At least you were well-fortified for you break in :-)

Do you know any nifty ways to break into a 2000 Plymouth Neon? I lock my keys in way too often! = )

Best placement of a billboard ever.

Is there any chance that washing and blocking will fix the lack of cuteness in the sweater? You've come this far, might as well see how it turns out.

Good luck with your blog tour! Don't think of it as promotion. Your books are pretty much the you that you show us here. So just do that some more, and the people who are meant to be your audience will love it and pick up the book.

Oh, and speaking of billboards, there's one here in Houston for an electrolysis place. The phone number is 713-R U Hairy. No lie. I just about die everytime I see it.

I've only locked my keys in my car ONCE. It was very traumatic ... or it would have been, if I hadn't been parked right in front of a hardware store, where a kind young man sold me the gizmo I needed and told me how to use it to break in. Good grief!

I think that should be part of driver's ed, don't you? How to parallel park, how to merge onto a freeway, how to pump gas/change a tire/check your oil, how to break in if you lock your keys inside.
:-)

I am glad to hear that Knit Writers and Bloggers are nice and supportive to others in the field. It reinforces my belief that most crafters are smarter/sweeter than the average bear.

I used to work at a large independent books store and ran the author events. One of the most famous, and most hateful, writers that I met was Scott Turow, the Chicago-based author of legal thrillers. You know what he talked about? About how he was smarter, funnier, sexier and a better writer than John Grisham! Okay, I'm exaggerating about funnier and sexier, but really, he just BASHED Grisham over and over. Now, I've never MET Mr. Grisham, but have enjoyed his books, and every time I've heard him on radio interviews, he seems like a smart, thoughtful person. So ppphhhhtttt! on you Scott Turow.

And YAY on Knit Authors! Including YOU Laurie!

That darn Anthony Bourdain. He needs to stop going to cool places so I can stop going there too. So far he's inspired me to do Singapore, New Delhi, Charleston, SC...stay home Anthony!!!

I used to lock my keys in my Jeep AllTheTime to the point that I was terrified when I got a new car that wasn't as DorkLocksHerKeysInTheCar friendly. I could go from standing outside the locked Jeep to sitting in the driverseat in about 35 seconds flat - and I had the full doors! I'm talking in heels, pantyhose and a skirt. Once I was filling the car up at the gas station and realized I had locked my keys in the car, I got quite a few strange looks from other customers as I broke into my own car while simultaneously pumping gas. Initially this gave me a kind of smug satisifaction - for about 2 seconds until realized everyone else had the same easy access the contents of my car! Luckily I had the little locking trunk thingy - so I could leave stuff in the car on occassion, but usually I made sure that I didn't keep anything in there that I minded losing - too much. Even the car salesman told me not to lock the console because people would just tear it up if they wanted in. I guess it's just a Jeep thing!

I think you're right about knitters. The ones who write seem to be about sharing and encouraging others to try new things.

And Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is one of the funniest things going in person. I bet if you two went on tour together they'd be stocking pampers in the ladies room...

And, Laurie? About the sweater? You do the best job you can, block it with your steamer and gift it! You know your friend will know it was knit with love, and really, isn't that what matters the most?

I broke into my own house just before Halloween. I had to grab a ladder from the garage and climb through my kitchen window into the sink. This was before the big freeze that has frozen all my windows shut, and it's given me something else to worry about for the rest of the winter. I can now not lock myself out of the house until April without having to actually break a window to get back in. Because hiding a key under the mat would just be too easy.
As a fellow knitter, I wish you nothing but the best with your book tour!

Hey Laurie, it's me, your friendly book tour coordinator! I'm glad you're having a good time with it and hooking up with some old friends. Thanks very much for being so accessible to the reviewers on the tour- that is so great. And from all accounts, everyone loves the book, YAY!!

That billboard is too funny..

Did you get your new camera yet?? Which one did you decide on??

Oh I LOVE Castle too!!! I even wrote ABC to tell them I LOVED the show hoping they wouldn't takeit off the air. Because, as you know, they tend to do that. BTW the new shows on USA are fantastic too. Wonder when Beckett and Castle are *forced* to give in to the inevitable.......It's sad when I live vicariously thru a show....

and looking forward to that new camera and all the knitting and kitty pics that will follow....Miss those bathroom foto shoots!!!

Hey Laurie -- I just have to tell you that I am now addicted to your carrot/blueberry salad. I've had it no less than 7 times since you re-posted about it. I love it! It doesn't sound good to me -- but man, it is delicious. thanks so much!

