We're in Cleveland this week taping the second season of Knitting Daily TV. I've been Twittering and tumbling from the studio today, posting photos and wee audio clips (ok, just one clip) from our first day taping. You can subscribe to the feed over at my Tumblr site for automatic updates. I'll be posting all week! Here are some highlights from today:

• Float Away Scarves have arrived
• Wee audioblog intro to the week
• I totally flubbed the very first line uttered during this taping. Go me.
• First shot of the tele in the green room
• KDTV finally has a Facebook page. Fan us, won't you? And drop us a line!

How are you celebrating?

Julie posted a great round-up of festivities.

Lansing, MI, here I come. Sandwiched between the next taping for Knitting Daily TV and the Folio Show, I'll spend a day at Threadbear Fiber Arts launching the Fall '08 issue of Interweave Crochet. We'll have a trunk show, and I'll talk all about the projects, about what goes on behind the scenes at the magazine, and about crochet in general. And then, as if that wouldn't be enough (*cough*), none other than the mastermind of Knitting Daily, herself, Ms. Sandi Wiseheart will orchestrate a personal-fitter-style Crochet Gallery photo shoot right there in the store, with real-live people. We'll give tips on fit and how to modify a particular pattern to suit you better. And, as if you needed more convincing to come to the event, it's free. Of course, we can't be held responsible if you decide to leave with a copy of the magazine and enough yarn to make several sweaters.
I hope to see you there!

Here's more info, from Threadbear:

This two-part FREE FUNCTION kicks off at 3pm with Kim, who will lead you through a preview of the Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Crochet with a trunk show of garments, accessories, and more. Kim will take us on an in-depth walk-through of the projects as well as what goes on behind the scenes of a major fiber arts publication, from beginning to end. She'll also lead a question-and-answer session on the design selection process as well as entertain any questions you might have for her about being an editor of a magazine that's part of the Interweave family of publications. Budding designers—here's your chance to garner tips and advice!

We'll then take a little bit of a break and do a little meet-and-greet/one-on-one socializing with Kim and Sandi, as well as take some time to admire the trunk show items as a preview of the next event, which starts around 5pm.

Sandi is famous for many things, but if you know her through Knitting Daily, you are definitely familiar with her gallery photo shoots, where various people in the home office of Interweave Press try on garments from Interweave Knits to show how they look on a wide range of body shapes and types. She is also famous for her wonderful mannequin, Bertha, who sometimes stands in for a human model from time to time. Well, we're planning to do a FIRST TIME EVER gallery using the garments from the fall issue of Interweave Crochet and YOU as the models. Here's the perfect chance to try on a wide range of items ACTUALLY FROM the magazine as well as help Sandi develop a gallery for Crochet. While you're trying on the garments, Sandi will work with you and discuss fit and shaping as well as options for customizing the garment to fit and flatter YOUR figure—where to add ease, where to take in a little bit, etc. Better than having a personal shopper, you'll have the wisdom and experience of a PERSONAL FITTER right here, at ThreadBear!

Please contact the shop and leave your name and phone number (again—there's NO CHARGE involved) so we can plan seating, refreshments, and more.

Artist Kristina Wong needs our help, and it's help that should be pretty easy to give. Why? Because all she needs is for crocheters and knitters to send her an unfinished project we know we'll never finish. Here are the deets, in her words:

Your unfinished sweater, 5" scarf, or one-sided poncho can be famous for fifteen minutes or more if you donate it to Wong's set of "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Don't be ashamed you never finished what you started. Donate now and feel good for letting your abandoned project transform into a live piece of art. All donators will receive "set construction" credit in the program wherever this show tours.

Why unfinished projects? "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" explores the sky-high rates of mental illness and suicide among Asian Pacific Islander American Women. APIA women have the highest rates of suicide in the country in a statistic that seems to be widely unpublicized and often disregarded. The unfinished projects collection represents women's work, incomplete intentions, "spinning a yarn," and loneliness. During the show, Kristina uses the projects to represent "unravelling" women and even unravels some of them on stage. These knitted and crocheted pieces may also be displayed as part of an art installation later in the run.

Thanks to the popularity of Kristina's show, Vogue Knitting featured an article about it in their Spring/Summer 2007 issue. It is also being remounted in Los Angeles.

