What the h– does Copyright cover?

It amazes me that in the designing lists, and on Ravelry forums, I am seeing this crop up. Not the question of copyright and what it covers, but situations where someone has had their copyright violated and they are being blatantly taken advantage of.

Copyrights are a bundle of rights, that the creator of a work at this time has from the very beginning. First North American Serial Rights, for example, would be what an author sells to a magazine the first time an article is printed in a magazine. Although now-a-days, with the internet and all, publishers usually make a grab for more rights than that. The right to anthologize or have the item in a digital collection, the right to distribute something digitally, etc.

All of these rights have value. As the activity that the right is related to provides profit or potential profit to someone.

For those of us out there that purchase a knitting pattern, maybe have a blog or knitting group, how does this impact us?

Well, first off let’s look at what we get when we purchase a pattern. Yes, the physical pattern is ours to do with as we wish. We can make a photocopy to work from so our original stays pristine. What we don’t have the right to do is make copies and give them to our knitting buddies. As hard as that might be and it doesn’t seem right that we cannot share with them. That sharing, magnified beyond our little group, can and has put designers out of business. When we make a copy and give it to a friend, we are in fact distributing the pattern. That is part of the copyright also, the right to distribute the pattern. What has actually happened, however innocent, is that the designer has had that distribution taken away from them and the loss of that income.

Does this apply to free patterns too? You betcha it does. Just because it is free doesn’t mean it isn’t copyright protected. You may distribute it only if it states you may do so.

What about the photography? Can I scan the photography and use that? In a word, no. Does it happen without anything bad happening? Yes, because publishers want people to buy their publications. In all actuality, that photograph that was scanned from a book or magazine is also copyright protected. It is good form to get permission to do so. Even if you are an avid blogger who posts lots of pictures, and you asked them if you could post scans of pictures on your blog as long as you don’t post the patterns and they gave you a blanket yes.

What about out of print books that are still in copyright? Those are copyright protected too. Sorry, those cannot be scanned, reproduced, and distributed by anyone but the copyright holder. Inter-library loan, or purchase of used books. That is the legal and ethical way.

I have to question why we as a group of people are so greedy that we cannot wait a little to get an item in an ethical and legal manner. We want something so badly that we don’t care if we don’t have the right to distribute something. The hard facts are if it isn’t ours to distribute, than it isn’t our choice to make on whether it is distributed or not. We cannot look at it as our innate right to have it, because it isn’t. It doesn’t matter how fabulous the design is, or how much of a shame it would be for it not to be shared with humanity. If we do not hold the copyright, we have taken that choice away from the person who does have the right to make that choice.

How do I know the pattern I am getting on ebay or etsy hasn’t been lifted from someone else? I don’t know the answer to that one. I was reading on Ravelry some issues related to copyright violations on etsy and ebay. The best thing I can tell you is to do everything you can to be an ethical and conscientous consumer. Let the buyer beware. Be conscious of whether something passes the snif test. You are not going to see a professional looking spread that is poorly scanned. Why? If someone has the money to pay for a graphic designer and layout that is professional, they are going to have a file that has a professional quality look to it as well. That is the kind of thing that we need to be more aware of.

If you purchase directly from the designer, well that is a much more certain thing. You know, if I ever do go the pdf route, I am going to post on my blog where authorized sources are.

We depend on you to let us know when you see things out there on the web. I don’t know how many times I have read about designers being contacted by someone familiar with their work.

There are a lot of people, even in our cozy corner, who want to make money without doing any work themselves and think nothing of copying the photography and pattern and selling it as their own.

For those who bring that to the attention of designers who are affected, you are heroes.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Copyright Issues: Pattern Sharing

One of the things I love about needle art enthusiasts is their wonderful sharing nature. Unfortunately, in this day and age, there are ugly things that crop up like people wanting to get paid for the work that they do.

I can say that I have never had a copyright issue to my knowledge of my own patterns, but as a designer each time I see it crop up it makes me sick in the pit of my stomach. And there can be such acrimony on both sides. Designers who are tired of having to fight to have their work respected and not given away begin to get somewhat jaded. It ceases to become innocent sharing among friends, no harm meant, when people see their work scanned and posted on blogs for the world to have. Mass distribution, without the right to distribute.

For designers who have had to fight this battle it feels to them more deliberate and calculated. Let’s face it, there are those out there who are are cold, calculating, and don’t care who they rip off, even among needle art enthusiasts. Then the occasional individual who is truly innocent and doesn’t mean any harm can get into a real mess.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again: don’t put anything on your blogs that you did not make or create yourself. A scan of a pattern in a book is not something you made yourself. There is a lot of work and a lot of investment on the parts of a lot of people that goes into these publications. They deserve to be paid.

