I am excited to announce that my book, Picture Perfect Knits, will be released by Chronicle Books in Fall 2008!
From the book jacket:
With simple directions, helpful illustrations, and inspiring photos of the finished projects, Picture Perfect Knits makes it easy to learn the basics of intarsia, how to navigate the charts, and finally how to design your very own intarsia graphs for the ultimate in one-of-a-kind knits. It's easy, it's fun, and the results are totally picture perfect!
About Laura Birek
Welcome to LauraBirek.com! This is your one-stop shop to find out all you ever wanted to know about me.
As this site not-so-subtly suggests, I am indeed a writer, knitter, and web developer. I like to think of those descriptions in that specific order: above all, I am a writer. Writing is my first passion. If I had to give up knitting and web development, I grudgingly would, but not writing. To check out my clips and learn more about me as a writer, mosey on over to my writing page.
Thankfully, I haven't been asked to part with my yarn. Knitting is my second love—it is an obsession I discovered during my second year in college. My friends know I take knitting needles with me almost everywhere I go. On my knitting page you can see some pictures of my knitting projects. In the coming weeks I also plan on posting some original knitting patterns, so check back soon!
Web development is a skill that I mysteriously acquired over the past few years. Since 2003, I've become a pretty good HTML/CSS-smith (you know, like a wordsmith, but with code). Web design and coding has proven a useful skill, and as of now web development is my "day job." Though one day I'd like to support myself through writing alone, it is nice to have a marketable skill until the Pulitzer committee comes to their senses! I'm available for freelance web development, so if you're in the market for a new website, check out my web work section or shoot me an email.
When I'm not coding, knitting, or writing, you can probably find me hiking (see picture). I've been exploring the trails around Los Angeles, and in doing so I've come to really appreciate the beauty of Southern California. Speaking of SoCal, I also foster cats for the Southern California Siamese Rescue. If you're looking to adopt a cat, they're a great resource.
I hope you enjoy the site! Of course, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to say hello, visit my contact page.
-Laura Birek