Blog Tour & Contest!!
This is it! I'm launching day 1 of the first ever Fiber Gathering Designers' Blog Tour. I'm excited, because the designers for this book are fascinating people, with lots of interesting information, questions, and ideas to offer us. Some will be posting about their work, others will be interviewing me. The photographer (aka the professor) and the tech editor will be along for the ride as well. Check out all the links just to the right of this post. Kim Guzman's up tomorrow, April 1st, no foolin'!This first post is about "the ride." The journey to write a book is a long one. I started thinking about a festivals book in June 2006. Physically, the journey required the photographer and me to travel thousands of miles in one festival season to go to
something like 12 different fiber events. We were lucky in the practical sense; we had a few late planes, but no complete travel disasters. We were also lucky in a metaphoric one--we enjoyed (and even survived) the journey.
something like 12 different fiber events. We were lucky in the practical sense; we had a few late planes, but no complete travel disasters. We were also lucky in a metaphoric one--we enjoyed (and even survived) the journey.Doing a project at home--a knitting, crochet, dyeing, rughooking, weaving, spinning project-- is also a journey. We put our life 
experiences into the works of our hands. We carry around emotions, sensations, and experience and pour it out into our creative endeavor.
experiences into the works of our hands. We carry around emotions, sensations, and experience and pour it out into our creative endeavor.In a time of recession, not everyone can swing a trip to a festival. However, we can all take a trip in our imagination. Make a cup of tea, curl up in your favorite armchair, and grab a copy of Fiber Gathering for the trip. Put your computer nearby, so you can read every one of these fabulou
s entries over the next few days.
s entries over the next few days. CONTEST!
You may notice that this post is peppered with yarn in springtime colors. There's a journey theme here too, through thick and thin:
- 4 skeins of the Tivoli Splendour yarn (bulky, soft blend of fuschias) that I bought in Dublin, Ireland in 2005.
-Three skeins of Noro Shikisai, made in Japan, but sent to me from a friend in England.
-Two skeins of Panda Soy sock yarn, from Crystal Palace Yarns in California...long ago, I visited the old Crystal Palace retail store in Berkeley before the company went wholesale only. It was indeed a yarn palace!
-One skein of Classic Elite Yarns' Silky Alpaca Lace, from a recent learning "journey" I made at home with laceweight yarns.
Please leave a comment at the end of the post and tell me one positive thing that you learned, that interested you, or that you loved from this blog tour experience.
At the close of the blog tour, I will enter all the comments (but I'll only enter each person once!) into a contest to win these yarns. The contest winners will be drawn at random. There are four different batches of yarn to win, so there will be lots of opportunities to enhance your travel experience and your stash adventures through this tour. Watch my blog after the blog tour ends to find out if you won, and to make arrangments to have your yarn sent to you!
I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks for coming along for the ride. Thanks for being such an important part of Fiber Gathering, our rich fiber arts community.
Labels: blog tour, Contest, Fiber Gathering, yarn
posted by Joanne at 9:58 AM
26 Comments:
Joanne,
I found a copy of your book in the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Manhattan Beach, CA (just south of LAX) this weekend! Loved the photography!
What did I learn today? I learned that I'm not the only person who remembers where her yarn comes from because it's important to have that connection with its source.
Joanne,
I'm going to have my book well worn by the time I see you at NH S&W festival :) Kudos to your photographer - I so enjoy the pictures and reading about each different location.
I'm very interested in hearing all about your journey from one festival to the other. The similarities and differences you found as you enjoyed each one.
Joanne,
I'm learning that there is much more to yarn than going to my LYS & picking it off the shelf. Each knitter, designer, spinner brings yet another creation. The journey I'm on is a good one. I wish it had started sooner.
Doing a project at home is also a journey..........What a lovely way to phrase it Sometimes getting time set aside to work at our craft turns it into just one more thing to do in a busy day. As a journey, it can be a short one, but casual dress is allowed and with a good attitude it can be a refreshing trip, filled with remembrences of where the fiber was obtained, who was with you, who helped with any processing, etc.
Don't know if you follow the Knitpicks podcast at all but in last week's episode Kelley did a nice review of the book.
