Picture Day!

I don't know about you, but I loved picture day at school. Getting to dress up a bit and get out of regular class stuff for a little bit. Like an in-school vacation. Well, sort of lol

And my mum always sent the new photo far and wide when they came back from Josten's. Grandparents, uncles, aunt, family friends, penpals; everyone it seems got the new pic.

Today is a Picture Day at KDRD :) I'm looking forward to getting better photos of several of my previous patterns today. We've had a bit of snow this week to make the winter accessories look right at home. And while I don't really care for getting in front of the camera normally, there's something a bit different about pattern photos. A bit of play acting goes into it. "Out for a stroll in the woods as the snow lightly falls. Was that a bird? Look up in the trees before carrying on."

I can happily report I got my Covid-19 booster shot last night. Other than a bit of tenderness around the injection site, a brief bit of heat in one cheek (think of the sensation when you've got 3 or 4 Captain & colas into you, and your face gets a bit hot) that lasted about 45 minutes, and the slight scratchiness of an impending sore throat last night, I'm absolutely fine. I've been very lucky compared to some. Good genetics; Mum has only experienced a tender arm with all three of her doses, and Dad, while a slight bit more reactive than me, has been fine within 12 hours. Anyway, that's done and dusted!

Bring on the camera, K! I'm ready for my closeup(s) ;)

Yours in yarn and a snowbank,

Síle

Garden Blooms is Updated!

I'm happy to say the first of my pattern re-releases is live this morning :) 

Garden Blooms🔗, my trivet and coaster set pattern, has been updated and the new pdfs are live! 

I think the update looks much neater. If you've purchased Garden Blooms previously don't be concerned: this is a purely cosmetic update. No essential information has been changed.

To celebrate the update of Garden Blooms, today (January 18) only, save 15% by using coupon code NEWBLOOM 

Stay tuned for more updates, fiber friends!

Yours in yarn,

Síle

Another Year Older

Not me! Well not me yet anyway. 

🎉Knit Dance Repeat Designs is 7 today! 🎉

First off, thank you to everyone who's bought a pattern (or two) over that time. I couldn't continue without your support. These last couple years have been difficult for a lot of us, and for a variety of reasons, but happily things are still going strong (although at times, slow) here :)

And yes, that includes Jakey. He's happily running about, waiting for more wool to arrive so he can snorgle it, and demanding pets, "lubs", and all manner of attention and affection. You'd never know how close we came to losing him three times (yes, 3!) last year!

I've talked a bit about what's in store for Knit Dance Repeat Designs this year in my last few posts, so I won't bore you with repetition. I can happily tell you that photoshoots are being planned with my photographer (aka my roommate aka Jakey's Mom) for several of my existing patterns. And the reformatting process is going fairly smoothly. I'm confident that I'll be announcing the first of the re-releases within the next few weeks. Can we all agree: yay for no more bad phone selfie pattern photos? ;D

Raise your mug/cup/glass/water bottle with me as I give a fiber crafter's toast:

May there be no knots in any of our hanks/skeins/balls of yarn, no matter the fiber content.

May our tapestry needles, stitch markers, and scissors not run off right when we need them.

May our tape measures not twist.

May our gauge swatches not tell lies.

May we easily find matching dyelots.

May our lace block nicely without having to fuss too much.

May our cables always cross properly.

And may we, and our loved ones, all enjoy decent health.

Happy anniversary, Knit Dance Repeat Designs!

**Drinks a good swallow of tea**

That does it for me this morning!

Yours in yarn, and party horns 🥳,

Síle

Hello, 2022

The New Year is rung in and I helped ring out Fasten Off Yarnalong 2021 in fine fashion. If you were on the Fasten Off Discord channel at all on December 31st we probably exchanged emojis. I was there as many hours as I could possibly manage, and the result was an absolutely wonderful time amongst fellow yarn crafters. And a serious(?) inside joke ;)

Back to the business of pattern design and (fingers crossed) sales! Knit Dance Repeat Designs has a birthday in a few days! 7 years already! (Thank you for that, by the way.) Later this month I'll be starting the re-release of my back catalogue with updated photos and format. No important information has been changed; all changes are cosmetic. I want my logo in place, for example. Stay tuned for the first re-release pattern!

One thing that has changed is I've retired a pattern as of January 1st: Drills is no longer available. Admittedly it wasn't my best effort, and while I still like the basic concept, it just isn't up to snuff with my revamp. I might revisit the idea behind it down the road ;)

What's on my personal needles? I'm working on Twist Again by Robynn Weldon🔗 (link goes to the pattern page in Robynn's Payhip store) which is a gorgeous cabled sweater. This was my cast-on/project during Fasten Off 2021. I knew I wouldn't finish it in December but I had to start it. And I'm also trying to finish up a large ball of cotton yarn by continuing to make sets of Seashell Scrubbies (pattern by Aoibhe Ní🔗 link goes to her website). I made quite a few sets of four and gave them as small gifts recently, so having more on hand makes sense. 

Personal finishes: A blanket for my furry niece Silver Belle, who celebrated her 5th birthday (as near as we can calculate by her approximate age when she was rescued) on December 23rd. It's very basic but pretty which is just perfect for a furry girl. The edge likes to curl up as you'll see but otherwise it's perfect. I used Red Heart Roll With It Sparkle in the colorway "Magic" (bought by Silver's mom) on a 4.5mm circular needle. And here's the finished photo:

I hope you were able to finish any gift projects you had deadlines for in December. It's nice to end the year on a high point, and start the new year with fresh projects. I never quite manage to have everything done for the new year. Maybe to start 2023? :D

That's all for today. Remember to stay tuned for news of patterns re-releasing in the upcoming days, weeks and months.

Yours in yarn, and new year vibes,

Síle