How to Gain an Audience for Your Knitting Book

Hello friends!
Do you want your book to do well? OF COURSE YOU DO. Well, here's some information for you: In order for your book to do well, you need an audience. You need eyes on you. Here are three ways to attract an audience:

Let's dive deeper:

1. Start a blog.
Start a blog dedicated to knitting. It can be about your knitting projects, patterns you love, or tutorials. And it's important that there's something different about your blog. There are a ton of knitting blogs out there. What makes your unique? Why should someone choose your blog over someone else's?
Once you have your blog idea, decide on a posting schedule. I would highly suggest once a week, always on the same day of the week. Everyone can manage putting up a post on a blog at least once a week. The important thing here is that you carve out time every. single. day. to write for your blog. Every day. You may be saying, "NO Grace! I'm busy! I don't have the time to devote daily to a blog." Yes you do! I'm asking for 15 minutes. Just 15 minutes. If you don't have that, you must say no to other things. Daily writing is not only the key to your blog, but it's also the key to your book. Start writing daily.
I want you to start writing every day and build up a backlog of 5 posts saved in your drafts. Treat it as if you're writing to meet your weekly deadline, but then when a post is ready to be published, save it to your drafts. Five posts is a great number to launch your blog with. Doing this will also demonstrate to yourself that you can write every day and get you into that routine. There are countless blogs out there with two or three posts, then they fell out of routine and gave up. Pre-writing 5 posts will already put you past those people.
Then, stick with it. Your audience should know that you post every week on this particular day. That's how consistent you should be. Get your blogging done--No excuses!

P.S. I would highly suggest blogger to create your blog. It's fairly simple to customize, and if you follow the steps I'll show you in the next posts, your blogger blog can be stunning! Plus, blogger's free.

2. Create a Ravelry Group
Once you have your blog, go on Ravelry and create a group. Go to the group tab and click "start a group." Now, Ravelry will ask you for a banner and a button. I'm going to show you in my next few posts how exactly to create these graphics. It's super super simple, I promise. If you create attractive buttons/banners it will capture people's attention when they're viewing the "Recently Added Groups" section. Then, they'll read into it, discover your unique idea, join the group, and boom. Five posts in and you already have an audience.
I would suggest creating a new thread in your group for every blog post you write. Give people a short description and then link over to your blog. If you want to, you can re-purpose your blog post and put all the content directly in your thread, that way people don't have to click over to your blog to receive the value you're offering.
"But Grace, don't I want those views counted on my blog????"
Not necessarily. It matters that you have eyes on you. It doesn't matter where you are when those eyes are on you. As long as you're providing helpful information, people will like you and follow you and quite likely reimburse you! Obviously, your purpose should not be the reimbursement, it should be your why (which I explain in this post).
Also, in your thread, ask your audience a question or two per post so that they can respond to you! Get in there and comment back to people. It's super fun and can quite often lead to ideas for future posts.

3. Provide a TON of value.
Giving people your wisdom and insight is the one really solid way to gain an audience and ensure that a good percentage of them will buy from you. If you provide value to people for free, they will be more quick to reimburse you (ie buy your book or pattern). So create tutorials and guides, give away free patterns, and teach everything you know. Even a beginner can teach. If you know something someone else does not, you can teach.
Working up a huge body of work also brings more people to your blog through search engines and keywords. Then, they'll tell their friends about you and so on and so forth.
So, in every blog post and interaction, offer value to your readers.

I hope I've done just that in this post!
See you next week! Have a fantastic weekend.

Grace

Knitting Book Uncertainties (and solutions!)

Hello all!
Today I want to be totally open and honest with you guys. I want to have full transparency throughout this entire process, so here goes:


I'm struggling with three things currently and they're sort of paralyzing me. I feel like I can't continue until these things are taken care of so today I'm going to spell those three things out and research solutions. Perhaps you're struggling with some of the same things, so I hope to help you guys out.


1) Pictures!
Obviously, my book needs pictures. Nice pictures. But here's the problem: I don't have a nice camera. I have my iphone and that's about it. This needs to change, but I certainly don't have the money to buy a Canon Rebel.
I looked into this, and these are some solutions:
-Ask a friend! If you know a photographer friend, ask if you can use their camera in exchange for lunch or something.
-Buy a camera. I know I just said I didn't have the money for this right now, but I researched it and it looks like the Canon PowerShot SX520 is a fairly affordable entry-level camera. In the time it takes for me to make all the samples that I'll be photographing for my book, I think I'll save up for this one.


