T-minus 8 days till I leave for Toronto for the Run For The Cure and the tour launch! In addition to a massive book deadline (um, tomorrow), I have a million loads of laundry to do. And I’ve already begun to think about packing. And today – because clearly I needed a three-hour break when I have such a big deadline tomorrow – I got my hair cut and dyed (and Humphrey came along for the fun).

This is the before photo. Come on out to say hi to see my new ‘do!

This past Saturday, photographer Pamela Bethel and I had a photo shoot for the follow-up to Get Hooked – it’ll come out in about a year. (We don’t have a title yet! Soon…) Imagine my amusement when I discovered this behind-the-scenes shot also features Modern Yarn’s awesome Daily Fiber t-shirt (it’s one of my faves – so comfy!). How appropriate! We’ll be stopping there on our tour next month, so come on by and get one for yourself!

Technorati Tags: get hooked, photography, pamela bethel

I dedicated the book to my little brother David. He and I don’t have too much in common, but I admire him a whole lot. David has a keen ability to dedicate himself to topics he loves; he’ll read books upon books about a subject he’s interested in. He’s not intimidated by a challenge, and his ego doesn’t get bruised if he doesn’t master something on his very first try. He’s a cool guy, and he’s about to start a new job in a new place. I wish him all the best of luck, and I send him a big hug.

The book was also dedicated to the memory of my Uncle Ed, who died far, far too young last fall. I didn’t get to know him as well as I should have, and even so I don’t think I knew him as well as I thought I did. When he died, I met friends and colleagues of his I’d hardly known anything about, and through them I saw my uncle in new and enlightening ways. I wish I’d had more time to know him. I always felt loved by him, and he always told me he was proud of me. He was self-depricating, but he was a smart, talented man, and he is sorely missed.

Finally, the book is dedicated to summer camps, where the magic happens. I spent almost every summer of my life from the time I was in pre-school to the summer I turned 25 at a camp of some sort. The experiences I had as a camper and a counselor were some of the most formative in my life. I experienced nature for the first time (seriously! I was born in the concrete jungle). I had my first kiss. I made friends from near and far. I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats. I got crafty for the first time: making friendship bracelets for hours on end, teaching kids to make hemp necklaces, making gimp lanyards for everyone I know. Mostly, I dedicate the book to all the amazing teenagers I worked with over the years. I learned more from them than they possibly could have learned from me. Writing Get Hooked got me back in touch with all that, which is why working on the book was so much fun. Oh, the memories!

Technorati Tags: books, crafts, get hooked

Originally uploaded by kpwerker.

I’m back after a whirlwind six days that involved (in no particular order of importance):

• TNNA and my first Get Hooked signing (more photos and deets to come)
• Driving through four states. (Right. I didn’t drive. But I did sit in the back seat, sick.)
• Lots of planning for the Monsters of Teen Craft book tour, coming to a town near you in October
• A cockroach the size of Manhattan
• My first encounter with the NYPD
• This line, as told to a cab driver at JFK airport: “To La Guardia. As fast as you can!”
• An airport hotel in Toronto
• Yarn, yarn, and more yarn
• A scene made at a restaurant after too much Pepsi and not enough sleep. It did involve banging on the table, a vein popping out of the side of my neck, and Suss Cousins inquiring in response, “Why do crocheters have so much rage?” Yeah. Oy.

More when I’ve had a chance to catch up.