I'm trying to get back on my blog after a long, long break.  The economy and the rest of the world interfered with my goals.  So, now I'm trying to get thing back in order. Onward and upward.

Series of Pattern Book details:

Send me a personal message for my contact details.



Series submission 

Volume 1 preemies and multiples
DEADLINE: November 1, 2008
PUBLICATION DATE: June 30, 2009

Volume 2 babies and toddlers 
DEADLINE: January 1, 2009 
PUBLICATION DATE: August 30, 2009 

Volume 3 pre-school and school age kids 
DEADLINE: March 1, 2009 
PUBLICATION DATE: November 30, 2009 

Volume 4 tweens and teens 
DEADLINE: May 1, 2009 
PUBLICATION DATE: January 30, 2010

Accepted designers will be notified by one month after the submission deadline. Early submissions are welcome. A contract that specifies the terms of acceptance and payment arrangements will be emailed or mailed to the designer. This contract is open to negotiation based upon the complexity of the design and the reputation of the designer.

REQUIREMENTS
(Original work only: You can cite an inspiration, or mention techniques or skills picked up from other referenced works.)

• A clear sketch (This can be done by hand or computer. We will be re-drawing sketches that match in the book series.)

• A gauge swatch of the pattern using the yarn specified in the pattern

• A copy of the yarn label or details on the yarn company

• Detailed description of the project. Patterns must be written in three sizes (more are welcome) unless they are one-size-only projects like blankets or bags.

• Charts and schematics are encouraged.

• Any notes, helpful hints, warnings or suggestions about the project.

• Your contact details including your name, address, phone, fax number, and e-mail. Please include the best time to contact you by phone.

• The details of your design history, yarn shop, portfolio, blog and/or websites are encouraged but not required.


Complete garment samples are not required as a part of the submission process, but photographs are welcome. If your design is photographed on a child, please make sure you get written permission for this from the child’s parents. Upon acceptance, a sample is required. These can be digital or traditional photos.


All accepted patterns will be test knitted and technically edited. If questions arise, we will have to collaborate on the pattern clarity. All content will be copyedited and proofread by the publisher.

We will arrange for all the samples to be photographed.

Patterns will be typeset and sent to designers as proofs to be reviewed and corrected.

Three months prior to publishing, the books will be marketed and promoted. Designers are expected to promote the books on their websites, blogs, and other media. A sales sheet will be developed that will be sent to each contributor.

Questions and discussion are welcome.

I am looking for designers who need exposure. I have worked in publishing for over ten years and it's time I used my skills for a craft that I love. I'm pulling together a collection of designs for a new series of books.

The first in the series is for preemies and multiples. The second is slated for babies and toddlers. The third is for preschool through school age designs. The fourth is for tweens and teens.

The design must never have been published before, and the designer must assign the copyright to the publisher. 
EDIT:  Due to some very helpful Ravelry feedback, I have changed the copyright assignment requirement to first publication rights, exclusivity, for 2 years from publication and rights to republish in the future. The designer can sell his or her pattern on their own site, as well after the 2 years, then they have a chance to get back some of the hours invested in the pattern.  

Accepted designs will be compensated in advance of publication a minimum fee of $150 per accepted and published design.(This is double what Knitty.com pays) Designers can also accept 10 copies of the book in lieu of compensation. Each contributor will receive 2 free copies. Designs must follow yarnstandards.com for sizing. Swatches, sketches, yarns, and photos are welcome.

Yarn support can be arranged. I have a strong preference for natural fibers that are reasonable and readily available, or easily substituted. No $120 cashmere baby sweaters please.

I'm also planning to include some essays so if you can write a short essay (1-2 pages) about your craft and your journey through the creativity. Is there anything you wish you could tell the knitter? Plug your blog and your other patterns!

Give it a go--now's your chance!

PM me for more information.
Susan
Knitfix

Normally I am big NPR fan. I usually trust their stories and agree with their thoughful commentary. But the recent non-news story on Marketplace got my blood going. The story claims that knitting has peaked and is no longer hip because one store closed. Give me a break.

Do you think that one store closing is indicative of a trend? Maybe is was not financed appropriately? Maybe it was not managed appropriately? Or, maybe the 155,000+ members of Ravelry just found other places to shop.

People do flit in and out of hobbies. I tried scrapbooking but hated it. No offense to the croppers, I just prefer to knit. I have knit for decades and will continue until I am unable to. (God knows I have the yarn stash already!)

Since I can't have a cat due to my husband's cat alergies. I have to have virtual cats. I love this bag. Do you like it? I want to buy the entire stock.

We attended the Durham Bulls Stitch and Pitch last week. It was fun to be back in a ball park. We haven't been to one since our many trips to Fenway. It was a very rainy start, but a rainbow emerged and we got to play ball. We all received goody bags with the needles that light up. (Our son Owen thought that they were light sabers.)