See Kristina Wong's "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," from September 19, 2008 to October 5, 2008, Fridays to Saturdays, at the Santa Monica's Miles Memorial Playhouse (1130 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403). Click here to buy tickets in advance.

Here's how you can participate:

1) We love yarn and knitting projects that come in any color OTHER than black and white.
2) Remove your needle or hook from the piece. If possible run some waste yarn through the loops. No need to bind off. I'd prefer if it wasn't!
3) Write a note describing yourself, why you knit, and what the project was supposed to be and why it never came to be.
4) Send your unfinished knitting projects by SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 to:

Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
C/O Kristina Wong
PO Box 251664
Los Angeles, CA  90025

No projects will be returned (you will probably be grateful for this). If you offer your name, I will credit you in the program.

For our LA run, it looks like we have just locked in donations of yarn from Artyarns and will be giving FREE SKEINS to knitters and crocheters who flash their hooks or sticks at the door!

Just gotta say how totally in love with the internets (and with you) I've been this week. So. much. fun. If you're looking for an update, I don't have one yet. But word about Whedoncraft is spreading, and even touched down in the mainstream entertainment world today. I'm hearing from some folks who may know someone who may know someone else who might be able to elbow Joss Whedon to see if he'll grant us an interview. So, you know, that's good. For now, keep spreading the word, eh? The more creatively, the better (it's more fun that way). And if you would, spread some comment and link love to people who are picking up the story.

In the meantime, check it out: Kiba started an entire Whedoncraft blog.

Also, the Austin Browncoats group is collecting handmade Jayne hats to sell for charity, and they're down with crocheted ones.

And hey, when we do set up this interview—we will; you wait—I'll definitely ask you all to submit questions, from which I'll pick a selection to ask Whedon. There's been some friendly fun-making about what kinds of crafts questions I'll ask, but we must remember a few things. First, being crafty is being crafty, whether it's with yarn or glue or glitter or clay or words and ideas. Second, we all have interests that extend beyond what we craft. Third, I have a very strong and very personal commitment to and passion for online media and distribution; don't think that won't enter into an interview with the man behind the most talked-about online entertainment project, ever. Just sayin'.

Finally, about that titular parenthetical: Tomorrow's the last day you can sign up for the way-fun-looking Olympic-themed Yarn Smackdown [via Craft]!

I'm so not letting this Whedoncraft thing go. So to add some fuel to the fire, I made myself a Jayne hat last night (crocheted, of course, which isn't so true to the knitted original but sure is true to trying to catch Joss Whedon's attention so he'll grant us an interview). I wrote up the pattern and posted it here on this very site so you can make your own Jayne hat, too. And in addition to enjoying it and geeking out over it, you can post a picture of it in the comments on my original post so you can add your voice and your craft to the hum over there.

Oh, and tell everyone you know. Especially if they know someone who knows someone who might be able to get word to Joss Whedon that we'd love a few minutes to chat about his projects and about the craft community's love for them.

Knitting Daily TV is starting to air in some locations! Your local public television station (in the U.S.) might not pick it up today, but check your listings to see if it'll start in the next few weeks. I'm so excited!

Kids, CrochetMe.com—nay, the entire online crafts community—needs your help with something that could be so much fun, I can't even find words for it. We need you to help us get Joss Whedon's attention.

Who's Joss Whedon? We know many of you already know, because you've chatted here about your love for his work, like the TV shows he created: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. And the movie Serenity. And the Astonishing X-Men comics and the Buffy comics, too.

And it's possible that this week you watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (and if you haven't yet, you should; it's free for a limited time!). And maybe you read Whedonesque, the massive and wonderful site about all the people and projects remotely related to Joss Whedon's work.

