- book_info

Renée in West Philly tomorow!

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:31:47 -0700

Ok, I am a total moron for not realizing this was happening SO SOON, so blame me for the last-minute-iness of this info.

On Thursday, February 21, Renée can be found at Chez Kyle Cassidy in West Philadelphia from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There will be books for sale and you can meet Renée. There will be some snacks and beverages. I hear that Renée will perform tricks upon request.

Please email Kyle at signing@kylecassidy.com for the address and directions.

Renée, don't forget to take a silver pen!

(Kyle is a bitchin' photographer we met in New York while at BEA '07. You can buy his book or hang out on his website.)

Update to The Lost Pages

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:16:44 -0700

We unearthed a comic that didn't make it to the book and posted it in The Lost Pages. Go look!

Full Prize Pack Goodness

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 22:37:28 -0700

1 Autographed Copy of Anticraft
1 Copy of The Underachiever's Manifesto
1 Gingher Dressmaker's Shears
1 SureBonder Ultra Glue Gun (high temp)
1 Bag of Adhesive Tech 30 Standard High-temp glue sticks
1 Skeleton Pez
3 Haunted Hollow Neon Glow Bracelets
3 Fimo Soft (red, black, white)
1 Simplicity Egg-centric Sew Kit
1 Wright's Twisted Princesses "Fabulously Evil" Iron-On Patch
1 Wright's Twisted Princesses "Bad Kitty" 1" Elastic (1yd)
6 skeins Knit Picks Main Line yarn (82yds/sk; 75% pima cotton, 25% merino)
1 Lexie Barnes Mondo Mini zippered clutch bag
6 novelty fat quarters
1 The String Doll Gang "Monster Man" doll
1 Creative Imaginations Signature Collection Epoxy Scrapbook Stickers
1 Cipolla Zombie Tote & Raven Clutch set
+ Mystery Hand-Dyed yarn from Robyn Wade of ReBelle!
+ Mystery Needles and Hooks!

And the winner is...!

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:01:45 -0700

We sat in front of Nes laptop for an entire hour and a half, our asses numbing and eyes bleeding. We were completely prepared to systematically evaluate and rank entriesno scribbled points on the back of napkins for us! (We used the back of an envelope. And a giant novelty pen.)

We rated each of the nine required items on a scale of 1 to 5, then added up to find a score out of 45 possible points. The person with the highest score was deemed the winner. Extra points were given or taken away based on our whims: attractiveness of models, organization or lack thereof, use of animals or fungi, sheer cheek, etc. Scoring each part separately means folks who werent strong in one area could make up for it in another.

In the end, it was an AntiCrafter going by the name of Pickled Kitty who fought her way to the top, edging out the competition by a mere two points. Pickles, this Buds for you.

(click here to see Pickles' prize-winning entry)

The Prize!

This is it folks, the mother load. Pickles has landed herself more craft stuff than you can shake a stick at. Unfortunately, Zabet was supposed to photograph the prize pack last night but had a hair-dyeing crisis and completely forgot, but we promise to remedy that by Saturday night. (Hey, we managed to do this on time!) Pickles' fabulous prize pack includes:

BDSM Pez Gimp (ok, really it's a Skeleton from Halloween, but look at the damn thing!)
"Bad Kitty" elastic
"Fabulously Evil" iron-on patch
Ginger dressmaking scissors
Randomly awesome fat quarters
Copy of The Underachiever's Manifesto
Autographed copy of the book! (You know which one we mean. Don't make us retype the title, it's effing long!)
Plus a whole bunch of other stuff that Zabet forgot to catalog last night so that she could tell you here! (Stuff like yarn and needles and hooks and random things.)

And to store it all in, a custom-designed and hand-made tote with notions bag by Marina of Cipolla (http://cipolla.etsy.com), which we DO have photos of because Marina sent us some! (Thanks, Marina!)

Congratulations, Pickles! Drop us a line at whinge@theanticraft.com so we can get your mailing address and send you your lovely goodies!

Book Release Parties!

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:00:44 -0700

You are cordially invited and subliminally coerced to attend any of three (free!) events that we are having to celebrate the release of The Book. Yes, they are all in Lexington, KY; no, we don't yet know if we're going to be sent forth to anywhere interesting. (But we promise to tell you as soon as we know if we are!)

Friday, December 7, 8pm-11pm
Release party at 3rd Street Cafe
We wrote most of the book there, so it's only right that we return to celebrate its release. Pat Gerhard, the owner and proprietress of 3rd Street Stuff, is graciously letting us take over the cafe and providing free refreshments. Renée and Zabet will be on hand to sign books (or sell you one if you haven't already got one - we're not as cheap as Amazon but we're cheaper than JoBeth and BN). There will be general asshattery, a door prize, and some crafty stuffs.

Saturday, December 8, 1pm-4pm
Signing at Joseph-Beth
We'll be at JoBeth (in Lexington Green, where Nicholasville Rd. and New Circle meet), signing books and showing off finished projects from the book. Zabet's mother (the Crazy Garden Lady) has promised to show up and embarrass her, so you know you don't want to miss it!

Saturday, December 8, 7pm-9pm
Afterpary at ReBelle
Located under Sqecial Media at 371 S. Limestone, the ReBelle girls, Sarah Hood and Robyn Wade, not only own the best damn LYS/~~hippie~~ natural parenting/gift shop in Lexington, not only let us have parties there, and not only are fucking fantastic in general, they both have awesome projects in The Book! So not only will Renée and Zabet be there to sign (or, again, sell) and schooze with, but two fabulous AntiCrafters will be there as well! To top it off, Raellyn Hatter (la Reine des Pâtisseries, if you will remember) is promising us eyeball cake. Only the lame will miss it! There will be more general asshattery, another door prize, and some more crafty stuffs.