My Word Verification today is 'dencher' and I guess I'm an old-fashioned geek, right away I thought of Morton Densher from 'Wings of the Dove', I'm one of those weirdos who loves Henry James.
I went to WIPs 'N Chains today, and I read her post about the book. Today, I learned that crochet can actually be used to create REAL WEARABLES! The design for the crocheted mock cable sweater is lovely!
I learned to crochet before I learned to knit, but every garment I created in crochet ended up not being worn because of the fabric. It was either too heavy or it had too much body (no drape). Seeing this sweater on both a man and a woman, I think I am more inclined to try crocheting garments again!
I'm learning all sorts about the process of developing a book idea, soliciting designs, putting together great pictures, etc!
And that I need to crochet the mock cable sweater for my husband....
so perfect that i received my copy of your book in the mail today! i a looking forward pouring a cuppa and enjoying the ride. this blog tour is a fantastic thing!
I saw your book last night. You a: read my mind -- the festivals, the people and the animals that make us all so happy are well due this tribute; and b: make me want to hop in the car and hit all the gatherings! LOVE the book; best of luck. I hope to meet you in Falls Church.
I learned that fiber festivals are well worth seeking out, even if getting there might be difficult.
Congratulations on your beautiful book and a big thank you for leading us to all the talented bloggers. I learned that I will definitely be seeking out fiber festivals in the future.
The more blogs I read (on the blog tour) about your book, the more I am convinced that I NEED YOUR BOOK! There are beautiful patterns in it--the bonus pattern for the Evergreen Shawl was lovely! I can't wait to start it!--and I'm a sucker for travel writing. I hope I win!
I learned that there are a lot of great blogs out there that I didn't know about!
-Perry-
perrylowell at gmail.com
Just stopping by to tell you how much I am enjoying the Blog Tour!
Thanks for all the links etc and for putting a great idea together with some great designers!
I'm on an e-mail group with one of the designers, and I can't wait to see this book in person. My love affair with fiber is fairly new, but deep. I look forward to browsing through the blogs and reading about all of the different aspects of the fiber festivals.
I just saw mention of the blog tour on KnitList and had to take a look. I was able to download Evergreen,a beautiful lace shawl pattern by Rosemary Hill for FREE. What a find!!! I love it and will continue to follow the blog tour. THANKS so much for offering this fascinating information.
I love blog hopping, what a great idea for a contest. I may have to mimick it someday.
The biggest thing I learned from the blog contest is that there are not enough hours in a day to visit all the wonderful blogs in this list ... and get my crafting done (forget about my job or housework!)
I learned that I need to find a fiber festival to attend!
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for the lovely book...fantastic idea!
Today I learned more of my friend's journey in life. I'd known Terri Shea for several years, though we lost touch shortly after her first visit to Black Sheep Gathering. We've done some catching up since then, but I hadn't heard the story of her wheels and the important role they played in bringing her to where she is now. I appreciated reading more about what nudged her toward her future!
Today, when I visited Cathy Adair-Clark's blog, I learned that other people love Estes Park too! I went on vacation there a few years ago, and I loved it! Also, I have seen a pattern recently for crocheted socks that I've wanted to try, and it was nice to see a pair...
Hey Joanne,
So pleased to hear you have a book out! Congratulations!
I can't wait to see it! I've not yet been to a fiber festival - I bet your book will give me something to look forward to!
Hi Joanne --
Congratulations on Fiber Gathering -- finally! I'm enjoying the blog tour -- and always enjoy fiber festivals although I haven't been to nearly as many as you have. The memory of a fiber purchase contributes something to what it becomes. What else have I learned? It's such fun to find new blogs to read and to discover the relationship between you and each blogger.
It has been fun reading about the different aspects of the book, from the concept, to designs, to the photography. Very fun and educational.
Joanne;
I've been following your blog for a while and I'm so glad your book is out there, it's on my shopping list...I also love to hear about the professor, since I am not only a fiber head but a science geek, too (not a professor, just a technician with an MS in Zoo)...
anyway, I love the blog tour, and tell the professor thanks for posting his photo info...that's my next challenge to master!
I enjoyed reading the interview questions and answers about deciding on a publisher, very interesting. (this is my second comment, so it doesn't 'count')
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