See, Joss Whedon is a wicked creative guy, and he entertains us. And last week recently, in a tongue-in-cheek response to an interview question on the Wired blog, he practically begged for a crochet publication to interview him*. And CrochetMe.com simply must be that pub. Why? A bulleted list will tell you:

• Just the thought of this makes me giggle. And as we all should know by now, absurdity is a big and special part of the internets.
• He's trying something new on the internet with Dr. Horrible, and we love trying new things on the internet, too. If we knew people like Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, we'd want to do fun things like crochet with them, too.
• Tons of crafty types are geeks who love to combine crafts with their geekiness. And tons are geeks who never thought to combine their loves. And some aren't geeks at all, but would be thoroughly entertained by an interview with Joss, too.
• Holy crap, have you seen Geek Central Station?
• There are hundreds of crocheted or knitted Jayne hats posted on Ravelry, alone.
• Speaking of Ravelry, there are over 900 members in a group on there that's devoted just to Whedon's work.
• Loads of crafters don't have any idea who Joss Whedon is and have never known his work. We can't just sit around and not seize this speck of an opportunity to try to remedy that.

Ok, enough bullets; this is a peaceful blog. We're revisiting our grassroots... roots... here, and asking the whole community to help us. If we all play together, we can have a load of fun. Here's what you can do (I lied about the bullets; at least these have numbers):

1. Post a comment below and include in it a photo or a link to something Whedon-related that you have crafted or bought from someone who made it by hand. This post can serve as evidence of the legion crafty Whedon fans.
2. Blog about this and link back here; post about this on the crafty boards you frequent.
3. Speak up. Thousands of you read this blog. Some of you must know someone who might know someone who can help us get a hold of someone who can tell Joss Whedon how much fun it would be to spend a few minutes with us, even over email.
4. Got a Whedonesque membership or know someone who does? Let them know what we're up to! Kiba posted about us!
5. Going to Comic Con later this week tomorrow? Put aside your timidity and walk right up and ask him if he'll talk or email with us. There's no shame in that. Make yourself a Jayne hat to wear just for the occasion!
6. Got ideas for what else we can do? We're all ears.

ETA three bullets (21 July):

7. Know someone who's made or bought some Whedoncraft? Phone them up or email them or Twitter them or otherwise nag them till they post about it here!
8. Got some contacts at a big blog somewhere? Or maybe you just like being an enthusiastic anonymous tipper? Let those big-blog writers know! There's enough fun in this to spread it all over the internets, from the crafts world to the tech world to the geek world, and beyond.
9. Remember: Just like crafty people wear many hats and can be found all over the internets due to their other interests both professional and recreational (how come there are so many crafters? Because we're doctors and teachers and lawyers and scientists and writers...), Whedon fans are everywhere, too! That means pretty much any place you hang out online is a good place to post about this (you know, within reason).

ETA two bullets (23 July):

10. Digg this!
11. Two words stuck together in one: YouTube.

ETA one bullet (28 July):

12. Crochet your own Jayne Hat (new pattern!) and post about it here.

I'll start with a pic of the Jayne doll I bought myself from the aforementioned Geek Central Station for my birthday a few weeks ago. (For those not in the know, Jayne was a character in the short-lived series Firefly.) Your turn!

*Here's what Joss said when asked about the buzz around Dr. Horrible: "Fact is, there's been some buzz, but it hasn't reached the places it would normally. Where's our write-up in Crocheting Monthly? (I did a very sexy shoot for that one.)"

ETA (20 July): Um, right. If you'd like to contact me directly (like, say, if you're Joss Whedon. Or his assistant. Or if you have a tip but you don't want to join CrochetMe.com just to post it here), please start with kimATcrochetme.com.

ETA (29 July): The aforementioned Kiba has started an entire blog of Whedoncraft. Do peruse at your leisure.

It's that awesome time of year again: Interweave's having its hurt book sale! Hurt or overstocked books are 50-75% off until July 18th.

Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution is among them, at 50% off. Won't you save a copy from a fate at the shredder? Puhleeze?

Tonight I got an email that's left me doubled over laughing. I can't sleep because I keep giggling. I could send another reply to the inquirer and ask about the context, but I thought it might be a fun creative exercise to throw this open to the whole crochet community.

And so.

Rules:

• Write a 300-word (maximum) piece of fiction that ends with some form of the line "Do you have a crochet pattern for a pirate hat small enough to fit a goose?"
• Minor variations in grammar are acceptable, but the meaning must ring true.
• Leave a comment to this post with your entry.

I imagine just the thought of participating will be enticing enough, but I'll come up with some sort of prize. I'll arbitrarily close the contest, likely within a week.

Go.