Thursday Sisterhood with Allie Pleiter

Family Status: married with one child just out of college and another child just going in 

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Coffee, followed closely by the SteakNShake Mocha milkshake

What Is Your Favorite Food: Now that my doctor’s asked me to cut back on the chocolate, I’m really into French macarons and lemon meringue pie (but I still love chocolate).

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: Knit!  I’m an avid knitter.  I even write a knitting blog called DestiKNITions.

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life: I can’t really identify one person.  I had wonderful high school English and drama teachers who gave me my love of the written and spoken word, but many people in my life now have been great influences as well.

First Book You Fell in Love With: Believe it or not, it was John Garder’s Grendel in high school.  I love old epic poetry, and that book turned my perspective on its head by taking the Beowulf story and telling it from the monster’s point of view.  It changed how I viewed the possibilities of story.

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.  So imaginative and enthralling!

First Book Published: My first non-fiction was Becoming A Chief Home Officer from Zondervan.  My first inspirational novel was Bad Heiress Day from Steeple Hill Cafe.

Most Recent Book: The Lawman’s Oklahoma Sweetheart - the finale of the Bridegroom Brothers multi-author continuity series

Out Next: A Heart to Heal, book four in my Gordon Falls series

How Many Have You Written: 23

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: Your path is unique to you.  Everyone will craft their careers differently, and if you want staying power than you need to be smart but also true to yourself.  You can learn from the author next to you, but you can’t imitate her.

What is Your Favorite Bible Story: Joseph—I’ve directed too many versions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat not to love that great comeback story.

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

What is Your Favorite Hymn: O Come O Come Emanuel

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: For my two children to find their unique, happy paths as one enters college and the other enters the “real world.”

Readers are everywhere!

Knitters line up for my novels at VogueKnitting Live

Those of you who know me understand my passion for knitting.  I’ve been spending the last few years discovering what I always knew:  readers and knitters and knitters are readers!  Still, it’s fun to share one’s love of books in a non-literary setting, and this past Saturday I got to do just that as I gave out copies of my newest novel THE FIREFIGHTER'S MATCH.

Since so many of my novels contain knitting characters, I discover lots of new readers at events like VogueKnitting Live, the yarn and fiber arts conference hosted in Chicago (and other cities) for the past two years.  Several of the yarn shops I feature in my knitting blog “DestiKNITions” are kind enough to host book giveaways for me.  It’s always great fun to watch a person’s eyes light up when they realize you are giving them a book--especially a romance that shares their love of knitting.  Some of them are brand new to Love Inspired and thank me for introducing them to the line.  We always end up chatting, sharing favorite books and new yarn purchases, and having great fun.

Introducing a new reader to the Love Inspired line

Those of us who love books know that fondness extends beyond the bookstore or the library.  We’re the people who stop folks on the bus or at the airport with questions like “What are you reading?” “Did you like it?” or “Oh, that was one of my favorites!”

Look in my handbag at any given moment, and two things will always be in there:  a book and some knitting.  I’m ready for a few moments of bliss no matter where I am!  

Knit Brock's Hero Hat from Alaskan Hero!

Happy Monday, everyone! Alaskan Hero, my latest book for Love Inspired, is on the shelves now. In addition to being chock full of snow, romance, avalanche search-and-rescue dogs and goofy grizzly bear costumes, this book also features one of my favorite hobbies - knitting!

I learned how to knit last year as one of my New Year's resolutions, so I couldn't resist putting my heroine, Anya Petrova, in a church knitting group that knits warm winter hats for underpriviledged folks living in the hard to reach areas of Alaska. Along the way, she also knits a crazy striped hat for the hero, Brock Parker. And that hat ends up helping save someone's life.

No, I won't tell you who! It's a surprise.

If you'd like to try knitting Brock's hero hat, here's a special pattern that my knitting teacher was kind enough to create for the release of Alaskan Hero... Happy knitting and reading!

BROCK’S HERO HAT

Pattern and photos by Wendy Pohlhammer

Skill level: Easy

To fit head size: 20” (22”, 24”)

Yarn used: Worsted-weight 100% wool, such as Cascade 220 or Ella Rae Classic, needs about 60 grams each of red and off-white and small amounts of yellow, teal, orange, & royal blue.

Knitting needles: 16” US size 8 (5 mm) circulars & US size 8 (5 mm) double-pointed needles.

Tools: stitch markers, scissors, darning needle, pompom maker

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4” in stockinette

Work as follows:

With red, cast on 80 (90, 100) stitches on circular needle.  Join to work in the round, placing a marker at the beginning of the round.  Work k 2, p 2 ribbing for 4 inches.

Change to white and knit (stockinette) for 6 rounds.

Continue color pattern as follows: 4 rounds yellow, 6 rounds white, 4 rounds teal, 6 rounds white, 4 rounds orange, 6 rounds white, 4 rounds red, 6 rounds white, 4 rounds blue, 6 rounds white.  On last row of white, place markers as follows:* K 16 (18, 20), place marker, repeat from * to end of round.

Work decreases as follows, beginning with yellow:

Round 1: * k2tog, k to marker, slip marker, repeat from * to end of round.

Round 2: knit

Repeat these two rounds until 30 stitches remain, keeping the following color progression: 2 more rounds yellow (for a total of 4 rounds of yellow), 6 rounds white, 4 rounds orange, 6 rounds white (end of small size); med & large continue with 4 rounds teal (end of med size); large only continue with 4 rounds white.

To finish: Break yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail.  Thread tail through remaining stitches and pull tight.  Bring yarn to inside and take a few stitches across closure to secure.  Weave in all ends.