2) Designing my book pages.
When I was working on my introduction, which was the topic of my last post, I got to thinking about how exactly I'll be designing my book. I had planned on using Microsoft Word but three minutes in there made me realize that is not. going. to. work. So, I researched.
You've probably heard of Adobe Photoshop. But have you heard of Adobe InDesign? Evidently it's what all the cool kids use for book layouts.
It's $20 a month to use. But, as I've said, I'm on a tight budget. I don't want to start renting it now and not end up using it at first because I'm spending all my time trying to figure it out or because I don't have any pictures to design around. So, here's my plan:
I finish all the finished products for my book (this includes all the writing for the book as well as the knitted projects), photograph them (with the camera I'll have by then), and then start renting InDesign. Throughout the process of knitting my products, I'll listen to podcasts and watch youtube videos on how to use InDesign. That way I'll be ready by the time designing rolls around!
(Edited to add): A lovely group member informed me of Scribus. It's essentially a totally free layout software that looks pretty similar to InDesign. I've watched a few youtube videos on it and I think this is what I'll end up using!)


3) Publishing.
I've been saying I'll self-publish, but now that it's getting closer, I really need to nail down exactly how I'll do that. Do I start out just on Ravelry as an e-book? Do I put out the patterns separately or all together? Do I put it on Amazon? Do I even sell physical copies? Do I just sell them to you guys here on my site? Do I take physical copies to my LYS? How do I approach retailers about my book? What if no one even likes it???
Lotta questions there. Eek.
Ok--Here are the major ones broken down:
Do I start out just on Ravelry as an e-book?
This is a solid option. On Rav, you can upload multiple patterns and put them up as a collection, or e-book. But, would you guys consider this a cop-out? I mean it's not necessarily self-publishing.
Do I put it on Amazon?
Amazon has a program for self-publishing  that I've heard about through friends who have published their own books. It's free to publish to Kindle, and in order to publish physical copies, you need to use CreateSpace. You earn 70% royalties for digital Kindle publishing and 80% royalties for physical copies. I need to look into this further, but I think Amazon would be my best option for self-publishing outside of Ravelry.
Do I even sell physical copies?
Honestly, I can't remember the last time I bought a physical knitting book. That's really sad, because I love them! I think they're super awesome! But the fact is, it's usually cheaper to buy the digital version. So, is this something you guys would want? Are physical copies still a thing?
How do I approach retailers?
I looked into this and it basically boils down to: Gaining an online following for your book. Prove to bookstores that your book is wanted and valued and GOOD. Demonstrate your reliability through a blog or social media account promoting your book. All of the little details like distribution/consignment are things I'll save for later. For right now, start thinking about how to build your audience. After all, when you launch your book, you want it to do well! This can only be done when people are watching you.
What if no one even likes it???
Well, we'll see about this one. I really think you guys are gonna like this though. ;)


All right, those were the 3 main things I'm currently struggling with. Well, I'm not struggling anymore, and I hope you aren't either! If there's anything YOU are dealing with right now, be sure to let me know in the "Get Help!" thread in my Ravelry group. There are a lot of knowledgeable people over there, so I'd highly recommend joining.
Until Friday,
Grace

How to Write the Introduction Page for Your Knitting Book

Wow. Six posts into this blog and we're writing the first page? What is this? Am I crazy?


Slightly, but that's beside the point.


You may be saying, "But Grace, I don't have a front cover! I don't have my patterns completed yet! Heavens, I don't even have all my patterns planned out yet! I'm not ready to write my intro page!"


Um yes, actually you are. You sitting there at your computer or phone are ready to write the first page of your book. Beginning this journey with your introduction page is a fantastic way to truly flesh out the details of your book before you even create it. It's a sort of backwards-building technique. You write out what exactly you want the book to be, and then you go and you make it.


First, before we continue, you need a book idea. If you don't have that, you need to do some dreaming. Then, once you have your idea, head over to this post where I show you how to get your idea rolling. Once you've done all that, you're ready to write your first page.


Alright, now let's begin.


By "introduction" I mean that first page or two you'll sometimes see in knitting books. Authors discuss a bit about their book and get you ready and hyped up to begin. You don't have to include one, but I'm going to. I adore these little paragraphs because I'm an extreme "process" person. It totally gets me in the mood to create and connects me to the author. It commits me to the book. I want you to think of your introduction page as a press release of sorts. Tell everything about you, about what inspired your book idea, and what people can expect to see in your book. Imagine you have like 3 paragraphs to totally sell people on you and your book. Or, imagine someone has already bought your book and sits down with a nice cup of tea to begin reading it. You want them to go "Yes! I'm so glad I bought this book, this sounds awesome!" Seriously, make your intro so mind-blowingly fabulous that they say that out loud.


