Comments(0) I was reading one of my favorite blogs, BookNinja, and discovered that I can become a superhero! Really, I can! See below for proof!
I was torn between the light saber-like whip and the nun chucks. I went with the whip because it matched my outfit better.
Want to be a superhero too? Too freaking bad.
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Kim Werker is a crochet and community queen. The founder of CrochetMe.com, Kim has written four books about the subject of crocheting – and promises me it’s not from Grandma’s anymore. (My Grandma did make a mean doily, though!)
Kim calls herself a writer, editor, crafter, and online media junkie and dabbles in all these areas regularly. Currently living in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and dog, Kim took time out of her busy schedule to Twitter with me about the wonders of crocheting, social media, her new book and more.
Be sure to connect with Kim by reading her blog or following her on Twitter @kpwerker.
Are you ready? I’ll DM you a Q and you DM me a response. 1 DM per answer! So, why crochet?
I’m ready! Can I cheat on 1st Q and send 1 DM re: why crochet for me, and 1 for why crochet for craft? *smiles charmingly*
Of course you may!!
Crochet: It’s creatively satisfying, infinitely flexible; fashionable & practical to boot. Making by hand feeds the soul.
For me: I find it relaxing & a creative outlet. I work in crochet b/c I can’t help but root for the underdog & connect w/ ppl.
How did you come about writing books about it?
I started CrochetMe.com in ‘04; it got big fast & pubs noticed. I was approached to write my 1st book less than a year later.
Why do you think crocheting encourages a strong sense of community?
Sharing w/ and learning from ppl who love the same thing u love is amazing. All fiber arts have history in communities of women.
You’ll get the hang of it!! So tell me about your most recent crochet book.
Crochet Me is a collaboration with designers from CrochetMe.com. No-holds-barred creativity, with essays. Crochet at its best.
Full info: Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution (Interweave, 2007)
Um, explain the “crochet revolution” please!!
Crochet has a bad rap of being ugly, tacky, uncool. We need to bust those stereotypes & show its beauty, potential, and value.
As a crochet novice, tell me about some awesome and new ways crochet can be used.
Crochet can kick ass in garments, accessories & at home. It’s about making great choices in yarn, stitch, and project.
nice! So what’s your crocheting/writing schedule like?
It’s variable. I’m doing last-minute crocheting 4 a book I’m editing. I’m focusing more on blogging & on non-crochet projects.
Speaking of blogging, you’re very active with social media. How has it helped you as a writer? What are the drawbacks?
It’s helped me get noticed professionally, to meet ppl, to build audience. Drawbacks r all related to unrealistic expectations.
Is there a strong online crocheting community? Or was crochet me one of the first?
CrochetMe.com was 1 of the 1st, 5 years ago. Also crochetville.org. There are more now, including Ravelry.com (also 4 knitters)
What inspired you to start CrochetMe.com? You’ve mentioned a lot about the awesome community, but why did you take the initiative?
I was new to crochet at the time, & looking for awesome patterns online. I couldn’t find any, so I started the site on a whim.
How has CrochetMe.com changed/evolved since you started it?
First it was a whim, then an online magazine, then an online community. I sold it to Interweave in ‘08, but remain involved.
When you’re not crocheting or blogging or twittering, what do you like to do?
I love to read good books, frolic with our dog, tinker about online, knit, chill with friends; I’m gonna learn to snowboard!
Snowboarding? Sounds pretty adventurous! I think I’m out of questions. Anything else you want to add?
Ha! Now that I don’t work for the mag anymore, I figure I can risk my wrists. 
Um, I can’t think of anything. You?
No, I think that’s everything. Thanks!
Thanks! It was fun!
Crochet Me is currently available on Amazon. Be sure to check out Kim’s other books, Get Hooked, Get Hooked Again and Teach Yourself Crocheting, also all on Amazon.
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This week’s 140 interview is with Spokane, Washington-based humorist and writer Terry Bain. He likes writing books, making t-shirts and eating bacon. Aah, the simple pleasures in life.
