Happy Birthday Hank! I'm still waiting for Amazon to send me a copy of your book that I ordered what seems like a long time ago.

Picked up the new book last night and now the dilemma....read or knit....tough choice!

Thanks for making my days so enjoyable!!!

Happy Birthday to Hank. What a cutie!! And to Kamilah, as well.

Dear Yarn Harlot:

You kick ass. I know you hear this all the time, but I just had to actually tell you myself. Can't wait to see the new book! (BTW, there is NOTHING wrong with hunting your book down).

You knit most everywhere - I work full time (USAF Active Duty) and am a knitting freak...have you any advice on if or not one should knit (cannot stand idle time) while driving straight stretches during sunlit hours with the cruise on and wheel tilted so the knees do not cramp??? Thanks for the blog~

I checked my Local Bookstore for your book too today. It's on order.....
Happy Birthday Hank!!!!

I'm a violin teacher and of course I think your right about the music thing. Violin is very complex and it takes a lot of disipline to learn it. It always makes me smile when I see pictures of youth symphonies on the net.

I really like those buttons. Nice pick. Can't wait to see the sweaters.

Happy birthday Hank! and Kamilah! I agree - I wouldn't want kid pictures of me being circulated around. Heck, I'm in my 40's - I don't want teenage pictures of me floating around - I DEFINED dorkiness back then - probably still do...
It's nice to see youths doing good in the world - instead of being out and about at 2:30am at age 12...
I'm still (not very) patiently waiting for Amazon to send me your book...

1. Happy birfdays to Hank and Kamilah!!!
2. I found the newest bookbookbook in (drum roll, please)....Brasstown, North Carolina, the dinkiest dinkytown two hours north of Atlanta. And snapped it up immediately, of course. Love it! :-)
3. Now for the wild sobbing, wailing, and gnashing of teeth...I can't go to the book signing in Skaneateles! Only two hours from home! In my favorite place! Just up the street from Elegant Needles and the Yarn Bin! It's opening night for the local high school's production of 42nd Street and I'm in the pit. The conductor and I are really good friends, but if I (the only horn player...Sam, this could be you some day!) ditch opening night for a book signing she will hunt me down and beat me senseless. I'm sure of it. WAHHHHHHHH!

I so agree with you about the teenagers! If I could, I'd have mine right here beside me all the time, but since that won't fly, it helps to see them doing those complex things like play the violin (or in the case of mine, act in a musical--see my blog entry for today). It was so much easier when they were 6, wasn't it??

The most amazing thing is when you're 'in the neighbourhood of' your book in the bookstore and somebody gets courage enough to come up to you with Your book in hand and say ,"Aren't you___?" "Happy Birthday, Hank!" "Happy Birthday, Kamilah!" Nice lloking roving you have there!!!

And of course, Happy Birthday Kamilah!! (Steph - good choice not to put photo of Kamilah as a preteen out there - she might never speak to you again)

Happy birthday Hank and Kamilah! I found your new book in the wild last night - I got to the bookstore where I work half an hour before it closed and frantically unpacked boxes until I found it. Blood was shed, even. But I prevailed!

Happy Birthday Hank!! Happy Birthday Kamilah!!

Happy Birthday to Hank! And yay for Aunt Stephanie's audio books.

Happy birthday to Hank and Kamilah, congrats to Ivy W., the buttons are totally cool, and it's perfectly okay to hunt for your own book. My stuff is always the first thing I read in the paper, and a book is a much bigger deal! By the way, you did NOT say "done perfectly", so the sweaters are safe. Go to it!

Happy birthday, Hank and Kamilah!

Are you kidding? If I had a book running around loose I would be spending all my time stalking it, not knitting on the subway. I am relieved (but hardly surprised) that you are still human.

Happy Birthday Hank and Kamilah! Yes, carding counts and there is NOTHING wrong with looking for your own book in the bookstore. :) Congrats on #3, btw. I'm asking for it for my birthday next week. Can't wait to see the finished tinks. :D

I went straight to Amazon to order the Mason-Dixon book and guess what, they had a DEAL for ordering it with this other new book, some harlot thing. So they are both on their way to me. Oh joy!

Your book is DEFINITELY out there ... I'm in the UK and ordered it from Amazon.com and they say its on the way to me already ... I can't wait!

Your bookBookbookBook 3 arrived yesterday.

I've not done a lick of work, barely acknowledged the pooch's presence and need for walks, and have survived on Tricuts and hummus with feta cheese for meals. (And I've only taken the time for meals due to these stupid antibiotics for a sinus infection requires food with them.)

I love you. Not that I want to have your babies (present or future). I'm just sayin'...

Happy Birthday Hank!!!

I lovveeeeeee knitting on the subway.