You may be scared. You may not know how to start. That's fine! I get you! That's why I'm here! Grab a notebook or open up a Microsoft Word document and follow these tips along with me. Write down any little thought that comes to your mind when you read each of these tips. Don't worry about how it sounds. You can't improve upon something you haven't written. So write it so you can improve it!
And, I must add, when I say write I don't mean design. We'll design this page much later in the process. For now, just write up a storm and save all of it for use later.


1. Introduce yourself. And make a great first impression.
These are the first words your audience will read about you. They have to love you to truly love your book (and any future books you may write). Imagine the person reading your book is a timid guest entering your private art studio. Imagine them peeping through the slightly opened door and hesitantly asking, "Can I come in?" Greet them with a friendly "Yes!" Go over there and give them a hug and ask how their family is doing! Ok, you have that picture in your mind? Go put that kind of warmth and welcome into your personal introduction.


2. Answer the question "What's in it for me?"
Let's face it. Humans want to know what they will get if they spend money on your book. It sounds selfish, but it's not. They want to know what they're trading their money for. This can be good for you because you can use this human trait to get people to purchase your book. Tell them right off the bat what they will receive. Include things like charts, graphs, picture tutorials, patterns, and/or guides to learn a new technique. Also tell people how fun your patterns are to knit! Explain how your patterns will bring joy to their lives. This sounds silly, but if you can strategically add this in, it'll do a world of good for your introduction.


3. Tell them how the book was inspired. Honestly.
Humans also like to be nosy. Give your readers a peek into your life with the story behind how the book was inspired. This will get them interested and invested in YOU and the book.


4. Tell them what to expect.
Give people a little guide of what they'll see in your book. Tell them how they should read through your book. Should they read from cover to cover, or is it okay to skip around? Should they look at the tutorial for the technique before the patterns, or are the patterns self-explanatory enough to be independent? If your book has chapters, what is contained in each? Do all of your patterns have a chart or graph or written instructions? Do all of your patterns have multiple up-close and far-away shots of the finished piece? This information will not only sell the book but also set your readers up for success.


5. Give a call to action.
Finally, to finish off, invite people to join you. Invite them to continue reading! Come along side them and give them a nice reassurance that they can do whatever it is your book is about. This adds another layer of commitment to both you and your book.


Thanks for reading! I hope this post was helpful for you. Also, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to the people who have joined the Ravelry Group. It's fantastic to hear from people who have ambitions like mine. :) So thank you thank you thank you!
-Grace

How to Choose Fonts for Your Knitting Book

SO MANY FONTS. It's entirely overwhelming. Over the next few posts, we'll be working on your introduction page and table of contents. This, obviously, requires a font choice. There are plenty of pretty fonts out there, but how do you know you're picking the right one?

Whether you're writing a single pattern or an entire book, the font you choose can do a ton for you. It can create a mood of professionalism, quirky-ness, elegance, modern design, pretty much anything you can imagine. Now that's overwhelming. No worries, I'll help you out.

As a basis for the tips I'll provide, I want to explain the four basic types of fonts.

I. Serif

This font has little itty bitty hooks and feet on the ends of the lines that create the letters. A serif font creates a very classic, timeless look and feel.
 
II. Sans Serif

This font has nothing at the ends of the letter's lines. A sans serif font creates a very clean, modern, almost tech-y look and feel.

III. Script

Everything that imitates cursive writing can be considered a script font. This type of font creates a very elegant, ladylike look and feel.

IV. Decorative

Anything that doesn't fit into the three categories above is most likely a decorative font. Decorative fonts can be just about anything, so the look/feel of these fonts varies.

I did some research on fonts and selecting the right one and it all boils down to three things. They are: 1) Readablility 2) Suiting the creative "mood" 3) Filling the space proportionately.

1. Readablility

It doesn't matter what you write, no one will care if they can't read it. The most important thing is READABILITY. The struggle here is that YOU know what you’re writing, so you’re able to easily read whatever font you choose. Send a few of your font choices to your friends or show your family and get their input on the readablility. Or, you can post in the Ravelry Group for this blog and get input from the lovely people there.

