Memory is out now…

Yes! It is September 18, 2023, and that means it is now official! Memory – another book from The Guy with the Hook is out now. Although many of you had the luck to have it a few days earlier in possession, and I even see people start making projects out of the book already, today was the intended day to release the book officially. And so we are gonna do that! It is a burden from my shoulders mixed with proud and happy feelings. I will explain some more in this post further on about the process and the how and why. So, let’s start!

I announced the official release of Gallery with the video above, which also gives a nice view of some of the projects that can be found in the new book. More important maybe is the chosen song of the video – which is My Paragon by Floor Jansen. Paragon is probably the only word that can relate to the essence of the book for me personally. As I explained over the last months this book was withdrawn in an early stage from a publisher, and I took on the job of creating it all by myself, I didn’t want to tag along once more with other third parties as the outcome so far over the years never ended up that I – the creator and designer of these works got the fair share of credits. And yes, I realize I couldn’t compare myself to a theme of professionals so this third book would look slightly different than the other two before. In the end, it would be my book and my book alone even with some changes, and imperfections, and my energy level withdrawn to minus ten.

I also knew when creating this third book, it would be my last. Three books in three years (actually four if we count Crochet Journey with it) is a lot and dreams have come true. I feel it is time to focus on a new way and the most important thing I wanted was to create some legacy of my own which now results in Journey, Gallery, and, Memory. A triple combination of who I am and what my abilities are in all facets. So, this third book which is created totally on my own is the best close-up I could create. It definitely feels like I close the chapter of making books with a bang as Memory feels truly as my paragon.

Over the last few days, I also have felt, read, and seen there is more criticism on this third book. Maybe it happened because I have been more open and honest about how this book was created and how hard the path was to get this book out? I have read many comments, personal emails, and private messages through my stores from people who liked to share their opinions with me on the book. All of them started with a credit, and then they felt the need to express one or two things they didn’t like. For one person it would be the choice of paper, someone else didn’t like dark colors, and another did find the fonts used too small. I respect someone’s opinion and criticism is something that will be always there. But….there is a big but….when creating a book, I don’t start by thinking, what would everyone in this world like the most. That is something a large company would do and the world of commerce thrives on it. They intend to sell stuff to a larger group of human beings in a way most of us are happy with and in general want to buy it. Memory – and all other works of the past from my side, are made out of my head. My creativity and inspiration. The books and patterns are literally who I am and made in the way I feel I need to create them. So, I do hope all these people full of criticism realize that a book like Memory is created out of authenticity. And for sure, you might disapprove of some things I chose to do, but respect it and understand it is part of my personal algorithm. And by saying this, know you actually offend someone by doing it. There is no need to feel the urge to tell someone in personal words how miserable you think he did his job. Most of the people who have a very strong opinion on what they don’t like are often the people who never ever could create something out of scratch.

Of course, there are also many, many, many people who like Memory and the projects out of it. And I intend to focus on you guys as you rock my world. As my first book Journey/Crochet Journey was so treasured due to the fact I wrote down my personal travel stories, I felt we needed a return to this topic in Memory. Although my traveling days are behind me and the urge to discover and wander has slowed down over the last years, I have so many memories of the past from places I visited. I worked to live and travel – explore new places. And so, this third book’s title was easy. As you literally explore my memory of many visited places. For sure, I connected some new crochet patterns to each memory made and that is the idea behind this third book. If you might be curious to find out what is in this third book, please visit the page to find out. On the link you can find an overview video on the book and all projects out of the book:

Memory book page

If you still haven’t ordered the book, or are in doubt about where to get it… let me tell you. As the book is once again also adopted by Scheepjes, all Scheepjes retailers all over the world have the possibility to order it and stock it. And in the meantime, I see the Memory book popping up like mushrooms in Autumn in many online stores. So, wherever you live on our planet, there will be a Scheepjes dealer in your country who will probably offer it.

And if not, you can also get it in my Etsy shop. I ship worldwide and the book has made it so far to 37 countries, so feel free to order it from my side as well. If you would like it signed by me, you can also let me know in the comments of your order. That’s an extra which you can’t get from other stores “)

Etsy shop The Guy with the Hook

Well, do I need to say more? No, I do hope you will enjoy this third and last book from me, and for sure a lot of work is being prepared behind the scenes to release in the near future. For now, let’s just take a moment and celebrate the launch of my paragon – Memory!