Happy Day to Hank! Wow...the glow coming off the cake is something to behold:)

Picked up Mason-Dixon Knitting last night...was up until the wee hours of the morning perusing my copy. SUCH a beautiful and inspiring book. Thanks, Steph for the review...I, too, probably wouldn't have bought it if I just went by the cover. AND BOOKBOOKBOOK SHIPPED TODAY!!!!! Yay!

He looks angelic.

Which I think is off by an order of magnitude.

But cute either way.

Happy Birthday Hank.

I saw several copies at Barnes & Noble in North Haven last night. It looks great!

Happy birthday to Hank and Kamilah!!

I bought the book so it's out there. Had me laughing out loud on the train this morning and in the gym this afternoon.

Another great Harlot original.

Happy birthday, Hank! And thanks for your excellent book reviews, Stephanie.

Happy Birthday to Hank & Kamilah! I love te buttons you chose.

I'm not an author but my dad is (super-dorky computer books) and I remember how excited he was when he saw his being sold at the Harvard Coop. It was oddly validating.

Happy Birthday Hank!

It's my son Troy's b-day today as well; he turned 12.

Happy Birthday to all!

I had the entire staff scouring B&N yesterday to find your book. It was supposed to be on a display that had yet to be erected. After much searching all copies were found and I made sure to place them visibly!

That top picture of Hank is world class! And such a great day for birthdays in the harlothousehold. Happy happy. Amazon (sorry, to sell out to the max) has shipped your book to me... can't wait to have it in my hot little hands.

Happy birthday Hank and Kamilah!

I received my copy of bookbookbook3 from Amazon this morning. Can't wait to get home and read! Of course I had a meeting over lunch and I have another one after work, but since I'm in charge of that one, it's gonna be short and sweet. And as luck would have it, I'm on a stretch of vegetable knitting so I don't have to choose between knitting and reading. YAY!

When I came home from work last night, your new book was on my porch, delivered by my wonderful mailman! I had planned to do all sorts of useful things last night, like work on a newsletter and straighten my desk and cook dinner, but I dropped all that stuff immediately and just read the book while knitting. Great book!

A pox on Chapters. Y'know, I called their outlet in the freakin' *Eaton Centre* (huge central-hub mall in downtown Toronto, for those unfamiliar) this morning and they said IT WASN'T EVEN ON ORDER. I am disgusted. I have not yet had the courage to call the World's Biggest Bookstore for fear that they will tell me the same thing.

Something is wrong with the world.

Does Lettuce have it yet?

Happy birthday to Hank and Kamilah! Subway knitting is so good, and makes the ride fly by.

Well, since I die a little every time someone says they're getting theirs from Amazon or Darth Noble, let the west Michigan record show that Knitting Rules will be coming in any minute now at Michigan News Agency, the last of the great 1940s news stands, if the Smithsonian doesn't drop a bell-jar over it first. If you're in spitting distance, call Dean to save one for you.

I'm sure the Tinks won't mind having waited for their sweaters when they see that the buttons must have been customized and hand-cast just for them. And of course such meticulous fiber preparation should count as spinning, since such perfect batts will spin so much more quickly than slubby crap. Of course, if it's YARN you're needing there might be a wee disparity -- but I'm sure Joe could swath himself in batts and look very manly. And really, next winter is so far off -- I'm sure twenty four more Tuesdays, even if they're being used neither for spinning nor knitting, will be plenty of time to knit a 48" gansey. Plenty.

Knitting Rules is not on the shelf in the local Borders book store yet. I suspect that all copies are reserved for those of us that thought ahead. I will admit to recommending your books and making sure that they are prominently displayed on bookstore shelves. Once your books are properly displayed, then I'll make sure that the Mason-Dixon book is shown off nicely.

Yeah, the work day is almost done, so I can get lost in Knitting Rules!

Dear Kelli-the-new-wonder-publicist ,

Please add Denver to Stephanie's list of places to visit. It's beautiful here, with snow on the mountaintops, and warm weather in city. There are a LOT of yarn shops in the Denver area, and I'm sure that Stephanie would like to visit most, if not all, of them.

:-)

i picked up your book yesterday at the Barnes & Noble in Rockefeller Center (5th Ave) Along with Mason Dixon. I've been reading it on the subway. Needless to say, this cuts severely into my knitting time......

picked up the book at Barnes and Noble in Rocekfeller Center yesterday, along with Mason Dixon Knitting. Needless to say, reading books on the subway cuts severely into my knitting time.

I bought your book at a real bookstore last night. It's out there, I promise! And despite being in the middle of a very exciting novel, you're all I've been reading sicne I got home last night. :)

Hi! I work in a book store (Barnes & Noble - Webster, Texas) so I've been waiting for your book to come out and am happy to say, as of this week, it's in our stores! (And I have a copy in my hot, little hand!) Like a fine chocolate, I'm trying to savor it and make it last by reading slowly. Also much like a fine chocolate, that resolve will give way and I'll devour it like a candy bar that never saw it coming. Any chance Texas is on your book tour? :-)

Hard to believe Hank is 6 already-slick looking CD player he has got there Aunt Stephanie. I am sure any niece from your family is a beauty-pretty name too. I like your thinking on concerts as well; would be nice if we could get every teen to play an instrument, no?

