Yesterday was The. Big. Day.

9:30am, we met up with Team Knitty at the event site, and thus began a day filled with more yarn humour than I’d ever experienced in such fabulous concentration. Want a snapshot? Read Jenna’s interview with Shannon.

The weather was perfect (at least for the walk), and the company was better. Here are Shannon and me, with Puck and Humphrey geared up to get going. Around my neck is the “yarn” I mentioned in my last post. It’s wool! On my neck! It’s Malabrigo yarn in the colour Orchid, from my secret pal. I could swim in a pool of this yummy, yummy yarn. It’s a simple [hdc, ch 1] pattern, and I whipped it up in about 15 seconds. I feel like my life will never be the same now that I’ve worn a wool scarf. Ok. On with the photos.

Team Knitty. A huge pat on the back to Amy for organizing us all.

Humphrey got decked out for the cause:

He and Puck enjoyed a ride in Jenna‘s Rogue. Yeah, it was pretty wicked to meet Jenna, and to see her Rogue. I want to knit one. Maybe in ’09.

There were a lot of people walking and running. It was pretty incredible to be surrounded by so many people contributing to the same cause. And there’s still time to be a part of it! Donations are being accepted until the end of the month. I’m still a couple hundred dollars from reaching my goal of raising $1000, so please donate today!

After an amazing brunch of yummy eats, much hilarity, and too much coffee, it was off to Lettuce Knit for the MOTC tour kick-off. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in a yarn store. It was filled with people all afternoon, and there were hooks and needles flying non-stop. Megan was a fabulously hospitable host, who managed always to have a hook at the ready for an impromptu crochet lesson. Here she is with Denny, who has the the best rhymes for teaching crochet. Just remember: when it’s time to complete a single crochet, chop off the ears! (Yes, I had a bit of a woozy feeling when I first met Denny: she’s as incredible as all the internets have proclaimed her to be.)

David was the best. And not just because he told me I managed the impossible by teaching him how to crochet.

This is June. She spilled navy nail polish on her pants by accident, so she took a blue marker to them to cover it up. They’re the coolest pants I’ve ever seen (this photo is terrible for showing them off).

I want to learn how to spin!

Maria. I won’t tell you what she likes to wear when she knits. She’s going to test out Get Hooked to learn how to crochet, and I won’t tell you what she plans to wear when she crochets, either.

I managed not to get Emma in pixels. Emma is my new BFF. We got to geek out about yarn AND stitches AND Drupal.

Next stop: Rochester, NY! Come say hi at Yarne Source tomorrow from noon to 5pm!

Technorati Tags: cibcrunforthecure, knitty, monsters of teen craft, MOTC

Greetings from Toronto!

The tour doesn’t kick off for a couple of days, but Humphrey and I wanted to get settled into east coast time and explore the city a bit before all the excitement begins. Plus, my good friend’s celebrating a birthday tomorrow and I’m excited to spend it with her. (Happy birthday, C!)

Anyway. Here’s Humphrey all geared up for our flight this morning from Vancouver. Those pins help keep his hat on what with all the moving around. You understand.

When I was setting up this photo, the woman sitting to the right of us looked down and asked, “Is it an internet thing?” What. Is it only internet people who photograph monsters in the airport? Anyway, I replied that “Yes. Yes it is.” And we shared a chuckle.

So. Toronto’s easily navigable by public transit, which seems to be fairly ubiquitous. I must say, though, that I’m not entirely sure why everyone says it’s so clean. I mean, sure: I wouldn’t eat off the ground in the New York City subway system, but it’s not like TO’s is immaculate. See:

Tomorrow: Yarn!

Technorati Tags: monsters of teen craft, MOTC, toronto

At long last, we’ve got the Monsters of Teen Craft book tour mascot patterns ready! You can download the PDF file (240KB) by clicking here. Whip up some monsters and bring ’em with you when you come to a MOTC event! And if you’re a photo nut, tag ’em MOTCmascot on Flickr so all the mascots can have a party.

MOTC Mascot: Meet Humphrey
Originally uploaded by kpwerker.

Shannon and I are gearing up to launch our book tour next weekend, and I’m happy to introduce you to Humphrey.

Humphrey loves Twizzlers, hand-dyed yarn, and his best friend – Sally the sock monkey. He’s one of the official Monsters of Teen Craft book tour mascots, and he takes his job very seriously.

The pattern is being prepared now, and will be published for free in the next few days. Stay tuned so you, too, can make your own Humphrey and bring him to one of our events so he can play with all the other mascots!

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

Get Hooked is now shipping from Powells.com, our preferred online independent bookstore, and also from amazon.com! I can only imagine that means it’s on book shelves across the land (has anybody seen it?). Woo hoo!

And had I mentioned our Monsters of Teen Craft book tour is on Myspace now?

Technorati Tags: get hooked, monsters of teen craft, book tour

On Sunday, October 1st, Knitgrrl Shannon Okey and I will be kicking off our two-week-long Monsters of Teen Craft Book Tour by participating in the CIBC Run for the Cure in Toronto, Ontario, as members of Team Knitty. The talented women of Knitty.com have been raising money to fight breast cancer for the last couple of years, and I’m thrilled and excited to join their team and to represent, yo.

When crocheters and knitters band together good stuff happens. The event will be taking place in 51 communities across Canada, and money raised will go to fund breast cancer research, education and awareness programs. I’ve set myself a lofty goal, and I hope you’ll help me reach it. So please visit my secure donation page and give as little or as much as you can to help fight this disease, and to foster some love with our two-needled friends. (Donations are in Canadian dollars, so for all you Americans, your dollar goes further! Canadian residents will get a tax receipt by e-mail – just request it when you fill out the donation form.)

If you prefer to donate by check (in Canadian dollars), please send one payable to “Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation” to this address:
Crochet me Magazine
4438 W. 10th Avenue
#185
Vancouver, BC
V6R 4R8

And as I said, this important event will kick off our book tour. Shannon and I will be traveling by rail and signing copies of our respective books in cities from Toronto to Washington, DC. I’ll share more concrete details in coming weeks!