2. Suit the creative “mood.”

Remember the things I mentioned about the “look” and “feel” of each type of font? It’s important that you take these things into account when designing your book. If you’re writing patterns themed around Star Wars for example, it’d be best to use a sans serif font because, depending on the particular font you choose, it can create a modern, futuristic vibe.

3. Fill the space proportionately.

This is hard to explain, so I’ll show you.

If you have a tall, narrow space to fill, choose a tall, narrow font to fill it! This will just make things look “right” and it’ll make designing a ton easier.

Same goes with a short, long space. Use a font that sort of appears stretched out, just like the space you’re filling.

All right, now for some general tips to make your words look lovely:

-Keep it simple. Don’t go crazy with 50 different fonts throughout your entire book. Keeping with 2 or 3 fonts throughout is a fantastic way to tie your book together.

-Choose one font and one font only for your main body of text. All your tutorial text, patterns, headings, and subheadings should be one easy-to-read serif or sans serif font. Serif and sans serif are best because you can make them bold for your headings and subheadings. Get fancy with your titles, but keep the bulk of your text the same.

-Pay attention to cultural norms. Some fonts have been used for one very specific thing or by a specific brand for a long time. Don’t use a font that conjures up ideas of something that isn't your thing. Again, this may take input from friends and family, or the Ravelry group.

-If you’re deciding between two fonts, type up an “abc” page in a word document. Simply type out the whole alphabet (uppercase and lowercase) on a sheet of paper, print it out, and give it some thought. Put it up on your fridge for a while and see how the different fonts make you feel. This can really help you get an overall view of how the font will look typed into a large body of work.


Okay, that's all I have on fonts! Oh, one more thing--if you're looking for fonts, definitely check out Da Font. It's a fantastic website full of free fonts you can download.


I hope this was helpful to you! Don't be afraid to leave your questions and comments below!


Until next time,
Grace

How to Choose Your Knitting Book's Color Scheme

Quite honestly, color is one of the single most important things about your book. So have some fun and spend time experimenting until you have the most perfect color scheme. In this post I mentioned ways to get inspired. Once you have an idea of where you're going, here are 3 tips for making sure you're on the right track.


1. If you've already knit one of the patterns for your book (one that you intend on photographing), choose colors that make that piece shine.
So maybe you've already put hours upon hours into your first piece for your book. This is exactly what I've done. I started knitting the main "focal point" pattern but then of course the book idea hit. Don't waste the time you spent on that! If you have a main "front cover" pattern already in the works, choose colors around that. This will really make your book that much more attractive and eye-catching.


2. Make sure your colors create the mood you desire.
If you were to write a collection of spring patterns, you wouldn't use a fall color scheme for your text and graphic design. There are plenty of articles about the psychology of color, and I'd recommend reading them. Here's a great one.
Example: if you were going to write a book about cozy, winter knits, you might choose blue since it releases brain chemicals that create feelings of peace, security, and tranquility.


3. Keep it fairly monochromatic with no more than 5 main colors.
A few simple way to make your book look more professionally designed is to keep it super simple. I can't remember where I heard this quote but it goes something like this: "The best design is no design". Don't drive yourself insane. Keep it very minimalistic with 5 monochromatic-ish colors and go on with your merry day.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Write down the HEX codes for the colors you choose and keep them in a safe place. You'll have them memorized by the time the book is over, but just to be safe, keep them written down. If you're confused, I briefly covered HEX codes in this post.


If any one of these tips violates the colors you had in mind, just tweak them a little bit. No worries :)


I hope this post was helpful to you! See you next time!

How to Choose Your Knitting Book's Title

In one of my last posts I told you that writing a title is one of the best first steps to writing your book. It gives you momentum. It takes your idea and transforms it into a real thing. It gets it on the paper or on the screen and gives you a basis to expound upon. Alright, let's get into this.


I was always taught that the title/opening sentence of your body of work are the absolute most important words you will choose. Yeah, I said "choose". Not "write". "Choose".
Choose your words wisely. Your title will be the first thing to grab people's attention, so really put time into this.


Here are three tips to create a fantastic title!


1. Create a subtitle.
Yep, the first step to creating a title is creating a subtitle. It really doesn't matter what your title is if you have a solid subtitle. This subtitle should be thoroughly thought through. In fact, I'm challenging myself not to change my subtitle the whole time I'm working on my book. THAT'S how fleshed out my idea needs to be before I even write a bit of the book itself.


