An evening with Debbie Stoller

Tonight I got to meet an important icon in the knitting world - Debbie Stoller, author of the "Stitch & Bitch" series of books.  This is the lady that taught me how to knit.  She made it so easy to understand what I was doing, and how to do it.  I have been wanting to meet her since 2004 when I bought Stitch & Bitch, and that time in 2007 when I *almost* met her doesn't count. (but that's another story)

The book signing tonight was at The Yarn Garden in Portland.  I went with my friend Alyssa.  The traffic going downtown was awful (due to a 5 car pileup), but we made it with a few minutes to spare!  We were pretty much the last ones there though, but that meant that we didn't have to wait long for the evening to get going!

First, Debbie talked about her new book Superstar Knitting, and explained what each of the chapters were about.  I am really excited about the colorwork section.  Yeah, yeah, I've been knitting for almost 7 years and have never done colorwork other than stripes....  During this part she passed around the different samples from the book.  They really look different in person, and there are a few things I would not have considered, but after seeing them in person I actually want to knit them!

The second portion of the evening was a small lesson on knitting lace and what stitches make lace (yo, and a few different decreases).  Even though it was remedial for me, since I have knit many lace projects, the one thing that stood out was reasons for where yarn overs (yos) and decreases go in lace.  She had a sample chart that had yos and decreases in different spots and a knitted sample showing what the chart looked like.  Well, it was clear after seeing that, that there is a reason, that sometimes the yos can look "suck ass" (her words) if they're on the wrong side of the slanted decrease.


This is a sample from the book - I loved this tiger in a dress so much! I'm totally making one for Hazy!


Here's the lady that was at the back of the room who ended up with the stack of samples!

At the end of the evening she signed books.  I brought along my Stitch & Bitch book and when we got there we were given the pre-ordered a copy of the new book.  While she signed my books, I gave her a small token of appreciation, a crochet bracelet that I made from her "Happy Hooker" book.


Me and my new friend Debbie ;)