Oh and Rams? Darth Noble? Now every time I drive by that place I will laugh and think fondly of you. Thanks for keeping us west Michiganders updated on bookbookbook3.

Steph, don't feel badly about looking for your book. Everyone would do it. Probably do. I went to a book signing of "Singing Songs" by Meg Tilly (yes, the actress) and she confessed that she would send her children into the stores to COUNT the books to see how many they had sold.

I can't wait to see that wool spun into something beautiful.

Of COURSE preparing the wool for spinning counts!!

Happy birthday Hank and Kamilah!

Happy Birthday to Hank and to Kamilah! The wool looks beautiful... And I got my copy of Knitting Rules! in the mail today! I'll be knitting on a sock for my 11-yr-old son, a shawl for me, and a tank for me while I read it tonight.

Happy Birthday, Hank.
The buttons are perfect for the Tink's sweaters.
Way to go, orchestra-child!

No shame in hunting for your stuff.
I might actually see you in the States.

I have the book!! I have the book!!! It is sitting right next to me, on it's very own cushion on the couch. I could not NOT have this book. And I did see it in Barnes and Noble on Saturday........!

Happy Birthday everybody... (Isn't it amazing that kids turn six at the speed of five and they just keep aging that way?) Kid's stuff is awfully reassuring... I'll go through any rotation of soccer/dance/karate oh my! on the hope that it will keep my kids out of the drug & pregnancy shelters before they're 20... (And on the book front? My books are only available on-line. I check amazon once a day, to see if any poor soul has actually bought one...and when they do, I e-mail my husband with the # of books sold. I am way more pathetic than you.)

Well, the bookbookbook 3 is available in the wilds of Oklahoma. I got it last night and finished it at lunch today. Ok. I might have skipped over some of the pattern bits. I got twitchy when I started reading about socks. You scared the gauge right out of me!!

Chapters in Windsor had only one of your books, the first I think (The secret life of a knitter). And only one copy. Which I now have :). Just wanted to say that I love your writing, and am very inspired by your knitting. And happy birthday to everybody!

I too was just in Chapters about 20 minutes ago looking for your new book, and to my dismay it wasn't there (I'm in Sudbury, On). Although I am happy to report that At Knit's End, as well as Yarn Harlot were very prominently displayedright at the front doors on their front display. I thought that might make you feel a little better.

FYI: I ordered your book from Amazon LAST WEEK already and they are telling me I won't have it until between Apr7-11!!!! So I am not surprised that you can't find it in the wild. Like where in the world is Carmen SanDiego?(do you have that in Canada?) Where is bookbookbook3?
Also based on your review of the Mason Dixon knitting book, I bought that one too. So April should be good for knitting books arriving on my front porch.

Hi Steph... so psyched you're coming to Philly (ok... Doylestown) in April... will see you at the signing... We are all very addicted to Harlot around here and find ourselves craving Harlot between books... thank God for the blog... Chrissy

I don't have the patience to read through all the comments (sorry) so this question might be asked before, but have you any idea when the book might be released oversea? I checked at amazon-uk and they don't have it in yet. I hope they'll have it soon!

Love reading your blog, one of so many :D!

Happy birthday Hank! and Kamilah! Your book arrived via Indigo/Chapters online so rest assured it IS out there in the wild. It's just a bit sneaky. I keep looking for you on the subway - but no knitters during rush hour so far....

I got the book yesterday. All I can say is I am constantly in stitches!! No pun, intended. It was all fine and good while I sat in the living room but when I took it into the bedroom, I took it too far. I lay there, while my husband tried to sleep, and I read and laughed. I think I may have awoken the children if I hadn't put it down. Today I alternately been reading and knitting. SO far this is my favorite book of yours and I am only halfway through! Thanks.

Happy birthdays to Hank & Kamilah (gorgeous name)!!

I found your book in the wild at my local Barnes & Noble (we don’t really have any small local booksellers here unfortunately). Made the poor chap search high and low for it.

But then we had a delightful conversation about llamas, which he owns… Now to score some fleece ;)

I'm doing a bio. on you (female authors) in my 6th grade class, but I can't find any info. on you (childhood info., etc.). Could you possibly put more on your blog? Thanks.
P.S. I'm also a knitter, and I love to see your finished items. Kudos to you!

I'm doing a bio. on you (female authors) in my 6th grade class, but I can't find any info. on you (childhood info., etc.). Could you put more on your blog? Thanks.
P.S. I'm also a knitter, and I love to see your finished items. Kudos to you!

For what it's worth, the largest B&N in New York not only has your book, it has your book in a prominant, front-facing display in the center of the top shelf of the middle bookcase in the knitting section.