He’s also the writer of two books, You are a Dog and We are the Cat. that look at life, love and more through the eyes of our four-legged companions. Terry took some time to virtually sit down with me and chat about these projects what he’s working on now and more.
If you want to connect with Terry, make sure you read his blog or follow him on Twitter @TerryBain.
Ready for this? I’ll DM you a Q and you DM me a response until we run out of things to talk about! Q:Tell me about your most recent project.
Well, the project I’m working on right now is a bio of an inventor/ orthopedic sugeon from Spokane (where I live).
That’s certainly unique! What attracted you to that?
I know the family, and he’s an interesting guy. It’s quite a departure for me, but I need to challenge myself or dry up and disappear.
Let’s shift gears a bit. Tell me about your previous projects, YOU ARE THE DOG and it’s follow-up, WE ARE THE CAT.
Good. It’s a bit hard to know where to begin. The dog book was first, and sort of surprised me. But it was a great deal of fun to write.
Why did the dog book surprise you?
I had no experience in it. I was trying to sell a novel, which wasn’t going well, so writing short humor pieces cheered me up (mostly).
You Are a Dog was first a short humor piece that was so much fun, I started to wonder if I could make it into a book.
That makes me happy! Were the reasons for pursuing the cat book similar?
Well, when I started touring with the dog book, someone asked the question: “will you be writing a cat book?” “No,” I said, definitively.
I started taking “cat book notes” that very evening.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the title for the cat book came first. I just knew that if the dog book was “you,” the cat would have to be “we.”
That’s far different than your current project. What challenges have you faced with this new biography, compared to writing humor?
Biographies are about people, apparently. Also, actual people rather than those I make up.
Also, I find that I have to be far more disciplined about it, which is something I’m unaccustomed to being.
Finally, it can be hard not trying to be “funny” all the time. (Though I’m probably funnier when I’m not trying… alas.)
I know the feeling! 
What’s your working/writing schedule like?
Intolerably erratic, though less so lately. My youngest started preschool this winter, so I get 3 hrs most mornings, then a bit more aft.
Morning time is for composing. Flat out scribbling. Later it goes into machine form.
You’re pretty active using social media. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this as a writer?
The benefits: easy access to people. People are good. They buy books. They read. They tell me what I’m doing that they like, or don’t like.
Drawbacks: easy access to people. Messaging and twittering &c. takes time, which gets sliced up in micropieces and its easy to lose a day.
I sometimes use twitter to sharpen “funny” skills. Sometimes this works, sometimes it just turns me so far inward that it’s hard to escape.
Would you do another humorous book? We still have birds, fish and many more you could use!
I’m hoping to do a lot of funny. Maybe sea monkeys next. (More likely dogs again.) Or maybe even humans. Those animals is funny.
Please do sea monkeys!! If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
Well, I have a degree in computer science, and I just cloned a Joomla extension for a friend, so maybe I’d do that. Cloning, I mean.
Sounds like a plan to me! I think I’m our of questions. Is there anything else you want to add?
Just one more thing the dog would like to add: “Beware the vacuum. The vacuum is evil.” That is all.
Oh, and if anybody is interested, they can follow my dogs and cat: @youareadog and @wearethecat . Blessing.
You are a Dog and We are the Cat are available at Amazon.
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Last night, the designers paired up to create a two-look collection to complement the L’Oreal Paris spring 2009 looks. The winning looks would be featured in a promotion at Shoppers Drug Marts across the country. While the team challenge was a refreshing change of pace, it didn’t bring out the personalities and aesthetic conflicts I was hoping it would.
We didn’t see much of Adejoke last night, only that she wasn’t too pleased about being partnered with Brandon. Adejoke is revealing herself to be very mediocre – a mediocre personality and a mediocre designer. This is probably moreso the fault of the show’s format, which is limiting her rather than letting herself shine, but it’s still frustrating to watch because she isn’t adding anything to the show.
While Adejoke is mediocre, Baylor is good. He’s quiet and unassuming but can pull designs out with the best of them. He doesn’t have the creativity to really thrive on the show, but should make it far based on skills alone. He was also so genuinely pleased to have one a challenge, which was endearing. And his pants were impeccable.