When you are offered a copy of a pattern, it would do my heart good to see needle art enthusiasts say “No, thanks, I want my own pattern. I want that designer to be able to keep putting out designs!”

Yes, that does happen. Many designers get very tired of this issue and ask themselves why they continue doing this.

Yikes.

I have been either fortunate or blissfully ignorant.

It isn’t that I don’t want to share with all of you, but here is the breakdown of my cost in a design: I have about 2 weeks of work in the pattern drafting, pattern writing, and graphics work (charts and schematics, photography and photo editing, pattern layout). I have around $200 in the test knitting, and about $150 in the tech editing. Now, you know I love you. But love just doesn’t demand that kind of price. It isn’t like we are married or nursed at the bosom of the same mother.

Guess how many pattern leaflets I have to sell to reach my break even point? Not including the cost of mailing yarn and garments back and forth or the cost of printing, or the cost of electricity and so on to power my computers and overhead of the office in my home? 750 patterns. For one design. As a designer, you know you have to have more than one pattern come out each year too. That is quite an investment. And as you might guess, it is a labor of love. Now if my designs were less complicated that amount would be less. There are designers who don’t factor in their time in working on the design as a cost of doing business, but that is a mistake. I don’t work for free, even for myself.

What is really unfortunate is that many independent designers, such as myself, should their copyright be infringed on, cannot afford legal expenses to defend their copyright. They have to weigh the cost of the loss of the design with the cost of an attorney’s fees.

Great independent designers exist because of the many knitters out there that want their own pattern, not one that is a photocopy given to them by a generous and well intentioned friend who doesn’t understand the economic impact to that designer.

My daily rant, I guess. Please feel free to distribute it. Let’s educate our sisters and brothers and keep designers able to produce more designs.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

PDF Knitting Pattern Downloads: To Go, or Not to Go

One of the things I have seriously given some thought to lately is pdf pattern downloads. I am leaning towards the belief that knitters already fall into two camps: those that want it now and will only purchase a pdf pattern or print one for free off the Internet, and those that prefer a regularly produced pattern.

My distributor is wondering if they will go the way of the E-book. I don’t think so myself, because for the knitter it isn’t any different, quality wise, than working from a photocopy.  The knitter who really relishes having their pattern on nice paper and saves their patterns as a collector will always want that nice hard copy.

The big question for me is how does electronic distribution impact my distributor and the stores that carry my patterns? I am of the mind that they won’t impact each other all that much, as electronic patterns can be had all over the internet and knitters already fall into their groups of which they prefer. But it can be a challenge in a changing market, and new technologies can present unforeseen challenges to the “food chain”, as it were.

While it is true I need to tend to my business and let others tend to theirs (it is not my job to sort out change for them), I do need to be cognizant of how it can impact their business, particularly as I wholesale only. I don’t sell retail myself. Therein lies the rub. If I was a retailer myself, I could choose how many methods of distribution I want without competing, because there would be no one I would be competing with.

One reason I went with a distributor was so that I would have wider visibility with my pattern leaflets, and therefore more volume. I also would not be working on lots of little orders.

I discussed it with my distributor at TNNA, and I am frankly divided. Right now I don’t have enough pattern leaflets to have to “retire” any of them.  As I add new patterns to the line this year, that may be a consideration. When I no longer carry them in print, that they would go to pdf download.

As they are all rather classic in nature, I don’t really have any that don’t sell anymore, however to keep the line fresh I suppose I could go with a certain length of time and then have it go to pdf download.

I will have to think on it some more, obviously.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

What Makes a Designer a Professional?

In the realm of the needle arts industry, handknitting in particular, the quality of patterns can be a hot topic. With the advent of self publishing, desktop publishing, and the internet, “designers” are prolific.

I look at it in terms that I can relate to in my everyday life. I suppose cooking would be an example. We all have seen people who can throw together a very good meal, even perhaps a gourmet meal, but we all understand that there is a difference between ourselves and a professional chef.

For the Industry as well as the end user, a problem is that there are no real standards of practice for “professional designers” within the knitting industry. The Association of Knitwear Designers is working now to establish standards of practice. Comments levied by the Industry have been along the lines of asking us what makes our professional members professional.

