When I decided to post a website, I promised myself — and my talented webmaster, Susan — that I would update it regularly. Alas, life and writing and teaching and collecting all interfere with promises … and I admit I have been a sorry communicator of late.
Those of you who have emailed me know that I do answer individual queries, but I have not posted a letter here since Spring, when I saw rabbits on my just barely growing grass. Now my lawn is a bit dried out, a little sad, brown and desolate, and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of a hare in months.
That’s right. I skipped a summer letter altogether and I am looking at an almost autumnscape as I type this. The leaves have not quite changed and fallen, but I can see that crisp, chilly harvest time from here. Good thing, too, since my new book, Scary Stuff — Jane Wheel’s sixth adventure — takes place around Halloween, and I had to imagine and conjure leaf-peeping season in order to place Jane and Nellie and Tim and Detective Oh into the right frame of mind and correct locale for late October.
Scary Stuff is now with my editor at St. Martin’s/Minotaur and as soon as I have the official publication date, which will be sometime next year, I’ll post it here. In the meantime, I’ve been doing some non-Jane Wheel writing (see Fiber Arts magazine January 2009 for my profile of a wonderful artist/seamstress, Keiler Sensenbrenner), some teaching, some research for another book, and a whole lot of knitting.
That’s right, I am a knitter. I learned as a child and have always loved the peace and creativity of knitting my way through a long winter. I love hand-made objects, I love color unfolding and the truism that pattern keeps its promise. I thought about giving Jane Wheel my penchant for knitting, but realized that she is a bit too impatient and restless to actually enjoy needlework. But how she loves to collect bakelite and worn wooden knitting needles displaying them as a winter bouquet in a mason jar! She loves all sewing notions and antique hand-carved bone crochet hooks … sewing baskets and stands … all of the objects that convey a love and respect for the domestic acted upon through one of the most creative and artistic outlets available to our foremothers .
So as we weave our way through fall and winter … through the marvelous rummage sales and estate auctions of October, drop us an email or two. Describe how you get all crafty with collectibles when the leaves turn. Send pictures, share patterns, pick up needles and some wool … and be sure to read a good book by the fire.
