Now that spring is in full swing, I’m getting to garden for the first time in my life in our new backyard. A few weeks back I planted some zinnia seeds that my mom sent me, and it looks like they’re finally coming up!

Of course, the gnomes didn’t hesitate to take over and claim this as their own work.

It occurs to me that gardening might be a bit like knitting, in that you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want, and it’s a rewarding pastime either way. I’m starting simple with these seeds, plus basil, tomato, and pepper plants that I just put in yesterday. I can’t wait to see what it all looks like in another month or two!

Gardeners: maybe I

It’s time to pick two people to win copies of the Korean edition of Super-Scary Mochimochi! 11 of you who speak Korean or know someone who does left comments on my post from last week for the giveaway. (I’m not counting my dad, who commented to say that I’m going to need more books, or the other person who commented to say that my dad is amusing.)

And our two randomly-selected winners are…

commenter number 5, Salleigh:

I did independent study of Korean while at university, and also attended the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, CA, to study Korean. I was stationed in Korea off and on for 7 years as well. I would love a copy of your book so I can learn Korean knitting terminology :)

and commenter number 3, Maria:

My Korean friend would love a book like this and I’m sure her kids would love to have a few super scary mochis.

Congrats, winners! I’ll be emailing you two soon for your addresses.

And if any of you happen to be in Korea and spot this book in the wild (at a bookstore or library), please snap a photo and send it to me! In fact, that goes for any foreign-language edition of any of my books. With each one, the mochis are getting a little bit closer to world domination!

I can hardly believe I’m typing these words, but the book photo shoot is officially wrapped! After 11 straight days of work and 3,175 frames taken, Brandi and I finally tore down the last set with bittersweet feelings late Saturday night. (I only just now have the energy to blog about it.)

Tomorrow I go home to Chicago, where I just might sleep for 3 days straight before finishing up the rest of the work on this book. Of course, every book I’ve written has been a big challenge, but this one has been a challenge of an entirely different nature. My hope is that all the work will result in something pretty cool and unique in 2015.

For those of you who have been waiting for an email or other reply from me in the past few weeks, thank you for your patience. I’ll be back to a more normal life and work schedule soon!

Happy Easter weekend, everyone!

If you’re looking for some last-minute quick knits, check out our FREE springtimey patterns for Grass, Tiny Chickens, Snails & Slugs, and Tiny Baby Bunnies.