Thanks for your 5 things today. Made me laugh. I had knitting/cat/food disaster last night. I'm making a baby blanket and had to rip out the same three rows about 6 times before I got it right. I gave up and went to bed, and my cat jumped on the counter and knocked a brand new sealed jar of salsa off the counter and onto the floor which exploded. At 1:30am. Anyway, thanks for making your books available on my Kindle - makes my long ass commute better and the less books I physically have to find room for the better. More room for cats and yarn!

I bought your book last Thursday! Yay! I might have squealed in an unladylike manner when I saw it there on the shelf at the B & N in Memphis.I'm kinda' weird about it, though. I haven't read it yet because when I read it, it'll be read, and I don't want it to be over. (That maybe makes more sense in my head?)

Also, I went through Columbus, MS twice weekend-before-last! Of course, I thought of you and ways you could come visit and call it "book tour" on your taxes.

Keep on trucking with the baby gift. The baby's mom, as a fellow knitter, will appreciate the effort you put into it and love it all the more.

I also love No Reservations. Anthony Bourdain....who has a better job than him, traveling all over the world and eating for a living?

LOVE the billboard! :)

Can't wait to check out all the sites on your online book tour. Will you be doing an actual book tour as well? Would love it if you were in the Central Illinois area again and I got to meet you again!

Also, can't wait to read your new book!

Love your blog! I'm a first-time reader who clicked over from my lunch-time feministing.com fix. I love good blogs by sassy Southern women (and all my sassy extended kindred, in fact!) and that you're crafty makes you even cooler. Three of my favorite gf's are knitters, and I've sent this to them.

A couple of notes for your other guests:

1. regarding the DMV car break-in training, I believe you're being facetious, but in the event you're not, I think training people to break into cars is a terrible idea, as it'll give a lot more kids (and shady folks) lessons on how to break in more efficiently. I think just stashing an extra key in a magnetic box under the car might be a better idea, or putting one in your wallet in the event that you don't lock it in the car with your keys might work a bit better.

2. For the commenter who wrote about how awful Scott Turow was in person, this may make you chuckle: I'm not really into legal mysteries as reading material (I prefer classic feminist lit and sci-fi), and I actually had to look up the cad on Wikipedia to even remember who he is! Grisham's people, on the other hand, do a masterful job with promotion and he seems like a decent guy as well. So much for tooting one's own horn at the expense of a fellow author!

I'm hoping now that it's officially released that Barnes & Noble will have your book in the store. I know, I could just order it online, but I want to pick it up and leaf through it and smell it (don't you love that new-book smell?) and peek in the back.

I haven't locked my keys in the car in ages, partly because I hardly ever lock up and when I do it's much easier to do from outside. Actually I think the last time I did I was in my driveway, so it was easy to deal with.

As for the baby sweater, I vote for both. Courtney will not see what you imagined it would be but that you've knit her little one a sweater with great care and love. But I've also made things twice because the first one, although nice, was not what I had in mind. It's not like the world can ever have too many baby sweaters, after all.

Ok, so I'm not in marketing and wouldn't be able to promote something any better than you claim to be able to sing...but I would like to think that your readers are some of your greatest promoters and that you don't need to! (Hope your editor doesn't read comments as I know that was a horrifically long sentence.)

I also want to thank you for helping me to be brave. I just transferred to Charleston, SC for a 3 month work gig and I don't know ANYONE here. I poured back over everything you have said about traveling alone and it's giving me the courage to venture out.

PS: Cats do not lose their voices after 1400 miles in the car. Salem, Klepto and Remy meowed the entire way.

Wendy -- are you a knitter? I wonder if you'd be interested in joining a knitting group in Charleston?

I can't imagine taking the cats in the car for a long trip. I found a vet who makes housecalls because taking all to get yearly checkups was too much and I needed a drink and a tranquilizer by the time I got them all there, and that was just six miles away. You are very brave.

Your online book tour looks interesting. You love FAB in your photo, congrats on the new release!

Hi Laurie,
I locked my keys in the car around Christmas. I am lucky because my car has a "keyless" lock in addition to the key lock! Unfortunately, then I am depending on my brain to remember the code. That is as iffy as remembering the key. Also, I am so glad to hear you are on Kindle. I will order the new book right away. Thanks for doing that.

You've gotta start watching "Life Unexpected." It's so Gilmore Girls-like.

wendy johnson is a friend of mine...if you ever get the chance to meet her in person, she ROCKS!

PS - if you are on ravelry, let all us knitters know your name so that we can friend you!

Got your book on my Kindle 2 days ago and I am loving it! Thanks for the fun.

