This blog post is a few weeks late because both JC and I are insanely busy, but I wanted to give you all a chance to get to know JC Briar a bit better. She's fascinating! And the process of writing and self-publishing a book is fascinating, so here is JC's take on the process:

Can you give us a bit of your personal background and how you got into knitting?

Like a surprising number of knitting teachers, I'm mostly self-taught. I learned the very basics of knitting while I was an exchange student in Chile the summer after I graduated from high school, but then for several years I knit by myself—I simply didn't know any other knitters. My sole reference was The Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. In true Reader's Digest fashion, its chapter on knitting is rather comprehensive, covering everything from how to hold the yarn to how to design for yourself. So, right from the get-go, I designed everything that I knit—remember, I didn't know other knitters, so I didn't know people bought patterns! Most of my early sweaters were terribly oversized and boxy, but gradually I learned from my mistakes and began knitting custom-fit sweaters, socks, gloves, and more.

What was the inspiration for the book Charts Made Simple?

Charts have always fascinated me. So much information in a compact space! Not only does a good chart tell you what to do, but it shows you what the end result ought to look like.

And yet, to my amazement, many knitters dislike or even fear charts. My love of charts is so deep that I feel the need to wipe that fear away with a little gentle instruction. It's worked in the classes I've taught. And now, with the book, it's working across a wider audience.

How long did the book take, start to finish?

It took a while—at least a year—to find the right scope for the book. Initially, the book was to cover writing charts as well as reading them, but then I realized a smaller, more focused book was the right choice: a more manageable project, and a way to answer a very specific need in the knitting community.

Once I finally narrowed the scope, I spent another year writing in odd moments between teaching opportunities and tech-editing jobs. In that year, I completed the rough drafts of only three chapters. At that rate, it didn't seem like the book would ever get done, so I quit tech editing—and promptly finished writing the initial draft in another four months. After about another five months of reviews, edits, and the myriad decisions involved in self-publishing, the book was finally ready to go to the printer.

So, all told... let's call it three years.

What did you like about the process?

I loved going through stitch dictionaries and pattern magazines to find just the right stitch pattern, just the right chart, to illustrate the various points I wanted to make. I loved drawing the charts and diagrams, always aiming for clarity. And I loved laying the book out, putting all the pieces on the pages. In short, I loved playing around visually in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.

What didn't you like about the process?

At times, the actual writing was like pulling teeth. Finding those few succinct paragraphs that would get a point across clearly was tough. I didn't want to gloss over any subtleties, yet I didn't want to get bogged down in rare corner cases either. So sometimes choosing what to say kept my mind spinning in circles. I remember thinking, "I don't want to write a book, I want to have written a book."

How did you keep yourself motivated while working on the book?

By remembering all the people that I had told I was writing a book! Once making the goal public, I felt I had to finish.

What do you say to someone who doesn't like to use charts?

First I ask them why they don't like charts. Then I counter whatever excuse they conjure up. If they say the symbols all look like arbitrary squiggles, I point out that each symbol in some way looks like the stitch it represents--that makes it easier to remember what each symbol means. If they say they lose their place in a chart, I suggest placing a straightedge over the row they're currently working, so they can follow along that row more easily while still being able to compare it to the previous rows. And so on.

Are you working on any other books?

Sure! Now that Charts Made Simple will get the entire knitting community hooked on reading charts, don't you think a book on writing charts is in order too? How to convert written instructions to a chart, and use the chart for flat or in-the-round knitting. How to use charts to figure out exactly what "at the same time," "reverse all shaping," and "shape in pattern" mean. And maybe, if I can figure out how to squeeze it in, how to tweak stitch patterns or even come up with your own stitch patterns. Or maybe that'll be a third book.

What are your favorite kinds of knitting?

For me, textured knitting—be it cables, lace, or something else—trumps colorwork almost every time. But it can be fun to mix color into textured knitting, with multi-colored brioche stitches or with stitch patterns that make the most of hand-painted yarn. I guess you could say that it's all fair game.

What do you do for fun when you aren't knitting?

Ooh, so many choices. Travel. Cooking and baking. Watching movies. Keeping fit through swimming and yoga. And—inspired by the Sock Hop at Sock Summit 2009—hula hooping. If Sock Summit 2011 has a Sock Hop, I'll be prepared this time!

Thanks, JC. I hope someone has a video camera at the Sock Hop this year!