July 10: Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong

Join us Saturday, July 10, 2-4 pm for our next book discussion-- and also to celebrate a very special birthday for our most experienced crafter, Shirley!

Here's a synopsis of the book:

Sydney Webster's comfortable New England life comes crashing down when her husband dies suddenly, leaving her penniless and evicted. She had no idea about his huge gambling debts, and is getting no sympathy from her hurt and angry twenty something daughter. With nowhere else to turn, Sydney takes shelter at a college friend's B&B in Cedar key, Florida, where she begins to form a plan. As Syd turns her talent at spinning wool and knitting into a retail venture, other doors begin to open. She steps into the embrace of a community rich with love, laughter, friendship...and secrets. And soon she faces a choice: spin a safety net, or spin forward and never look back.

The author Terri Dulong has a website with lots of resources. Enjoy!

WWKiP is a roaring success!

Thanks to many loyal Knit*Lit readers, we celebrated our largest WWKiP together yet- 47 crafty people came together last Saturday to craft in public. Thanks to everyone who could make it and take part in such a fun celebration together!

Celebrate WWKiP Day and get Laced with Magic on June 12!

Celebrate your crafy side with all kinds of crafty people on World Wide Knit in Public Day on Saturday, June 12, from 10 am- 2pm. Join knitters, spinners, crocheters, sewers, embroiderers, and many other people all sharing their love of crafting in public! Bring a current project and any others you'd like people to see. If you're part of a group that crafts for charity, feel free to bring information about your efforts. Snacks won't be turned away either :) For more about WWKiP Day, visit the official website.

You'll want to stick around for our book discussion the same day at 2 pm on Laced with Magic by Barbara Bretton. It's the sequel to Casting Spells, which was a real crowd pleaser when we read it together last year. Here's a review from Publisher's Weekly:

Half-sorceress Chloe Hobbs and policeman Luke MacKenzie, the only humans in the
sleepy Vermont town of Sugar Maple, face worldly and unearthly challenges in
this sweetly charming sequel to 2008's Casting Spells. When Luke's ex-wife,
Karen, shows up in town claiming that their dead daughter is trying to ask them
for help, Chloe must deal with smalltown gossip and fix her relationship with
Luke while she battles her old Fae enemy, Isadora, over the child's spirit and
the future of Sugar Maple. Bretton seamlessly blends a playful world of
eccentric and meddling supernatural creatures living in the midst of New England
with a warm, natural and romantic story and just a hint of mystery. Scenes in
Chloe's yarn shop and helpful knitting tips hold extra appeal for yarn
aficionados while never distracting from the plot.

June 12 is going to be a big day-- can't wait to see you there!

Get out of the April Showers with Knit Lit-- Saturday, April 10!

April will be a fun discussion-- we're reading The Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George.

Returning home from the war, young Galen finds work with his mother’s family in the royal gardens. There he learns that the king’s twelve daughters have a secret: every night they dance their shoes to tatters, but no one knows how or why. When prince after prince tries and fails to find the answer, and the family is haunted by accusations of witchcraft, Galen decides to help. Armed with a pair of silver knitting needles and an invisibility cloak given to him by a strange old woman, he follows the princesses and unlocks the secret of their curse. (Summary from author website)

Author Jessica Day George has lots of interesting information about why she wrote this book on her website. Bonus- knitting patterns!

There are some good discussion questions about the book here.

And if you like the book, the author has finished a sequel to it already! No word on a release date, but stay tuned.

December 12: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

Take a break from the busy holiday season on Saturday, December 12, and join us for a discussion of the book The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson. Suggested by our member Kathy, it's already getting quite a buzz with our "read ahead" members! Lots to discuss!

Here's a quick summary of the novel:

Lauren Gray Hawthorne needs to make things pretty, whether she's helping her mother keep family skeletons in the closet or sewing her acclaimed art quilts. Her estranged sister, Thalia, is her opposite, an impoverished actress who prides herself on exposing the lurid truths lurking behind middle class niceties.

While Laurel's life seems neatly on track --- a passionate marriage, a treasured daughter, a lovely suburban home --- everything she holds dear is threatened the night she is visited by the ghost of her 13-year-old neighbor Molly. The ghost leads Laurel to the real Molly, floating lifelessly in the Hawthorne's backyard pool. Molly's death is an unseemly mystery that no one in her whitewashed neighborhood is up to solving. Laurel enlists Thalia's help, even though she knows it comes with a high price tag.

Together, they set out on a life-altering journey that triggers startling revelations about their family's haunted past, the true state of Laurel's marriage, and the girl who stopped swimming.

For your further study or amusement:
There's a reading group guide here if you're interested.

Official website for author Joshilyn Jackson

Knit*Lit meets Jane Eyre on November 14!

Saturday, November 14, Knit*Lit will be meeting at 2 pm at the West Regional Library to discuss Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. If you've never read this classic, now's the time to do so with friends! If it is one you've read before, you'll want to reread it with us.

Make sure to bring your mug, because there will be British tea for all and possibly scones!

Links that you might like:
Victorian Web has a nice overview of Charlotte Bronte here.

GoogleBooks has a digitized version you can read on your computer.

Masterpiece Theatre has a nice set of discussion questions about the novel.

Enjoy learning more about the Bronte family by visiting the official website for the Bronte Parsonage Museum & Bronte Society.

Bid A Farewell to Yarns with us on October 3!

Today's discussion about Caramelo was great! Especially delicious were the "Caramelo Brownies" made by our very own Jolly Pyrate. Thanks so much for the delicious treat!



Next month on Saturday, October 3, we'll be chatting about the light hearted mystery, A Farewell to Yarns by Jill Churchill. It's the second mystery in the Jane Jeffrey series, but it is not crucial that we read book 2 before the others. Here's the summary from her publisher:

Life is hectic enough for suburban single mom Jane Jeffrey this Christmas season--what with her having to survive cutthroat church bazaar politics and finish knitting the afghan from Hell at the same time. The last thing the harried homemaker needs is an unwelcome visit from old acquaintance Phyllis Wagner and her ill-mannered brat of a teenage son. And the Wagner picture becomes even more complicated when a dead body is woven into the design.

Solving a murder, however, is a lot more interesting than knitting, so Jane's determined to sew the whole thing up. But with a plethora of suspects and the appearance of a second corpse, this deadly tapestry is getting quite complex indeed. And Jane has to be very careful not to get strangled herself by the twisted threads shes attempting to unravel.

I think we all have struggled with an afghan from Hell at one point or another :D

Here's author Jill Churchill's official site if you would like to learn more about her and her mysteries.