on knitting books

On November 10th at 1:00 pm in Abbotsford's Tradex I gave a speech. For those of who care but just weren't there I present it now.

Public speaking 101 teaches its students to begin their speeches with a joke...
So here's the joke...
A child is playing while his Mom knits. Suddenly he hears his Mom complain, "Oh, no, I dropped a stitch!"
The child replies, "Don't worry, Mom you have lots more."
Maybe you have to be a knitter to fully appreciate the joke.
The point is the child is right. We knitters knit with many stitches. Not only are there many stitches there are many knitters. Many diverse knitters: Grandmas knit. Moms knit. Bankers knit. Lawyers knit. Actors knit. Guys knit. There are many diverse knitters with many diverse knitting styles. You may knit in the English style. I knit in the continental style.

Despite all this diversity there is only one type of knitting book. All knitting books are knitting pattern books. The knitting book may include a tutorial on some knitting technique but all knitting books must include patterns. No publishing house would ever dream of publishing anything but a knitting pattern book. Why, oh why, would any knitter want a book without patterns? Knitting books need patterns. It's only logical. It makes sense. It's the way it's been for generations. Why mess with tradition?

I wonder how many knitters were shocked when things began to change. It was an ordinary day - maybe a Saturday. A knitter walked into her local bookstore. Strolled over to the craft section. Searched until she found the knitting books: pattern book, pattern book, pattern book...hey, this isn't a pattern book. It has no patterns in it. None! What's going on here? Out of curiosity she began to read. Maybe she found something that made her laugh or simply A Good Yarn. Who knows whatever it was she liked it. She lay down her cash and brought it. More and more knitters found these non-pattern books. More and more cash was spent. The authors attracted a following of devoted readers.

Why are the books so popular? We can only speculate. Maybe the answer is that within the pages we knitters find ourselves. The books give us permission to celebrate our craft, our culture, our community.

If you want a good listener: talk to a knitter. So I encourage you to knit while I talk.

I don't have any historical evidence to support my hypnosis but I imagine that when the first knitter knit for the very first time sitting beside her by the fire was a storyteller. The storyteller may even have been a fellow knitter. Imagine your Grandma and my Grandma sitting by the fire. The storyteller spun a yarn. She kept the knitter entertained while the knitter perused her new craft.

Knitters really do make the best audience. Their hands are occupied which frees their ears to hear.

Its not simply that they can hear - it's that they must be entertained. Knitting is a slow process. Sitting for hours upon hours with nothing to do but watch your needles soar through yarn can be b-o-r-i-n-g.

Notice that I did not say that knitting was boring: because it's not. It's not boring to engage your senses at your local yarn shop. It's not boring to log on to your favourite knitting web site. It's not boring to proudly wear your latest creation. It is the process of knitting that can be boring. It's repetitive: the same movements are preformed over and over again. I find knitting soothing. However, I must confess that I do at times find the process boring. That's why I, like many knitters, crave entertainment. When I knit I read books, watch TV, listen to audio books. I have borrowed tons and tons of books-on-tape from my local library.

Books-on-tape make the best knitting companions. Even when I need to focus on my knitting I can still listen. It's not like my knitting will talk to me - well not out loud anyway.

Not long ago I was listening to an audio book. I was in heaven. My hands were busy with my knitting. I was being entertained. What could be better? That's when I thought, "The only thing that could make this situation better is if I was listening to stories about knitting." A light bulb went on: an audio book with stories about knitting. Yes, that's what I want.

Well, I searched and I searched. I went to my local bookstore - no luck. I searched the web - nothing.

Then I thought, "If no one will make it for me maybe it's time to proactive. Maybe I can make an audio book whose theme centres on knitting."

Really it wasn't that much of a stretch. Two things have kept me actively engaged for most of my life: knitting and writing. I had even been keeping a blog (a web log). I had entry after entry about knitting: stories and personal insights. Why had I begun a blog? I am not a computer geek. I could be described as a Luddite. I often tell people that two sticks and a ball of string is enough technology for me thank you very much. So why had I started a blog. My sole reason for starting a blog was to improve my writing. That had been step number one was to join a writing group. The group was full of talented editors. Each meeting I arrived with a story to dazzle. Each meeting I left with a story that had been gently tore apart. Yet I kept coming back - meeting after meeting.

Why?

Because after I picked up the pieces of my story I found that I had an even better story then when I had begun. Story after story had been pulled apart and re-assembled. it was hard work but worth the effort. Even I could tell that my writing was improving.

After this hard work I surveyed the remaining stories and found that I had 26 short stories left. Theses stories would be ideal to present in an audio book format: that took care of the writing.

...but an audio book is more than simply writing. You need sound: you need someone in front of the mic and someone behind the mic.

I had spent fourteen years caring for children in day care centres. Fourteen years of reading storybooks. Children can be tough audience. They think nothing of walking away if you are boring them. You soon learn to be dynamic, entertaining, dramatic. After fourteen years of honing this art I was no Robert Munich but I could read. That takes care of in front of the mic.

Now I needed a sound guy. I didn't think I knew any. They don't grow on trees, unfortunately. Then I shared my plan with my husband.