We have long had a jurying process for our professional members, and many things are looked at, but putting down on paper what criteria is looked at can be a challenge.

One of the things I would like to see myself is that our professional members need to know how to write a pattern. That might sound like a “duh” kind of comment, but there are designers out there who don’t. Poorly written patterns abound because designers don’t know how to write one well.

Another reason there are poorly written patterns on the other end of the equation are hobby designers who don’t know how to write one well (see, it happens across the spectrum for professional designers and hobby designers as well).

This is not to say that if they cannot that they are not artistically brilliant. But at some point, they need to communicate clearly to the end user how to recreate what they have designed. There are some well known designers who don’t know how to write a pattern. They knit up their creation and hand it off to others to decipher and write up the pattern. While I don’t think they have to change the way that they work (as long as they compensate the worker for their work fairly I have no quibble with it), they should be able to look at it and know if it was done well.

To be honest, I have trouble wrapping my head around that issue. To me it is like being a gifted graphic designer but not knowing how to use the basic software involved. So, you do the artwork by hand and then have someone else do the computer work. In the real world, the artist/graphic designer would be expected to have a minimum proficiency in the tools of their trade.

What does it mean for the Industry if a professional designer cannot write a pattern? If you are submitting a poorly written pattern to a magazine, it means higher costs in tech editing, since many more hours are needed to pull it into shape. There should be a difference between tech editing and writing the pattern. With the effects of the economy, and expectations in the market from consumers which impact on rights the designer has to their work, perhaps designers would be better paid if the Industry did not have to pay so much to have patterns brought to a minimum level of usability. Their wallets are not bottomless, just as ours are not.

While I would never tell someone that they are not a “good” designer because they cannot write a pattern, I would say that part of being a professional is having standards of practice that delineate quality and competency.

In the end, it helps everyone. For the consumer there will be less poorly written patterns. For the publishers, there is less work to be done before the patterns are published. For the local yarn store, they have more certainty with a line of patterns they have not used before that the pattern won’t be poorly written and riddled with errors. There will always be the occasional error, but that should be the exception rather than the rule.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

I Saw the Harlot, but I didn’t tell the Deputy

I will confess, the title is more catchy than the sighting. I went to TNNA to generally be in the booth of one of my distributors, Up North Fiber Art Supply, and to schmooze. That I saw the Harlot was anecdotal for my stepdaughter, Erin (Hi Sweetie!). She phoned me up and wanted to know if I had seen The Yarn Harlot. Erin is a fan, and devoted fans of the Harlot knew from her blog that she would be at TNNA. I caught sight of her at a book signing. The list of people waiting for her was immense.

If I could have taken a picture I would have, but they don’t allow cameras on the trade show floor.

Other sightings were friends from Stitches and Scones, in Indiana, Pat Kirtland of Kirtland’s Yarn Barn, and Knitting Today. There were others too, but my brain is still, well, feeling like I have had a lobotomy.

For those who wonder about the process of schmoozing, yarn acquisition as it relates to designing, and ethics related to such, some points are worth remembering.

1. This is a trade show meant to sell product to retailers, not court designers. What this means to the new designer is that we need to be conscious of customers coming into the booth we are visiting. This is the big show for vendor and retailer alike, and there are shop owners, reps, and others meeting up with representatives from companies, planning their product line often for the year. Schmooze discreetly and let them take care of their business.

2. If you are a hobby designer (which isn’t a bad thing or a slam), don’t solicit free yarn. Don’t get me wrong, many are very willing to give designers either yarn to swatch with or yarn at a discount. When approaching them, wait until they are free (unobtrusively), be upfront with who you are, where you are at, and simply ask what the process is for ordering yarn for designs. They will let you know what their policy is. If you DO accept yarn that they offer to give to you, you need to really try and do something with the yarn. I do not take yarn for swatching anymore without a specific purpose in mind. Remember, that yarn is ultimately not free. They cannot sell it if they gift it to you…and there are a lot of designers out there that may or may not be professional designers. Giving away yarn is an expense for yarn companies, an investment on their part that they hope yields a return.

3. Be friendly and courteous to people who come up to you and talk about your work. They have paid you the supreme compliment by sharing a hobby they love very much with you. Knitting your pattern takes time and effort, as well as an investment of money on their part. Don’t take them for granted, for without them you would have no one to design for.

I had a lot of fun at TNNA. I will be adding spring and summer garments to my line of pattern leaflets by next TNNA. I have a number of things I want to get done. I have as I mentioned before been pretty busy over the last several months with projects going in books. The last two books are with Interweave.