Now that Christie is gone, I expect Brandon to become the hot mess of the bunch. He just doesn’t have the skill set or maturity to do well here. He isn’t ready to be a designer in his own right. While he’s one of the few designers who showed personal evolution last night – holy fuck, this is a design competition, not a personality competition – it’s not enough to keep him around. I expect him to pul one brilliant challenge out of his ass before he goes down in a ball of flames.
It was more of the same from Christie last night. A complete meltdown and a subpar garment. While Christie was aware she was self-destructing. I find it hard to believe her design skills are as above and beyond as they’re being represented on the show as she claims. I’m glad she’s gone, she wasn’t adding anything to the show except tears.
Genevieve is emerging as this season’s dark horse. She’s calm and collected, knows what she wants and worked with Kim very well, even when there was clear disagreement between the two of them. Her dress was modern and fresh, showing she has a distinct style and point of view (which is very important on this show.) I think it’s early, but I’m calling a top-three finish for her.
I still don’t think Jason is a great designer. His color palette, immunity and partnership with Christie just made him look less worse than the rest of the crowd. Also, I find it weird his personal sense of style is so rudimentary. It would be part of his charm if I actually found him charming.
Oh Jeff. I want to like you so very much. But it’s becoming very clear that why, after 20 years in fashion, still no one knows your name. You’re overly ambitious and seem to not know your own limitations, let alone the limitations placed upon you by the show. I like you, you’re sweet and funny and put up with Jessica’s suburban ghetto queen act wonderfully, but you’re so gone next week.
A few weeks ago, I predicted Jessica would become annoying and become a one-note designer. She’s not there yet, but boy is she close. If she could learn to inject that personality into her clothes, she would be at the front of the pact. But she seems more concerned about her ability to fist bump Jeff than she does about the poor construction of her garment. I’m losing interest and fast. Which is too bad, because Jessica Biffi is an awesome name for a clothing line.
Unfortunately for Kim, her narrative this week was exactly the same as last week. Time management! Oh no! I suck! This is over! Oh my god, my dress is so fresh, flirty and cute! Phew. I like Kim a lot, her dress last night was adorable, and she and Genevieve seemed to be the best team (Sunny and Baylor appeared conflict-free, whereas Kim and Genevieve worked through each conflict maturity and compromised when necessary), but the show needs to let her grow. I’m chalking this up to the editors and not Kim, but if it happens again, I’ll be disappointed.
Oh Sunny. You are wonderful and wonderfully unpretentious. Your designs are whimsical and unusual and your construction might be the best PRC has ever seen. You seemed truly overjoyed when you won this challenge (although we all knew it from the moment you picked Baylor). You’re going to win this show with a collection that is equally architectural and fantastical, then you’re going to cry tears of happiness and Canada will cry with you.
Comments(0) Tonight was the designers’ first team challenge, as they had to work in pairs to create day and night looks for a L’Oreal Paris Spring 2009 campaign.
(If these designers learned anything from Project Runway, it would be that seamlessness and cohesion are key for team challenges. Sadly, no one seemed to know this.)
To create the teams, designers names were pulled out of a hat and that designer selected the partner they wanted. Christie and Jason teamed up, Sunny and Baylor teamed up, Kim and Genevieve teamed up, Brandon and Adejoke teamed up, and Jessica and Jeff teamed up.
This episode focused largely on the evolution of the designs and the relationship between each of the teams. Which sounds better than it played out. Lots of discussion, not enough combat. I want Christie to earn those tears!!
It became immediately apparent Sunny and Baylor were going to run away with this challenge. Everyone interviewed said so and their drama in the work room was a minimum, Unlike Christie, who had a complete meltdown, “lost her spirit” and produced a pair of crappy shorts. Kim and Genevieve seemed to be doing ell, but Kim’s time control issues flared up again, as did Jeff’s overambitiousness. Jessica’s cutsieness is getting old fast, Brandon is finally seeming to get this is a competition and not the Brandon show, Jason was overwhelmed by Christie’s ridiculousness.
