Donna Druchunas's Blog

UPDATE:

The list below is the original schedule for the Ethnic Knitting Discovery blog tour. For an updated list with direct links to each of the tour posts, please go here.

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Hi all, here's a heads up about the three week Ethnic Knitting Discovery blog book tour that will be starting on October 1st.

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WEEK 1: Mon Oct 1- Sun Oct 7


10/1 CRAFT Blog

The CRAFT Blog is the online companion to CRAFT magazine. It's your daily source for craft projects, inspiration, and more!

Natalie Zee Drieu will interview Donna about the book, diving in more detail over techniques. An excerpt from Ethnic Knitting Discovery will also be featured.

An excerpt from the book will also be featured in the CRAFT Pattern Podcast, that is published every Friday. Check out the archives.

10/2 Go Knit In Your Hat

Carol Sulcoski's blog contains honest, funny, often irreverent commentary, on knitting and whatever else occurs to her. She likes to provide technical information to other knitters on topics like substituting yarns, and she tries to include previews of coming yarns and knitting books.

Her blog is also home of the No-Bull Book Review, in which she takes a frank and balanced look at new knitting books. You may glimpse the infamous black bunny rabbit, Charcoal, who is the namesake of Carol's hand-dyed yarns, Black Bunny Fibers.

I will write a guest post for Carol, where I talk about investigating the various knitting techniques used in Ethnic Knitting Discovery.


10/3 Community of the Land

Susan J. Tweit's blog contains thoughts on the community of the land, the web of interrelationships between species large and small that shape the landscapes where we live. A look at what humans have to contribute to this unique blue planet, and where we belong in the ongoing dance of life. 

Susan will interview me you about what ethnic knitting patterns have to say about the cultures and landscapes that inspire them. For instance, are the designs strictly geometric, inspired by natural forms, a combination of the two? Do the colors relate to the climate and landscape of the region they come from?


10/4 The Keyboard Biologist

Theresa Walunas is a 30-something woman living in Chicago working in the biotechnology world. Her blog is a journal for the side of her life that doesn't come to work. It's mostly knitting, but spinning, quilting, paper arts, wood working and other crafts all show up from time to time along with some of her commentary on life in general.

Theresa will write a post that is a more detailed discussion of technique, combined with a short interview.


10/5 Women Writing the West

Women Writing the West is a non-profit association of writers and other professionals writing and promoting the Women's West. Their blog is a collective attempt for the members to share their passion about women's stories in history and contemporary culture.

I'm a member of Women Writing the West, and I'll be writing a post about how I got started on a freelance writing career, and what led me to write about knitting, and how women's work has been viewed at various times in history.


10/6 The Hook and I

Amy O'Neill Houck's fiber rants and raves including original designs and patterns, tutorials and techniques, links to sites of interest and reviews of books and products.

Amy's "in the throes of writing [her] own book" so I'll be writing a guest post about the ins-and-outs of being a crafts book author. If you've always wanted to know what it takes to get a book written and published, you won't want ot miss this.

10/7 Riehl Life: Village Wisdom for the 21st Century

Janet Grace Riehl's blog about exploring connections through the arts, across cultures, and among families and generations.

Janet will do a four day blog tour stop (she's energetic!)
1) day one--review
2) day two--interview
3) short excerpt from the book
4) guest post by me

Janet's blog tour stop will not be focused on technique and knitting how-to, but on the idea of craft and art, how knitting is connecting, how knitting is making a come-back and why.

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WEEK 2: Mon Oct 8 - Sun Oct 14

10/8 Velda Brotherton

As an editor, and columnist for her local newspaper, Velda Brotherton has published historical non-fiction books and short stories, but her first love is writing novels. Under her pen name, Elizabeth Gregg, she wrote four historical western novels for Topaz. Her agent is currently marketing Velda's mainstream women's fiction novel.

Velda's blog covers the craft and business of writing. She also write about her book signings and other events.

Velda will review Ethnic Knitting Discovery and talk about how she gets inspiration for her own work by reading the books of other writers.

10/9 The Independent Stitch

Knitting, spinning, and other textile crafts, plus independent publishing and other thoughts about books. Publisher of Nomad Press, and of Ethnic Knitting Discovery and Arctic Lace, both by Donna Druchunas.

Deb Robson is my editor and publisher at Nomad Press. She will talk about the development of the illustrations for Ethnic Knitting Discovery.


10/10 I'm Knitting As Fast As I Can

Susan Lawrence is a long-time knitter and incorrigible yarn-stasher who chronicles her spinning, dyeing, and knitting escapades on her blog. In addition to her self-published patterns, she has designed for Knitty, MagKnits, Knit Picks, Lion Brand, and Vogue Knitting.

Susan will post a short description of the book, then she will ask her readers to leave questions for me in the comments section of the blog. She will then post my answers on the blog.


10/11 Designer's note

Knitwear designer Leanne Dyck shares tips, techniques, news and views.

