Sick of Snow

After an early snowfall in December, followed by a lousy January and the snowiest February recorded in many years, March already seems to have something of its own to prove. This is the side of the driveway that isn’t bordered by a stone wall or bush: 

This snow is sitting directly on my lawn, which I haven’t seen since early December. Any wagers on when I’ll see it again? 

And now, I’m going to my happy place–my living room, to be precise–for my much-needed moment of Zen:   

Hyannis Marathon Team Relay

Last weekend, Team Henry took to the Cape to run the Hyannis Marathon Team Relay. Though most teams relied upon different people to run each of the four legs of the relay, our team did it with just two, each of us completing a full half marathon. I ran the second half (which means I missed the thrill of the start but was allowed the glory of the finish line), while my better half, well, ran the better half (in terms of time). As a team, we finished in 3:42, which includes a first leg of 1:46, a second leg of 1:54, and a couple minutes to pass the baton and transfer the timing chip from shoe to shoe. Not too shabby, eh?

If you’re interested, my running partner has a more complete (and more interesting) report of the event here. I ran my leg in large part as a way to help support her training for the Boston Marathon. Her leg was just another step in something much larger, running twice as far and raising money to support Dana-Farber cancer research. If you’d like to help support her, you don’t need to run 13.1 miles. A donation would be appreciated even more.

As a humorous aside for all of the editors, word wonks, and other sticklers in the audience (actually, you don’t need to fall into any of those categories to appreciate this), Kristina also pointed out a pretty significant typo (I was too tired to catch the obvious, which should tell you something about endurance level) in the four medals our team of two received: 

How far is a “narathon” anyway?

Gone Fishin’

For reasons I’d rather not get into at the moment, I’ve found myself with significantly more free time on my hands of late. This has allowed me to spend more quality time with my family and, finally, get back to my current knitting work in progress.

I just started knitting again in earnest a couple days ago, but getting a couple hours in each day has already gotten me to the point where strands of the alternating color are beginning to emerge as fish: 

As this is my first time working with more than one color, I’m learning a lot about yarn management. There’s a lot of strands to keep track of on the wrong side. Here’s the back, for everyone who wants all the gory details: 

As excited as I am to be moving forward on this sweater, I must say that a part of me is dreading finishing it. I hate weaving in ends as a rule, but they might just become a nightmare on this project. 

Editor/Author Relationship as Marx Brothers Routine

Sometimes, an editor/author relationship stands out as a model to emulate, while others, as well-intentioned as they may be, just don’t quite work out as well.

I’ve posted before about Merlin Mann’s description of our failed book project, in which he describes me as “a character out of a 30s screwball comedy.” But in the comments thread of a more recent post, he actually provides a spot-on illustration of the routine formed by him, myself, and his coauthor Danny when the whole arrangement started to unravel beyond hope of repair.

In the following uncanny preenactment of our travails, I’m the lemonade vendor and my coauthors are played by Chico and Harpo:

I hope you find this illustration edifying as well as humorous. I always knew that someday we’d be able to look back on our troubled circumstances and laugh, and I’m happy to see that day came earlier than I’d expected for me.

Instructables, Again

It’s been a while since I’ve been over to Instructables site, but I just surfed over there today to find my How to Cast On instructable (also available here) featured in the main banner:

That’s all. I just felt the need to report on the most self-indulgent fun I’ve had at that site since another one of my other instructables won one of their many contests.

First Colorwork

Because I tend to have little free time to crank out knitted garments, I choose each new project carefully, largely as a means to learn a completely new technique, as well as the obvious interest in a nice piece that someone close to me will enjoy and actually wear. Last summer, after finishing my first lace project, I quietly began my next knitting challenge: my first attempt at using more than one color.

