A FOYAL-ing We Go!

We're nearing the middle of December, fiber friends! We're close to running out of 2024! 

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty much living over at the Fasten Off Yarnalong Discord server right now. Now, is anyone surprised by that?

If you answered yes, welcome! I know you're new here. Returning fiber enthusiasts will recall that each November and December I become very animated about the Fasten Off Yarnalong. 

But what is the Fasten Off Yarnalong? I hear someone in the back asking. And I'm so glad you did!

The Fasten Off Yarnalong, aka FOYAL (rhymes with royal), is at its heart a multiplatform yarn along celebrating some of the talented independent knitting and crochet, including both Tunisian crochet and machine knitting, pattern designers! 

What do you mean by multiplatform yarn along? You can participate in the yarnalong on any or all of your social media platforms. This year we have volunteers staffing the @FastenOffYAL accounts on Bluesky, the Discord server, Facebook (page, not group), Instagram, Mastodon, Tumblr, and TikTok! There are games and giveaways happening on most of these, and lots of fun content featuring the work of the 93 participating designers, and highlights of what crafters are working on from those same designers.

FOYAL kicks off every year with a two week sale on a selection of patterns from the participating designers; some designers offer their entire catalog of off Ravelry accessible patterns!!

Why the stress on off Ravelry patterns? To be plain about it, since Ravelry launched NuRav in June of 2020, many crafters can't use or can only spend limited time there. I wrote extensively about the effects of NuRav over the course of the summer of 2020 through to the early taking away of "Classic Rav" in March of 2021 that was letting some of us be there for short amounts of time. 

I was onsite the morning NuRav was suddenly launched. I went down with a two day migraine after about 20 minutes. I was nauseous. I was miserable. And it wasn't until people started asking questions on other places like Twitter that I realized it wasn't something I did or ate. I don't suffer from migraines as a rule! This was completely out of left field. I wasn't the worst impacted by any means either. The WIPinsanity blog (the news and views of fellow FOYAL organizer, Kathleen Sperling) documented sooo many things that I wasn't keeping up with recording. I was at the same time launching and building this site, learning from very baby-basic coding to pull my newly minted Payhip shop into these pages. I wanted and needed my own space, where I would be less likely to be blindsided out of the work that was giving me creative freedom and a purpose after losing the ability to work a regular job after my injury.

FOYAL was launched in November of 2020 to be an event parallel to the Indy Giftalong, which is still going strong on Ravelry. It was meant to highlight some of the designers who couldn't participate in the GAL due to medical reasons, and give a bit of community to the now adrift crafters.

That's where it started, and happily it's caught on! There are several designers this year (and years past) that participate in both the GAL and FOYAL, which is pretty cool. Both events are about promoting indy designers and gathering crafters together to craft. 

So every November and December I take a step back from my designing and roll up my metaphorical sleeves to help make this year's FOYAL a great one. I'm one of the organizers, yes. But I just love our community. And not to knock any of the other platforms (the Prize Picker reels on Instagram are a personal highlight) but the FOYAL Discord server is seriously so fun! Because of the set up, we're able to host longer runs of the various games, which means more prizes to give out. I'll let you in on a very ill-kept secret of the FOYAL (especially on Discord; everyone there knows): I'm the Prize Pixie 🧚‍♀️ If you've ever gotten a pattern prize email from FastenOffYALGames and there's a yarn ball or pixie at the end of the signature line, that was me. Hi, great to see you outside of your inbox *waves*

Ok, in addition to our social media platforms and the games and giveaways, because that's just not enough, the Fasten Off YAL website has all kinds of information about the event and our participating designers but the crowning jewel is the database.

The FOYAL database contains as many off Ravelry designs as possible for each of our participating designers. But not only are these all collected in one place, there's a fully filterable search that will find just about any idea you might have to make. And not only is this year's search up for the event timeframe, it's there all year. You saw a shawl pattern in November but decided to get the glove pattern to make for Aunt Gloria right away instead. You can come back in May or July and find that shawl again!