Hooray for eating breakfast! I picked up the habit many years ago when I spent a couple weeks on an archeological dig. Nothing like hard physical labor to make you realize you *really* need a breakfast every day.

If you're looking for some different breakfasts to tempt you, check out the new Mark Bittman book, Food Matters. (I got a copy from the library, but I may just buy my own!) He has some interesting and quick do-ahead, healthy breakfasts like bread pudding (both sweet and savory versions). Although I do get sick of eating oatmeal so much during the winter, it's easy to pack and eat. I make up my own dry mix to cook in the office microwave: quick cooking oats, dried fruit, nuts, ground flax seed, cinnamon, and a bit of brown sugar in a Ziploc screw top container. Just add water and nuke it for a minute.

I fit a breakfast, lunch, and snacks for mid-AM and mid-PM in an insulated container and pretty much stick to that for my daily food intake. It keeps me on budget and eating healthy, too.

And the money saved goes into my vacation fund. I just booked a trip to the Galapagos Islands leaving in a few weeks. I'm travelling without a Mr. X, too, and having a blast. Thanks for the encouragement!

I love Anthony Bourdain! I wanted to drink a beer so badly after seeing the Prague show. He's something else.

It was a pleasure reading/writing a review, though it did feel a bit incestuous. You're awesome, and my blog readers (and I) love you to death. xoxo!

Um, and O/T but related to SCOTT TUROW: Amanda's comment is not surprising at all! I picked up one of his books and got halfway through it before I couldn't deal anymore. It was SO OBVIOUSLY written by a man with a giant ego and terribly outdated views about women and men and ugh.

It was as though the book reeked of too much cologne, you know?

I drive a Jeep too -- a Wrangler, with a soft top. When I lock my keys in I rejoice knowing they're just a zipper away. Of course so is everything else I leave in it.

Knitters and crocheters are a pretty awesome lot. I will fully support you in that statement.

Well, most of the ones I meet online anyway. The ones in my local knitting guild, not so much. But that's another story. One that I will write when I am far far away from the crazy harridans in my guild.

Although honestly, I don't think too many of them use computers, so I might still be safe.

Definitely finish the baby sweater, wash it, block it and send it. Don't worry it's not exactly how you imagined it would be. Courtney, especially being a knitter herself, will only see it for what it is: handmade love. I'm an accomplished knitter and my absolute favorite gift this year was an uncomplicated crocheted scarf that my friend made for me with her own two hands. A gift from one knitter to another carries a thread you can't buy at Neiman Marcus.

And about locking the keys in? I just love the little cypher lock thingie on my car's door. I'd rather have that than a stereo. Saves me from my easily-distracted self.

I have trouble with breakfast too. Recently I attended a Yoga Teachers Training program and our Saturday sessions began at 8 AM. I KNEW if I didn't get something down I was in trouble because after classroom then a two hour practice, I wouldn't eat til noon. I don't care how blissed out I get or how un-yogi-like it is, I'm biatchy if I'm hungry. So, I started buying bags of individual packets of raw trail mix or raw almonds from Trader Joes, mixed it in with a container of yogurt and I was a happy yogi til lunch time :-) Easy and portable!!

Re: the baby sweater
No one appreciates a handknitted gift as much as a fellow knitter, because only a knitter can know how much work went into making it.

Additionally (speaking from my own experience) Courtney probably has ZERO time to knit now that she has a newborn.
Therefore there is no one in the entire world that will appreciate your imperfect handknit gift as much as Courtney. So send it off with no apologies!

my own story:
When my daughter was a newborn, a friend surpised us with a handknit baby blanket. It was knit in very plain stitches with some mistakes, and in a yarn I probably wouldn't have chosen. But I had taught that friend to knit, and I could not believe how much time she had invested in making this blanket for my daughter. All of those other baby gifts - the perfect little outfits from Baby Gap, the cute bibs, etc - have gone to Goodwill by now, but that handknit baby blanket is something I'll keep forever.

So send the gift! That is all.

xoxo rb

Re #2: Never apologize for your knitting. I don't know where I read that, but I think it's genius. Knit fearlessly, give of it freely and lovingly, and never, ever apologize. :)

AHA! Gotta be quick to leave a comment for you!

Just read yesterday's post and have two things to leave (since I couldn't post on yesterday's at this point): ALLOW. That is the power word I found that works for me. Helps me pause and blink and stay calm when a "difficult person" presses one of my buttons/flips one of my switches. ALLOW. Give it some thought.