"Sure, I guess I could help you." Was his response.

We have been married for over fifteen years and he still surprises me.

"What do you mean you can help me?" I queered.

"I can take care of the sound."

"How?"

"You know that your computer comes with a sound system."

"No, I didn't know that."

He then went on to point out his credentials. You see I had married into a family of musicians. Most were amateur but all were talented. Every time they gathered music magically broke out. And it seemed that my husband had taken responsibility for recording these jamming sessions. He brought years of experience to the project. We began to record.

It was a rocky ride. It's not easy to listen to recordings of yourself. We both took turns tearing the recordings apart. A major problem that had to be fixed right away was...how do I phrase this politely...the sound system that comes with your computer is not designed for professional recordings. The sound quality made me want to cry.

What to do?

Hiring a professional studio was out of the question.

I was afraid my dream would die before it saw the light of day.

Thankfully my husband was not that easily defeated. With out my knowledge, he began to a search. A few days later he called me into his home office. There waiting for me was all the recording equipment we needed. With that kind of support there was no turning back.

We did a test run and were both thoroughly impressed.

We began to record the stories. Playing it back we discovered a new problem. The short stories ran together. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Clearly, we needed to find a solution.

Enter my talented brother-in-law: T. D. Christopher. I have already mentioned that the family I married into is full of musicians. I have said that most are amateur. the exception is T. D. He composes and performs music. To enjoy his music, please visit his web site: www.myspace.com/mylittlerodeo

I knew that his music would be perfect to knit the audio book together. I emailed him to ask if he would help and he said: yes. I was thrilled.

Okay, now we had the CD but we needed a cover. I am very lucky. Mayne Island, where I live is also the home of a professional printer: Alea Design and Print. My husband and I took some pictures and then Alea performed magic. The cover is beautiful.

I am so proud of Novelty Yarn.

Oh, ya, about the name, a few people have been confused by it. They ask if it is a CD of novelty yarn designs. Others wonder if it is a tutorial on how to work with novelty yarn. I reply that it is not about novelty yarn but rather a CD full of novel yarns. This puzzles them. If my reply has puzzled you please allow me to explain by sharing a story from the CD.

Okay, so imagine I'm on the phone...

"Listen, the reason for my phone call is that I need some yarn.

I need a variegated and mohair. The variegated must fade from dark to lighter tones. The mohair must be hairy mohair."

"Yes, I agree that type of mohair is challenging to knit. However, it has been my experience that if you preserve the finished result is worth it."

"What am I knitting?

Well, the variegated yarn will be used to work prose and poetry. The mohair will be used to recount the tale of how I become a knitwear designer. I plan to work with both yarns simultaneously."

"Yes, I agree the combination will make a novel yarn."

"Oh, thank you for your interest. I will be sure to share it with you once I'm finished. I hope you like it."

Producing this CD was a long, hard road full of detours and roundabouts but we made it. An audio book whose main theme is knitting now exists.

Okay, so of course I'm impressed but what do the critics think?

Here are some quotes from some reviews of Novelty Yarn.

The first review I will read is by an established author. Donna Druchunas has written educational, entertaining books. Artic Lace and Ethnic Knitting Discovery are two fine examples. When I heard that Donna would be reviewing my book I was nervous. I mean what would a writer of such calibre say about my little CD. Well, here is some of what she said:

"Novelty Yarn contains a collection of small, tasty morsels that will continue to surprise you right up until the last bite...Ranging from childhood memories about 4-H knitting and lessons from Grandma to night dreams about wild women knitting in the forest, each segment evokes a different mood. Many of the stories made me laugh out loud, while others made me pause...to meditate for a few minutes. The stories are separated by brief interludes of...guitar music...The guitar intervals are just long enough to let your mind rest between the stories. The sensation is like cleansing your palette after sampling each vintage at a wine tasting. The total experience was delicious."

The West Coast Knitters' Guild also reviewed Novelty Yarn for their web site. Here is some of what they said:

"There is a story on this CD for every taste,...ranging through historical romance, humour, informative, thought-provoking pieces. I like that Leanne reads her own work...She makes good use of her expressive abilities...[T]here are bits of knitting instruction interspersed in these stories, with plenty of encouragement for new knitters and shared experiences for those who have been knitting longer...This is a great book to listen to on a rainy bus commute."

The online magazine Black Purl has reviewed Novelty Yarn. Here is some what they said:

"There are few things that are more enjoyable than being read to while you knit. Being read pithy knitterly prose by Leanne's engaging and deliberate voice, punctuated with soothing guitar music is even harder to beat. Leanne chronicles her personal journey in knitting from childhood lessons at the 4H club to coming into her own as a knitwear designer, interspersed with fictional vignettes, and a sprinkling of knitting history, mythology and advice (I particularly enjoyed the relationship advice...that is the relationship between you and your knitting). In some cases knitting takes center stage, while in others it acts more as a co-star or character reveling prop. With the variety of "novelty yarn" offered in this collection, you're sure to find the perfect accompaniment to any project."

Please log on tomorrow for ...something completely different.


I would like to thank Sue for the photos.