Monniblog

Earlier this autumn I heard about the FICTIONista project which is a collaborative of independent Canadian publishers to bring together female authors for meaningful book events. With the recently launched CWILA (Canadian Women in Literary Arts) drawing more and more attention to female writers and reviewers, I was happy to find out that FICTIONistas had been going since 2006.

Then I learned that for the 2013 edition, the project would have a theme known as FictionKNITstas and incorporate textile arts into the mix. I applied when I heard the call for knitters (PDF)—they wanted to pair each knitter with an author and their book.

The plan is to have the authors wear a handknit garment that relates somehow to her book during the tour. As knitters, we were sent a copy of the book to read and put in touch with the author to plot devise discuss a knitting scheme plan.

I was so thrilled to be selected, although I am a pathetically slow knitter. I will be knitting for Stella Harvey, author of Nicolai’s Daughters. I finished the book in late November and will be posting a review soon.

Stella and I emailed and because the book takes place mostly in Greece, she felt the yarn should be blue as it is an important colour in Greek culture. We also emailed about garments and items mentioned in the book as well as recurring themes. I’ll be keeping the final pattern choice a surprise until I get yarn and pattern confirmation from the FictionKNITstas organizing team. But if you want to postulate, Stella had a great interview with The Vancouver Sun a couple weeks ago discussing the inspiration and themes in the book.

If you’re interested in the other participating authors and books, Amber of Coteau Books (who is the main contact for the project) has posted a list for FictionKNITstas on 49th Shelf.