I will be doing some new patterns using SWTC as well as Naturally, and hope to also be doing some things with Rauma yarns, Claudia Handpaints, Interlacements Colorado, Black Water Abbey, and Dale of Norway. Hopefully the remodeling, the yard work, and everything in between allows enough time to get a good number of designs done by TNNA next June.

By the way, one of the funniest things I saw at the show was at the booth of Jade Sapphire. They had some cardboard cutouts of people, one of Elvis and one of romance cover model Fabio. The funny thing was about Fabio. There was a sign that said something like “Show Special”, or something like that. It was the placement that to me was absolutely hysterical and left me wondering if I was the only one with a dirty mind. Well, more accurately if I was the only one who noticed why it was so funny where it was placed in relation to what it said!

For those who love traditional knitting, as I do, it was good to see my friend Beth Brown-Reinsel on the floor again in a booth. Of course, I saw Lucy Neatby who is also carried by Up North Fiber Art Supply (they also carry Sivia Harding, Jeanne Abel, and Cat Bordhi). If any of you get to take a class with Lucy, it is well worth it. She is great fun and a good teacher.

On an unfortunate note, I was rear ended on my way home from Columbus. I had pulled off the highway to fill my tank and was waiting to turn left and then I was rear ended while sitting there. No real injuries, just some stiffness and burning. Alfred (the name of my Uplander) has a dent in the hatch, and the bumper is scratched up and gouged. The hitch for the camper is mangled too. My vehicle fared much better than the young lady who hit me. She was pretty shook up (her first accident), but the Deputy was very kind. I don’t remember the name of the county, which is a shame because I appreciated his kindness and professionalism.

On a happy note, I got to play Grandma for a couple days before the show. Andy was out of town for about a week, and I visited with Erin and Ian. Ian is growing so quickly and he is such a little cutie pie. He is fun to play with. That, in the end was my favorite part of the trip. The yarn was a very close second, however. There are some really neat yarns coming out.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Knitting Today: HAT, CAT, or Somewhere Inbetween.

Occassionally on lists for designers, a discussion regarding Hip and Trendy (HAT, or H&T as it is also called) crops up. There are a number of designers, including myself, who dislike the term as it usually is used in combination with something like “Not Your Grandma’s Knitting!”…as is, our knitting is good, yours is not relevant.

I suppose that is human nature to some extent. I am wondering, though, how much of that is due to the influx of younger knitters (as another designer wisely pointed out there seems to be a cycle with many things when “young” or newer enthusiasts join something, and everything is new to them). We are at a point (or rather, they are at a point) where they are ready to move beyond garter stitch scarves in novelty yarn, and the desire for things that are fashionable and fresh drive marketing. The search for what is “new” and “relevant”, can be somewhat misleading. Old techniques are discovered and used in new ways when minds are open, rather than closed. Don’t get me wrong, everyone should be able to choose for themselves how simple they want their knitting to be. It is their knitting and they should be allowed to enjoy it without comment from anyone. But it works both ways. Human nature being what it is, we don’t always embrace diversity as we should.

There is a whole world of knitting out there, and we are only limited by our imagination and belief in ourselves. The desire to learn more and do more can be severely hammpered by our beleif in ourselves. Many knitters have started to search out other things in knitting beyond the garter stitch scarf in novelty yarn, and there is a return to more classic types of knitting. For the fashion conscious, this classic style is not without it’s own modern feel.

I for one am rejoicing, as I am a CAT (classic and timeless) type of designer. There is more interest in other types of knitting as a result of this swing back to basic yarns and classic styles, and there isless dependence on novelty yarns to make a project special.

I have a hard time designing with the novelty yarns myself. I think they are pretty, but I have trouble doing them justice. I think because I just never learned how to combine them or use them. This is because the kind of knitting that shows these yarns off bores me silly. In all honesty, I prefer classic yarns and classic types of knitting. The knitting itself is more challenging and is the star of the show, rather than the yarn itself being the one and only design element.

I enjoy an Aran jumper (pullover) or a fairisle jumper much more than a sweater that is knit out of novelty yarns. I can appreciate them, I just don’t use them myself.

It has been postulated that designers tend to fill niches, and I suppose in many respects that is right. I have not seen any effect in my own business related to the knitting industry (many are wondering if the bubble has burst, as there are now yarn stores closing and for awhile there, it seemed there were a lot of new ones opening). I would venture to say that is because the designs that I do never appealed to the knitters the market was courting. At the TNNA (The National Needlework Association) trade show, the market was definetly more balanced and not so heavily slated towards novelty yarns last year, and I would imagine this year will be the same.

