Knitscene Summer 2013
Have you noticed there are lots of knitwear designers who have a professional background in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field? I have, and so has Knitscene editor Lisa Shroyer, who asked me to speak with some such designers for Knitscene Summer 2013. The issue’s on sale now, hitting newsstands mid-month! Also, I love this design and this design and this design. Holy smokes. FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogle +1MoreLinkedInEmailRedditDiggTumblrStumbleUponHave you noticed there are lots of knitwear designers who have a professional background in a STEM (science,...
Read MoreIf you type two spaces after a period, you’re doing it wrong.
Every so often, when I’m in the throes of doing a first-pass edit, I let off some steam by tweeting something like, “I get paid to delete the extra spaces you type after a period. Don’t I feel special.” And then I get a flood of replies steeped in honest confusion, because people believe they should type two spaces after a period. And then I explain why doing so is just so very wrong. And then I admit that I, too, was taught to type two spaces, but that I was able to overcome what I was taught. From now on, I’m simply going to link to this Slate piece by Farhad...
Read MoreMy Authorly Thoughts on Ebooks and Piracy
Publishing-industry thinker Sean Cranbury linked to this article in the Globe and Mail: The rise of the e-book lending library (and the death of e-book pirating). The voice of the article, along with some of the people quoted within it, struck me as… naïve. To say the least. But enough about that. As an author, here’s what I think about digital publishing, ebook lending and piracy. In reverse order. My books have been pirated. To be clear – my only-released-in-print books have been pirated. I know, right? Makes me feel special that someone, or some people, took the time to...
Read MoreTeach Yourself Visually Crochet: 2nd Edition Now Available!
I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about this! Sigh. Last month the second edition of Teach Yourself Visually Crochet came out! Cecily spent a ton of time updating and adding stuff (um, hello Booties Master Pattern*!), and she did an amazing job. Also, I’m very glad that Wiley changed the title from “Crocheting” to “Crochet”. That seems much more right. So. If you or a loved one or a casual acquaintance could use a comprehensive, full-colour-photo-illustrated, clearly written crochet compendium, get thee to your favourite local book or yarn store! And...
Read More2010: A Year of Apps
This was an odd year for me. I started out with a job, left that job in February to go back to freelancing, and am ending the year doing the majority of my work in crochet-related projects, which was never my goal but which makes me happy all the same, despite my desire to do work in more general contexts. After spending most of 2009 trying very hard not to think about working in the crafts industry, I came back to it knowing this is most definitely the place for me (things that are obvious to others are often totally a surprise to me). And as I explored how I’d like to fit my work into...
Read MoreAn Ode to Contractions, the Key to Your Voice
Way back in school, you were probably taught that contractions had no place in your essays and reports. School was to be for formal writing. You put two spaces after every period, you compiled a perfect bibliography, and so as not to sound like a kid you banished the contraction to the lowly realm of notes to pass to your friends while your teacher blathered on about spelling and grammar. But this is now, people. You’re not in school. Or maybe you are, but you’re also online. And for all the varied things you write that aren’t written to a teacher, please, for the love of...
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I write here about creativity, business, crafts, books, pop culture and other stuff that forces its way out of my brain.