The database and the search are the result of three things: Kathleen's incredible mind for coding, and the data entry volunteers and/or designers who make sure everything looks right, and then the site testing volunteers who check out new search features and the links to the various patterns before the event opens! Cool right?

And that, my fiber friends, is all from me today! I'll pop some FOYAL links in before I hit post. 

Yours in yarn and a FOYALing good time ;)

Síle

The Fasten Off Yarnalong website: https://www.fastenoffyal.com/🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Discord server: https://discord.gg/Vz6mpzQz🔗

My Ask-Me-Anything thread from earlier today (on the Discord server): https://discord.com/channels/769735278872100894/1311559461646766121🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Bluesky account: https://bsky.app/profile/fastenoffyal.bsky.social🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FastenOffYAL/🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/FastenOffYAL🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Mastodon account: https://mastodon.art/@fastenoffyal🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Pinterest boards: https://www.pinterest.com/fastenoff🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@fastenoffyal🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Tumblr account: https://www.tumblr.com/fastenoffyal🔗

The Fasten Off Yarnalong Youtube account: https://www.youtube.com/@fastenoffyal🔗

Falling into Fall, Anyone?

Where'd August get to? And most of September for that matter? Ok, who threw the clock to make time fly?? 

All joking aside, Autumn has returned to the Northern Hemisphere this weekend. And thankfully cooler nights and days are back too. I don't know about you but it's a step in my sleeping better. I'm still not sleeping great, mind you, but that's down to having nerves and a spine that are actively trying to cause me as much pain as they possibly can. I don't think they're onto my knowing what they're doing though so I'm just biding my time ;)

I still need to do the photos for my full double-knitting tutorial. I got sidetracked, which is unfortunately a byproduct of both interrupted sleep patterns, and chronic pain, by a few things. Like actually presenting my double-knitting workshop to a private group in August which was super fun and I've had some lovely feedback from some of the participants. So yay!

I told you last post that the sample for The Butterfly would be going on my needles soon, and it has! Here's a little progress photo to tease you:

I'm further along than this; ever so many more beads have been added lol. I'm so glad I chose the Windwept Fibres Best Kind sock as the yarn. It's an absolute dream to knit with, and the lace is coming out soooo pretty. 

I'm currently doing a workshop with designer Julie Robinson called the Sweater Design Challenge. It's been really interesting, and we're into the sizing/grading portion now, which is super excellent information. I've got two knit garments that I'm really excited to get through the whole process eventually. Admittedly, one I don't have the yarn for yet so my swatching and number play has been a wee bit theoretical so far. But that one's also the easier one in terms of shaping, so the numbers shouldn't be too bad once I have a real gauge and set of measurements to play with. To come in 2025? Maybe?? Most likely not considering my current timeline for things.

Oh! Speaking of timelines! Guess what's returning for its fifth year ;) It happens in the late fall and early winter, involves a lot of knitters and crocheters, and independent designers of patterns for those crafts. And I talk about it. A lot! Any guesses?

The Fasten Off Yarn Along for 2024 is being organized as I type, fiber friends! You can find the website, with our current calendar, links to previous years' designer and pattern databases, and links to sign up for our newsletters, right here: https://www.fastenoffyal.com 

Ok, my friends it's 4:22am here in Newfoundland on a Sunday morning, and while I won't be sleeping anytime soon, I need to step away from the screen and rest my eyes a bit. Don't worry, I have knitting in hand lol

What are your crafting plans for the next month or so? Canadians crafters, are you thinking of Thanksgiving/harvest? Or are you jumping right to knitting pumpkins and/or crocheting black cats for Halloween? I'd love to hear what you're working on and/or planning. I have a Treble Reel Toque🔗 (link stays within this site) for a friend's birthday on my personal needles, along with a Jeri cardigan🔗 (designed by Kat Riddell; link goes to her Payhip shop). There are more WIPs than those lol They're my active ones that aren't design samples.

