one of my favorite places- Fancy Tiger Crafts. The store was in the process of moving into a (much) larger location, and was in need of some "old-time" advertisements to decorate the new space. You can read all about their new space here on their blog.

We have been making some crafty plans with Fancy Tiger which we will reveal in the coming months... so stay tuned to see what we are working on!