The second from yesterday is this:
" #Watching Hoarders is the best thing that ever happened to my house. Even an ad for it triggers a closet cleanout and a de-clutter." 10:09 AM Jan 31st from TweetDeck (YarnHarlot) How timely!

Today's post? Yep, yer right... knitters are AWESOME. Knitters brought me back into the Human Race. From which I found you... and Cat Bordhi, and the YarnHarlot, and both Wendys, and on and on and on. We all of us make the world a friendlier, happier, less lonely place. Together. Thanks for being part of the best part of our world!

ah, rats. forgot: breakfast - consider juicing or VitaMix? It really makes a BIG difference in how the day goes plus health benefits, and the convenience is stupefying

I love Mark Valley in Human Target. He's soooo dashing and those baby blues of his... sigh... Love Castle too.

Laurie - you are absolutely adorable - don't ever make fun of your looks again!! Your picture is so sweet. Are you coming to New England by any chance?? I love your blog, and your first book saved my life. Your second book was incredibly inspiring, and very, very funny. It was also very nice with a very good bottle of chianti! :-)

"First, take your keys. _Then_ lock your car."
If you tend to make the mistake anyway, get a slim traveler's safety pocket, the kind that you wear under your clothes, and make a habit to wear it daily, holding the spare key (or the combination, for that kind of car). Get several so there's always one clean.

Never apologize for your knitting. Finish it and give it.

I bought your book this week! I was squeeing over it in the bookstore and my daughter said, "Isn't she one of your knitting friends?"

"No," I said, "I don't know her in real life, I just like her blog. But I guess with knitters, it's like we're all knitting friends even if we don't know each other. Yarn is a universal bond like that. Plus her cats are cool."

"Mom, you totally have to buy that book. Don't be a jerk and wait for the library to get it. Support your knitting friends. Think of her cats. That book is a can of tuna."

So, I bought it. :-)

I am ALWAYS locking my keys in my jeep. Good thing there is an easy way to get in. It also provides excellent entertainment for all my friends!

I bought your book a couple of weeks ago and am slowly reading it. I love it. I love the way you write!
As for the sweater - give it to your friend. Nobody but a fellow knitter will appreciate the work that went into making the sweater.
Peace.

About the baby sweater, my suggestion would be finish it, send it and don't sweat the details. You know you've put your best work into it, that's all anyone can expect, even you. Cut yourself a little slack on this one, Laurie, you're awesome. *hug*

I haven't had time to look for your new book yet, I work in the world of taxes... am I ever busy right now? Yes ma'am I am. (Guess what I want to find when I can come up for air? your new book of course!)

AND Knitting is keeping me from going totally crazypants with all the stress that can be found in the world of tax law and theory. This is the story...

I started to make a shawl just before Halloween, the original plan was to crochet it, BUT that pattern just didn't work out... I kept at it for 10 weeks!! Trying to fix whatever the problem was with the pattern, well I got so completely irritated with the shawl that (2 skeins in) yes that's right 2 skeins out of 3, I had crocheted and I pulled it all-the-way out to a VERY!! long string.

Then you and the magic of knitting came to the rescue, when I decided that a shawl is really just a rectangle, right? So I took the scarf concept and started this shawl on my favorite size 8 circular needle and now I'm going freestyle on how this will work. I'll know it's done when the shawl is the length I want; how long is that? Funny you should ask, that is the length required to make it drape the way I want it to; my best guess is 5-5.5. feet long, so far, it is about 3 feet long and 2 feet wide.

The part where knitting saves my sanity is that after 8-12 hours working in an office doing taxes, it is the best way ever to "meditate." Go home, knit a few rows THEN look at the rest of the day with a semi-Zen perspective... this is how you've helped me. BTW, I've read your first book several times, in it (and here on your blog) I have found things that remind me to breathe and take things one at a time. Sometimes easier said than done, but for this type A, perfectionist, yarn junkie who is on the verge of being a workaholic these are good things.

Thanks for letting me get on my soapbox. Much love and good yarn to you.

P.S. Pet the cat posse for me please.

If your friend is a knitter, she'll know that there's nothing better at keeping a baby warm than hand-knitted goodness. She'll be focussing on the love that went into it, and won't see any of the "flaws" that you see.

I love your blog - it always makes my day. This comment is really for your last post - I wanted to share a book one of my good friends recommended: This Year I Will... by MJ Ryan. It's an amazing little book about resolutions and habits - I'm getting so much out of it. Thought you might enjoy it too!
Claudia

How odd that you wrote about Prague yesterday. I was just thinking to myself "CAP usually takes an overseas trip around V-Day. I wonder if she'd go to Prague this year?" Then I thought I remembered you went there with Mr. X. Then I felt like your cyber stalker because I've been reading your blog for long enough that I remember how painful those memories were for you.