Make a 2 ½ inch wide pompom, following the instructions on the pompom maker.  Attach pompom to top of hat.

© Wendy Pohlhammer, 2013.

Crafts and Craftie Ladies

Hi everyone!

Rhonda Gibson here.

I was thinking... yes a dangerous task I know anyway ... I was thinking, what do my sister Craftie ladies do for fun when they aren't writing? Then I got a little more specific, what kinds of crafts do they do?

You see, Winter time is when I craft the most. My favorite craft to do is beading. I make beaded jewelry. I'm not real fancy but I do have fun with it and it relaxes me. Just this last week, I made a pair of earrings and a bracelet for a friend for a birthday present. She loves lighthouses and the color blue. I was going to post a picture but it doesn't look like it will let me here... so if you want to see it go to Rhonda's Ramblings and have a look.

Now on to what some of my Craftie Ladie friends are crafting!

Debra Ullrick reported that she enjoys drawing. She does Western Art with charcoal.

Christina Rich says my youngest dd and I love making scarves. See their creations here.

Jo Ann Ferguson enjoys knitting, lately she's been making personalized Christmas stockings for each new member of the family (baby or bride/groom).

Cheryl St. John makes jewelry and Valentine's once a year.

Allie Pleiter says "Most of you know how passionate I am about knitting.  I've written a knitting and travel blog for three years: destiKNITions.blogspot.com. I'm NEVER without yarn and needles!"

Deborah Hale here: "I used to do cross-stitch. The last projects I did were individual stockings for my four children. I would love to get back to it and scrap booking if I had more time. About the only crafts I do these days are sometimes at Christmas when I make an ornament or two for my tree. This year I made half-a-dozen new decoupage egg ornaments which turned out really nice. Here's a link to a picture from Cheryl's Christmas tree tour"

So now it's your turn! Tell us what crafts you enjoy doing!!

Allie Pleiter on Faith and Sock Heels

Faith and sock heels

I thought I'd share with you a piece that I wrote for fellow author Cara Putnam's blog last month.  It's a personal favorite. 

I’m often asked where my story-lines come from, how I pull my unusual plot lines out of the mist of my muse.  I know people are looking for some stunning formula, some admirable technique, but I haven’t got one.  I just pull on a threat and start unraveling, following where it leads.

I was standing in the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL, looking for a thread to tug.  I knew I wanted to write about WWI, but not much more than that.  My knitter’s eye caught a WWII olive sweater vest in an exhibit, and when I read the description “hand made according to a Red Cross pattern,” I knew I’d found it.  A little more research turned up the WWI “Knit Your Bit” Red Cross knitting campaign poster to produce wool socks for soldiers, and the rest is HOMEFRONT HERO.

Wounded war hero John Gallows finds himself in the unenviable position of having to learn to knit socks in public so that boys will join the ranks of Red Cross knitters.  You can imagine his lack of enthusiasm.  Nurse Leanne Sample takes her knitting very seriously, and isn’t about to let an arrogant poster boy make fun of her efforts.  She sees through Gallows’s bravado to his very deep pain.  It takes faith on both their parts to see why they make good partners.

At one point in every knitter’s life comes the challenge to “turn a heel,” or do those wondrous stitches that take a two-dimensional tube around a corner to make a three-dimensional sock.  It’s complicated as a whole, but simple when taken in small steps.  It looks daunting--and it is.  But it is doable, and a wonderful thing when accomplished.  Still, a knitter has to have faith in her instructions and in the truth that each row builds toward an end she might not yet see.

Sound like life?  Sound like faith?

John’s journey to making a sock isn’t about yarn and needles at all...it’s the perfect metaphor for his journey toward Christ, toward love, and toward healing (or in this case is it “heeling”?)

I hope you’ll enjoy this tale of wartime love that’s so near and dear to my romance-writing, sock-knitting, story-collecting heart!

Allie Pleiter and the real story behind "Bluegrass Easter"

Last time I wrote, I promised you the “true story” behind Bluegrass Easter. It should provide a giggle to your day--I know I’ve told the story a dozen times this month already and it still makes me smile.

I’m a serious knitter. There are miles and miles of yarn in my house, and I’m almost never sitting down without needles in my hands. So, as you can imagine, I’ve become friendly with lots of fiber folk nearby. One of these was the lovely store Esther’s Place in Big Rock Illinois, and its charming owners Donna and Natasha. Aside from the store (which is also a bed and breakfast--can you say weekend getaway?), they also run a small farm nearby with, you guessed it, sheep.

I received an email from Esther’s Place one day last year, asking for prayers for the upcoming lambing season. It seems my friends were in for many more lambs than planned. The reason why? Well, the farm’s one ram had taken his job description seriously. Very seriously. In a shockingly short span of time, our hero managed to get romantic with every single ewe on the farm. Every single one. And ewes often give birth to twins. So the flock was going to do more than double in a short span of time. It’s hard to tell sheep are pregnant until you shear them and get all that wool off them, so surprise pregnancies aren’t than rare. This, though, was on an epic scale.

I ask you, could any knitting romance author--especially one who’d been recently asked to propose an Easter novella--leave such a story alone???

I can’t think of a better farewell to my beloved Kentucky Corners series than to send Middleburg’s control-freak librarian into a similar situation. So my dear knitting Audrey Lupine (which, a reader just told me, is a word that means wolf! How amazing is that?) has a “ca-lamb-ity” of massive proportions to contend with in addition to all of Middleburg’s traditional craziness. Mix in one handsome trying-to-leave-his-practice-behind veterinarian who conveniently moves in next door, and all I had to do was sit back and let the fur fly....er, the fleece fly.

Like I said, I giggle every time I think about it.