I feel that I need to check in, to let the world know that I am still here!  I’ve been busy doing important editing work that isn’t particularly fun to do or to talk about.  Going through every section of the book, looking for math errors and things that need to be clearer, selecting photos, and cutting things right and left when they seem questionable.  I just don’t have time left to re-do something.  If it isn’t ready, essential, or unique, it is getting cut.

Going through the book feels a bit like a game of “Whack-a-mole”.  Just when I think I’ve cleared a deck, a problem pops up that needs to be fixed. But I am making progress.  Slow and steady, getting there.

The book is going to be very photo-heavy.  The photos are so good, and so clear (thanks, Bill!) that I am finding that I can cut a lot of text and let the photos do the work.  Nice! Charts are getting re-done and finalized, and I am getting ready to send everything to lay-out in a couple of weeks.  Lay-out means no more major changes, so the pressure is on to stop messing with content.  Right now I still have the book “on the needles”, and I can change things.  Once it goes to lay-out, it is “bound-off”, and fixes have to be very minor or everything gets messed up.  So I am pretty stressed out about getting everything as perfect as possible.

Needless to say, personal knitting is on hold, right now.  I have managed to finish the front and one sleeve of Mithril, working late in the evening when my brain is too tired to work on the book anymore.  There are probably mistakes in the knitting, but I am loving working with the Plucky Singles, and on something that doesn’t really matter and won’t define me.  It will be a wearable sweater, and I will love it.

I took time today to clear off my desk: putting reference books back on the shelves, yarn and projects back in their boxes, filing papers by project.  I cleaned up my office a bit, too.  Looked at the projects waiting to be knit – I have 6 personal projects in the queue!  They have really been backing up since I haven’t been knitting as much as usual.  I fondled the yarn and looked at the patterns, indulging just a moment in anticipation.  Their time will come.

I also have started running more seriously, training for the Portland Marathon in October.  I am running about 30 miles a week, and finding time for that has become a challenge.  The weather is beautiful, though, and I enjoy the time outside, alone with my thoughts.

I am a Work in Progress!