Sunday, May 06, 2007

2 Laptops, 1 Book, 2 Sales, Much Frustration, and Some Random Knitting Content

Is it possible to have an entire month of full moons? Or at least full moon behavior? Because I'm here to tell you that it's been a bit of a wild ride since I last posted.

Remember the Blue Screen of Death? The one that tolled the death of poor Inspiron 1000? Well, that was only the first computer disaster to befall me as I struggled toward the end of the Book That Wouldn't Die. I killed an Averatec too. Now I'm used to burying a laptop every spring but two laptops in a three week period is a record even for me. I also killed the television. The same television we bought last spring after I somehow killed the other television. (All I did was push the ON button. Honest.)

By the time I was galloping toward the finish line (a timely Kentucky Derby reference) I was so paranoid about dead computers that I had a removable hard drive in the PCMCIA slot, three thumb drives sticking out of the USB ports, and an external floppy drive in use. I wasn't taking any chances.

I finished it about ten days ago. Then changed it. Then finished it again. Then tinkered with the ending. Then untinkered with the ending. Then added an epilogues. Then ditched the epilogue. Then wrote a new epilogue. Then ditched that one too. Lather rinse repeat. Seventy extra pages later I came to the conclusion that the book ended the way it was supposed to end and no epilogue was necessary. Now I wait to see what my editor thinks about that decision . . .

And in the middle of struggling with dead laptops and a book sorely in need of a last chapter, I sold two more books to Berkley. The books will feature Chloe Hobbs, owner of a very special Vermont yarn shop where yarn never tangles, sleeves always come out the same length, and you always, always get gauge. (It's tentatively called The Sorcerer's Daughter for reasons I'll tell you about soon. )

I did pull out my own (tangled, uneven) knitting last week to celebrate. Remember the grey Step socks I've been working on for two or three years. (Okay, so maybe it's only six months. It just feels like two or three years.) I had two Magic Loops going and was whizzing right along. Finished the leg(s). Finished the heel flap(s). Finished picking up the gusset stitch(es). Ooops. Forgot the turn the heel(s). Bad knitter. Very very bad. And may I be the first to tell you that ripping back Step wasn't any fun at all. I tried to salvage the heel flaps but the slipped stitches kept bobbing and weaving and generally tormenting the needle until I gave up and ripped back their arrogant butts right up to the leg and redid them.

I now officially hate these socks with every fiber of my being and only an irrational desire to have the last laugh over a hunk of knitted fabric keeps me from consigning them to the bottom of a parrot cage.

Oh, and did I tell you I fell off my yarn diet? Last month I bought Rowan Denim. I swatched it and almost swooned from its general wonderfulness. After washing and drying, I remeasured and it lost nothing horizontally but did shrink 25% vertically. But oh how soft! How strokable! How purely luscious it is.

Which, of course, awoke the slumbering Yarn Beast who now wants to ravish and pillage WEBS and Elann and Patternworks and frolic naked in a mountain of Noro . . . any Noro will do.

Speaking of Noro, are you ready for another contest? How about a I Finished the Book and Only Lost 2 Laptops in the Process contest? Sounds good to me. Come back tomorrow and there'll be pictures of some glorious vintage Noro Implessions (10+ skeins) and details.

I'm so glad to be back!

13 Comments:

Blogger Theresa N. said...

Glad you're back! Sorry about the computers.

7:13 AM  
Blogger Kenyetta said...

Sorry about the computers and socks!

9:49 AM  
Blogger Nephele said...

If Chloe's customers always get gauge there's really no need to explain the "sorcerer's daughter" bit. Except perhaps that that's not going far enough?
Glad you managed to get through the technology disasters.

10:40 AM  
Blogger Knitterary said...

Please give me the address of Chloe's yarn shop, as I intend to do all of my shopping there from now on. ;)

Welcome back!

10:57 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glad you're back! Please don't come to my house and touch the electronics. ;) The spinning wheels, though, might be interesting....

11:27 AM  
Blogger Nancy Herkness said...

Barbara, how lovely to have you back on the blog! We've really missed you!

Thank goodness you've gotten the chaos under control and can begin afresh with socks, yarn and stories.

4:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmm. That new book sounds intriguing. Like the sound of that shop

6:20 PM  
Blogger Cindi Myers said...

Congratulations on finishing your book and on the two new sales!

I sympathize on the socks and the yarn.

I started a new pair of socks last night -- first socks I've knitted in months. It felt so wonderful!

6:51 PM  
Blogger monica said...

So happy for you that you finished the book. Sorry to hear about the death of 2 computers in the process. I once forgot to turn the heel and I knit for quite awhile before I realized something looked very wrong. I just ripped it back and pretended it never happened. Congrats again!

1:08 AM  
Blogger Liz said...

Your new book sounds like one that I can't wait to read! Glad to see you posting again; you have been missed!!

6:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glad to see you back among the living!

8:34 AM  
Blogger Nicole said...

And we're glad to have you back!

I hope that the computer woes are over, at least for another year. (TV and sock woes, too.)

12:34 PM  
Blogger LauraP said...

The new book sounds wonderful! My condolences on the computer woes. I have an uneasy relationship with electronics myself.

12:50 PM  

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