Good news, bad news. First, the good: my laptop’s motherboard needs to be replaced. For all of you out there who just gasped and clutched your chair because you know how much that costs (you might as well buy another laptop, generally), guess what? It’s going to be covered even though it’s out of warranty because it’s a known problem with the graphics chipset! And I’ve had that laptop for a few years now…no problems til last week.

Never, ever say to me that Apple does not take amazing care of its customers.

The bad news: she won’t be back for 2 weeks or so, but the mister is loaning me his laptop so I don’t have to use my ancient G4. We may not start the new classes right on time but we won’t be delayed for long, either — I just need to get onto a machine of more modern vintage and pull out my materials so I can prep everything for class.

Just wanted to let everyone know! Also, email replies are still running behind schedule because technically I was supposed to be taking this week off, but you know me…workaholic.

Due to technical difficulties, namely my computer going boom (that’s the technical description! but seriously…without boring you all to death, best case scenario is that my laptop gets to go to the Apple repair spa), I’ll be starting the next batch of classes a little later. The new planned start date is the 15th instead, since I need time to set up another machine with all my files — grr.

While we’re on this topic, have you backed up your computer recently?

I have access to email, etc at the moment using my old old old laptop but it’s not perfect and it’s very slow, so please forgive any communication delays in the meantime.

We ran a poll of existing studio members this week and are trying out some new classes and other offerings (scroll down to the very bottom for a super-cool live teleconference class/Q&A option!). For the initial signup period, they’ll be offered at a lower price than usual. All classes will start 8 September, and Q&As will be scheduled according to participants’ timezones and preferences:

Social media for designers/creative business owners

You know what Twitter, Facebook and other social media ARE, but you don’t know what to DO with them. Learn how to effectively communicate your message without spammyness. This class would be great for non-knitters as well, so I’m offering a special deal: class is $25, but bring 2 friends with you and all three of you get in for $45! To take advantage of this deal, email shannon@knitgrrl.com with your PayPal address and your other 2 friends’ email addresses and I’ll bill you.

How to use digital affiliate programs

This class will discuss how to use digital affiliate programs as a designer/creator/seller of downloads and other items…everything from patterns to ebooks. Increase your sales, use the program to advertise your work without paying for advertising, and much more! Detailed directions for implementing one specific affiliate program, but ideas should apply to any similar programs you may want to try. $35.

Color theory: effective color use for designers and knitters

Are you puzzled by color? Do you have a difficult time figuring out how to make your designs “pop,” or in selecting new colorways for an existing project? We’ll discuss the basics of color theory, why colors work together the way they do, and how you can use this information effectively in projects. No prior academic or other prerequisites needed, just a desire to learn how to make color work for you. $40.

Custom class #1 — sweater

I will be designing a sweater pattern specifically for, and with the input of, class members. We’ll discuss the design process along the way, class members will be able to request specific features (sizing, yarns used design-wise, etc), and we’ll make sure everyone has the skills to complete the sweater successfully. If students want, we’ll tackle NEW skills together (such as knitting the sweater in the round and steeking it) and really push everyone’s limits. If we can all agree on a base yarn, I can also dye and sell a custom yarn colorway to students who choose that option (will cost additional). $30 for class, amount for yarn (if class decides to do it) to be determined.

Custom class #2 — hat and scarf

I will be designing matching hat and scarf patterns specifically for, and with the input of, class members. As in the sweater class above, we’ll discuss the design process along the way, class members will be able to request specific features and we’ll make sure everyone has the skills to complete the projects successfully. As with the sweater class, I can also dye and sell a custom yarn colorway to students who choose that option (will cost additional). $30 for class, amount for yarn (if class decides on this option) to be determined.

E-book basics

Everything you need to know about creating, formatting and selling ebooks online. Options will include PDFs, ebook file formats for the Kindle, Nook, iPad and other reader devices, and we’ll discuss what you need to do in order to start selling on the Kindle, the iBookstore, Ravelry and other resources. Fellow students (and Shannon) can help test your sample files in class so you know they’ll work! We’ll also cover online book promotion and marketing once your file creation skills are solid! $40.

The introductory pricing on these classes is only valid through 15 September.

But wait, there’s more! sign up for 3 or more of these classes and get 20% off all of them. (20% will be rebated back to your PayPal or Google Checkout account after purchase).

The Very Best Package

Sign up for ALL of the classes above and get 30% off (that’s $60!) + a handmade, hand-dyed felt scarf by Shannon and a signed copy of The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design with free shipping thrown in, because it’s a Thursday and I am feeling kicky. The Very Best Package deal is only open to the first 15 people, though, to make sure everyone gets the scarf color he or she wants.

What to expect from class:

Since these are new online classes (although I’ve taught most of them in person at other venues), the pacing and content will be determined by the number of enrolled students, and other factors. Anticipate at least a month’s worth of active discussion time, projects and more. The discounted pricing is based on this first-run-online factor, and prices are subject to go up in future after the first time these classes run.

Classes run online at knitgrrl.ning.com — all you need is a web browser and an internet connection. For the custom classes, we may schedule online chats to discuss features of the sweater and ask live questions, as well as schedule live streaming video to demonstrate techniques.

And one more thing…

I am in the process of setting up teleconferenced teleclasses and some one-on-one consulting options. The first item on offer is…

Knitgrrl Q&A

I’ll be hosting live Q&A sessions for aspiring designers (and knitters who want to learn MORE) on multiple days and times (schedules will be sent out and you can pick the time that works best for you; we will include some times that accommodate European students and Australian ones as well).

Think of it as a chance to pick my brain, live, and receive a MP3 recording after the fact for your records! You’ll also have a chance to submit questions in advance. Cost for this first offering is $10 and includes MP3 file of the call you’re on, as well as a written summary emailed to you with any relevant links or other information you and your fellow participants need to make the most of the information given. Anything goes. All you need is a phone line and a lot of curiosity! Calls will likely be 1 hr in length but will go as long as necessary to make sure everyone’s questions get answered.

Via studiomate dearest Arabella, this fabulous link: Portraits of Women by Ikenaga Yasunari. She told me to look at the sweater ones, but I love the rest, too. Check them out! The Fair Isle ones are my favorite.

I’ve got books on the brain.

(First of all, though, go check out this lovely interview Tara did with me, I really enjoyed it. That Tara. She is up to awesome on a regular basis these days).

As I mentioned in the last post, at the moment I am working on my fall/winter pattern collection, the 10+ Fresh Designs books (what am I going to DO when Abra is gone?), a handful of others (Sarah Jo is working on charts for Hunter’s book right now), and some other stuff of a book-y nature I can’t even talk about yet.

And then I had serious “aaaagh!”-induced insomnia last night where you can’t sleep because there is just too much to think about and you can’t shut off your brain, which resulted in me reading this, at which point I became so angry I was pretty much incoherent on top of insomniariffic. Or, as I put it on Twitter, discussing it with some other people:

• How many more times do we need to have this discussion? http://bit.ly/9Q6QNX Do I need to polish up my clue stick?
• @weebilsurglace Yes, the word ‘hypocrite’ comes to mind, shortly after an off-color comment about spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Oh, @teajoygreye, whatever do you mean? When I am not eating bonbons, I am counting my enormous stacks of cash and supervising the help.
• Agreed, @KristenTenDyke. Oh, @theshizknit, stop lying. We know you’ve got a Bentley in the garage and you polish it with $20 bills.
• Hey @threesheeps! This is what mah clue stick looks like! http://twitpic.com/2fr9qc
• @presentsknits Imagine how much her profit margin would be slashed if she had to hire a proofreader. #bitch #mymiddlename
• See, @amykjensen, it’s people like you that keep us all from throwing in the towel. Thank you. You’ll never know how much we appreciate it.
• @knitbrit Oh darling, the Bahamas are so 2005. This year it’s all about the Yugoslavian Riviera. My masseur Hans told me so.
• Warning, if you haven’t been following along: tonight’s tweets are all about #sarcasm #cynicism #satire #invective #mockery and #scorn

(I felt I needed to explain what was going on in the last tweet, just in case anyone had tuned in late, because obviously, there are still some people out there who think designers are getting rich off their work. My tax returns argue otherwise, friends, and I do this full time).

On one hand, I feel as if it’s the community’s responsibility to educate this person as to how very, very wrong their assumptions are. On the other, I feel as if that’s already been going on for a long time now and if you’re willfully ignoring the large number of designers who have spoken out on this very topic, well, you can’t be helped. Your perception of what’s going on is somewhere south of Cluetown and somewhere east of Reality.

I would love to share the list of expenses I incur to bring a single pattern to the table with this person, but then again, it would probably be like talking to a brick wall. Technical editing, chartmaking, sample knitting, yarn purchasing, internet hosting, (let’s not forget eating and all that good stuff), and opportunity cost add up. I was, however, glad to see so many people stepping up to challenge the dumb assertions made in a reasonable way. The message is getting through to most people, it’s the holdouts that drive me crazy.

After paying $100+ (and that’s with insurance, mind you) for a simple doctor’s office visit with antibiotics last month, I wish more people gave their work away for free…but that’s not how the world works. Why should it be any different for the members of my profession?

The Fresh Designs books are coming along really nicely — one designer’s even finished her project already and it’s on its way to us. Last week, before we went to the zoo as a reward for much hard work this month, we met up with the photographer who will be taking the pictures for the books. He’s very good at the precise look I want for these photos, and I think it’s going to be a great partnership across the board.

Meanwhile, I’ve got my own design work to do, too! Some of the knitting is going out to sample knitters and some of it is being done here. Sarah Jo’s been working on one of the socks and Abra just started one of the scarves, which is in the sqooshiest, tastiest yarn you’ve ever seen (Alchemy Temple). It’s a simple design, but that’s good, because it’s really showing off the yarn.

Here is a unintentionally blurry photo of the socks Sarah Jo is knitting. Sorry, no time to take another one, we don’t mean to tease you too terribly. (Although, you really should stock up on Shibui Knits Sock in Honey and Wasabi. Mmm, honey and wasabi. That would be a good snack flavor, if you ask me).

One of the other yarns we’re using in the fall/winter collection is Berroco Remix. Calling all people with wool allergies — this stuff is fantastic! It’s got a very “dry” feel to it, and it seems to be fairly sturdy, because I’ve been using a swatch of it as a drink coaster on my office desk for the past month with no ill effects. It might seem to be more ’summery’ in terms of fiber content but I really think it’s a good 4-season yarn. I could see wearing the sweater we’re making with it over a nice ribby wool turtleneck in the winter, with jeans.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have caught me talking about us huffing yarn the other day — that was the Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky Undyed. Oh, is it dreamy. I like yarn that smells properly sheepy, it’s the spinner in me. Also supremely dreamy? The two colors of Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock yarn we’re combining. I am jumping up and down with glee at those, actually. And the Malabrigo sock yarn + Buffalo Gold buffalo yarn going into shawls? Droolworthy.

I haven’t even told you about my FAVORITE pattern thus far. It’ll just have to be a secret for now. Shhh!

I have two things to knit on deadline, two exciting blog book tour stops (Knitty today, Stefanie Japel tomorrow) and two new books to announce.

Wow, things are really coming in twos, aren’t they? Well, except for the magazine column I need to write — more on that closer to publication — and the conference call I have this afternoon.

(Also, if you missed it, hop over to Vickie Howell’s blog for her recent Knitgrrl Guide tour stop and a book giveaway).

Oh! another twosie — Margarete Dolff of MAZ Wolldesign sent me two skeins of her gorgeous hand-dyed sock yarn as packing material of all things! She had very kindly bid on a book at eBay Deutschland for me since the seller refused to ship to the US, as did the Amazon sellers who had used copies, and to cushion it on its trip across the sea, one skein on either side did the trick nicely. She knows me too too well — they’re both green!

Abra and Sarah Jo are only here interning until the end of the month, sadly. The “girl with the dragon toe(-along)” KAL for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo + our pattern Karira is underway, and they’ve been a big help with it — I gave Abra some Malabrigo Sock from my stash in a blue-green colorway and it is knitting up gorgeously! Come join now and you’ll be ready to go when the next two socks/book discussions go up in the group.

I’ve heard there are a few spots left at Felt School still. Added bonus: you can learn how to defend yourself during the coming zombie apocalypse.*

* last year, some of the ladies at Felt School got more than a little disturbed by the younger crowd’s gleeful discussion (during dinner, no less) of how they would survive the zombiepacalypse when it comes. Personally, I thought it was hilarious. Best to be prepared, no?

Ok, this one took a while. Fast knit, slow pattern release. Remember Jasper? (here and here). Jasper was intended for Knitgrrl CSA: Farm Fresh Knits, but since that booklet is currently on hold while another naughty pattern that’s crucial to the book has a timeout, I decided to release it now.

$6.00, includes detailed instructions as well as resource links for inserting a zipper if you so desire. Yes, that’s my dad in the other photos. Buy the pattern so I can tell him his handsome face sells product…

Summer intern Sarah Jo, pressed into modeling duty during our Adventure Photoshoot day

Ok, big news today. Let’s do a nice list to keep it all organized, shall we?

1. If you ordered the ebook edition of The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design, the updated file was sent out today. Let me know if you didn’t get it (after, of course, checking your spam filters for emails from E-junkie).

2. Part one of many conversations with Donna Druchunas about ebooks and many other related topics went live on her blog today (the timing was coincidental, yet perfect!). Julie’s post went live today, too!

3. The book will soon be available in Apple’s iBookstore and directly on Amazon for the Kindle. Why not directly on B&N for the Nook? You tell me, kids. Or see the end of this post over at our publishing website). That pretty much sums it up. I’d ask all of my Nook-users to write in to B&N and ask for the book, but I’ve pretty much given up hope that anyone has a clue over there.

4. One major difference between the ebook files I am selling directly to you over at Cooperative Press and the files Apple and Amazon have is that they put DRM on them. This may or may not be a major issue for you; for some people it definitely is. So, with that in mind, please know that unless otherwise stated (and I doubt this will ever happen!), if you’re buying an ebook file from Cooperative Press, it will NOT have DRM on it.

5. Boyfriend dearest spent many, many, many hours of his life manually fixing problems with the ebook files. Creating ebook files is not yet something at which Adobe InDesign excels, despite all claims to the contrary. Sometimes you really do have to dig in to the raw code to make things work. I am so incredibly happy to have someone here who can help when I reach the end of my (mental) rope! Also, we learned a lot for next time…so hopefully this will never happen again!

Coming soon: I’ll be releasing my pattern Jasper in the next few days.

I haven’t been too wordy recently, but that’s mostly because my 2 summer interns and I are hunkered down working our heads off. Wait til you see my fall design collection and also the Fresh Designs book series. Woo!

(And mind you, this post title doesn’t mean “who is Alice Starmore?” It is a very, very geeky joke, since Sutton Hoo is the location of a massive early medieval treasure hoard).

All that said — my mother found me a giant cache of out-of-print Alice Starmore books at the thrift store this weekend, including the super-coveted Aran Knitting. Until Dover announced it was coming out with newly-revised reprint edition of Aran Knitting, it was selling for $200-300 used on Amazon…and even with that announcement, used copies are still going for almost $90! In addition, when I ran to the store after she called me, I made the UNBELIEVABLE find that is The Scottish Collection… one copy currently for sale on Amazon for $699. Yes, you read that right, six hundred and ninety-nine dollars. Mom missed it on the first pass, it was shoved in a magazine rack.

My infinitely practical boyfriend and mother have already asked if I plan to sell them off. I might sell a few of the other finds (Rowan magazine #2 and other early ones), but Aran Knitting is a book I have wanted for years, so it’s staying with me. Charts for Colour Knitting wants to stay, too. Meanwhile, I’ve got my eyes on knitting a Luskentyre, and I’m waiting for the thrift store to call back. Seems a son is getting rid of all his mom’s knitting books…

When Mom called to tell me what she’d found, I let out a squeal so loud everyone looked over…but fortunately I was at the yarn store, so when I got off the phone and explained, they completely understood. Happiest weekend ever!