Monthly Archives: October 2014

Kung Fu Knits, Elizabeth Green Musselman, Cooperative Press, 2014.

Digital download: $9.95
Paperback: $15.95 (comes with the digital download if purchased through Cooperative Press)

Elizabeth was sweet enough to answer some questions for me for the blog tour.

Steph: Does Liam knit yet?

Elizabeth: He has learned to knit, because he’s one of those delightful kids who’s curious about just about everything, but it hasn’t really “taken.” He talked me into letting him knit a scarf out of Malabrigo Worsted as his first project, and it’s been languishing for a couple of years. I think I’m going to quietly reclaim that yarn.

The crafts he really enjoys are sewing and weaving—the mechanical aspect of it is really fun to him. He sewed a great messenger bag for himself out of his old kung-fu belts, actually!

How do you balance knitterly details — stuff that makes a knitter want to knit your patterns — with the thought that men & boys may prefer simpler knits?

That is always the foremost thought in my mind as I design for guys. My patterns focus on knitterly details and unusual constructions that make the knitting process fun for the maker—but the end result looks constrained and classic so that it will appeal to a wide variety of wearers.

For example, I have designed a couple of men’s sweaters (the Colonel Henley and Bailey Island Cardigan) that both start with a very unusual and fun-to-knit top-down, saddle-shoulder construction.

That said, I do also like to cater to men and boys who have more adventurous tastes in clothing. So while the Colonel Henley looks like a classic military-style henley (despite the unusual construction), the Bailey Island Cardigan has an asymmetrical zipper running diagonally across the chest.

Does Liam still cook scrambled eggs for breakfast tacos? (Note: my husband & I visited Elizabeth and her family a few years ago, and Liam was excited to be cooking us brunch.)

Hahaha! Yes. He absolutely loves to cook, especially after hearing the very charismatic celebrity chef Fabio Viviani at a book signing a couple of years ago. He even asked for a pasta maker for his tenth birthday. You can believe he got it.

I guess we’ll be visiting expecting dinner next time!  Will you be doing another comics-themed collection?

I plan to, though I’ll have to find another model, since my son is rapidly entering teenage sizes. I’m thinking about a breakdance-themed collection for the next book.

What else is next on the horizon?

For men, I’m planning a series of classic sweater patterns (v-neck raglan, saddle-shoulder pullover, shawl collar cardigan, etc.) that will contain detailed instructions about how to adapt the instructions for the wearer’s measurements, personal style, and so on. They’ll include links to video tutorials for any advanced techniques.

Even more immediately, I’m collaborating with one of my favorite indie dyers on a collection of patterns for the whole family. They’ll be unisex in style and sized from small children up to men’s XL. The planning process with the dyer has been so much fun! We’re planning to release the collection in October 2015.

I’m so excited to see what you have in store!  Thank you, Elizabeth, for the great interview!

Would you like a chance to win your own digital copy of Kung Fu Knits?  Make a comment on this post noting your favorite design from AND your favorite design by Elizabeth not from Kung Fu Knits by midnight PST October 22nd for a chance to win!  (Check out all of Elizabeth’s designs here.)

See something you want right now? From now until the end of November, the coupon code kfklaunch will take 15% off all of Elizabeth’s self-published patterns.

Visit all the blog tour stops:

• 22 September     Mixed Martial Arts & Crafts
• 24 September     Fibretown podcast
• 28 September     Must Stash podcast
• 29 September     Through the Back Loops
• 2 October            Through the Looking Glass
• 5 October            The Knitgirllls podcast
• 10 October          Makewise Designs
• 15 October          Sunset Cat Designs (you’re here!)
• 17 October          Joeli’s Kitchen podcast
• 22 October          Slate Falls Press
• 3 November        Wattsolak

Kung Fu Knits is available on the Cooperative Press website and on Ravelry (as digital download only), and will also soon be listed on Amazon, Etsy, Craftsy, and Patternfish. Individual patterns will become available about a year after original publication.

I received my copy of Kung Fu Knits from the author.  My opinions are my own.