Happy Hands, Happy Feet, Happy Dance: BIG Sale This Weekend!

Those are all MY socks! Cool!

ALL of the sock knitting classes from Craftsy are on sale this weekend for only $19.99!

(If you use my affiliate link, it helps ME, too!)

http://www.craftsy.com/ext/LaraNeel_W3

Socks My Way: Stitch Pattern Savvy with JC Briar

I learned a few weeks ago that "Socks My Way" is now a series (of two, but it will probably grow) on Craftsy! My Socks My Way: Heel & Toe Variations class has now been joined by JC Briar's Socks My Way: Stitch Pattern Savvy. 

I haven't spent a lot of time on her class, but I love her concept. She takes you through adding stitch patterns to your socks. She goes into great detail about getting the best stitch count for you, with your gauge and stitch pattern, which isn't always easy when you have a deep, interesting or lacy texture. 

JC even covers how to make sure your lovely hand-painted yarn will play nicely with the stitch pattern you choose, which is so useful.

I've taken a class with JC in person, and I love that her matter-of-fact style comes through in the video. She has a true talent for taking complex concepts and breaking them up into pieces that are easy to digest. Check it out!

Knitty Wrote About Me!

Reviews are every author's bread and butter, even if they don't know it. Hearing that a friend "gets" your work is a nice thing, but it's truly wonderful and exciting when it's another person in your field.

It takes a lot to write a book. I mean time, of course, and work, but also a little courage, chutzpah, guts, craziness, or whatever you want to call it. You write, you work, you sweat, you cry, and you do it all not knowing if it will be useful to anybody or if anyone will want to read it.

So, anyway, I'm very, very happy today.

Glasses

I used to wear glasses. Then, I wore contacts. I've been back to glasses full-time since I had the shingles. (Was that 4 years ago? 3? I know it had to be fewer than 5 and more than 2.)

My twin sister and I called it "the Clark Kent effect." If we were together and one of us wore glasses in public and the other one didn't, NO ONE asked us if we were twins. If we both did or both didn't, at least one person would ask if we were twins. 

Yes, just about every time! People are very curious about the diversity of their gene pool, I suppose!

So, I decided to show my current true self to the world and wear my glasses for my Craftsy class. It kept me looking like "me" and saved me from gouging my own eyes out because I tried to wear contacts for three days straight for the first time in over well over 2 years. 

I've never minded glasses. I only preferred contacts because glasses can be a little annoying to use if, like me, you tend to smudge your glasses if you use them along with a camera. I'm not a newspaper photographer anymore, so if I smudge my glasses, I have time to clean them!

Trailer for My Craftsy Class

Just in case you're curious about exactly what's in my class, here's the class trailer (complete with map of Minnesota!).

And, no, I don't know what is the deal with my pinkies. Apparently I'm fancy like that.