I have always, to some extent, designed what I want and let the chips fall where they may. I think in many areas of life that is a good approach. Do what you believe is right, essentially. Or do what you believe in. I believe in designing garments I would love to wear. When it gets to the point where I am designing something to make a quick sale, that is not what I am into. Some people are and there is nothing wrong with that either. But if it isn’t right for me, then I should not pursue it.

Whatever my niche is, I am not entirely sure as I have not stopped to analyze it. I suppose I should. Janet Szabo is the queen of Aran knitting. Annie Modesitt is brilliantly creative. Bonne Marie Burns epitomizes elegant and trendy (IMHO). I just do what I like and see where it takes my fancy. And I try not to be afraid.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Knitting in the Blogosphere

It is fun to visit blogs that have linked to mine, and see projects knitters are doing and what changes they have made to make the project their own. Yarns used or changes made in edgings, shaping, or other details. Sometimes, I will google a design to see what people are doing. I have come across some very interesting blogs that way.

I found Weedwacker Knits on just such a foray into the blogoshpere. It is an entertaining blog. She is a knitter, spinner, and gardener (grows her own dyestuffs and collects organic materials such as lichen on trees and walnuts on the ground that the squirrels have not yet gotten to). Scroll down to October 14, 2007 and read about the spin-in. She mentions Brambleberry, knit by Barb in her group. A prolific knitter and spinner who had a number of projects for the show and tell which were beautifully knit. Here is the url: http://weedwackerknits.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html . She is an avid sock knitter, by the way. I had to laugh when I read a recent post talking about her stash.

In Jennifer’s Journal, she linked to my blog and I read about the LaMancha Watchcap that she knit. It was published in the Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar 2007. I didn’t put anything in the calender this year, as I just did not have time, but it is nice to know it is still being used. She is starting her first sweater…from the top down. She has a number of nice looking socks on her blog also, and I imagine her sweater will turn out just as nicely as the socks did. Since I cannot get the hyperlink button to work at the moment, here is the url: http://initsox2.blogspot.com/2008/05/and-knit-goes-on.html

From the Wool Room is an interesting blog from handknitter and spinner Loribird, who also has an etsy shop. She knit Wine and Roses, the lace fingerless mitts that were in the Winter issue of Interweave Knits a year ago this past winter. Winter 2006, I believe. She spun the yarn her mitts were made in. Here is the url: http://www.fromthewoolroom.com/2008/01/wine-and-silk-roses.html

To all of you out there, I hope you have a splendid weekend.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

How Do You Color Your World?

On one of the forums in Ravelry, there was an interesting discussion on color versus black and white photography for simple patterns for a beginning knitter’s class. As this is a topic on a forum for designers, it was interesting how the topic went in different directions.

From a marketing standpoint, at least in knitting and other crafty hobbies, color photography is seen as a higher quality. Interestingly, you are not always able to see the best detail with color photography. In the case of the thread that started the topic, they are simple patterns with (I have heard although have not seen) a very good quality black and white. One of the reasons they are given in black and white is to keep costs down for the beginner students so they don’t have to shell out so much.

Another interesting observation on the topic was how black and white photography (art photography) has value. Think Ansel Adams. Of course, we live in an instant gratification, more is more, huge is more, all the bells and whistles is more society. We do judge a book by its’ cover…or rather, color. Photography, that is. One thing that surely makes or breaks a pattern in that very small amount of time a consumer spends looking at things before picking it up and looking further. If the photography is not eye catching and well done, chances are the pattern will not be looked at.

For myself, I honestly cannot enjoy a sense of intimacy with a black and white art photo. I can appreciate it’s beauty, but I don’t want to live with it. It feels sterile and devoid of passion. Color greatly affects feeling, emotion, sense of well being. Color can make you feel energetic or languid. Color communicates, and we internalize what is communicated.

I am sure you all have seen some tone on tone rooms done in beige or off white. I know they can look sophisticated, but again it tends to not be my thing. Right now I am picking out carpeting and paint colors for my studio. I already have a sofa going into it that I am pulling colors from the upholstery, but deciding on a final color scheme has been somewhat tricky. I don’t want my studio of all places to be devoid of color, and so neutral it has a neutered feel.

