Rachael

Hey, guess WHAT?

I'm going to Stitches South, all three days! (And there's just the slightest chance I might get over to Maryland Sheep and Wool, too, just for Sunday, but that's still up in the air — let's hope!) At Stitches, I'll have a table at Carolina Homespun, and I'm so excited, for a couple of reasons.

Reason #1 – I've never been to Atlanta. What should I do there? I've always wanted to go there, and I can't WAIT to see the city.

Reason #2 – I adore Morgaine and Carolina Homespun. I actually bought my first wheel, my Ashford Joy, from her. The funny part about it is that we're both from the Bay Area, but I fell in love with the wheel (and the price) at Maryland Sheep and Wool, and I couldn't wait to buy it until I got home, so I bought it there. (I am not always sensible about these things. On the same trip, I packed a container so full of wool and taped it shut with duct tape that I begged the airport clerk not to open it. "It'll EXPLODE!" I said. NOT A GOOD IDEA TO SAY THIS AT THE AIRPORT.)

I carted my new wheel through security (I got some strange looks from the screeners, but they let me pass), and then pulled it out in the waiting area. People stared at me while I spun, and several people commented that I shouldn't be allowed to have such a contraption in the secured area.

Then a security guard approached me. He wore a turban and frown. I assumed he was going to shut down my spinning operation, since the TSA does, after all, have the ultimate authority to decide what can and can't be done or taken on board a plane. Instead, he leaned forward and said conspiratorially, "I used to spin. In my homeland. But I used a charka. Do you know what that is?" Proof again that fiber folk are the BEST.

#3 Charlie is there.

And I've been having SO MUCH FUN. Honestly, this has been a great week. I've heard from a lot of people already about the book, and y'all are liking it! Really liking it! That thrills me to my toes. And also, you all read SO QUICKLY. Some of you read in the tub. And in your cars. Or in the parking lot on lunch breaks. I've been fascinated to find out where you're reading it. Some of you read it to other people (I wonder which bits? That could be blush-worthy, if you know what I mean…).

Don't forget to give it a review somewhere (Amazon, goodreads, librarything, your own blog, etc.) and email me about it at yarnagogo@gmail.com to make sure I enter you to win your chance to win the sweater Abigail made for Cade in the book (or gift certs for book $)! See THIS POST for more details.

And also, sign up to be on the mailing list, where I give something away every month, just for fun! I'm not spammy, ever!

Me, meanwhile,  I'm just sitting and knitting. And soaking it all in. And trying to have FUN. Someone asked me the other day what I did for fun, and besides reading in bed before falling asleep, I couldn't really remember — I've been working so much, either at the job or on the writing.

I didn't like that I said that. That's not me.

So Sunday night, I opened a bottle of wine, cast a loving glance at the pile of my beautiful books, shut my computer, and turned on the Oscars. I dragged out my sorely neglected Ashford Joy, and I spun and plied three skeins of yarns. I had the best time. It felt like pure joy, the fiber (mostly merino, but there was a batt of pure purple angora in there that went right up my nose and made me happy) flying through my fingers, long-draw, slubby, and happy. I'm not a technically perfect spinner, but boy, it does my heart right.

Oh, yeah. 🙂

My first signing is today, at Caps Restaurant, 144 Oak St., Brentwood, at 3:30pm.

I am SO excited.

And I'm so happy that I don't have to do it alone! I won't be reading or anything like that — I'll just be sitting in a room with six other fantabulous authors (including Sophie Littlefield and Juliet Blackwell of the PensFatales — we're bound to get in SOME kind of trouble), and if someone wants my book, I'll sign it for them, and that will be it. Barnes & Noble is bringing fifteen of them. I hope I sell at least a couple. But if I don't, I'm sitting there knitting and watching the Big Girls work.

Hoo boy. I'll let you  know how it goes.

My sisters, Christy and Bethany, and the PensFatales (minus three) came over last night to go book hunting with me and Lala. First, there was champagne.

Then we went to Books Inc. in Alameda, where I really didn't think they would have it. Small indie, you know. I didn't have my hopes up. But Bethany found something. Here I am, so flustered I CAN'T SPELL MY LAST NAME TO FIND IT. When I did, I was completely convinced they'd planted it. (Why, I'm not sure. But I thought they did.)

Then we went to Borders in Alameda, where they had a lot of them! Face out! (Always the best way to be placed.)

There weren't many after we left. I signed them all. OH THE HEADY THRILL.

  Then we celebrated a little more. But only a little bit. The rush of the book was enough for me.

Oh, oh, oh. This is the most fun ever. (But I have to admit, this morning I'm already at my desk doing actual work, which feels great because for the last couple of days I've been too excited to really do anything productive. This feels good, too. I'm getting back to normal. Happy sigh.)

Don't forget to enter the Love Song Sweater contest! See previous post! (And OMG, people have already read the book and liked it and told me so! YOU PEOPLE ARE AMAZING! xoxo)

How to Knit a Love Song is here! In a store near you!

I've wanted this day to come for sooo long. You know that. I don't have to tell you that. And from everyone I talk to this is how today will go: I'll wake up with a big jolt. I'll sit straight up. I'll race into the kitchen with a spring in a step and joy in every cell of my body.

And then the cats will yell at me and I'll feed them and then I'll make some coffee and do some work. Just another day.

AS A PUBLISHED AUTHOR, THOUGH.

Ahem.

Let's celebrate with a contest! A BIG ONE!

I'm giving away three $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificates AND THE LOVE SONG SWEATER itself! I made it as the book prototype (I mean, Abigail made it for Cade….), and it's just lovely. Strong enough for a man, pretty enough for you!

RULES FOR ENTRY:

1. One entry for taking a picture of the book in the wild (in a bookstore) and posting it to your blog, Twitter, or Facebook with a link to an online seller

2. Two entries for taking a picture of YOU with the book and posting it to your blog, Twitter, or Facebook with a link to an online seller

3. Three entries for posting a review (anywhere, your blog, Amazon, GoodReads…) of the book

Send me notification when you've posted your links to yarnagogo@gmail.com and I'll add your entries to the hat! I'll draw the gift certificate and the grand prize winners in a month on April 2nd! That's it!

And now I'm back to pacing circles into the floor. Lala, the sisters, and the PensFatales are taking me out for champagne tonight. We're going to hunt for the book in bookstores. If we find it, we're celebrating. And if we don't, we're celebrating, too. So really, it's a win/win.

I can't fit it all into a woot, but WOOT! (And to all the knitters I met at Stitches West, hello. I love you. You made my whole year. Honestly.) 

Oh, frabjous day.

If you're jonesing for something to listen to while knitting, I've been interviewed a couple of times recently.

In her come-back podcast, Marie Irshad interviews me on Knitcast. (That was fun — we met for the first time years and years ago and have met up a couple of times. So nice to talk to her again.)

And Heather talked to me on CraftLit, too. She's so smart and fun! I didn't admit to her I've never read Persuasion because someone like me should have already read it, but now I want to…. 

I really should cut back on the giggling, but I think it may be impossible.

PS – T minus ONE DAY.