As for the looks that went down the runway, Sunny & Baylor’s looks were so far above and beyond everyone else’s. This wasn’t even a competition. Kim and Genevieve’s were cute, but not really cohesive. Adejoke and Brandon’s allowed them to squeak through, but that mediocre performance won’t hold in future episodes. Jason and Jessica’s dresses were cute but dated and Jeff’s and Christie’s were both complete and utter messes. In the end, the judges let Jeff stay because his spirit isn’t going to break him.
Again, Iman proved to be the greatest fashion reality show host of all time. I loved Sean’s “Addicted to Biddell” shirt. And finally, the PRC editors need to learn the element of surprise. Kim and Jeff’s design issues felt tacked on and harried, not an attempt to create a possible elimination narrative to counteract the obviousness of Christie’s elimination.
I need some growth, from the designers, from the challenges and from the show overall. This episode felt like filler. Delicious, meaningless filler.
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I’ve been writing a lot about David Beckham’s announcement about his desire to stay at AC Milan over at Beckham Groupie. David made the argument that this decision is all about – and only about – the football. The caliber of play is much higher in Europe and the season’s are mush longer. As a result, David is playing better and is in better shape than he ever was at the Galaxy.
“I want to think about football before everything else. I said in a clear manner what I think, I want to stay at Milan because I’ve rediscovered myself as a football player,” David told the press when explaining his decision.
However, the Galaxy has been playing hardball and refusing to let David out if his contract easily. And why not? The Galaxy has way more to lose out of this than David ever will. They’ve built their reputations, their brand, heck, their entire league and sport around his coming to America. For David to get up and go after only 2 years into a 5 year (and $35 million contract) says quite a few things that I don’t think the Galaxy will recover from. It says the Galaxy isn’t good enough for David, it says MLS isn’t good enough for David, it says the Galaxy was wrong when they brought David over. All not good things.
This is where the divide happens: the Galaxy and the MLS are treating David like a brand. A brand to build on, market and invest in. By partnering the Beckham brand with the Galaxy and MLS brand, all three are strengthened. David Beckham is acting like a player. A player that wants what’s best for himself right now.
David isn’t thinking about the long term consequences of this decision – what betraying an entire continent will do to the Beckham brand. The millions of soccer fans who welcomed David here, watched him evolve from an overblown injury-laden over-the-hill import to one of the leading contributors to the Galaxy (and now to Milan). I seriously doubt he’s even considered what this move will do to Victoria’s share of the Beckham dynasty.
I think the Galaxy has every right to get as make this as difficult as possible for David and the Galaxy. They have way more invested in this and have way more to lose.
David needs to grow up, stop thinking like a soccer player and starting thinking of himself as a brand – all the time, not just when he’s selling jerseys or hawking Motorola cell phones and Sharpies. ‘Cause if he is thinking this way, he’s deliberately turning his back on the future of North American soccer and those who are invested in it – and invested in him to make it better, faster. And that’s far sadder to think than whether it’s him just being short-sighted.
Comments(3) Has Twitter completely warped your sense of time? BookExpo Canada was cancelled on Monday, and immediately after, quite a few people were twittering about what this meant for the book community and what sort of event should emerge from it’s ashes to replace it.
On Tuesday night, I had dinner with a few girlfriends and the big topic of the night was the cancellation of BEC. Well, it was for them. By then, it had been more than twenty-four hours since Reed made the announcement, BookCamp Toronto was taking shape and I was tired of talking about BEC.
But that’s an aside for another day.
Since entering publishing a little more than a year ago, I’ve been troubled by the fear-driven backwards-thinking happening (nearly) everywhere in publishing. Book publishing needed to move forward with confidence and gusto, needed to try new things, shake old things up and not to be afraid of failing. Clinging to the old way of doing things is a way to ensure its demise, but if we at least try to enter this brave new world, we’ll go down swinging.
