Mossy Cottage Knits

The Hidden Dangers of the Internet

Let me tell you a story which, to me, encapsulates TMK’s and my weird journey through the world of fiber. It starts six years ago and ends two weeks ago with the publication of a book (not ours).

Chapter 1
In 2001, when I was still a sock-knitting maniac, I was confoozled by some instructions in a sock pattern. The pattern said “turn and purl back” and all I could think was, “Huh? How do you turn something circular?” Despite the illogicality of it, I still tried to do what it said; I earnestly turned and turned and turned my dpns...and, as I predicted, ended up right back at the beginning of the circle. Had you been a fly on the wall, you would’ve let loose with many high-pitched fly-giggles, I'm sure.

In (mild) desperation, I posted a message to the Yahoo socknitters forum and someone (in fact, Betsy McCarthy, author of this fun book and a member of my Guild but I didn’t know that at the time) forwarded my question to the author of the pattern, who was not a member of the forum.

I subsequently received a nice email from some woman named Evelyn Clark (yes, that Evelyn Clark, of this and this and this, but she could've been Tinkerbell for all I knew) explaining that by “turn” she meant turn the sock so that the near side of the sock was away from you and purl back in the opposite direction to start the heel. Ah. Problem solved.

I couldn’t help but notice, however, that this “Evelyn” woman—who could have lived anywhere in the world, such is the Net—had an email address with a distinctly northwest flavor to it. So I emailed her back saying something along the lines of, “I hope you don’t mind but I see that you seem to live somewhere here in the Northwest and I was wondering what you could tell me about the knitting community here.”

Now look at this from Evelyn’s point of view: All of the horror stories she had heard about the Internet had just come true. Some guy named Ryan had tracked down her location using nothing but her email address and was now stalking her!

Evelyn’s escape plan solution was to refer the “guy” to the Seattle Knitters Guild. She figured if he wasn’t really interested in knitting and was just using it as “a line,” he wouldn’t go, but she’d been as helpful as polite society dictated one should be and could now excuse herself from any and all future correspondence. Or the psycho would actually go to Guild and become someone else’s problem.

Evelyn and the "psycho guy named Ryan" met at the next Guild meeting, of course, and we had a good laugh, and still have the occasional chuckle over it to this day.

Chapter 2
Fast forward to July 2007.

Location: TMK’s house, TMK’s office.

Scene: TMK and—what the...?—Evelyn Clark (???) hunkered together over TMK’s computer. How can this be? First, it was Evelyn Clark; secondly, TMK was/has been notoriously shy and anti-social; thirdly, what did TMK know from fiber? On what planet did this tableau make sense?

So, how did this unusual partnership come about? TMK’s new-found interest in spinning goosed it along, of course, as well as the fact that she is now a regular at Ferals, as is Evelyn. Plus—drrrrum rrrroll!—this, the new FiberTrends/Evelyn Clark book, Knitting Lace Triangles!

Evelyn needed some help designing a dust jacket for the book, remembered that TMK was a professional designer with extensive experience in the publication arena and approached her on it. TMK jumped at the opportunity, especially since she has a strong interest in the self-publishing biz, and was on the phone with a print-company representative within the hour, like the pro she is. So, for a couple of weeks and to my vast amusement, the surreal scene described above played itself out repeatedly: Evelyn and TMK in TMK’s office, in the living room, in the yard, at a Starbuck’s, at the printer’s, even huddled together at Feral's.

I think the results are great: Lovely photos (especially the one on the back) taken by Bev Galeskas’ husband; a great photo of Evelyn taken by TMK herself (in front of the lavender, for those of you who know TMK’s yard); a yummy, smoky, dark pine-green accent color—just a handsome, tailored, professional look. But mostly when I look at the book, I think, “TMK and Evelyn?!!! I just... I mean... How...? When...? Why...? How did that happen?!”

And it is now my extreme pleasure to give a plug for this unique book, Evelyn’s first. It is published by Fibertrends and will be available through various yarn stores and at fiber fêtes. In the book, Evelyn reveals many of her “secrets” for designing your own lace shawls: How to plan your “triangle;” how to create a pattern outline; what materials and supplies you will need; basic abbreviations and symbols; how to read charts, count rows, correct mistakes, join yarns, cast off, finish and block. It even includes size and yardage charts which detail what size shawls will block out to based on the number of stitches, and how many yards of lace-weight yarn you will need for your project. Keep an eye out for it!

---

Thank you, Dear Readers, for letting me know I’m not the only knitter living a Harry-Potter- and Ravelry-free life. Of course, I also said I would never blog. Make of that what you will.

Elizabeth, I’m afraid the Margaritaville is already turning into a pair of baby socks in my initial attempt to corral my pack of rabid Yorkies. But, at the rate she’s going, TMK is indeed turning out more yarn than I can knit so, who knows, she may sell some or give some away down the road. Although there is that nasty business of having to pry it from my cold, dead hands first. So unpleasant.

Posted by Ryan at August 13, 2007 09:47 AM