Terrier Tuesday -- Sweater Quest Blog Tour Edition

Dear Readers,

It's been really boring around here, and the weather has turned dull, rainy, sleety, and grey. And following on the heels of the gloriousness that was last week, with the blue skies and the warmth and the sweet-smelling air, it's even harder to take and shoves one's dysphoric mood into an all-time low.

You know how I hate to walk in those conditions! And A.Alpha was not giving me the attention I deserved. Where was the play?! Where WAS the play?!

I thought I'd die from the tedium, so I was suuuuuuuper-glad when the mail carrier brought me a copy of Adrienne Martini's new book, Sweater Quest, to read. 

 

It was a very fun read and it kept me entertained while A.Alpha was busy doing whatEVER it is that she does for so many hours while I'm just about ready to chew off my own leg. (And one of these days she'll be very sorry when she finds out I am not just bluffing about that, too.)

So I rang up Adrienne to talk about the book, and we had a nice little chat. It went like this:

ME: As you may know, Adrienne – you don’t mind if I call you Adrienne, do you? – I’m a Yorkshire Terrier. They tell me that my ancestors hail from the north of England, really not too far south of Scotland, where Alice Starmore lives. Tell me honestly: If perhaps A.Alpha were inclined to knit me a Starmore-inspired sweater, do you think I could I pull it off? Would it be too much? Would we both stand to be arrested and/or shunned by the entire knitterverse, by the fashion police, or worse:  be in violation of copyright?

ADRIENNE:  In my opinion, your average Yorkshire Terrier has sufficient panache to pull off a Starmore-inspired sweater. You, Mr. Jefferies have more than enough spunk to rock not only a Fair Isle jumper but a matching tam as well. On one such as yourself, there is no such concept as too much when it comes to handknits.

As for the knitterverse and/or the fashion police, I’m inclined to not care about the shunning. Seriously - have you seen Joan Rivers lately? Ask A.Alpha to show you a picture. If hers is the looks we should aspire towards, let me never reach that height.

As for copyright, well, I do not play a lawyer, either in real life or on tv. But I won’t tell if you won’t.

  ME:   I am intimately familiar with knitting – and I do mean intimately. Why, I regularly sleep on the lap of a knitter and I’ve been in trouble once or twice for mistaking a ball of silk-, wool-, and cashmere yarn for a toy. But as I was reading Sweater Quest, I couldn’t help but notice that you took great pains to define all the terms, specialized lingo, and acronyms that would be very familiar to a knitting audience, but not so much to a reader who is not a knitter. What lessons do you think that a person who doesn’t know his bits from his kibble knits from his yarn-overs can take away from Sweater Quest?

ADRIENNE: Sweater Quest isn’t just for knitters, which is why there are the explanations about the jargon and basic technique. My hope is that anyone who has ever been smitten to the point of compulsion by a craft project will find the journey enjoyable and enlightening. It’s a universal human thing, this creative/crafty itch and not just a knitter thing.

It may also be a Terrier thing - but you guys seem to be more about destruction than construction.

3.  ME: My Alpha is heavily involved with the Red Scarf Project and has even had me pose for a picture in a red scarf. She says it’s one of the prices I have to pay for the lap-time. FINE! Whatever! Tell us what you know about knitters and charity. They’re pretty freakin’ awesome; am I right?

ADRIENNE:  Knitters and charity are like chocolate and peanut butter; they are just a freakin’ awesome combo.

I’m continually amazed by both individual knitters' desire to help and the community’s ability to organize. While Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s work with Doctors Without Borders is one of the more impressive examples, it is by no means the only one. Your Alpha has done great work with the Red Scarves (and I’m sure your input is appreciated). But charity works on an even smaller scale, too. My local knitting group is trying to make 180+ helmet liners, one for each local soldier stationed in a war zone. Like knitting itself, each of these individual stitches adds up to something inspiring.

Thanks so much for the questions, Mr. Jefferies! Please ask A.Alpha to give you a special treat from me.

Right, then. I'd say it's time for that treat. A fresh marrow bone would do nicely, thank you.

Love,

Mr. Jefferies

------------------------

The book is Sweater Quest, by Adrienne Martini, published by Simon & Schuster.  Read and hear more about it here.

-------------------------------------------

Comments

[gayle]

Mr J, tell A.Alpha she should get you your own Kindle - it'll be much easier for you to turn the pages.
She could even knit you a backpack to carry it in...

[Kym]

You are a Dog of Many Talents, Mr. J!

[margene]

Mr. Jefferies might be the most talented (and over indulged) Yokry in the world!!

[Joannah]

Mr J, as always, you cut right to the chase. Probably with a little tug-of-war thrown in. If the fashion police ever raid your neighborhood, you'll be able to bark at them with no fear of arrest!

[marianne]

Most Excellent, Mr.J! (not to mention your A.Alpha is Most Excellent also and Clever!)

[MelissaG]

Ah, thank you, another book for my queue.

[Dawn]

Bravo Mr. Jefferies, I would love to see you in your Starmore inspired coat and tam. Tell A Alpha I just finished my first Red Scarf in a garnet yarn, handspun from Coopworth and alpaca. The pattern is from the Yarn Harlot's one row scarf. It reminds me somewhat of the Corrugator scarf, which I think I will try next. Maybe in some handspun Shetland wool. What do you think?

[Seanna Lea]

I got a postcard about this book this weekend, and wish I had found an excerpt to read. Time to go back to the S&S site and see if there is a bit to read to whet my appetite!

[Kayten]

Dear Mr. Jeffries,
Excellent first interview. I am sure that A. Alpha's pride in your accomplishment will result in her producing yet another stunning sweater for you to model for your rapt audience of followers.
Hope the marrow bone was good.

[Elaine]

Mr J, you are one very remarkable guy. And I think you would look smashing in a Starmore design sweater! And if anyone can pull it off, A.Alpha can.

[Angie L.]

Seriously, you outta have a column in the Times. Very, very clever. Even my husband reads Terrier Tuesdays, and he is not a blog reader(unless it's about electronics, cars, or other dudely endeavors, insert Tim the Toolman Taylor grunt here). Hope A.Alpha knits the fair isle sweater for you soon, with the tam of course, I bet you will look adorable.

[Doris]

Thank you for the recommendation Mr. J. I just put the book on hold at my library and am third in line for it. I look forward to reading it.

[Lucia]

Any dog who uses words like dysphoric can wear anything he wants. Thanks for the book review! A sweater-impaired knitter such as myself probably needs it.

[elizabeth a airhart]

lil ole pudding pie just loves

well read educated males

you can knit her a teeny tiny bikini

love crafty males my alphas yarn overs
are a diaster can you help her

lil ole pudding pie woofs you

[Shannon]

Thanks for the tip, Mr. Jeffries. I just picked up the book at my local B&N. And IMO, you could definitely pull off a fancy sweater like that - in fact, it's probably a necessity for those trips to NYC. Tell A.Alpha to get busy!

[Carrie]

Hi Norma , I'm Carrie from Jax, Florida . beetlejuice on raverly . I just added you to my blog list. I have not been reading any for months upon months. Found your link in Claudia's blog and came on over. Thank you for being you it helps the rest of us be us!!

[Kelly]

Norma I think that this was one of your BEST posts EVER. It had everything: dog, knitting, and books. Love it!