Stitches East is this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut! Handknit Heroes will be there, sharing a booth with Knit Princess. Stephanie will be selling and signing comic books, so if you’re in the area, come by and say hi! If you’re local, bring your comics to sign; I’m always happy to do so!

The new subscriber discount in our online store has been extended to December 1st.

England was marvelous and lovely and… full of germs. I came home and promptly spent the next week laying in various hotel rooms hoping to recover from the stomach flu. It was so bad, I missed Rhinebeck. How sad is that? I even drove past it, because I was on my way to New Haven, Connecticut, but I had to just wave at everyone in their nice knitted sweaters and keep going. I felt terrible, and not just because I was sick.

I also left two of my handknitted socks (from different pairs) in England, but fortunately a friend of mine found them and will send them along, so they’re not lost forever. But if you knit socks, you know the trauma of working 8+ hours a day in commercially-made socks when you had planned to have beautiful hand-made ones that would perfectly fit your feet instead. And being sick, I’ve been completely unmotivated to knit on the 2 pairs I brought with me to work on. In fact, for all the knitterlyness of this trip, I’ve bought a lot of yarn (of course), but have only crocheted a pair of slippers, a pair of mittens (which I’m not fond of and will probably frog), and half of a hat.

The good news is, I’m doing a lot better now and am back at work. Marc and I worked on something neat and fun while I was in London. I can’t talk too much about it, but it was a different direction for Handknit Heroes, one which I hope will be entertaining, at least, and very kid-appropriate.

Oh, and that picture is us, Marc and Stephanie, the Handknit Heroes team. The picture is blurry, though. It’s one of the last photos on my camera before it broke on Sunday (everything broke on this trip). The last photo on the camera was this one:

Yes, unmasked, our faces literally break cameras. I guess we have super-powers after all!

Shout Outs

We were covered in the English press fairly heavily, so I’ll post the roundups here:

SFX gave us a great review.

Tom Watson, a member of parliament, also likes the comic.

Bleeding Cool is ready to jump on the bandwagon!

And Anglo Celt, Irvine Times, and a rather large family of outlets ran a story on the 6th…. but I can’t find it now (404 Not Found)! Geek Chic, if you have a permalink, send it in, please!

Finally, It Came from Darkmoor included a shout-out to the comic book– thanks, guys! Sorry we missed you on your second time around the comic show floor!

Remember, if you’re looking for Handknit Heroes in your local shops, we have a store locator on our website. If you’re from England and trying to find this lovely comic book, try I Knit London (Waterloo, London), or Yarn Over (Eastbourne, East Sussex).

I know it seems like it’s been quiet in the house of Handknit Heroes, but it has not!

We’ve been busy. VERY busy! But first, a public service announcement:

Address Change?

If your address has changed, or if for some reason you didn’t receive Issue #2 by now (it went out months ago!) please contact us using the Contact form on our website. We process your address changes immediately, and this is really the easiest way to let us know so your comics can arrive quickly. This is especially important as we’re gearing up to mail out the glovelet pattern, and I want to make sure it gets to you!

Marc’s Back!

Marc came back to work about a month ago, so we’re back on production schedule. We’re still sending out the Villainess Glovelet pattern to thank you for your patience. If you haven’t subscribed yet, now is the time to do so, so you can get your hands on the glovelet pattern when it ships out next week!

Here’s what the glovelets look like:

They are lovely and elegant, and will make a beautiful accessory for you this winter. They’re relatively easy to knit, too– if you can knit the bag in Issue #2, you can make these glovelets. The yarn is ShibuiKnits Sock, which is a lightweight sock yarn, with an absolutely decadent feel– very soft and luxurious. And the Glovelet pattern is already on Ravelry.

Show Me the Funny!

I went to Sock Summit, had a great time, and we took hundreds of photos of sock knitters turned superhero! Check them out in our Flickr tag! I want to thank everyone we met at Sock Summit– you made the whole weekend so much fun, with your willingness to be daring, have a little fun, snap a picture, and smile for us. I have come to realize two things about this particular product: fun makes a long show worthwhile. No matter how exhausted we were, we were always able to engage people because as soon as you put a superhero mask on someone, she turns into a superpowered fun generator!