I’m not the only one who feels that way. There’s a dynamic online community who is constantly chattering and sharing ideas and concerns about this. It’s amazing and I feel lucky to be (virtually) surrounded by and engaging with them.
Within hours of BEC being cancelled, the idea for BookCamp Toronto, an unconference modeled on the successful BookCamp in London and various other “camps” we’ve seen happening in Toronto over the past year, solidified. Hugh Mcguire of BookOven and Mitch Joel of Twist Image really took the reigns and created a community wiki for organization and secured MaRS as the location. Mark Bertils (whose blog, I think, has the smartest commentary on the state of Canadian book publishing I’ve ever read) and Alexa Clark (whose projects and ideas are always inspiring!) and myself are board too, and hopefully we’ll make this event a huge success. (It should be, I’m making buttons!)
So on June 6 at the MaRS Centre, BookCamp Toronto, the future of book publishing will be debated, discussed and challenged. Please join us by registering here (attendance is capped at 150 people. We learned from CupcakeCamp!) and be sure to share your seminar ideas and anything else you have.
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This week’s Twitter interview is with YA author Melissa Walker. Melissa is the author of the successful Violet trilogy, about a small town girl who gets scouted to work as a model in the big city of New York. The first book in the series, Violet on the Runway, was recently named a ALA Best Books for Young Adults!
Melissa was the perfect writer to coin this enjoyable and relatable (I, too, was a gawky teenage giant, but sadly, was never scooped up and whisked away like Violet!) semi-fairy tale, seeing as she previously worked for teen publications like ELLEGirl and Seventeen. She’s also been a “talking head” on VH1 and lived a Harry-Potter-meets-MTV-reality-world stlye life when she attended a finishing school for girls in New Zealand.
(I think now is a good time to add a disclaimer: I think I would hate Melissa is I didn’t enjoy talking to her so much!)
Melissa is one author who is very active online. She twitters, blogs, MySpaces, and Facebooks. I don’t know where she finds the time to write! Be sure to follow her on twitter @melissacwalker.
Melissa chatted with me about the Violet series, her current projects and more.
Hi Melissa! you ready for your twitter interview?! Congrats on the ALA pick! tell me about your book, VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY.
VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY is about a gawky, small-town girl who gets scouted to become a model. She has to face the intense NYC fashion world!
What inspired you to write about the glamorous (or not-so-glamorous!) world of modeling?
I worked at a few fashion magazines, and peeking behind the scenes of the industry made me realize how beautiful AND dark it could be.
It’s turned into a successful 3 book series! Why do you think readers are attracted to Violet & these books?
Violet is a real girl at heart. It’s always fun to read about a glam world, but it’s also nice to identify with the main character!
That’s very true! What drew you to writing YA novels?
From working in teen mags, I knew I adored the YA audience–teens will tell you if they LOVE something, or if it sucks. They’re so open!
What are you working on now?
My next teen novel, LOVESTRUCK SUMMER, comes out in May. It’s an indie-rock love story set in Austin, Texas!
Sounds like fun! What’s your regular writing schedule like?
When I’m on deadline for a book, I make myself write 1000 words a day, 5 days a week. Off deadline, I work more on magazine stories.
That’s discipline! Let’s talk social media. You’re a very active blogger and twitterer. Have they helped you as a writer?
Yes! Even if I’m not on deadline, I’m always writing–plus, blogging and twitter both help you learn to be concise, which is a great skill.
That’s awesome. Tell me more about LOVESTRUCK SUMMER. What inspired this story?
I always wanted to write about an “indie” girl who finds herself out of her comfort zone falling in love with a “country” boy. So I did!
Now that Violet’s off to college in VIOLET IN PRIVATE, what is changing for her? And can we expect future Violet books?
Violet wants to figure out who she is outside of the modeling world, so that’s what she struggles with in college. It’s a trilogy for now.
I think that’s it! Is there anything you want to add?
Just thanks! This was a really fun format!
Violet on the Runway, Violet by Design and Violet in Private are all available on Amazon. Lovestruck Summer will be available in May 2009, but you can pre-order it now!
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