Even better, I’m not feeling compelled to throw EVERYTHING that I have in my bag of tricks into this book, but use it as a starting place for – perhaps – future books. I know – big talk for someone who doesn’t even have a publisher, huh?

A good friend, who is also an excellent writer and has published several books of poetry, read through most of my essays and had some very kind things to say about it. I can’t lose sight of the fact that she loves me and is one of my biggest cheerleaders, but the kind words were nice to hear. Gerry, my hub, wanted to read through the book, too. He enjoyed what he read, but is more reserved in his enthusiasm.

I’m much more excited about the essays and “knit-fermations” – positive nuggets about knitting and how it applies to daily life – than I am about the technical stuff, although that is exciting in a quieter way. I guess, in my heart of hearts, I’m certain that I’ll get a very good amount of, “You’re WRONG – this is NOT the way to do X, Y & Z!” from readers, but few will probably take exception to my rambling philosophical journies on the meaning of making a knit stitch.

Having been unable to find a book that emphasized MY way of knitting when I started, I feel compelled to get this out there and support any wavering Combination knitters who may just need a good pep talk to get out of their knitting slump, or take on a new adventure. Legitimization cannot be overrated when an upstart is faced with the wall of tradition.