Lap-Band is a waste of money. I have a friend that had the surgery 18 months ago and she's been losing and gaining the same 15-18 pounds the whole time. (I know you found the location of the ad ironic, not that you're considering the surgery. Just sayin'.)

Sounds like you did well the first month of this year! Hooray for you!

I know that you have mentioned before that you found meditation difficult, so this info probably won't help much, but what the heck!!

One of the goals in meditation is to "train the mind", not control it. To be able to recognize that thoughts can control our feelings, and we can change our thoughts. (Like you described you were able to do to turn around your mood last week.)

Another goal is to be able to have a little "space" or "gap" between thought and action, so that you can make a choice about taking an action or not.

So, even if meditation does not work for you, you are following some of the basic ideas in Buddhism, and they have the most experience in study of the mind, and how it works!! So in my humble opinion, you are on a good path!!

As I age I find I am becoming a tad OCD about my keys. Put them in the purse and don't let go of the purse AND check three times that they are in there before slamming the car door shut. And since I am getting REALLY old, I also have to really look around before I leave my car and make sure I know where the car is parked so I can find it again!

I locked my keys in my very first car, many, many decades ago. The subsequent berating from my controlling parents about how stupid that was was so painful that I have not done it since.

HOWEVER, I have never locked my keys in my house. Until last summer. When I was hustling out the door to work. When DH was in China on an internship. *sigh* Fortunately, I had my purse and phone, so several hours, 1 locksmith and $150 later (rush call), I had my keys...

Good luck on your tour!
Phyllis
:)

Let me add my vote to finish the sweater and send it. Knitter love and all that. I'm having a similar dilemma & won't bore you with the details that have to do with my inability to visualize skein - item color, but I've already resolved to do a 2nd knit in a better color.

My ADHD teenage son locked the keys in the car so many times that when I rode with him in the ancient Honda Civic the "whistle" created by how much he'd loosened the window seals by using a hangar to get in drove me nuts! Solved by not riding with him, not by getting him another car!

T.V., etc.: do you watch "The Good Wife?" Juliana Marguiles is GREAT. And, my movie plug, have you seen "The Blind Side?" Awesome movie. Love Sandra Bullock and totally see why she got the best actress nomination. Plus with your Southern roots . . . .

Going away for a couple days soon and just have to get your book first. So enjoyed DDCCH!

Finally, thanks for having comments open!

I lock my keys in the car a lot--enough that I used to keep an extra door key in my wallet.
One of the greatest impulse purchases I ever made was from AAA -- for a while, they would make a snap-out key-card of your car key. About three times as thick as a credit card, and only could be used a few times -- but while I had it, I knew I was safe from my own stupidity. Unfortunately I sold that car...

Be thankful that no one was in the car -- the worst feeling in my life was when I locked my then 2yo daughter in the car. Thankfully it was a mild day and her daycare teacher was willing to entertain her through the window while another mother drove me 4 blocks to my house ....waited while I got the spare house key out of the combo-locked shed... and drove me back.

Oh, and about the baby sweater? Do it! If you're sheepishly certain the child has outgrown it, cruise through a toy store until you find a doll that fits it! Wouldn't that just be cool?

Laurie~
First, I am really impressed that you would even consider knitting something for a knitter. :-) I am not even that brave. 2ndly, why not consider keeping the gift you made for someone else that has a baby and would fit into it. Then you can make something else for this youngster. I make baby blankets and stash them..this way I have them ready whenever I need them. :-)

Just read your interview over at Kristy's blog and thought I'd share what I've learned this last year. You don't have to know anything about spices! Just order the mixes from Penzeys! It's best to go to one and actually try them (there's one in LA but I have no sense of real LA geography or how this might relate to you), but they also have an extensive, recipe-laden, food-porny catalog and you pretty much can't go wrong with anything you buy there. Plus, I think they're very affordable given how yuppified spice stores can be!

One more vote for finishing the baby sweater. I'm a non-rookie knitter and a parent of two small people who used to be babies. My son's favorite blankee was not the one I made him, but the one my friend made that was the second thing she ever knit and she complained was all wonky and biased and apologizing profusely. Know what? He carried it everywhere for years until it regressed and gradually became yarn again. In very small pieces, so unfixable. But I kept the tattered remains because, well, it's his blankee.
Finish the sweater. She'll love it and will appreciate the love and hard work you put into it. I promise.