Milestone

Yesterday, I reached an exciting milestone: I Fed-Exed the last garment I had to design and knit for the book. It's been a frantic few weeks of knitting, but to make this an even more satisfying moment, the last sweater I finished was my favorite. I really, really want to make one for myself.

I've already learned a lot during the course of this project, which I summarize for you before turning to the logistical challenge of taking three children, a neat-freak husband and a fluffy bunny to the beach for a week.

What I've Learned Thus Far About Writing A Knitting Book

1. The set of projects in your proposal may bear only a passing resemblance to the projects which actually appear in the book. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

2. Your finished projects may look a hell of a lot different from your mind's-eye view of how they would look. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

3. No matter how early you start or how detailed your plans, things will not be done as quickly as they ought to be.

4. No matter how early you start or how detailed your plans, there will be unfortunate incidents that set you back.

Corrollary to 3 & 4: Everything will take much, much longer than you think it will.

5. For me, at least, sometimes you just need to see the actual garment in person before you can decide if it looks right, and, if not, what needs to be fixed.

6. Having a tick-borne disease, the primary symptoms of which are fatigue and sore joints, is a cruel cosmic joke when you are trying to write a knitting-design book.

7. A good editor is worth her weight in cashmere.

8. A good test knitter is worth her weight in qiviut.

9. When Ann Budd emails you to say "that sweater is really lovely", it helps to put on a pair of Depends because (a) you're talking to Ann Budd and (b) getting a compliment from her makes you want to pee your pants.