I saw your book today at our Barnes & Noble but I already had my copy!!!

Happy Birthday Hank and Kamilah, I hope you both have wonderful birthdays.

My book came yesterday from Amazon.com as I had preordered and have been impatiently waiting ever since I saw Hank holding a copy. I had company so forced myself to put it down until later last night when I had a chance to quickly skim through the pages. I think this will be my favorite yet. Thank you for writing it, sharing your thoughts and keeping all us knitters connected in a fun way.

Three things:
1. Happy birthday Hank and Kamilah!
2. If I had written a book I would totally be stalking it in the wild. It would be unnatural not too. I would collar the bookstore manager and demand to know why it wasn't in the store yet. Again, I think this would be completely normal.
3. Your hair looks really great in the subway picture.

Maybe I should order your book from Barnes and Noble! I understand they're great at shipping stuff. Though the fact that you LIVE in Toronto, Stephanie, and we CAN'T SEEM TO FIND IT HERE is puzzling.... Chapters in Newmarket didn't have it. (They didn't have the Mason-Dixon one either.)

Good job on the subway knitting! I'm pleased to know that Toronto's covered with regards to that :-).

Happy Birthday Hank! I received your book from Amazon yesterday, I had preordered it and being incredibly impatient selected 2 day shipping. I can't wait to have a moment or two to actually start reading it.

Happy birthday to Hank and Kamilah! Hope they enjoy their special days. I hunted down bookbookbook 3 yesterday, bagged it and brought it home. Loving it so far (of course) - silly kids keep interrupting for things like food, but we will overcome!

As a fellow curly-haired girl, I just wanted to say that your hair looks really good in the subway picture! Just sayin'.

Dear Yarn Harlot,

You know when you are an addictive knitting author when.....you go and have a look in bookstores to see whether your book is on the shelves.

What I want to know is, did you go incognito or did you want to be noticed. Don't answer that one, I can see it was necessary behaviour.

By the way, I would probably have done the same...but then I have not got a book in print so that sort of behaviour for a non published author would border on neurotic I think.

Happy birthday to Hank and Kamilah!

I bought the last copy of your book during my visit to Willow Books this morning. I am assuming that they had oodles in stock and all but one had been snatched up before I got there.

Happy birthday to all the rapidly growing kidlins. My own baby will be 13 in a few short months and he has changed so in the last few weeks. He is now a young man.

I agree, it is amazing to see kids participate in complex activities. I did the same things when I was a kid, but whenever I see a marching band go by, I tear up. When I see my kids showing cattle, I think 'Who thought this was a good idea?' Then they handle this 1200+ lb animal and all is right with the world. Amazing.

Best of luck with the sweaters. I am still working on socks, scarves and added a baby afghan. ICK!

thank you for your blog so I know what day it is. I just read about Hank's birthday, looked at the calendar, and discovered it's Wed. At first I thought you had put up your blog a day early, thinking it was Tues. because I was SURE it was Tuesday. Besides your blog, my watch also tells me what day it is but of course I have to look at it -
love ya! Come to the Chicago area (or nearby - I will make my friends drive with me to the hinterland).

Happy Birthday Hank! Six is a big year.

Also, that roving looks fantastic. One of these days I'm going to really get going on my dream of spinning beautiful yarn. You're a huge inspiration for us all.

Happy Birthday to Hank and Kamilah! My little bear turns 5 in two weeks. I'll admit I seriously considered a Gameboy for him because they've got some small person friendly games with characters I know and don't object to, and it would certainly help to keep him quiet and entertained at times when I'd really like him to be quiet and entertained, but I decided I just can't do it. Just can't.

I haven't actually walked into a Chapters yet to see if Book3 was there, but, um, well, I may have spent time online yesterday checking the 'available in store' page for each Chapters/Indigo in the GTA. Doesn't look like they've shipped them out from the warehouse yet.

Rams, please know that I'm NOT going to buy it from a large chain store. I've made a personal committment to buy it from Megan at Lettuce Knit, knowing full well she's not expecting it from her distributor for about 2 weeks. No, she's not an Independant Book Store, but she IS an Independant Yarn Store that sells books, so that's still ok, right?

Birthday greetings and good wishes to Hank...seems only yesterday he was a Toddler...or was that another of your nephews? I adore your carded wool. The sight of it makes me want to roll in it. Haven't even tried to spin in ages, but your carded fleece makes me want to break the lock on my "antique" trunk ('cuz can't find the D----- Key!), get "Alonzo" out of there and make rolags. Course I'd have to wash the fleece and don't know if I could ever get the smell of moth balls out of it at this point...it's been locked in that trunk for quite some time...poor little Alonzo.

HBD to Hank! I'm surprised you didn't get him a ball winder. Though maybe half the fun is borrowing one's auntie's.