Rather than choose between intarsia and Fair Isle techniques, I made the ambitious decision to take on a sweater that incorporates both. Here’s the pattern photo (Louisa Harding’s Fish Pullover from A Treasury of Rowan Knits) and the gauge I worked up last July:

Because this is my first attempt at colorwork (beyond a three-hour class I took ages ago), it’s even more slow-going than usual (at least it feels like it, though I know my lace sweater took forever too). Anyway, over the break, I managed to finish the Fair Isle border for the back. Here’s a detail, because I couldn’t get a good photo of the whole thing:

I must say I’m rather pleased with my progress (aside from the time it’s taken me). Since this photo, I’ve actually moved up to the bottoms of the first few fish, beginning the intarsia bit, though not enough to photograph or say much more about it.

I do hope to dip into this project a little more regularly now, so wish me luck. If all goes well, I may just post an update before another couple seasons have passed.

Master of My Domain

After over four years of maintaining this blog with URLs that included first “blogspot” and later “wordpress,” I’ve finally upgraded to my own top-level domain: briansawyer.net.

Everything seems to be redirecting correctly, and I assume my feed will do the same, but if you subscribe, you might want to update to the new feed anyway, just to make sure you never miss a single revelatory word (whenever one might come).

My Photo in People Magazine

UPDATE: Please see the end of this post for the resolution to this matter, which makes People look a lot better and makes me look a whole lot worse.

Never having bought the magazine, I’ve seen People frequently on newsstands, as well as in its regular appearance in the tell-tale bump category. This week’s cover features Jennifer Love Hewitt’s “unflattering beach photos,” which, until now, I’d simply assumed were taken by some lucky paparazzo and auctioned off for a handsome paycheck. Now, personal experience seems to suggest the photos simply ran without credit or payment of any kind. Now, I know this accusation sounds ludicrous against such a reputable periodical, but before you accuse me of libel, please hear my side of the story.

It all began on October 19, when I was approached by a representative of the Photo Department at People regarding the use of this photo in a “holiday special” issue of the magazine. I was told:

Although I do not have a budget for any sort of payment for usage of images, I would be happy to give a photo credit and send a couple of issues.

That deal sounded pretty fair, considering I’d already assigned a fairly generous Creative Commons license to the image, so I responded with a resounding “Sure!” and considered myself duly flattered.

Since then, I’d kind of forgotten about the whole thing and kind of assumed the picture didn’t actually make it into print (I work in publishing and am savvy enough to know how these things work, so I didn’t get my hopes up), until today, when I received a letter and “tear sheet,” notifying me of my photo’s presence in the recent Holiday issue. Here’s that letter:

Though I wasn’t exactly crushed to be denied my comp copy of a magazine I’ve never actually paid for, it struck me as exceedingly cheap that they couldn’t pony up a single copy for use of a free image in the magazine, especially given that was the deal we agreed upon. Still, that didn’t bother me as much as the other agreed-upon term that People failed to meet. Here’s that “tear sheet” mentioned in the letter:

Notice something missing? I was hoping at the very least that I’d be getting calls from people (who, I have no idea, but I’m sure somebody I know, besides my wife, reads People) who were so very impressed to see my photo in the pages of such an esteemed publication. But now it seems I’m denied even that small amount of fame promised for such a modest snapshot.

So, let this be a lesson to everyone seeking fame in the hallowed pages of People: you likely will not be credited for your work. My sour grapes are as modest as the image used, and I probably wouldn’t have refused permission even if I’d known how the whole thing would turn out (it’s still a pretty good story, I think). But I reserve the right to my justified, if minor, indignation.

UPDATE: I just received a very kind email from my contact in People’s Photo Department, which I must admit makes me feel embarrassed and guilty for jumping the gun on this one:

As I mentioned, I have been in search myself (as one of the editors of the magazine) for the Holiday issues, here in the office. Apparently, they did not print enough to give to the editors to send out to our participants. I do apologize and will keep searching for a copy of the issue that I can forward to ALL. I’ve even checked in my supermarket to find it sold out. I had every intention of sending you a copy, but was only able to steal one from my editor, in order to make xeroxes. As far as the credit, it is there. I did not check, but perhaps the layout was cut off. I am attaching a pdf file of the layout which shows the full layout with credit. Thank you again for your submission, I think it looks great, and everyone loved the sculptures.