2. Make it exciting/paint a picture.
The most powerful thing you can do is make people feel something. Try to do that as best you can in your title. Evoke thoughts of creativity and expression. Also (and only if it's true) add words like "quick" or "easy". I always love seeing those words in pattern titles!


3. Demonstrate the value it will provide to the reader.
"What's in it for me?"
ANSWER THAT.
Make it clear what your reader will get if they buy your book. Imagine someone picking up your book in Michaels and being like, "Eh, I don't know... It's $19.99 and I didn't bring my coupon..."
NO. Convince them! Address all the immediate concerns they might have right on the front cover. Describe all the good, helpful things in your book. "I don't have a book yet!" Exactly. Now is the perfect time to decide what you'll put in your book. Throw all of that in your title. Thoughtfully throw, that is.
Describe everything they'll get: Graphs, charts pictures, extensive written tutorials, all that jazz.


I would suggest dedicating a few notebook pages to really brain dump all of these things. If you write a ton, you're pretty much guaranteed to find the right words.


All right, go out there and create your title!
-Grace

How to Find the "Why" Behind Your Knitting Book

A "why" is your reason behind your book. Why are you putting all this time, money, and energy into the process? For a lot of us it's because we've always wanted to write a book. Fulfilling a dream is a legitimate reason, hey, that's my reason! Regardless of your initial reason, we should add to it!


(I must say this post was a struggle to write! It's difficult to explain how to find your own personal reason behind something. It's something YOU have to put a lot of thought into. Hopefully these tips will help in that process.)


1. Imagine you will not get paid for this book.
If you didn't gain a single cent from the results of your hard work, would you still want to do it? If not, stop here. Unsubscribe. But if so, what keeps you excited about it? You clearly WANT to do it! You're clearly passionate about it! That's awesome!


2. Your "why" should center around other people.
I find personally the best way to keep myself truly motivated is focusing on what others will gain from my work. All those editing hours will mean something when you see the first reader add a picture to their project page. All the photography work will pay off when someone else mentions how lovely the pictures are. Your why should be thought of through other's eyes. Think of the type of person who will read your book, and get super specific. Maybe the young knitter? The old knitter? The beginner? The advanced? The hip knitter?


3. What is unique to your book and what does it offer people?
What makes your book different? The market doesn't need yet another fair isle book! But it may need a summer fair isle book. No one does summer fair isle simply because fair isle is geared towards cold climates. Boom--that makes it different.
Now, distill what exactly it is that makes your book unique? In my previous example, I could say that very few books cover SUMMER fair isle. This targets the fair isle lovers who enjoy knitting year round. Your book would give those people an opportunity to do so.

How to put together your "why"

Let's smash all these things together and create your true why. I want you to put this up on your fridge or bathroom mirror or just SOMEWHERE where you'll see it all the time. This will really keep you motivated.

I'll use my previous summer fair isle example.

Start with: I want to...

+ a verb: Provide

+ your target audience: year-round knitters who love fair isle

+ your book: summer fair isle patterns.

There you go! Now it's connected to a specific person. Everytime you feel like giving up you can think of those people who really want your book! This will keep you motivated better than the idea of money or fame ever could.
I hope this post was helpful to you! See you next time!

How to Start Writing a Knitting Book

I have an idea.


I want to write a book about said idea.


But... How do I start? How do I get going? How do I gain momentum?



To answer this question I resorted to my favorite source of information--youtube. A lot of really smart people are on there and I love learning from them. I almost prefer youtube over google. Why? Because it isn't overcome with ads and eHow and all those other "informational" sites. I say "informational" because I don't really think they're all that helpful. But that's just me. Anyway, I found 3 major tips on how exactly to begin the process of book writing. Most of the information was regarding novel writing, but I do still think it can be applied here.


I'm going to have a post designated to each one of these things totally breaking them down. I'll link each one when that post goes up. These are just a few quick points to get you thinking.


Let's get into it.


1. Write a "why" and put it on your fridge.
What? Ok--let me explain:
A "why" is basically your purpose. It's why you're putting all the time, all the thought, all the money into this book. Now, your "why" should NOT be "I want to make money" or "I want people to notice my book and make me famous". Nope, your why should be "I want to share (insert idea here) with people and get them excited about starting their project" or "I want to inspire my readers with (insert idea here) and drive them to action" or even "I want to write a book because it's been something I've always wanted to do".
Then, put it somewhere where you'll see it often. This will keep you motivated on the days when you do. not. want. to. write. a. single. word. It'll also give you a basis for everything you put into this huge body of work. You'll do it for the why, not for the money or attention.


