I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can

True to my word, I’m opening up the blog this weekend to questions for Donna Druchunas about her new book, Ethnic Knitting Discovery.

Here’s my copy, resting on my half-finished, Rhinebeck Not-Sweater:

My copy of the book arrived a few hours before I departed for a trip to Denver (more on that later, including tales of how Wanda and Michaele strong-armed me into buying a wheelbarrow full of back issues of Interweave Knits and Knitter’s magazines). I had a chance to read a large portion of the book on the plane and found it to be an excellent resource for adventurous/advanced beginners seeking to venture into the design process. Here’s some comprehensive and helpful information Donna sent me that really does a good job of characterizing the book:

Donna Druchunas presents traditional knitting designs and techniques from across the globe in step-by-step fashion. She begins with what ethnic knitting is, what you don’t need to know, and color tips. For each geographic location, she offers brief knitting-specific history, instructions for key techniques, and a handful of versatile patterns (texture or color). A small introductory project lets the reader practice new
skills, which are then applied to the knitting of individually designed pullover sweaters.

Features:
Four skill-building small projects and eight sweater projects, each with worksheets geared to three levels of knitting experience—suitable for self-study or group workshops. First of a set of three books introducing traditional knitting techniques in a graduated fashion.

Skills covered include:
• knitting patterns back-and-forth and in the round
• working from charts
• steeks
• puntas
• stitch-and-cut armholes
• centering patterns
• managing repeats
• welts
• half-gussets
• Andean-style purling

You can see more information on the book, including excerpts by clicking here and here and here. So start clicking and then leave a question for Donna in the comments. Her answers will appear here in a blog post on October 20th.

Don’t pass up this great chance to speak directly to the author of a knitting book about her inspiration for the book, or her yarn suggestions for the patterns, or her insights on the design process, or anything else that interests you. I’m off to comment now!

For some reason, yesterday’s post didn’t ping Bloglines. If you want to see the finished mittens I made from the yarn I dyed with turmeric, click here (or just scroll down if you’re on the main page).

On October 10th, Donna Druchanas will bring her Blog Book Tour to chez Knitting As Fast As I Can. Donna’s new book is called, Ethnic Knitting Discovery. I’ll be posting more information about the book this weekend and opening the comments up to questions for Donna. I’ll be away from my computer next week so you’ll have that time to read up on Donna’s book and leave your questions. Donna’s answers will be posted here on October 10th.  When Donna stopped here last year on a blog book tour for her last book, Arctic Lace, you all left some excellent questions. (Click here to read last year’s interview.) So put on your thinking caps!

I’m done.

The Book was finished last Sunday, the Sitcom Chic cardi on Thursday, and the second Sockapalooza sock this Sunday. I have a few mods to share on the Cardi but first things first . . . i.e., The Book. If you haven’t finished it yet, there are spoilers in this post so don’t scroll past the photos of the yarns I picked up at Isabel’s while I was in Sun Valley.

Silk yarn and adorable buttons for another pair of these booties.

Two skeins of Koigu. I had my pick of tens of colors since Isabel’s had just received a new shipment the day I visited. Lucky.

Now my ramblings on The Book. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. In fact, the epilogue came close to ruining the preceding 750 pages for me. It was just a bit too tidy and unbelievable. I was crushed when Fred died but I felt JKR glossed over it and the passage was less than sentimental. And Neville pulling the sword out of the Sorting Hat was way too “been there, done that.”

I wracked my brain trying to figure out who was the non-magical character who performed magic late in life under dire circumstances but came up with nothing. The friend of a friend solved the mystery. It was Ted Tonks (a Muggle), who healed Harry’s ribs and arm on page 64.  ETA: I think I’m wrong on this.  See Gena’s comment in the comment section.  ETA #2:  I just read JKR’s post-book interview with the Leaky Caudron.  She was asked, “You promised that someone will do magic late in life in book 7. I’ve now read it three times but cant work out who it might have been!”  She answered, “I’m sorry about this, but I changed my mind!  My very earliest plan for the story involved somebody managing to get to Hogwarts when they had never done magic before, but I had changed my mind by the time I’d written the third book.”

I like that Snape turned out to be non-evil but not really good either. Kinda just pathetic. The best scene . . . no doubts . . . Molly killing Bellatrix. You go grrl. And Harry was a Horcrux. I came pretty damn close to guessing that with these, wouldn’t you say? Frankly, I think it would have made more sense if the scar was the Horcrux instead of Harry. Then he could have been freed from the “brand” of the scar, allowing him to have what he always wanted, which was just a normal life.

And how crazy is this. If you Google “Horcrux,” look what turns up as the sixth entry on the first page.