We were soggy but excited. Owen was chosen to run the bases with Wool E. Bull. Cool name! Owen was all set to do it until the Bull character scared him and then he chickened out. Poor kid, we should have prepped him with that trip to Disney World.



The kids pooped out early and we had to leave before I was ready. I only got to drink about half that beer. I guess the kids had too much junk food and not enough beer. I did enjoy the crowd and hope to go again soon. With any luck, next year will be a dry day.



As for my knitting, I'm still working on socks. They are so portable and easy after the first couple of pairs. I'm enjoying the process and the results. I'm knitting every chance I get. I even knit during the intermission of the Tom Petty concert on Saturday.

I am still here, just not doing much blogging. I recently purchased a large lot of sock yarn on ebay, so I've been knitting socks.

Thuja available on Knitty. My husband has LARGE feet. And Supermerino doesn't have enough yards, so I added black toes.

I really like the yarn, the colors, and the fast pattern that works very well for me. I get very frustrated knitting socks on tiny needles. The stitches are so small and they take so many stitches. Here's a good example of tiny stitches.

In other news, we're finally going to a Durham Bulls game to attend the Stitch and Pitch. I promise to post about it with pictures next week.

Lastly, I just signed up for a full class load at Stitches East. I went two years ago and learned so much. It was not in the budget last year, so this year I used my $600 economic incentive money for the fees (Thanks, Republicans! Forget about the future, the war debt, the deficit, just spend, spend, spend.) It did cost $575, which leaves me $25 for yarn to spend at the market. Yeah, right.

After a long hiatus, I'm back to blogging about knitting. I've still been knitting, but not blogging, so I have some catching up to do. Are my knitting buddies are missing my posts? I did get some encouragement from the Tuesday Night knitters. Well, they are a friendly, encouraging group.

Of course this is just one finished mitten. The other is on the needles, as you can see. I hope to have it done by next week. I love the color. This yarn is slightly scratchy to me. My skin is very sensitive, so I hope it will be okay for my daughter Zoe. I do find it less of a problem after I wash the yarn.

Glad to be back.

I've started using Hefty School Bags to hold my projects. They can be hard to find, but this is the time of the year to find them. So, if you see them in the store, grab a box.

You can put in the pattern, swatch, even yarn and needles if it's a small project. And, you can write on the outside with a sharpie. Very handy and cool for a disorganized person, like me.

Finally, I have a new post and, at long last, a finished object. Even though this is a wee one, I'm proud of it. I knit this bib for my brand new nephew Ian. He was born on Saturday August 4.

We were led to believe he was a girl, so I had another project in mind for him. I had started the RIBBON EDGED CARDIGAN sweater. (Now, I think I'll skip the ribbon.) While visiting him, I also knit him a hat. I didn't have a chance to take a picture of it. Hopefully I'll get to post it in a picture that includes the baby.

For the bib, I choose a Sirdar Pure Cotton from my stash that I had purchased in Cambridge, UK about five years ago. I'm not sure if it's available anymore. It's very nice.

The pattern was inspired by both a bib from the Mason Dixon knitting book and the RIBBON EDGED CARDIGAN in Debbie Bliss's SPECIAL KNITS book that I had started for him. Luckily I bought the green, not pink yarn!

I bought two sweet star-shaped, shell buttons to finish it up. It was nice to visit my old local yarn store, The Snow Goose in Milton, MA (Alas, no web site). They have good yarn and a nice selection of buttons. I think that nice buttons make a big difference.

Is RAVELRY worth the wait?
On another topic, what's your thoughts on Ravelry? I'm still waiting for my invite, so it's too soon for me to comment much. It remains to be seen what comes of it. It's clear that they weren't prepared for the deluge of people who want to join in.

We have to wonder if people will continue to visit. How many online communities are you in? Do you stick with them?

Do you want to blog about knitting, or knit? Now, do you want to catalog your stash, or use it? I think most knitters are the artsy types, not the list-keeping types.

My stash is a delightful mess with discoveries to be made. I am not really interested publicly admitting to the enormity of it. That's just me. I do see the benefits of knowing what you have and how much you have. Do I really need more Rowan's Kid Silk Haze? Did I ever need ANY Kid Silk Haze? No, not really, and with Ravelry, it might just stop me from buying more when I find it on sale or in a color that I "must" have.

It's been too hot for me to knit. Too hot to touch wool, even in our air conditioned cocoons. I have the summer doldrums and don't feel productive. My normal, very slow knitting has nearly come to a standstill. I have zillions of started, stalled, and abandoned projects.