What was really amusing, to me, was the fact that people recognized me more easily when I put one of the masks one! Probably because of my avatar on Ravelry, with the superhero mask knitted out of Malabrigo worsted.

After Sock Summit, we headed up to Seattle for the Mariners Stitch n Pitch, which was also a great deal of fun. It was a madhouse of knitters, fast-paced and immense and wonderful, and I only have two regrets! 1) That we were in a spot where there was no light after the sun set (and too much light before the sun set), and 2) That I didn’t get to see any of the ball game! Ah, well. The Royals won, which was kind of neat, since my mom (also a baseball fan) lives near Kansas City. Here’s the two of us at the last baseball game I attended (in lieu of photos from Stitch n Pitch, which I wasn’t able to take because we were sooo busy!):

And now, I’ve retreated to Sequim, Washington, to plan and prepare for the Big Upcoming Trip of Massive Shows:

• British International Comic Show: Birmingham, England, October 3-4. Marc and I will both be there, and the admission is pretty low, so if you’re in the area and want your comics signed by BOTH of us– do come!
• The Knitting and Stitching Show: Alexandra Palace, London, England, October 8-11. We’re in booth D8. Marc will be there on the weekend, I’ll be there all 4 days, and Erssie may even make a rare appearance for a signing session! Check back for details!
• Dutchess County Sheep and Wool: Rhinebeck, New York, October 17-18. I will be attending as an attendee, but I’ll be at the Keep the Fleece tent for the awards event.
• STITCHES East: Hartford, Connecticut, October 23-25. Sharing booth 228 with Knit Princess, we will have our comics and books and t-shirts and all sorts of fun goodies for you to enjoy!
• Aki-Con, in Everett, Washington, November 6-8. It’s an anime and cosplay event. Every so often, I find an event or show a little outside the normal intersection of knitting and comics, like Maker Faire, and if I’m going to be in the area anyway, and the booth fee is reasonable, there’s seldom a reason not to come and set up and see if the participants respond to it. Who knows? Maybe nobody at Aki Con knits (yet)…. but I’ll bet there are TONS of cosplayers who would love a handknit mask!

Action Figures

A couple of folks have already found the Action Figures in our webstore. These cute dolls action figures in crochet were designed by Vox Mortuum, an excellent designer who I’ve been pleased to work with. They’re our first crochet pattern, and… they’re not quite ready yet. I still have to edit them and put them into the Handknit Heroes format and style. Sadly, I can’t actually show them in our store without making them available for purchase, so please just be aware– if you buy the pattern, the PDF will be emailed to you once it’s ready. It’s a pre-order, and we’ll be sure to get them to you as soon as possible! The good news is, this and Issue 3 production are at the top of my to-do list this week, so you won’t have long to wait!

Shout Outs

Waaay back in the day, Knitch Magazine reviewed the comic– I just found the review via one of my searches.

Janelle brings a roundup of Sock Summit, including her visit to our booth!

Geek Girls Rule, a blog and podcast, reviewed the comic book after Stitch n Pitch! Thanks!

Have a shout out, comment, feedback, question, or address change? Drop us an email via the Contact form!

Lots of stuff going on at Handknit Heroes Central… and a lot not going on, too!

First: Upcoming Events!

I’ll be at Sock Summit in booth 726 in Portland, Oregon from August 6 to 9– hope to see you there! We’ll have comic books, t-shirts, and some snazzy new knitting patterns, including our first sock pattern. The sock pattern is an intermediate pattern, but it’s a fun one for sock knitters.

I’m also going to be at the Seattle Mariners Stitch n Pitch on August 27. This should be very exciting– I love baseball, and have wanted to go to a Stitch n’ Pitch since I first learned about it. I’m definitely looking forward to cheering for the Royals (I often cheer for the away team… somebody should!) and spreading more Handknit Heroes joy around the world!

Play Yarn Dash, Enter to Win Stuff

From July 15-31, the Handknit Heroes home page has an image for Play Yarn Dash, a type of online scavenger hunt where you log your visit at participating fiber and yarn related companies to enter and win cool prizes donated by the participating shops. Find the corresponding link on one of our other pages to log your visit. Play Yarn Dash is free to play, and you get a free knitting pattern when it’s all over.

