Wednesday, June 18, 2014

June Authors Who Knit: Diane J. Reed

Today we'll meet another of the authors who will be joining me for "Get Crafty With an Author" at Denver's ROMCON later this week.  DestiKNITters, meet Diane J. Reed.
Diane, what’s on your needles right now? 
Big chunky scarves in fun and silly colors! I love adding a little extra flair to my sweaters in the winter with charming scarves, and I really enjoy soft textures around my neck. Plus with two young kids, short projects like scarves are something I can actually finish in between writing, school volunteering and heading up Boy Scout outings :D

What feels like your favorite/greatest knitting accomplishment? 
Without a doubt, my greatest knitting accomplishment was a green Aran sweater with complex cabling called the "St. Brigid" design by Alice Starmore, which I knitted for my beloved twin sister for our birthday. Lord have mercy, that one took quite a while, but what a beautiful sweater it is! She wears it on foggy days when she rides her horses, and it always makes me proud. I also love an ivory sweater that I knitted from wool I brought straight from a farming woman in New Hampshire who sheared and spun wool from her own Romney sheep. It was really fun to meet the sheep that the wool came from! 

What feels like the worst knitting mistake/foible/wrong choice you’ve ever made? 
I have one word for you: Acrylic. I'm not a big fan of acrylic fibers because after all the work you put into knitting, it tends to ball up on you and make you feel like you're wearing a plastic bag. It simply doesn't breathe well. So even though it costs less to buy, for me it's always been a mistake to go cheap and knit with acrylic. I love the feel, durability, and breathability of natural fibers like wool, cotton and linen.

Straight or circular needles?
Circular! That way my projects don't fall off my needles as easily.

Metal or wood needles? 
I love metal because those points slip through fiber so easily and you can knit really fast. I just like their sleek feel.

White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate? 
Dark! I could eat unsweetened chocolate bars, especially if they're made by Callibaut, and I often buy 85% chocolate by Lindt or Ghirardelli.

Coffee or tea? 
Both! I still have tea parties with my imaginary friends ; )

Have you written a knitting character? 
You know, I never have, but a lot of my characters have hand quilted. I can't help but put some form of homespun art into my novels! For me, they represent beautiful pieces of soul, and the quilts often have hidden, spiritual meanings.

What’s the last thing anyone would suspect about your most recent book? 
Stone of Thieves appears on the surface to be a sexy, new adult romance that's a thrill ride in terms of action. But underneath, it's a piercingly soulful book about a young woman discovering who she really is through learning from an older gypsy how to truly become a woman and rely on her intuition. Of course, it doesn't hurt that her hot boyfriend is there every step of the way to keep readers interested! 

If you'd like to learn more about Diane and her books, visit her website.  Just to be clear: Diane's books cover mature themes and are not suitable for younger or more sensitive readers.

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