HAppy Birthday Hank.. I have discovered the joys of ball winding... I can see why you find it so entertaining, I've been wandering around the house trying to find things to wind with my new ball winder....

My kids have gone into hiding and the dog is keeping his tail away from me. Hope you had a fun birthday.

I agree with Rams. I got my book from the little book store in my tiny town. Ordered it Friday and picked it up Tuesday along with Mason-Dixon. Love them both. Please support your private bookseller or yarn shop. I know you don't get the discount but you can't beat the customer service.

Hey! I never thought of a LETTER to Kelli-the-wonder-publicist!

Dear Kelli - What do you need from me that would increase the chances of a stop at Mystic River Yarns in Mystic, CT? It's not my store, but I do shop there some, and I'd be happy to talk to them for you. Should I give them your name and number (I can find it, Storey Publishing, there was a nifty card in the back of bookbookbook3 PLUS I know the agent's name is Linda Roghaar, howdjalikeTHEMapples?)or should I give you their contact info and let you approach them? If they don't want La Harlot (gasp) I could always talk to my friend who owns the bead shop that also sells 'exotic yarns'. Not a full on yarn shop, but more room, and maybe she would, I could ask? There's lots of knitters in Mystic, it's a beautiful little seaside town, centrally located between Boston and New York, you ahve to GO RIGHT PAST IT for pete's sake :) Seriously. Anything I can do to midwife this, I'm happy to do. I could see if if there's a HALL available, even.

1. Happy Birthday to Hank.
2. You can spin uncarded wool, You can even knit right from the fleece (barely off the sheep), I have done it as a demo.
Please dont ask what the finished scarf looked like!!!
3.Subway knitting was my fave when I lived in the city, too bad it was always at rush hour.
Cheers

Happy Birthday to Hank, and congrats to Erin.
Happy Birthday to the lovely Kamilah.
Well done and good show to Amanda.
Good on you for being able to knit complicated things while riding mass transit.

Got your book in the mail from Amazon this week! My husband still doesn't understand how a knitting book can make me laugh....

Ivy W? My sister is an Ivy W! I wonder if my Ivy is a closet knitter and just not admitting it to me.

Hey! We share a birthday! :)

Darth Noble. Hee!

Happy Hank's Birthday!

If my daughter the university student is any indication, teenagers who play in an orchestra are extremely likely to become adults who play in university orchestras, which have an even more stringent dress code, but require less parental attendendance, forcing me to put my nine-year-old son in piano lessons so that I can knit during concerts once again. (He doesn't like to play soccer like the other boys. You can get kicked.)

Here, I'll drag the comments over to Spinning Content for a second...

Prep and carding definitely counts as spinning. Done well, it's most of the battle. Nicely prepared fiber spins like a dream. Good job.

Okay, regarding the book, I think you showed the utmost reserve while hunting for it in the wild. Now, if you had commandeered a taxi and made the driver take you to every store in the province... that would still be considered okay.

Hey, Happy Birthday to Hank and Kamilah!! How cool to be mentioned on someone's blog, eh?

I'm sure that washing and carding wool, still must count for spinning! Not that i've ever done any of those things, so i'm no expert, but it's all part of the process, no? It counts!! Well done.

~Suz~

Happy birthday to Hank and Kamilah! I'll have to have someone take me to the nearest book store to see if I can find your book in the wild. I love the buttons you picked out for the tinks sweater by the way. I have a slight obession with buttons.

I can't speak for bookstores since it's been a couple weeks since I've been in one (a shock to me, too), but I did just finish READING your book this afternoon, so I know that it exists outside your imagination. Either that, or we should share a padded room together because if it wasn't a real book, that was REALLY freaky! As a real book, though, it was a delight. Well done!

I would support a local bookstore if we had one here, or nearby even. Our fabulous bookstore closed years ago, though I did my best to buy LOTS of books there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hank!!

HAPPY B-DAY Kamilah! (I will say a prayer for her parents, too. They'll need it!)

Those buttons are nifty. That is the hardest part of any sweater; IMO. Great yarn, great knitting, bad buttons, bad sweater. Never fails.

BookBookBook3 appeared at my door this afternoon. Or is that BookBookBookBookBookBookBookBookBook?

Haven't read it all yet, but my 15 yo did have to take it away from me while I was driving him to baseball practice, "cause I couldn't tear myself away. He wanted me to keep BOTH eyes on the road - go figure! Doesn't he know I am the Queen of Multitasking??

I found a yarn shop the other day that not only had yummy sock yarn - a huge collection of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock for me and some Regis Silk for hubby's tender tootsies - but ROVING and handspindles. Hubby keeps looking at me strangely when I say I want to learn to spin, but if it doesn't involve owning sheep (at least not yet), I don't see why not. Can labrador retrievers be trained to herd sheep?

