I loved reading the comments & emails you wrote on my last post.

What? YOU can’t read the comments?  Well, that’s because I didn’t publish them.

They are filled with EXCELLENT comments and information (and opinions) about the proposed cover-in-process for History on Two Needles, but some of the comments are a bit personal about the physicality of the model and I prefer not to share what might be construed as inadvertently hurtful remarks.

I know most of them weren’t meant in a personally negative way, but I’ve learned that once a negative comment is made about someone’s appearance, it’s easy for other folks to ‘pile on’ and it can turn into something ugly.  I won’t allow that to begin in my comments.

The girl on the cover – Ellis – is a lovely, wonderful, beautiful, kind, intelligent girl who is also a very good friend.  As far as I know she doesn’t read my blog, but the last thing I want is for her to wander onto a casually negative comment about her personal appearance.

Ellis will be whatever she wants to be, she’s THAT smart. Part of her wants to be a model, and if that’s what she wants, she WILL make it work!

I chose her for the Egyptian piece in our test photo shoot because she was close, she was free, and I love her mixed heritage look.  She is also very thin– it’s just how she is – some folks are thin, some are heavy.

Your comments were [mostly] non intentionally hurtful.  Please know that I AM considering other cover options for the book (which I’ll reveal for your feedback in future blog posts.)

You guys are invaluable in helping me keep track of general feelings about the book.  Thank you!

EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL

Hannah often will get upset at the media when a very thin person is presented as an “ideal” of beauty, and I hear her!  Idealizing one body type isn’t helpful in the goal of allowing every woman to feel as healthy and lovely as she can be.

But I stress to Hannah that the idea that anyone is beautiful also must, by definition, include everyone.

Ellis happens to be thin, I happen to be heavy (no, that bowl of chocolate chips had NOTHING to do with it, look away…) and most folks fall somewhere in this spectrum.

The ridiculous idea that one can’t be ‘too rich or too thin’ is prevalent in our society.  Girls and women (and, less often, men) diet and purge themselves to the point of death to achieve some bizarre ideal of skinny beauty.

There’s a LOT of judgement out there against folks who aren’t thin, we’re easy targets [insert large bullseye joke here]

But that doesn’t give anyone permission to even the scales by saying hurtful things about someone who’s just naturally thin, or calling folks names because they’re different (some – not all – of the comments did call names and make intentionally mean remarks.)

Try this experiment today; look for SOMETHING beautiful in the physicality of every person you see today.  Hair, eyes, grace of movement, smile, finger length – look for the beauty and you’ll see it!

Thus endeth my sermon for Sunday – thanks for reading!

That last part was tongue in cheek… I should make up an acronym ‘TIC’ and insert it when I’m speaking in a light sarcastic tone. I could spread it all over the internets, but I know the kids would just turn it in to something dirty. Those damned kids.

However, being a HUGE fan of 1960′s gameshows (not the point where I’d actually watch The Price is Right on the gameshow channel, like my mom used to do, and reminisce about the days when a can of leseur peas cost $.35) I would like to offer a lovely parting gift for everyone who played along at home.

So, for anyone who is interested, here’s a free pdf pattern of my wonderful HEN HAT.  I worked this up after a trip to England where I fell in love with a flock of chatty chickens.

At around the same time I was gifted with a few skeins of Laughing Hens Rooster Almerino DK and the connection seemed too good to pass up!

If you’d like a copy of the pattern, click here for the pdf file download.

It’s a cute little hat which will allow you to test your lace skills, your embellishment chops, and your giftee’s patience (Really?  You want me to WEAR that hat?)

HoTN / Ho2N Progress

One Cover Attempt - This May Change!

One reason I’ve been so silent is that I’m working through a lot of the History on Two Needles background stuff (photo approval & licensing rights, organizing the photo shoot, tech editing the patterns, actually FINISHING a few of the things…) and that takes up more time than I’d like to admit.

I’ve been working on the cover – what do you think?

Credits: The amazing shot of model Ellis is by Jen Simonson, photoshopped onto a background (stock photo purchased at dreamstime.com, ©Boonsom)

I’m definitely moving slower on this than I ever intended, but I’m hoping a Spring/Summer of hard, concentrated effort will get the job done.

I feel KNOW that at some point in my life I’ll return to that energy level I used to have (perhaps when I’m not dividing my energies between teen age kids and a husband who requires a bit of TLC) but worrying that old bone won’t make life any easier right now.

My goal is to have the book printed in late Summer, in shops by the Fall and available for purchase and download by the holiday season 2012.

Cross your fingers for me (during the times when you’re not knitting or crocheting…)