Ah, the glamorous life of an author, jet-setting all over the place to promote a new book. Maybe that happens for top novelists or independently wealthy writers, but for the rest of us the blog book tour is a worthy substitute. (How's "My book went on vacation and all I got was this lousy T-shirt" for a new slogan?)
Actually, I don't have any complaints. I'm delighted that some top crochet designers and industry professionals have agreed to be a stop on the Crochet Scarves tour. I've left the format up to them: book review, interview, Q and A...I'll even write a guest blog for them if they so choose. Stackpole Books has sweetened the pot by offering each blogger a book to give away to a fan. I hope you will visit all of the blogs--they have so much information and insight to offer crocheters!
The first one out of the gate was Underground Crafter. She took the time to send me an extensive list of questions, and wrote a very thorough assessment of the book. http://undergroundcrafter.com/blog/?p=6481 It was great to hear from Marie and be reminded that she took a class I taught at Lion Brand Yarn Studio!
Yesterday's entry was from the inimitable Doris Chan. http://dorischancrochet.com/ I knew that she lived nearby but for a long time I was too intimidated to contact her. We finally met this spring and it made me wonder why I had waited so long! She's intelligent, interesting, funny, and a pleasure to spend time with. Her crochet designs are amazing, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Here is a brief excerpt from Doris' post:
The concept of this book is quite brilliant. In Sharon’s hands, the lowly scarf becomes the canvas for the exploration of various crochet techniques, ranging from mitered squares to lace and colorwork, broomstick crochet and (what I consider to be her specialty) Tunisian crochet. Each of the 21 scarf projects is accompanied by an achingly complete tutorial, including step-by-step images of hands, hook and yarn, stitch symbol diagrams and close-up shots of the fabric. No matter what sort of learner you are, Sharon’s got you covered.
I don't think even my own mother could have said anything nicer.
Tour stops coming up are StyledbyKristin.com (Kristin Omdahl) on 7/24; Modeknit.com (Annie Modesitt) on 7/27; GoCrochet.com (Ellen Gormley) on 7/30; CrochetbyFaye.com (Robyn Chachula) on 8/3; Handsindelight.com on 8/10; Crochetville.org on 8/13; Crochetconcupiscence.com on 8/23. There are a few other blogs for which we're working out dates. I'll let you know when those are firmed up.
Meanwhile, I've been working on a throw for a kit, a shawl for another kit, the wintersky Blue Heron Egyptian Mercerized cotton openwork item, and some design proposals. And I check the mailbox every day to see if Crochet Scarves sent me a postcard from the road!