OK Henry James-- Happy Birthday and have a woderful learning and fun year. SIX is a perfect age for Auntie Steph to teach you to knit. Just try it. Also Happy Birthday to a new teen on the block, its such an exciting time in a young girls life--all the BEST to you Kamilah. I do hope you have already learned how to knit. We all admire your Aunt so much for her knitting and book writing and especially for her rich humour. I hope you both take after her .
Congrats to you IvyW on getting the Mason Dixon book --what a NICE thing for you to do Stephenie.Love the look of those buttons can haedly wait to see the two them finished .

Thank You Stephanie!! I had a wonderful birthday, and I assure you, you are not a dorky knitting aunt, you are very cool. Love Kamilah xoxo

Found, one BBB in the wild in a small engineering college bookstore this weekend. Loved every minute of it and then gave it to my MIL who is learning to knit and couldn't figure out how to make a hat. Promptly ordered a new one, arrived today.

OMG OMG OMG you're going to be near me! Doylestown. Oh damn (sorry) I'm supposed to be at a wedding that day . . . is it permissible to be a bit late to a wedding because you have to stop to get the Yarn Harlot to sign your book?

Happy Birthday Hank. Happy Birthday Kamilah (and happy welcome to the teen years Mommy!). Happy Birthday Troy. And anyone else!

Rams? Darth Noble?! *Snickers* Good one. Does haunting every used bookstore in the area count as supporting local independent bookstores?

i love, love, love you, your blog AND YOUR NEW BOOK (but not in some weird, stalker-y kind of way despite the 3 loves)
BUT, as a total dork (and a toxicologist) i just wanted to express my concern at the "burn test" described in your book. natural fibers (and even some synthetic ones) can give off cyanide fumes when burned. now small amounts of yarn, in a well-ventilated area will probably not be a problem...but it just makes me all nervous and stuff. one of the things we worry about when folks come in from house fires is not only burns and lung injury from smoke but also carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning. in fact the europeans are a bit more advanced than us in this respect and actually carry cyanide antidote kits in their ambulances
ok, sorry for the geeky interruption of your blog
i still absolutely love you (again, i'm not (really)a stalker :>lol)

Drove to Borders last night and picked up Mason-Dixon (which is TOTALLY worth the price - there are actually several things in there that are calling my name to knit). Alas - no bookbookbook. So - took both teen-agers (who were being smashing good sports) down the road to Barnes and I actually saw your book from outside on the sidewalk - and did a litte (ok, a *big*) yeehaa!!

Hank - Happy Birthday big guy and isn't it fun to be famous on the web? Kamilah - Happy Birthday to you, too, and go easy on your mum and dad during the teen-age years, huh? :-)

Happy Birthday, Hank and Kamilah!
(It's my birthday, too...but I'm, uh, quite a bit older than y'all.)

Stephanie, your book is definitely out. I had Barnes and Noble call me as soon as it came in. I scarfed (get it?) up my copy before it even went on the shelves! I must tell you that I truly do admire you for putting something you love right out there for all of us to enjoy. Just went back and reread the ice skating story this morning. I think that is an absolutely hysterical story. Enjoy all the good that is coming to you now. I think you definitely deserve it! Thanks for all the laughs!

I completely agree about supporting the small bookshops--if you can find one. Sadly, we have the big chains everywhere. I support my small yarn shop all too well! but this time going there for the book would have meant stopping work on this knitted tote! :) Now, I have to go to a play tonight--is it wrong to take my knitting?

Oh, and P.S. I am a baby knitter, in my second month of addiction, and so I have digested your other books quickly, and am so thankful there is this new one. I will finish it by Saturday. Is there a chance you could write a new one and have it in the stores by next Monday, please?

Happy Birthday, Hank and Kamilah.

Hunting down your book is de rigeur - I hear that even Terry Pratchett does it, and he's at the point where he just has to hunt down the shelf-full.

Stephanie, I am so happy that I received your latest book in the mail today. I ordered it from Amazon.com the minute after I read your blog saying that it had come in the mail to you. I'm so excited. I have loved your writing about knitting, teenagers and life ever since I read your column in Interweave Knits a few years ago. Thank you for continually entertaining me through your books and your blog.

Stephanie,

Knitting Rules! showed up in our local bookstore Monday or earlier and I read it all today. Such fun!

Rosemary, with the girl-crush on the Yarn Harlot.

Happy Birthday Hank and Kamilah.. and me! :) After reading this entry, I felt like I was in very good company.

I hunted my book yesterday.. so don't worry. I even have a reward out to the first person who sees it in the wild and send me a picture! I have a feeling it won't be me!!

I went to the local Barnes & Noble today. Your book was not on the shelf. This was the second attempt in two days to secure the book. So I actually asked. The very nice clerk said that it should be on the shelves and went in the back and brought it out...I knew she had it, I recognized the cover from across the vast room! I already started reading...great! Great! Great! Thank you! Blessings, Julie

I'm a pretty new reader here -- but I just wanted to check...when you're here in Pittsburgh, you will have copies of the aforementioned, right? Or should I hunt it down ahead of time?!