Keep the Fleece!

The Keep the Fleece deadline for the Worlds Longest Scarf project is approaching in September. If you’d like to participate in the Handknit Heroes scarf and team, let me know– we’ll get you set up!

Meanwhile the Keep the Fleece contest has a deadline of September 1st. Handknit Heroes is proud to be a category sponsor for the GI Joe category for any natural fiber item made by a man.

What Else is (Not) Happening

Unfortunately, we had a minor setback in producing the comic book. Among other delays (writer’s block: mine), Marc threw his back out and is laid up. So he’s resting up and we’re sending him lots of get well wishes.

His pain is your gain, though. Since Issue #3 is going to be delayed, we’re sending out a special bonus pattern to all subscribers at the end of August. It’ll be a fairly easy pattern– if you knitted the bag from Issue #2, you’ll be able to make the pattern in Issue #3, and I think you’ll enjoy both knitting and wearing it. It’s my way of giving Marc a break in the schedule so he can recover, while still giving our subscribers something fun to enjoy while you wait for him to recover.

Shoutouts

A BlogHer Blog Shoutout! Thanks!

Unrelated to HKH, but still cool: “Hilariously, Yumi’s power is related to knitting and the little outfits she creates for Kansuke. Once he steps into one of her outfits, Kansuke becomes human-ish and has the ability to fight on his partner’s behalf.“

A very quick update for all the designers out there: The Mask Design Contest entry form is live! You can download it in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Don’t Miss the Design Contest!

The superhero mask design contest is still on, with a deadline of July 15th! We’re looking for the perfect superhero mask for Ana to wear with her gorgeous new costume shown in Issue #2!

The guidelines are available online, and the contest entry form will be posted by the end of this weekend. We’re really looking for a great mask for our budding super-heroine, so check out the details and start designing! The contest entry fee is a $5 tax-deductible donation to Heifer International to give sheep to needy families in developing nations.

We will also have the mask design entries at Sock Summit in Portland in August to show off the amazing skills and talents of our fans.

New Postcards!

Last month, I published the Secret Identity Mask as a free downloadable pattern in our online store and in Ravelry. At the time, the pattern could also be purchased as a postcard, if you really needed a hard-copy version of the pattern. The postcard featured a photograph with the pattern notes on the front and the pattern itself on the back (where you’d normally write something).

Well, we had issues with the postcard version of the pattern. The post office’s processing stamps ended up on top of the pattern and obscured it. So, it wasn’t a very good postcard. As a pattern, it’s fine. But as a postcard, it was not working, and I pulled it out of the store after the first customer complaint.

Enter, the re-designed postcard, featuring artwork by Marc Olivent!

Marc’s taken the pattern ideas and drawn some fun characters to inspire your secret identity mask-making. Additionally, the entire pattern now fits on the front of the postcard. That means you can buy these postcards in packs of 6, write a note on the back to a friend, and mail them off like a real postcard! Or, if you have a swap buddy or secret pal (like a Secret Santa), you can buy a single postcard, add a Gift Message and address, and your postcard will arrive with a Santa Cruz, California postmark, and whatever message you’ve chosen to send! Remember, adding a gift message to any order in our shop is completely free– gift subscriptions arrive at your recipient’s house with a card and your message.

We remaindered the postcards and donated them to the Phat Fiber box this month, so some happy Phat Fiber recipients should be getting a great little pattern that uses just enough yarn to use up some of the samples in their boxes! If you Phatties want to send a little love on to a friend, stop by the shop!

By the way, if you’re thinking about entering the design contest, the Secret Identity Mask pattern is a great way to learn how to make a superhero mask that you can adapt into your own pattern. The pattern is licensed under the Creative Commons license and you are free to use it as a template for your mask in the contest.

Shout Outs

All of our shout-outs today fall into the Cool, but Unrelated category, but I still want to share them with you all, because they are, well, COOL:

Comics and knitting instruction. Actually, a lot of Fun and Fancy Knitting Stitches is dedicated to knit-related comics and cartoons.

A knit-heavy dance show in New Zealand.

John Glover, who played Lionel Luther in Smallville, is a knitter.

