handmade by stefanie

Let me preface this blog post by stating that, on the whole, I am perturbed by the majority of reissues and updated editions of books and albums. They irritate my frugal sensibilities - whether it's intended or not, the consumer has to purchase a copy of something they already own if they want access to the shiny new bells and whistles. This can be a double-edged sword for completists like myself (and my husband, an incurable vinyl nerd - but that's another story entirely): while it's frustrating to buy something you already own, it can be quite edifying to watch the bonus DVD that is included with the reissue, or hear the two new tracks, or knit the new pattern....you get the idea. Reissues in the world of music definitely have more of a money-grubbiness feeling (at least to me), the likes of which I haven't seen here in the knitting world. However, there is one knitting book that has been plaguing me for quite some time: the updated edition of Nancy Bush's Fol...

First off, let's start with the disclaimer: as a new affiliate, I was given a special code to create my first Blurb book for free using a preview of their new Designer Photo Book Template . The catch? I had less than a week to use the promo code, which meant that my first book with Blurb would be a whirlwind! I decided that the best place to start would be with my back catalog of patterns, so after much internal debate, I decided to do a sock retrospective called Super Socks! (what do you want? I was under a deadline). From start to finish, everything was totally easy and user-friendly. I used Bookify to drag and drop each page's graphics (I converted the PDF pages to PNGs for speed, I admit) and added in text and graphics elsewhere as need, easy peasy. Once I was done, I listed it for sale to the general public; all you have to do is order the first copy and set your price, then folks can choose which type of book they'd like to order. I myself ordered the hardcov...