Your book is in BookHampton in Southampton NY (and probably Sag Harbor and East Hampton as well). I've heard incredibly good things about it from my friend Jane, the knitting fiend bookstore manager I told you about. And she's holding a copy for me! (I'll get it on Saturday - I can't wait!)

I understand the Mason/Dixon girls are speaking at BookHampton about their book. I really think you should come and talk to us about yours!

Dear Steph,
Happy B Days to Hank and Kamilah! I FINALLY got the copy of your new book that I ordered EONS ago from Amazon.com! Wondermus! I've read about 1/2 already and "I'm lovin' it!" Knit On!

I must tell you, I found a $25 B&N gift card under my desk the other day. Believe it or not, it was given to me Christmas of 2004, and still has its full value. I'm trying to decide which of your books to buy. Or should I buy more than one? Or should I buy Mason-Dixon Knitting too? Ahhhh... the joy of deciding.

Happy Birthday to Hank and Kamilah. He's a little cutie!

I got bookbookbook3 on monday from amazon :)

Aw, happy birthday Hank and Kamilah!

I got your boook today at Barnes & Noble. Wanted to sit down there and read it cover to cover but stopped myself. Thanks for sharing tips with us! ;-)

You know who you should read? Anne Lamott. One of the funiest women on the planet. She's funny like you're funny. Here's an excerpt from Operating Instructions A Journal of My Son's First Year. Fabulous read. Here she is single mom, colicky infant and her latest book had just come out and...

"I've always called bookstores over and over again for the first few weeks after publication, disguising my voice, either by pinching my nostrils shut or by trying to sound vaguely English. Sometimes I pretend not to know how to spell my last name. "Do you have Anne Lamott's new book?" I've always asked. "I think it's L-a-m-o-n-t. No, wait, maybe it's t-t, L-a-m-o-t-t." I'm sure I've never fooled anyone. I'm sure they put their hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and whisper, "It's her again" to the other clerks."

If it makes you feel better, I harrassed my local Borders store. Their response was, we do have it on order but they're all spoken for. I was so tempted to say, well you ordered plenty Harry Potter. You had a party. I know because I was here at 1 am with husband and boys in tow.

No matter, Barnes & Noble is a further five minutes down the road and has several copies along with Mason Dixie. I couldn't wait though. I ordered it via Amazon next day delivery at twice the price.

What a bargain!

If it were my book, I would *totally* hunt it down in the wild too. Except, seeing that your PICTURE is on the COVER you might consider a disguise.

If it's any help, your book is already on order at the public library here, and I already have a hold on it!!

Love your blogs! You blog, and Dances with Wool, have inspired me to bite the bullet (hmm, make that cut the steet?) and start one.

The birthday picture is priceless.

Your carded wool is an inspiration, it looks so soft and spinable.

Amanda may be interested in www.violinist.com. There are not only professionals and teachers but many serious violinist teens who have blogs and often post. It's a friendly, informative forum.

I bought the book in Portland, Oregon over the weekend, and it is great. So, is bookbookbook 4 in the works?????????//

Your new book was delivered from Amazon yesterday! Looks great and I can't wait to soak up the wisdom!

Happy birthday to Hank! Six is a great year.

Thanks for all that you share with everyone Stephanie.

Bought the new book yesterday at Barnes & Noble in Pueblo, Colorado. Enjoing it.

What, 120+ blog comments, and I'm the first to humbly submit here that uncarded wool can be spun? But I'm only teasing, and thinking you need a flicker in your collection, if you haven't one already. Thank you for the enjoyable reading in the meantime.

Happy Birthday to Hank! And, your book is LOVELY!!!!

The shop I work in got a few copies of Knitting Rules! today. We sold all but one. I was going to take the last one myself, but I decided to play nice, and let the customers get their hands on it. Besides, I know we have another big order due any day now. ~_^

And just for fun, I took a little photo for you.

http://www.lazychick.net/images/knit/knittingrules.jpg

It's virtual stalking! So now you can see it on the shelves. LOL

Your book IS alive and out there...as it came to my door via Amazon two days ago! WOOP!

Won't be seeing you in Skin-EE afterall. *MY* terribly clever children have a concert that night. So, we'll say I'm ditching you as a humanitarian endeavor. ;-)

Someday my friend and I will surprise you at your local S&B. (We'll be the ones gushing and acting foolish, elbowing each other and snorting in awe at being in the presence of Her Majesty The Harlot. We'll be hard to miss.)

You know you're famous when you have your own personal photographer to travel on the subway with you to snap pictures of knitting in progress. ;) Congratulations!

Hey, is that the Massey Hall concert? I had some students in that. I didn't go . . . so maybe that is not it . . . I can't tell.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANK!!