The recommended yarn for the Net of Justice Bag in Issue #2 is o-Wool Balance. This yarn is an organic wool-cotton blend, 50% wool, 50% cotton.

I’ve made the Net of Justice bag with Balance and with two substitutes– one was Cascade Pima Tencel, and the other was Knit One Crochet Too Babyboo, a nylon/bamboo blend. I’m a big fan of substituting yarn in projects, and I always make two project samples so I can see and show how the project behaves with different yarns.

I think this project works best in something with cotton, or another strong plant fiber (linen would be excellent). The bag needs strength in it if you’re going to carry your grappling hook around in it. And cotton’s just a good all-purpose fiber for bags.

But the wool in Balance is what really helps this bag out. While the plant fibers have a lot of strength, they don’t have any “memory,” so the bag can stretch out, but not recover until it’s been washed and blocked again. The Balance-made bag stretches out, then stretches back because the wool gives it some “bounce.”

It also does something unusual with the mesh stitch pattern. If you’ve knit this bag and the mesh, you may have found yourself staring at the start of the round a few times and thinking “that looks weird.” It looks a little odd while you’re knitting it– the first stitch in the round can get a kind of “oversized” look to it. But it evens out by the time the bag is done. When knitting in Balance, the mesh stitch looks normal almost from the get-go. Again, the wool content gives enough bounce and fluff to pull in the stitch and even it out.

When talking with the folks at the Vermont Organic Fiber Company, they describe Balance as a yarn that behaves differently depending on your gauge. At a tight gauge– on size 5 and 6 needles (US), for example, it behaves like cotton, with the toughness and solidity of cotton. At a looser gauge– 8’s and 9’s– it behaves like wool, with a more airy feel, greater stretch, and more memory.

The Net of Justice is an openwork stitch on smaller needles, so it kind of combines the two “feels” into a tough, but stretchy bag.

I also like the fact that the Balance, despite its organic nature, is pretty soft. I don’t enjoy knitting with 100% cotton because my hands start to hurt after a while, but I definitely enjoyed knitting and crocheting with the Balance yarn, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this for something that goes against the skin, assuming the knitter was careful and pulled out any VM (vegetable matter) as they worked.

WWKIP IS TOMORROW!

Just a reminder, World Wide Knit in Public day is tomorrow! I’m in Redding, California, which has a curious lack of WWKIP events, so instead, I shall shoot a videoblog of my knitting during the day and post it in the public internet! Watch for it tomorrow on my personal site.

Shout Outs

Knitty reviewed Issue #2 for us– thanks a bunch!

A New Thread has a round up of some of the awesome stuff at Maker Faire (including Handknit Heroes!)

Listen up! I did an interview for the Knitmore Girls podcast, which should be going out in the next couple of weeks, I assume. It’s a great podcast run by two very talented and fun women.

And we’re mentioned in Prjona.net, but… I don’t know what it says! I can’t even identify the language! I’m going to guess…. Norwegian? Swedish? Help me out, folks.

Paper Kitty reports that her LYS A Likely Yarn is holding a Handknit Heroes Knit-Along!

I answered this question quite a bit at the TKGA show in Portland and at Maker Faire, and I’m not surprised, but I want to, well, thought-noodle on it here today.

We have two issues out, after all, and people wonder which one they should buy. Naturally, I believe people should buy both issues– they are both very good, and I’m proud of them, and they’re not too expensive, after all.

As the writer and publisher, though, I have to think this is like saying “which is better– Cast On’s Spring issue, or their Summer one?” Better for what? Better if you like colorwork? Better if you’re interested in lace? Better if you’re doing the TKGA Master program? Better if you’re a newbie? Better articles?

“Better” is a hard aesthetic to meet.

Issue 2 continues the storyline that was left hanging off a cliff in Issue 1. This storyline continues through Issue 3 and 4. This particular story arc will probably end in Issue 4 (but I won’t promise at this time– I will sacrifice a lot to make the story work, and if it turns out not to fit into 4 issues, then it’ll spill into Issue 5).

It is possible to pick up Issue 2 and read it without having read Issue 1. You miss out on some character development and a better sense of who these characters are if you don’t read Issue 1, but it can be done.

