New Book for Newfoundlands coming out
June 1

Well again I'm launching a new book. They are coming fast and furious with all the help I'm getting from the dog fanciers world wide. This time it is The Crafty Newfoundland Knits and it has 25 patterns for sweaters, hats mittens, afghans, etc. plus stories about all the things the breed does and 25 charted graphic designs of these activities to be worked into the patterns.

I had tons of fun with this book since my dear friend Kathy has had Newfs for years and these dogs are friends with my Samoyeds. I had some help from talented photographers, Ruby Silver here in Connecticut, Carole Bernard in France and Donna Overman in Canada. The book is truly an international effort.

Newf fanciers who want to check out the book or order the book at a pre-publication discount, just go to http://www.kanineknits.com/kanine_knits_Crafty_Newfoundland_Knits_Book.htm

This week I'm off to Rhode Island to teach knitting at Berner University as part of the Bernese Mt. Dog Club of America National Specialty. I look forward to spending the day surrounded by hundreds of these beautiful dogs and sharing my designs with knitters at the show.

Then the following week I'm back to Rhode Island for the Newfoundland Club of America National Specialty, visiting friends and telling people about the new book that will be coming out.

On May 10, I get to change hats a little since I will be presenting a workshop at Connecticut Authors and Publishers University writers conference in Hartford, CT. This will be fun sharing how I create my books with others who are interested in writing and publishing non-fiction.
Also the end of the month I'll be off to LA to attend PMA-U on publishing and marketing and Book Expo America.

So it is busy all the time here, but the dogs keep me grounded. Harry Potter does his editing with his chin in the keyboard. I get so wrapped up in my work that I'm always astounded when suddenly there are a row of z's running through my sentence. The other two haven't developed a writing bent yet, but they lend moral support and keep my feet warm.

Lots of new books in the works for Corgis, Poodles, Boxers, Bichon, German Shepherds, Sheties and more to come. I'm having a ball creating these designs and writing the books. Anyone who'd like to see their dog's photo in one of these books just contact me.

At last spring is here and my garden is coming to life. It's so good to work with the windows open. I hope everyone enjoys the lovely weather.

More New Patterns from Kanine Knits

I am getting more and more patterns out to knitters with a love of dogs, four more have been added to the collection of Portraits of Dogs in Knitting. They are, the Parson Jack Russell Terrier, the Belgian Sheepdog, the Lakeland Terrier and the American Eskimo. These plus many more are available at the website www.kanineknits.com.

These will be up on the pattern page ready for knitters to order today. Ten more breeds are in the stack waiting to be knit and will debut soon.

Ravelry - How to find knitting friends on-line.

One of the wonders of this virtual world in which we move from day to day is that you can make good friends, find mentors, exchange ideas and expertise, and just have a good time without ever leaving your home. Social Networking is the new way of visiting friends, sharing our lives and interests, and communicating with people from around the world as though they lived next door.

For knitters and crocheters, this is Ravelry a new social network that began in mid-2007 and by the end of the year it is near 100,000 in membership. That's a lot of knitters and crocheters no matter how you look at it.

So what do you do on Ravelry? Well, you make friends and see what everyone else is doing. You talk about your likes and dislikes, about your challenges with a technique, about skills you do well and skills you can't do but would like to try.

You find a specific group within the Ravelry community that shares your interest (and there are hundreds) and you join. Those with wide interests will join many groups. All of a sudden you have people looking over your shoulder helping as though they were in the room.

Since I do intarsia in all my Kanine Knits designs, I've started a Ravelry group called Knit Intarsia Pictures, where members are of any skill level, from those who can knit sweaters what have scenes that circle the entire garment to beginners who have been frightened to try what to them seems so hard. When you join a group, you suddenly get people who care about you and what you want to do, who will help you along the way and who will share your successes.

If you are a knitter, this is the place to make friends and learn and it is only as far away as your computer.