LOL, falling off chair...feel the same way about teenagers - as long as 18 yo dd is on the deck in the spring sunshine spinning her llama roving I can breathe easy. Prob not hiding sex, drugs or alcohol in the fiber bag.

Lovethebook,lovethebook,lovethebook. Have seen it in the wild, but only briefly as it is hunted around here like wolves in a sheep herd. It verges on extinction.

Nothing wrong with hunting your own book! I saw several copies of it at my local Barnes and Noble on Tuesday (on the display table in the craft area!)... and I got my own copy in the mail from Amazon.com yesterday... looks GREAT! I can't wait to dig in.

Hi, I'm a semi-lurker who's only commented once before. I found your new book (and I got a copy, too), in a real bookstore! How exciting all this must be for you. You should be proud. :) I plan to come see you in Doylestown, PA...I'll be the shy one who will want to say hi but might not find the courage (though I am bringing a non-shy friend with me...)

The book arrived from Amazon on Monday. I've already read through it once and am trying to write the review for the guild newsletter. It's great.

Harlot, you've done it again! Got my copy of bookbookbook3 yesterday, and it was all I could do to wait until I got home to read it. Great fun, coupled with a lot of really good information.

Happy birthdays to Hank and Kamilah, and a rousing "Well Done!" to their parents.

Happy Birthday to Hank and Kamilah!

Steph, you'll happy to know I got my copy of BookBookBook 3 in the mail on Tuesday and am dying to read it. I am only holding off because you're getting to go on a Caribbean cruise with me next week. Ok, your book is getting to go, but I'll pretend your with me in spirit. That counts, right? I'll send you a picture of the Book lounging poolside or somthing. :)

I just bought your book, and don't want to start reading it, only because then it will eventually end. Please start working on another ASAP, because I can only hold out for so long! And really thanks for writing both the books, and your blog- because they bring tremendous joy to those of us who read them. and, lol, ...smack habit...your too funny, but so right!

Happy Birthday Hank! I hope you had a great birthday!

And to Auntie Steph, if Chicago is added to the tour, I promise I'll come this time! You've become a household name over here, even dear hubby might come along!

Stephanie, I actually said "goody,goody,goody!!!" when I saw your book on the shelf at the B&N last night. "Goody" is not a word in my everyday vocabulary and I rarely squeal. Staying up well past my bedtime (the time that a wise mom of 3 kids tucks herself in) I have to say it was worth the public display of excitement. Witty and wonderful. Thanks so much.

Happy Birthday to Hank and Kamilah! Many happy thoughts to them!

Congrats to Ivy W. for her win! Lucky girl!

Thoese buttons for the Tinks sweaters are lovely! They'll look great when all is said and done. It's only bad to tempt the fates with words like perfect, easy, no problem, and quick. Anything that sounds like you would come really close to a lot of swearing if something went wrong.
Good luck!

Saw your book last week at Barnes & Noble on 5th Avenue & 46th street in Manhattan. Pay day is next Friday and it shall be mine!

Rebecca

PS - happy birthday Hank & Kamilah!

I just got my copy of the book, and I love it. Do you think that your future books could be spiral bound so I could read it while knitting? My knitting is suffering at the moment, because I'd rather be reading your book.

I think we all need a family member that will read to us (Knitting Rules, of course) while we knit. Every now and then they could feed us a bit of chocolate and refresh our beverage of choice.

What was that?!?! Oh yeah, dreaming again. Sorry. Back to reality. Sigh.

Happy Belated birthday to Hank and to Kamilah!

I hunted and caught your book in the wild last Sunday, on the way home from church in Pennsylvania. So it exists, honest!

And by the way, there's a lovely bookstore in my home town, between Doylestown PA and Pittsburg PA that you're not visiting even though you have a free day or two....

What do you mean you wanted Sunday off?

BTW, it's not dorky to hunt down your own new book in a bookstore. My husband, who's had about two dozen books published either entirely written by him or with some shorter piece in it, not only hunts down his works in bookstores, but rearranges the shelves so they stand out better. Then he proudly drags me to the shelf to show me what it looks like.

I know I'm a tad behind on this...

I hope Hank and Kamilah had good birthdays. Wednesday was a good day for a birthday; I should know it was mine, too.

Yea for all of us! *grin*

that first picture of the fleece, looked like a squirrel at first... i had to read where you said was fleece and then look again to see it wasn't lol

I am so excited you're coming to St. Louis! You'll be here exactly one day before my copy of your book arrives. Now I'll have to hunt down another copy for you to sign and then give the other one away as a gift. All my problems should be so difficult. See you on the 26th!

Well, I did see one of your books in my latest Mary Maxinm catalogue. Even though I only read your blog and do not know you personally or anything, I actually felt a twinge of pride there. Is that sick?

I have yet to see one of your books "in the wild" but I confess I haven't been in a bookstore lately. I wonder if they have it at my local library?