The upholstery is a wonderful tapestry with ducks swimming in water, grasses and cattails, leafy trees, and some ducks flying. The ducks are mallards. There is an amazing variety of colors in this tapestry. The problem is if I have too much color on the walls and floor, the tapestry will not be a focal point. If I go with too neutral of a scheme, there won’t be enough punch in the room to look like anything but the home of someone who cannot commit, someone who doesn’t know color, or someone who enjoys an “artsy” or “sophisticated” no color kind of palette. I am none of those. I was on the Dean’s list when studying metal smithing, but I can say without hesitation that there are things about the world of fine art that are needlessly high brow.

I enjoy color. In my home, I want a peaceful environment while feeling energized. I want a welcoming environment, so I want it to feel warm. I also want it to feel like a creative space. I want it to feel like it has personality.

In the end, for the carpet, I picked out a light colored neutral for the carpet. The walls will be a yellow green (a color that is in abundance in the tapestry upholstery, as is the light colored neutral). The upholstery also has some mauve, royal blue, blue green, yellow, orange,rust, and other colors. I plan on picking up some of the mauve and purple colors in accents. This ended up being a good compromise between not enough color and too much color. There is enough of a chic feel with the yellow green on the walls to fill the artistic and creative needs (I thought some orchids would be a nice touch in that room too). There isn’t such a huge wow between the carpet and walls that nothing else gets noticed either. In designing the room, I had to decide what was going to be most important and make choices based on that. Not everything can be the “subject”. In design, some things have to more important, and other things have to recede and play a supportive role.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Here we go for Round Two: More Knitting Needed

Let me just say off the bat that this post today is just a wee bit whiny. Plain and simple, I am tired and I miss my husband. One of the bad things about him being gone is that I cannot show him the swatch that I just did and tell him what I want to do with it. We have been together long enough that he smiles and says “What does it want to be?”. Part of the fun of designing for me is showing him what I am coming up with.

Right now I am working on some baby projects going into an Interweave Press book. And that is fun, but it is more fun when I have someone to share it with. Don’t get me wrong, I get to see him on average twice a month so it could be worse. And I get to talk to him several times a day.

I actually was able to show him the swatch for the baby sweaters when it was done, as I was working on that when I went and visited him a few weeks ago. The baby sweaters have a little Intarsia on the chest, and a simple all over texture. Nice little details at the bands, too. I won’t go into more detail but when the book is out I will scan the swatch or post a picture of the sweaters (and the baby blanket).

I know there are many knitters out there who are knitting in a vacuum, and the Internet has been a boon for that. But there is nothing like getting together with other knitters (or someone who enjoys what you do) and spend some time together. I find it calms my mind. I had to go to the dentist today for some fillings, and took my knitting with me. I did actually get some knitting done, too, while I was there. I was actually pretty embarrassed that I had a few cavities. I haven’t had any in years, and I think I was just so sickly and feeling crummy over the past couple years that I didn’t brush as long. I had had bronchitis and pneumonia, and frequent chest colds after the accident I was in. My asthma kicks up and I wake up coughing. I relied on cough drops to go back to sleep, and often would put one in my mouth, between my cheek and teeth. I had three cavities on the side that I did that. I am going to make sure, when in similar situations, to make sure the cough drops are sugar free from now on.

I also knit during the sermon at church. I listen better with mindless knitting in hand.

While I have not posted pictures of the remodeling our house has gone through (which I hope to soon, as I have some really great pictures), I have been planning phase two, in between knitting for books and trying to get something new done for my own line of pattern leaflets. I am finally getting my studio done. Our current garage is getting converted to living space, and will be my studio. I will have a fireplace in the corner, and french doors on the front and back. I have so much yarn literally all over the house. The only room the house does not have yarn in (in some manner) is the bathrooms and laundry room.

There is a lot of planning involved. Just today, I have been looking at carpet samples and paint samples and making final choices.

And now I am ready to sit and knit. It is 5:30, and I am going to sit and work on the baby blanket for the Interweave book. It is repetitive, and a perfect antidote to an overloaded day.

I often wonder if knitting would not contribute greatly to stress reduction programs.  I think that is what we all need, more knitting.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Book Submissions: Interweave

I found out that I have two designs, a baby blanket and a baby sweater set, going into a book of knitting gifts that Interweave is doing.

The baby blanket was designed with my grandaughter Jessica in mind, and the sweater set was designed with my grandson Ian in mind, although both have in mind that sometimes we don’t know the gender of the baby we are knitting for.

I will let you know the names of the designs when the names are finalized.

Kazumi will be in Simple Style, and when the book comes out I will let you know.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace