The book is all we were promised, and I had a grand time.
I got there relatively early, 11:15 or so for an 11 a.m.
“off”. The shop was crowded, and so was the little teaching-room behind where
the signing was actually going on. Kate and the books of course were there. I
had mine signed by her and Jen and also had Gudrun and Lucy Hague sign their
patterns.
And, as in the preliminary daydreams, I told Lucy Hague
(she’s wonderfully young) about the Dunfallandy blankie and the horizontal
cable it incorporates. She knows the Dunfallandy stone but didn’t know about
the blankie. And Gudrun is not scary at all, taller than I expected. She is in
the process of moving back from Portobello to MA. They have been here a year
and I think they meant to stay, but teen-aged children haven’t found it easy
and want to go back.
After a while I went back out into the shop and sat on
Kathy’s accommodating sofa and read much of the book. There is a lot of useful and
interesting material about 19th and 20th century
Shetland. A crisp chapter by Kate about construction is fully as informative as
I hoped and expected. The Shetland way is to knit from the borders inwards.
On page 35, a simple method is given for determining which
way a particular shawl was knit –attributed to Sharon Miller. If the auld shell
holes curve over like bridges, it’s borders-in; if they are hooped under like
bows, it’s centre-out.
Several of the original shawls from the book were there -- Kate's own Moder Dy, in both its Buachaille form and the J&S jumoer-weight one that she showed us in a recent blog entry. And Mel herself was there, who knit both. Kate said, endearingly, that she is a slow knitter. Just like me!
I also saw Jen's Nut-Hap, Tom of Holland's Hexa, Gudrun's Lang Ayre, and Donna Smith's Houlland. (That one is rather small -- you couldn't hap yourself in it.) Although Lucy was there, I didn't see the Uncia, but I might have missed it, The room was crowded and I kept noticing things I hadn't seen.
The idea of spending the rest of my life knitting haps, large and small, is rather attractive.
Jean, I thought of you often yesterday, looking at the time here and calculating your time there, wondering if you were at the shop yet. It sounds like you had a marvelous time! And then, about 3:30 in the afternoon, I received my email saying my copy of the book was being dispatched, including my code to download it from Ravelry. Of course I downloaded it right away and have read a fair amount of it myself, it is wonderful, isn't it!?
ReplyDeleteYou are a excellent correspondent! Next best thing to being there in person.
ReplyDeleteNow you have the delicious decision of which to knit first.
Enjoy every moment.
Helen (anon)
This is so terribly tantalizing! I too received my notice of shipping and a download code but decided to draw out the anticipation a while longer. I'll be checking the mail often !!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excellent report. I am pretty jealous, actually. Also, no notice yet of my book being shipped....maybe the USA ones take longer. Anyway thanks again for the great reportage.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a hap-py day at Kathy's Knits. Lucky you to be mentioned in the book. Looked for your name before I stared reading anything else .
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful report, Jean. I can imagine it all. The loveliest thing about haps is that they don't have to fit you. I just bought Gudrun's pattern, and will now buy the book.
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed reading about the event, Jean, thank you for reporting it. It must have been so wonderful to see all those haps "in the flesh" rather than just photographs. Also the people, of course.
ReplyDeleteI got notice yesterday that my book had been shipped and that the e-copy was waiting for me in my Ravelry account. Now I am wrestling with the question of should I "peek" at the e-copy or extend the suspense and wait for the hard copy. Northern California is less than half a world away from Scotland, how long can it possibly take?
Thanks for the report of the launch event. So glad it was nearby so you could attend. My download code and shipping notification email came late in the afternoon with the time difference between here and Scotland it would have been sent at almost 10pm Saturday night. Rather late for Kate to be sending out emails after that big day. Such dedication! Am torn as the others to look too closely at the pdf downloads I may just peek. It will be at least a week before the book is delivered. Nice dilemma to have.
ReplyDeleteLovely to read your report. so glad that you were able to get out to the event. I do think that the work of Lucy Hague is very interesting. the Nennir Cowl is available free on Knitty.
ReplyDeleteJean, thanks so much for giving us this taste of yesterday. How delightful to be knitting Gudrun's hap at this particular time. I so enjoyed making it earlier this year, your own comments are helping me to remember.
ReplyDelete- Beth in Ontario
Thank you so much, Jean, for sharing your wonderful day yesterday:)! I feel as if I were there with you, enjoying it all:)! Lovely!
ReplyDelete-Joan in Ellicott City, MD
Thank you so much, Jean, for sharing your wonderful day yesterday:)! I feel as if I were there with you, enjoying it all:)! Lovely!
ReplyDelete-Joan in Ellicott City, MD
Thank you for letting us live vicariously through your wonderful day with the haps, you're recounting of it was perfect.
ReplyDelete