This book is dedicated to the memory of Rose Levine, my loving grandmother, who taught me how to knit and never seemed to notice when I broke the rules.
I would like to thank my husband, John, and daughter Hallie for their patience and support and for tolerating yarn all over the house and to Hallie, who has been my beautiful model for so long. I would also like to thank my parents, Thelma and David, for always encouraging me and liking everything I ever made.
Many people have helped me along the way, but I thank my test knitting “posse” for always believing in me—every piece in this book was test knitted at least three times, thanks to Cara Baustian, Dawn Gayer, Mary Rose, and Sue Elkind. Thanks to Margaret Carroll, who not only helped with test knitting, but who also stepped in as my business consultant; to Beth Sunderland who helped with test knitting, and to FloraCreate for test knitting and the wonderful Coeur sample!
I thank Sandra Burkett for her support over many years, her never-ending encouragement, and for the great face shot.
Thanks also go to Allison Korleski for giving me this opportunity and to Ann Budd and the entire team at Interweave for their hard work to make this book a reality.
I thank my Thursday evening knitting group and Spin & Eat for fiber friendships that have been long lasting.
Special thanks go to Jane and Ken at Jade Sapphire, for not only yarn but also encouragement and friendship; Bev Elicerio at Land O Lace and Lara Downey at Lara’s Creations for their yarn support and friendship; and Crystal Palace, Malabrigo, Manos, Sweet Georgia, Madeline Tosh, Cascade, and Classic Elite for their generous yarn support.
Finally, I thank my feline muse and blocking companion LucyFur; she is gone but not forgotten.
A note about the samples in this book: All samples were knitted by the author except the Couer d’Amour sample worked in Lacey Lamb, which was knitted by FloraCreate.