When Bad Things Happen...

I could cry. I went to move the sts a bit to count how many are on a side (I want to do a seed st border) and my needle separated! Thankfully my box of needles is always close on my end table and I grabbed a narrow one to quickly collect the sts on the needle end and that had dropped between the broken cable and needle end. But! Gah! So close to the end!! Seriously, like 5-6 rnds. Here's some of the orphaned sts and the broken end of the cable:

The heart marker is the start of the rnd so 22 sts into it where the cable and needle end broke apart. *sigh*

In case you're wondering, I use fixed circular needles as I've never seen interchangeables "in the wild". I'm not opposed to trying them, if I can find one separate from a set and not have to pay an arm and a leg in shipping and exchange.

This is my current giftmas present, a blanket for furry-niece Silver Belle whose official 5th birthday is coming up fast on the 23rd. The yarn is a single ball of Red Heart Roll With It Sparkle in the colorway "Magic". This yarn is very nice to work with; the metallic strand isn't sharp or stiff as it sometimes can be. And at 561yds to a ball, it's perfect for a baby blanket in this case for a feline baby! lol

So this is on hold until Thursday when I can get another long (minimum 29") 4.5mm circular needle. 

At least my Fasten Off Yarn-a-Long project is coming along nicely! My Twist Again by Robynn Weldon is going so well :) I'm absolutely loving working on it. I chose Bernat Satin in "grape" for it and I can already tell it's going to be a new favorite to wear. I haven't given it as much attention as I'd like as I want to finish up Miss Silver's blankie but for the next couple days I can. Here's the front cable panel:

Not much to see yet, I know. I'll update when I have more to show off.

Are you participating in Fasten Off this year? I'm always curious what patterns everyone has been drawn to. There are so many fabulous participating designers and gorgeous patterns; I've added a few new ones to my wishlist. For instance Sarah Dawn Designs' Celtic Hood🔗 (Link is to the pattern page on Payhip) or Gladys the Sheep from bunnymuff🔗 (Link is to the pattern page on Payhip). Anything interesting on your needles or hooks right now, for gifts or yourself? Do tell! Sometimes I think collecting patterns is a separate hobby to the actual making of things lol! 

In case you can't tell, I'm in a bit of a holiday state of mind right now. I've been doing some behind the scenes KDRDesigns work in preparation for 2022 but currently don't have any announcements for you. Be patient, yarn friends ;) The New Year will upon us very soon!

Yours in yarn with a broken circular needle (sigh),

Síle

Fastening Off While Looking Ahead

Have you checked out the Fasten Off Yarn-a-Long database of designers and patterns yet? The sale portion ends tomorrow, December 6th! Already?! Time really does fly when you're having fun :) Here's the link to the official site where you can find all the details and the fabulous database: Fasten Off Yarn-a-Long🔗

Don't fret though; the a-Long portion goes to 11:59pm EST on New Year's Eve, and the chatter will continue for the first few days of 2022 if the first Fasten Off is anything to go by. C'mon and join us! 

Fasten Off going through to the New Year has been giving thoughts for KDRDesigns and 2022. I didn't release anything new in 2021. 2022 is going to be busy!

Here's a peek at my plans and some ideas I'm considering:

1. I'm in the midst of changing up the look of my patterns. Nothing important is changing about them, to be clear. A better layout, with my logo added on, plus new (and frankly way better) photos are on the way! I'm excited about this refresh. My hope is to have this done early in the new year. 

2. I'll be looking for test-knitters for the first pattern I'll be publishing in 2022. I'll have a post here and on Instagram when that's ready to go. I'm working on the sample currently,  and then it has to go to my brilliant techeditor before I can even think about giving it to test-knitters. And yes, that means a new dance pattern coming out! 

3. I'm toying with a mystery knit-a-long. I think I could run it via Instagram. It's a scarf so I'd be timing it for September/October, right in time for the cooler weather. We'll see if it comes together right! 

4. Depending on how quickly samples get knit, there could be at least 2 additional test-knit opportunities for 2022! And that would be 2 more pattern releases. You're all going to get sick of me in 2022! ;) 

That's how 2022 is summing up!

Don't forget to check out the Fasten Off sale before the end of tomorrow!! 25% off is a good deal and you'll support Independent designers, like me.

Yours in yarn & grandiose plans for the future,

Síle