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

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

Fastening Off with a Minor Surgery

Hello again :)

I'm pleased to say outside of some remaining tenderness I've come through my procedure last Wednesday just fine. I'd like to shoutout to the amazing and wonderful nurses, both in the day surgery area and the surgical nurses, who are just fantastic at their jobs and such kind and caring individuals. Thank you for everything you do! 💗

I was able to knit in the day surgery area until a surgical nurse came to take me to the OR, so I worked on Sil's blankie. Stockinette in the round with single increases at four points every round is excellent for tv watching, waiting rooms, and fairly much mindless knitting. Sistwerp chose a ball of Red Heart Roll With It Sparkle in a pastel rainbow colorway called "Magic". Of course, on the circular needle it doesn't look like a blankie (more like a little purse) but here's the latest photo of it:

 

The top of the orange marker is where I started knitting at the hospital, so roughly an inch to inch and a half done during my wait time :) 

Alright! Let's get down to talking about Fasten Off Yarn-a-Long! This is my favorite topic right now :)

What is Fasten Off Yarn-a-Long? It's a month long event to promote independent knitting, crochet, loom knitting, and Tunisian crochet pattern designers! It kicks off with a week long pattern sale (101 participating designers have put 2,362 patterns into this year's sale!) and then there's the a-Long portion which is all about crafting together from the patterns of participating designers. The a-Long takes place across several social platforms: the Fasten Off Discord channel🔗, Instagram🔗, Twitter🔗, and Facebook🔗, so you can join in wherever you normally hangout! There are also games on each platform and prizes are available to be won :)

Time for some specifics on Fasten Off Yarn-a-Long 2021!

The pattern sale will take place from 9pm EST on November 30th to 11:59pm EST on December 6th. All patterns in the Fasten Off database (2,362 of them!) will be 25% off with the coupon code FO2021. This is available on whichever sales platform(s) (designer's own site, Payhip, Etsy) the designer has specified. My patterns in the sale are available through the FOYAL tab here on this site as well as in my Payhip store (link in the sidebar).

The a-Long takes place from 9pm EST November 30th to December 31st (last year we were up past midnight EST lol) Start a new project from one of the participating designers (there are 101 to choose from!), and chat with others doing the same :)

Please note that only for sale patterns are eligible to win prizes; you may have gotten the pattern cheaper than the regular price, or even for free, through a coupon, giveaway, or test-knit, etc. What matters is normally the pattern is paid for. 

We're promoting and supporting independent designers :)

For games, the bingo card has returned. This was a favorite for many of last year's participants. New this year will be a Scavenger Chain, a Picture Party, and a Share Your Memories on Discord and each game will also be on at least one other social media platform. Random entries will win a free pattern of the winner's choice from one of the participating designers. 

All of the more in-depth information about the sale, a-long, and games can be found on the official website: www.wipsinsanity.com/fastenoffyal

I hope you'll join us in this fun inclusive event to promote independent pattern designers :) 

Start Spreading the News...

The Fasten Off Yarn Along is back!

And yes, I'll be participating as both a designer and a volunteer again this year :) Last year's event was a lot of fun so how could I not? 

What is the Fasten Off Yarn Along?

I'm so glad you asked! The Yarn Along is an Off-Ravelry, inclusive event in celebration of Independent Designers of Knitting and Crochet Patterns. This includes designers of Tunisian crochet and Loom knitting patterns as well. It starts with a pattern sale and follows with a month long craft along.

All of the specific details, including a timeline of events, can be found on the official website: Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long 2021🔗 I'll also be posting follow up posts here.

So that's it for today! Designer signups are taking place, and I need to get on that!

Yours in yarn and Fastening Off,

Síle