Issue 1 has some of the better mom-son moments. In fact, I personally believe Alex has a really good part of the storyline in Issue 1.

Issue 2 shows Ana’s character development a little more. It also introduces the bad guy.

I personally believe that Issue 2’s artwork is quite good, and I’m very pleased with it. I think the art is better than Issue 1.

I’m not objective enough to say whether the story is better in Issue 1 or Issue 2. Sorry– I wrote it, so you’ll have to decide which one has better writing.

For those who truly can’t decide and can’t buy both, I offer the following suggestion. Issue 1 has the cute POW! Hooded Scarf with pockets. If you like that pattern, or if you are an absolute beginning knitter, get Issue 1. Issue 2 has the cute Net of Justice bag. If you need a quick project (there’s a 1-skein variation of the bag written into the pattern), or if you adore bags, or if you want to learn a couple of new stitches beyond knit and purl, get issue 2.

But if it were me, and I were buying an absolutely new comic book and could get both issues inexpensively, signed by the author right there at the show? I’d buy both and take them home in their little plastic protective bags and look forward to Issue 3.

Shout Outs!

SF Weekly: “Better than watching Star Wars with a robot girlfriend.”

The Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Knit.1 has us in their Books feature, and I finally picked up a copy! Hooray! Thanks a bunch, Knit.1!

I missed this review at Knitting Purls back in April– thanks so much for the review!

I knew knitting shows were fun, I really did. Thousands of knitters and crocheters wandering an event and showing off their beautiful handknits? What’s not to love? But Maker Faire? It’s like a knitting show that spans every possible handwork you can think of! I’d say the only thing they don’t have is explosives– but I would be wrong! They have cars– lots of cars and vehicles– art cars, alternative fuel vehicles, RVs whose sole purpose is to make you into a human pinball– everything! Bikes– there’s a whole area dedicated to bikes. It’s like a living, breathing mashup world.

Very big on letting kids play will all kinds of materials, they have an entire play area where the kids pull stuff apart and make new stuff! I donated a popcorn popper and an electric tea kettle to the mash, and hope that they’re aware of basic electrical safety when they start yanking out the wires!

It’s like if you went to the county fair and they said “OK, but everyone has to make something wild and crazy and fun” and then everyone did! If you’re ever in a city at the same time as Maker Faire, don’t hesitate, don’t balk at the ticket price. Go. It’s fun, and $25 (the cost of a 1-day ticket at San Mateo this year) is less than you’d spend in a day at the yarn shop anyway.

The Needlearts booth is next to an exhibit by the Wall-E Builders, who build and demo robots from classic movies. Like Star Wars. Yes, I’m demoing superhero masks next to R2D2.

And speaking of superhero masks, may I share a picture or two?

Sadly, I’m not as organized as the Yarn Harlot, so I’ve failed to get everyone’s name on my pictures (and it would be beside the point for a secret identity mask anyway). But up there? That top photo? Me, the amazing Cookie A, and a very sweet knitter… who had been trying to kinnear Cookie during her demo, and instead got to pose in this awesome photo opp!
These and all the other pictures from the show are in the handknitheroes tag at Flickr!
If you’re coming to Maker Faire today, we’re in Booth 261– that’s in the Expo Building, next to R2D2. You can’t miss us!

Shout Outs!

ReBelle has Handknit Heroes 2 in stock!

Joyarna is giving away a copy of Handknit Heroes on her blog! (It’s also mentioned in many blogs, like Mom’s Round Up).

Unrelated but funny: Nedroid has a knitting funny!

Introducing the Mask Kits!

I designed these superhero mask kits and the free freeform mask pattern because it’s my not-so-secret plan to dominate the world by making superhero masks into the new sock. I think they’re as fun and addictive as socks, and with less chance of Second Sock Syndrome.

At the Knit and Crochet Show in Portland last week, I launched these adorable masks, to great applause and appreciation (and, I’ll admit, more than a few weird looks). One of my friends is a photographer and brought his camera along to take snapshots of knitters posing as superheroes. Those pictures are available on Flickr for your enjoyment.