Leanne will write a review of Ethnic Knitting Discovery.


10/12 Yarn Spinner

Joanne Seiff is a writer and knitwear designer.  She's currently writing on a book about fiber festivals all over the USA called Fiber Gathering.  Visit her blog to read more about Joanne.  To read more of her work or download a knitting pattern, check out her website.

I'll be writing a guest post for Joanne, specifically about designing sweaters using your handspun yarn


10/13 Knittin' Mom

The wild & wooly world of knitwear designer Chrissy Gardiner, a work-at-home mom of two small children who spends as much time as possible knitting and designing knitting patterns. Chrissy is also co-founder of the breastfeeding advocacy group Mom's Milk Anywhere.

Chrissy will interview me.


10/14 FitterKnitter

My adventures in knitting, spinning, designing and discovering vintage lace with a passion for bicycling thrown in for better health and balance. One doesn't have to be fit to knit, but after a day on a bicycle, knitting is a great way to relax on a more comfortable seat. I just wish I could figure out how to knit and bike at the same time. Oh, well, you can't have everything. I have often compared bicycling to spinning — both involve pedals and drafting.

Cindy will write a review from a graphic designer's perspective focusing on the overall design and beauty of the book. A book that is properly organized and easy to look at is a book someone will cherish and use forever.

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WEEK 3: Mon Oct 15 - Sun Oct 21

10/15 physicsknits

Every day life of Connie Chang, a former physicist and beginning knitwear designer working in NJ.

Connie will write a post highlitghting one of the knitting techniques used in Ethnic Knitting Discovery.


10/16 MK Caroll

Begun as a way for MK Caroll to write about the fiber projects she was working on without boring those immune to yarn fumes, this blog has become her way to track progress on her projects, designs, and reviews of the books and patterns in her collection.

MK will write a book review.

10/17 Queen of Socks

Dani Greer's blog can be described in a few words: Nothing but the Best for our Monumental Feet.

Dani will interview Donna and may design ankle cuffs using the stitch patterns in the book.


10/18 Knitting Matters

Knitting Matters is where Kim Smith writes about her new designs and the rest of her knitting-related life.  She started knitting in 2001 and has been designing since 2005.

Kim will start working on a design for a sweater and will share her swatches and sketches, explaining how she made her decisions about sizing, yarns, colors, and pattern stitches.


10/19 Modeknit / Knitting Heretic

Annie Modesitt, aka The Knitting Heretic, blogs about everything in life, including knitting. She shares her designs in progress, so you can get a glimpse into the workings of a designer's mind.

I will write a guest post on working with texture and color in knitwear design.


10/20 Carol's Experiments in Textiles

Carol Metzger's blog is full of knitting and textile adventures and personal commentary. She also uses her blog as a place to put photos of her recent works and WIPs, and to document important events in her textile (and real) life.

Carol will write a post discussing one of the techniques used in Ethnic Knitting Discovery, and, if time allows, she will come up with a design based on the ideas in the book, and post a swatch and sketch of her design with a discussion of how she made her choices.


10/21 Keep Talking

Joanne Conklin's blog about knitting, music, travel, and more knitting.

I'll be writing a guest post on Joanne's blog about choosing the right weight and texture of yarn when designing your own sweater from scratch.

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Bonus Days

10/22 Fiber Femmes

Fiber Femmes - Great Women Building a Gracious World - Fiber Femme celebrates, encourages, promotes and supports women in the world wide fiber industry. FF includes knitters, spinners, weavers, felters, dyers, paper and book makers, crocheters, quilters...anyone who works with fiber of any kind is a Fiber Artist!

I'll write a guest column about Ethnic Knitting Discovery where I will talk about my favorite project in the book.


10/23 Marnie MacLean

A website in which Marnie pretends to talk about knitting and spinning but mostly talks about her dogs.

Marnie will interview me. Here's an interview she did with Jennifer Stafford of DomiKNITrix.


10/24 Double Header
Knitting in the Shadows

Ramblings about knitting, life, exploits, and other things.

Helen will design a project from Ethnic Knitting Discovery and share the steps she takes in her design process and working out the sizing.

Fruitful

Fruitful is the blog of writer and activist Gayle Brandeis. She is not a knitter herself, but her poem "When You Knit My Sweater" appears in the anthology The Knitter's Gift, and a reader informed Gayle that she wants the poem read at her funeral while her family wears items she had knitted just for them.

Gayle will be interviewing me about creativity and writing.

10/25 FEAST

Rosemary Carstens is the editor of the award-winning FEAST, a quarterly eZine. Her blog features creative musings on the topics of FEAST: books, art, food, film, and travel in between issues. The latest issue of FEAST can be accessed at www.CarstensCommunications.com/FEAST.html

I will write about traveling to follow your passion on a craft or hobby, specifically about knitting. I will write about my travels to Lithuania and Alaska and talk about how I tie my interests, travels, and work into one life.

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That's it! It should keep me busy, don't you think?