Knitting Nation Brings the Action to Acton!

Wednesday night, Michele and I headed to Willow Books in Acton, MA, for a talk, book signing, and knit-a-thon with the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Michele has a wonderful review of the evening here. (Don't you love that picture? I took it myself under intense time pressure--very long line for the book signing portion of the event that we didn't want to hold up--yet it came out well. It helps that both Michele and Stephanie are so darn cute!)

Stephanie is a dynamite blogger, even if you don't knit. Check out Stephanie's post about her visit to Massachusetts (this one and the previous one) if you don't believe me.

I'm just a beginner (as in learning to cast on and make my first stitches), and I was one of the few women there who didn't bring along a tote bag of socks, scarves, and shawls in progress. Yet I felt welcome. It's a pretty warm community, the knitting world. Also, according to Stephanie, a pretty obsessive one. Perhaps that's why she calls her book (her first--a second is on its way), At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much.

You may scoff at the idea of knitting drawing such a crowd, but consider this: Stephanie has sold 80,000 copies of the book in under a year. I guess she's got a good way with a yarn. (Sorry!)

Ahem. Anyway, Stephanie proved just as charming in person as she does on her blog--funny, self-effacing, passionate, and very Canadian. (Yes, she does pronounce "about" a little differently. It's true. Really.) Shall we make her an honorary New Englander? I, for one, vote yes!

And if anyone wants to here her story about "bakin' powder," biscuits, and Memphis, let me know. Especially any recovering Southerners.