My current project is a wee little baby hat. It's been on the needles for three weeks! There is a deadline and I have some motivation to finish soon. You see, my little sister is expecting a baby in a few weeks. Nothing like a cute little sweater or hat to get your juices flowing again. But, no.

Thanks to my friend Sue, the fastest knitter down south, for this adorable pink kitty for my daughter Zoe. She also made an equally cute black one for Owen.

Have you seen Ravelry? A smart blog-friendly online knitting community. Now, how COOL is that? I'm impressed and can't wait to get through the queue.
Why, oh why, do all the good ideas get taken before I can think them up? And, of course, act on them? I guess I'm just going to have to keep thinking.

My dear friend Anna sent me a copy of the pretty new Australian Yarn Magazine. It's clever, fresh and beautiful. The articles are thoughtful and well written. There's more content in this magazine than the standard U.S. knitting magazines.

The article on hand spinning was very informative and well written. I am not a spinner, and really don't plan to become one any time soon, but I still found it engaging.

The article on copyright was smart and well researched. I haven't seen this thoughtful a piece in a U.S. magazine.

There are a few things to pick on, but I'm impressed and want more. I've signed up for a subscription and have ordered the back issues. I'll report more once they arrive.

2009! Wow, they are missing a great opportunity.

Below is an actual email from Simon & Schuster on the reknowned Hiatt reprint:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Susan,

Thank you for your email. Due to the high demand for this out of print title, Simon & Schuster is planning a reproduction of THE PRINCIPLES OF KNITTING by June Hemmons Hiatt. The release of this book is tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2009. This timeframe, of course, is subject to change and/or postponement. Please refer to our website at www.simonsays.com periodically for updates.

You may also wish to visit our SimonSays.com Discussion Boards to discuss the book with other knitters here:

http://www.simonsays.com/content/feature.cfm?feature_id=468&tab=8

Sincerely,

Stephen
SimonSays.com

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 9:28 PM
To: Feedback, SSOnline
Subject: Feedback: General book information/Out of print books


Name: Susan Manning


Subject: Feedback: General book information/Out of print books

Comment:
Can you tell me if a reprint or new edition of "The Principles of Knitting" is in the works?

Where does your customer, the person who buys yarn, patterns, needles and notions from you, learn about the craft? Not from the news. Not in the schools. Not from any one book or magazine.

Pick up a mirror and take a good, long look. Yes, you, the Local Yarn Store owner. A knitters’s number one source for yarn industry updates and information is their local yarn store.

This teaching role may be a burden to some stores. To others, it's a terrific opportunity. If you help keep your customers current with solid techniques, fashions, and practices, you will be more than a simple yarn store. You'll become an indispensable resource for them.

You become a part of our community and our lives. If we wanted a cheap trip to an anonymous box store we’d go to one. If we wanted to merely order and go, we’d order online. Shopping at your store is a treat and we want to be treated well. It’s the difference between going to SuperCuts and going to a high-quality salon.

Local yarn stores can deliver customer education in many ways. Some ways are costly; others are not. A well-thought-out customer-education program will take the burden off of your staff. Such a program will help establish a yarn store as customer friendly. It will help differentiate you from your competitors. Let's take a look at a few different ways in which you can accomplish this.

The most economical way to educate your customers is to talk to them regularly about what’s going on in the craft – about issues that affect their particular interests or preferences. Start a shop blog! Knitting bloggers are too numerous to count. Enlighten your customers! Offer to make a short presentation to the local S-n-B groups or guild about a particular new technique. Let groups meet in your shop. Once a year, teach children the craft for a small fee or free.

Spread your knowledge: Read an interesting article on the craft or an exciting new book? Share it with your customers. It's quick and effective. Let them know that you're thinking about them, and not just about the next order.

Stay in touch with customers on a regular basis. Newsletters are natural marketing vehicles, whether they're printed or electronic. The best ones educate customers. The weak ones are a poor excuse for pitching products and services. Post friendly chatty updates on your website. We want to know if you’ve added a new yarn line or when you’re next sale is.

Host a seminar at your shop. Bring in tea and cookies for a group of customers (mixing customers is a great idea customers like meeting their peers), or do a "sip & stitch" session. Pick a topic that every crafter can benefit from, supply handouts, have an open dialogue so that you take their questions, and end the session with a sale.

These sessions needn't be perfect. What's key is that you deliver solid and valuable information.

Luckily for you, you already have the knowledge. You just need a smart plan to share it.

These gorgeous creatures were knit by Sue, my fellow S-n-B member. I've got to add them to my wishlist, after the sheep that she made last week.

She's got a whole barn yard going. We had a bit of fun comparing the chicks to Star Trek tribbles with eyes. Like tribbles, they multiply like mad. They're like knitting a bobble without much fuss.