The mask kits cost $12 in the Handknit Heroes store, and they come with the yarn, pattern, and red lenses to make the masks. These are really fun masks to make and wear, and they’re also a terrific gift for the superhero-loving knitter or cosplayer in your life. They’re an intermediate knitting pattern; if you know how to pick up stitches, do some basic increases, and knit an icord, you’ll be able to make this mask.

Meanwhile, I’m sad to report that the free Secret Identity Mask pattern as a postcard has been removed from our web store. We discovered that, despite my best efforts in designing it, the post office mangles it so you can’t actually read the pattern. Not to worry, though– Marc and I are working on a redesign for the card that will be available shortly. In the meantime, you can still download the pattern through Ravelry or in the online store.

We’ll be at Maker Faire 09!

Next weekend (May 30-31), I’ll be at Maker Faire, moving one step closer to that world domination plan! I’m presenting a crochet demo on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM in the TNNA booth. My demo teaches how to create a superhero mask in freeform crochet. If you’re in the San Francisco area, come by the San Mateo County Expo Center to learn more. Even if you don’t knit or crochet, come to the fair– it’s fun and you can learn right there on the spot!

T-Shirts: Back in Stock!

The good news is, the T-Shirts are back in stock! I returned from the show with plenty left for you all!

The bad news is, we’re sold out of the plus sizes and almost all of the youth sizes! This is good news for us, but not so great if you’re a little kid or a big grown-up! The XL size is still available– it fits me, and I wear a size 18 top. We’re out of the Youth Small sizes and Youth Large– I recommend going one size up on those and have the kid grow into them. The Youth Large wasn’t much smaller in size than an Adult Small, so you’ll be OK going up a size with those.

New Stores!

While I was in Portland, I signed up a bunch of new shops who now carry Handknit Heroes, including Powell’s Books for Home and Garden! As always, check the Shop Locator page for the store nearest you!

Shout Outs!

Vogue Knitting and Knit.1 both feature Handknit Heroes this month! Wow! I had completely forgotten the Vogue interview until my friend had me look at some patterns in her copy and I fllipped through the pages and said “Wait– I recognize that image!” Thanks a bunch for the media, to both Vogue Knitting and Knit.1!

Babbling Brook posted about attending the show and picking up her copy of Handknit Heroes.

And Joyarna’s boyfriend guest-blogged about Handknit Heroes from a comic book fan’s perspective.

Enter to Win a Signed Copy!

H. E. Wintermute (limedragon), the designer for Issue #2’s cute knitted bag, is holding a blog contest giveaway for some of her copies (as a contributor, she received a few copies of the comic book), including some signed copies! Leave a comment on her blog to enter.

I’m in Portland!

I made it to Portland, Oregon yesterday and had a lovely and lively visit at Knit Purl and with Sandy et al from ShiBui yarns. I also visited a local comic book shop, and today, my schedule opened up, so I’m going to do a mini-yarn crawl around town. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone this weekend!

Issue #1 is Now a Back Issue

With the shipping of Issue #2, Issue #1 is now in back issue status. That means you can no longer start a subscription with Issue #1. We don’t sell single copies of our comics online. Why? Because we believe in the greatness of local yarn shops. If you can’t find a LYS near you that carries Handknit Heroes, I strongly encourage you to call around and ask if they do mail order.

However, if you subscribe to Handknit Heroes, you can add a copy of Issue #1 to your order and it will be shipped with Issue #2 (your starting issue). After that, your subscription will run through #5 (I think I just felt a little dizzy!)

You can also now start your subscription with Issue #3. By default, if you subscribe using the form inside Issue #2, your next issue will be #3, because we logically assume if you have Issue #2, you don’t need another one. If you subscribe online or through the shop, your next issue will be #2.

T-Shirts are Now “Backordered”

The t-shirts are not actually out of stock. I took them with me to Oregon, and my shipping guys don’t have any to send out. As a result, you can order them, but they won’t be shipped out till next week. If you want to wait till next week to place your order, that’s cool. We’re releasing a really cool product next week (hint: you can see a picture of it in the ads section of Issue #2) after the show.

Shout Outs

New subscriber Crafty Caffine received her Issue 1 and 2 this week!

Stumbling Over Chaoes gave us a shoutout and mentioned Limedragon’s blog contest!