The free copy wasn’t ever as big of an issue for me as the credit, so I’m happy to hear that, though it was cut off in the scan she sent to me in the mail, my name is indeed there in the gutter, as shown here:

I’d like to apologize to People and my contact there. I no longer feel betrayed, and I’m sorry for posting my disappointment without first following up with them about my concerns in the first place, which is how this sort of thing really should be handled.

Marathon Relay Training: 8 on the 8th

In the fall of 2002, I ran a marathon. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and the training alone resulted in a pair of knees that would never really work the same. Battered by a rough 30K a few weeks before the big event, my knees hurt every step of the way, and by the last 8 miles or so, it felt like someone was taking a hammer to each kneecap every time my sole hit the pavement. I present exhibit A at right: a photo of my agonizing 5:01 finish.

Since then, I haven’t been much of a runner, first because I was physically incapable and then because life and habit crept in and a touch of laziness conspired to keep me fairly sedentary. Kristina, on the other hand, after a hiatus, took her first marathon (she ran with me, most of the way, before pulling ahead for the last few miles) as a challenge to do more. Her efforts, both raising money for charity and for her own self-discipline and single-minded devotion to accomplishing something important within in her and around her have truly inspired me.

Recently, though, I decided to stop simply being jealous of her drive, fitness, and accomplishments, and allowed her to rope me into being the second half of her marathon relay team in February. I’ve only been running in earnest for a few weeks, and only legitimately “in training” for the last week or so, but already I feel worlds better for being a part of something like this again. Running is something the two of us can share again, even if we rarely get a chance to actually run together, and getting in shape has done a lot for me, both physically and emotionally. Best of all, my knees have actually let me do it. I’m crossing my fingers that they continue to hold out.

Today, I’d planned to run 6 miles, which isn’t too shabby and would tie (I ran it last weekend too) my longest single run since the marathon in 2002. But she once again inspired me to push myself, by bringing to my attention a fellow running blogger’s challenge to run “8 on the 8th.” Today, I did my 8 miles (in 1:06), and it felt great. Here’s hoping everything continues to go smoothly as I step up the mileage leading up to the February race. Who knows? Perhaps these old knees will let me go another 26.2 some day.

Sensual Knits: Book Release and Call for Submissions

When I started my current job as a craft editor, I was particularly excited to get involved in my first knitting book. That book, already in the late stages of production at the time, turned out to be Sensual Knits, by Yahaira Ferreira. Technically, it’s a January 2008 release, but it’s actually available now at Amazon, B&N, and select Barnes & Noble brick-and-mortar stores (and it should be everywhere very soon). Here’s a description:

Modern knitters are simply in love with luxury yarns and the stylish items they can make from these opulent, irresistibly touchable materials. Sensual Knits feeds their hunger for fashionable projects made with the finest merinos, alpacas, silks, cashmeres, and angoras. Beautiful models display the clothing, and every exquisitely photographed garment provides a stunning example of how classic can also be very sexy. A textured jacket features a nipped waist that hugs a woman’s curves, a bishop-sleeved sweater has a daringly plunging neckline, and there are camisoles, silky negligees, and evening dresses too. And be assured: these pieces will look great for years to come, not just for a single season. Any advanced beginner who has mastered the basics can handle these patterns.

And here’s a sneak peek, provided on the book’s product page at my company’s brand-new web site (update: more project photos on Yahaira’s blog):

Though I came aboard just in time to catch the very tail end of the process for this book, I’m thrilled to be starting from scratch on the direct follow-up in what promises to be a fabulous series (see also Sensual Crochet, which is another January 2008 title available now). I’m actively soliciting contributions to this new boook now, so if you’re a knitwear designer and like what you see here, please contact me for more details.