2. Come up with a title.
Apparently, from what I've gathered, this is an excellent way to start off a book writing journey. It's the first thing that your readers will see when they come in contact with your book. And if you'll go a bit hypothetical with me for a moment, it's the first thing from your book that you will ever see. It's almost as if you're revealing your book to yourself as you're writing it. So give yourself a good solid title and that will get you motivated to continue, just as it will motivate your audience to buy in the future.


3. Come up with a color scheme.
COLOR. My absolute favorite thing in the whole entire world. Because I love color so much, this could be difficult for me. So many choices. If you relate to that, here are some tips:
     -Pinterest. Make sure you have a few free hours and go on Pinterest and search "color schemes". Pick one you love and use it as your inspiration.
     -Your favorite color can be the best thing to choose simply because you're not going to get tired of it. If you have always loved purple, consider going with a monochromatic purple color scheme and add one pop color for interest.
     -Though it may sound cliché and cheesy, nature has got it going ON when it comes to color combos. Take a walk, find some flowers, snap a pic, and try to match the colors.
     -Look at the colors of your clothes. This will give you a great indication of the colors you're naturally drawn to. Use these and you're bound to love the finished product.


THIS IS IMPORTANT: Using any of those tips requires matching the colors you see to the colors you end up using for your book. I recommend HTML Color Codes for this. Scroll down a tad and play with selecting your color. Then, write down the code it gives you (this is called a HEX code). These codes are universal across all platforms so whether you're using Pic Monkey or the blogger template designer you can type in this code and get the same color.
For example, the magenta used in my blog header is #d00069.


All right, that's what I've got. Like I said earlier, my next three posts will break each one of these things down.
See you then!

Introduction to "How to Write a Knitting Book"

*taps mic*


Anyone out there?


Ok, maybe not yet, but my greatest hope is that someday there'll be plenty of people out there with listening ears, or eyes rather. So for you:


Hi. I'm Grace. You must first know that I've always loved to create. This, I believe, was instilled by my parents who ran a crafting business for several years before and after I was born. I breathed creativity from a young age and I was also made aware that it's very, very possible to support oneself monetarily through it.


When I was in my middle school years my dad made it somewhat of a tradition to make a trip to our local library every Friday morning or afternoon, and I was homeschooled, so this was possible. Not for anything in particular, just to look and read and learn and enjoy. Oh, that's another thing about me...


I'm one of those weird people who actually likes to learn.


Maybe it's a homeschooler thing, who knows...


Anyway, after several library trips I ventured out of Little House on the Prairie and American Girl over to the nonfiction section.


There, I found knitting.


Well, technically I found crochet. Then I found knitting. But whatever. For the sake of dramatics we'll just say I found knitting. Moving on...


I've tried {and enjoyed} a lot of things. A. Lot. Of. Things. But knitting has stuck. I genuinely love it. Why my favorite hobby couldn't have been something "cool" like Netflix watching or Twitter surfing I don't know. But I really don't care. I love being creative and knitting/fiber arts is my way to do that.


After a few years of growing up and teaching myself the ins and outs of knitting {is it really teaching myself if I used youtube??} I tried designing some patterns and plopping them on Ravelry. Woah. Talk about eye-opening. Here's this gal (me) making a collective thousand dollars off of a PDF document that she doesn't have to do any physical labor to ship or deliver.



So yay! Patterns! That's fun!
It sent me into a crazy what-can-I-design tizzy and somewhere in there I had an idea.
Like a major idea.
An idea that shouldn't be bound into a measly two-page pattern.
No, this was a big idea.


An idea worthy of an entire book.


And that brings us to today. I'll reveal this groundbreaking book idea in a future post, but for now just know that it's epic and awesome and earth shattering.


This blog will be entirely devoted to every single little thing that could ever possibly be involved in writing and publishing a book. All from the perspective of someone with NO previous writing, designing, or publishing experience. But here's the thing:


I'm gonna do it all myself.


I'm going to learn how to do it all and do it right. I'll be my own graphic designer and layout artist and editor. I've read my fair share of knitting books and I know what the good ones look like. I know what the good ones include. I'm going to make a fantastic book and you guys get to watch the journey and maybe learn something yourself. (Go crazy and join in! I bet you have an idea that's been in your head for a while... Get it out into the world with me.)


Let's do this.