Quick update for Ravelers

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:04:11 -0700

Ravelers can now add Anticraft: Knitting, Beading, and Stitching for the Slightly Sinister to their library.

Mmmmm, victi--er, we mean contestants!

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:50:30 -0700

I'm sure any other website would bemoan having seven people enter a contest, but for us, that's pretty damn good! Good on ya, AntiCrafters!

And now... to JUDGE you like the judgmental bitches we are. We'll get back to you when we're done. (Feel free to insert your own soundtrack of evil laughter here.)

CONTEST!!

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:05:06 -0700

Ok, y'all. We know you are not "joiners." Trust us, we understand that. But here's the deal: When you don't participate in our contests, it breaks our heart. And when our hearts are broken, we feel the need to boil your bunnies. Capeesh?

So, to celebrate the book coming out, we're having a contest with a really freakin' huge prize. It's freakin' huge for two reasons: 1) It's mostly funded by the publisher (thank you, F+W/North Light) and 2) we have a bunch of stuff left from the LAST time we tried to give you things for free but no one wanted to play. Basically it's all kinds of craft goodies, an awesome tote to carry them in, and a free copy of the book. What more could you want?

The contest this time is multi-layered and unnecessarily complex, as is our way. You would expect nothing less from us! But we have faith that you can do it.

Click here to check out the contest requirements, rules, and regs. You know you want to. All entries must be received by November 25, so get cracking!

Also, since I'm in press whore mode still . . .

renee@theanticraft.com (Renée Rigdon) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 09:20:25 -0700

From Publisher's Weekly, the article found here.

"This year's most irreverent take on the crafting trend may be F+W's AntiCraft: Knitting, Beading and Stitching for the Slightly Sinister (Dec.). Writers Renée Rigdon and Zabet Stewart prove that no subject's too ickythey offer a how-to on creating beaded necklaces with skullsor sticky. Their duct tape corset may not be typical, but then, a woman cannot live by cotton alone."

And finally, the notice we so richly deserve.

renee@theanticraft.com (Renée Rigdon) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 09:05:26 -0700

We're about halfway down the article, a brief mention, but hey, I'm a press whore.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has noticed the book.

We Came, We Saw, We Sweat

() — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:27:37 -0700

New York was apparently unseasonably warm over the weekend, which of course coincided with our visit.

The Booth

We spent the days wandering Book Expo America and working at our publisher's booth promoting the book. We handed out tshirts, stickers, temporary tattoos, and blads (leetle pre-prints that give you an idea of what the Book Layout And Design [BLAD!] will be like plus ISBN info, etc). We met Linda Woods and Karen Dinino of Visual Chronicles, Laurie Perry (aka Crazy Aunt Purl), and Zabet got to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka the Yarn Harlot) while Renee slept off a hangover. We heard later that Deb Stoller was there, but mysteriously we missed her!

Harlot-iness

In the evenings Renee partied with our fellow authors, doing true justice to an all-expense paid trip to New York, including a visit to the Empire State Building with Kyle Cassidy, Christina, Katz and Michael Demeng. Zabet took the much geekier and less alcohol-laden route (as she fears dehydration and nighttime leg cramps), going to see the nerd-rock bands Uncle Monsterface and Harry and the Potters, and attending an Irish trad session. (Trad = traditional folk music. Yes, she's that dorky. It can't be The Misfits all the time.)

In general, taxis rock, there was NOT enough water available, room service rocks in that supremely lazy sort of way, and being so hot that you have to peel your wet jeans off your sweaty ass is one of the worst ways to end the day. We would, of course, do it again in a heartbeat.

Today is a milestone.

() — Fri, 04 May 2007 12:42:12 -0700

We are extremely pleased with ourselves and the wonderful designers who lowered themselves to work with us. Though the book isn't scheduled for release until November 30, it is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

Anticraft: Knitting, Beading, and Stitching for the Slightly Sinister

Renée, as always, is completely composed at this news, though chainsmoking. Zabet is burbling like an idiot. We hope you are equally excited in your own way.

Nice to meet ya!

() — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 19:29:02 -0700

We are meeting our editor face-to-face for the first time this week. Gods bless telecommuting! But it will be nice to put a real face (rather than a photo) and a voice (rather than text) to the woman who has been working with us and been so supportive and excited on our behalf ('cause you know, we can't be excited because we are too busy being bitter and jaded, teehee).

Also, a random factoid: 261 legit comments have been made to this blog. Over 4,000 comments total have been made. Die, comment spam, die!! At least we're moderating now. Makes it easier.

Well and Truly Whelmed

zabet@theanticraft.com (Zabet Stewart) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:09:17 -0700

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have, in fact, not dropped off the face of the planet, and do intend to get back with every single person who sent in a proposal by the end of next week. (We are no stranger to rejection, and have always felt it most awful when no recognition at all was given.)

Everyone enjoy their ritual sacrifice tomorrow, and if it's not Thanksgiving in your part of the world, have a very nice Thursday.

[Edit for Update: We have both been struck down with plague this weekend and are behind schedule. Sorry for the delay, we're getting to people as fast as we can.]

Deadline Extention

() — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:02:44 -0700

Our gracious nature compels us to extend the deadline for project proposal submissions for the book to November 15, 2006.

It has nothing to do with email wonkiness and some folks not even finding out about it all until yesterday. Really. No, really. Ok, we're lying.