Yours in yarn and a crisp night/morning,

Síle

 

Look! I'm in Two Videos & My Feet Aren't Moving!

We're in the final week of 2023's Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long!

Where has December, and really 2023, gone?!

Of course, this could be just me lol I swear clocks are flying passed like barometers in Muppet Family Christmas *insert cry-laughing emoji here*

Ok, enough bad similes, let's get to the purpose of my post. 

In my last post I gave you the information about the Fasten Off Yarn Along Designer Ask Me Anythings and Video Panels, as well as a Twitch stream I was going to be doing with fellow FOYAL designer Yvonne Becker of Red and the Wolf Designs. 

The Twitch stream with Yvonne, and the Zoom Panel with Lori of Aklori Designs, Natalia of Natalia Yarncraft, and Shana of Shanalines Designs are both up on Youtube! (Both of the other FOYAL Video Panels that have happened are also posted to Youtube; the fourth and final Video Panel is live on Friday via Zoom so scroll to my last post to get the particulars) Here's the link to the Video Panel: https://youtu.be/79OPqaYph64🔗

And here's the link to the Twitch video:

https://youtu.be/ZCXIgj4u3A8🔗

There you have them, fiber friends, both chats I participated in about designing this December.

I have to admit I may stick to text communications from now on though. There is something very disconcerting about hearing oneself, especially when you have the voice of a cartoon animal. I'm as surprised by that as everyone else most likely was. It does explain my affinity for Alvin and the Chipmunks recordings though.

That's all I have for you today! After the New Year has been rung in (PSST!! Join us in the Fasten Off YAL Discord server for our New Year's Eve Boonanza! There will be games, prizes, and a whole lot of Síle posting in an overtired and hilariously semi-coherent state from her living room couch!), I'll have a post featuring the patterns I've acquired (with photos & links!!) during this year's FOYAL, and a look at KDRD's 2023, and what I hope to bring to you in 2024.

Yours in yarn, and an almost completely checked off 2023 calendar,

Síle

Tune In with the Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long

In last year's Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long, Ask Me Anythings (or AMAs) with participating designers were introduced, as were Video Panels which featured 2 or more designers at a time. These went over really well with both the designers and the audience, so FOYAL organizers decided to do them again this year. 

In a change from last year, most AMAs are happening on the FOYAL Discord server. There was one earlier today with Jessica of Snickerdoodle Knits🔗 (link goes to her website SnickerdoodleKnits.com), which you can find, and read, on the FOYAL Discord server🔗.

Knit Dance Repeat Designs, aka me Síle, will be on the first Video Panel on Saturday. I'll be one of four featured designers with Aklori Designs🔗, Natalia Yarncraft🔗, and Shanalines Designs🔗 . If you're here you don't need to know how to find me ;) (All links are to the designers' own websites.) The Video Panel is taking place via Zoom on Saturday, December 16th from 2 to 3 pm Eastern Time (UTC -5). This chat will be hosted, and monitored, by Kimianak. If you're interested in the talk but unable to attend, it will be uploaded to the Fasten Off Youtube channel later. You can check out last year's Video Panels there too: https://youtube.com/@fastenoffyal🔗

The meeting information to join the Zoom session (and have the opportunity to ask the designers any questions you might have about their designs or designing knitting, crochet, or Tunisian crochet patterns) is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87377170933?pwd=TTF0Um5sZTdqSmtZRTJLQUZ2WEl0dz09🔗

Meeting ID: 873 7717 0933
Passcode: 363514

I'm putting the other AMAs and Video Panels here in a kind of mini schedule. I'll include links to the designers' sites as well. You can also find this information on the Fasten Off website: https://www.fastenoffyal.com/schedule.html🔗

and in the Events Calendar at the top of the Discord server.

Tomorrow, December 15th 5:30 - 6pm Eastern (UTC -5) AMA with Nicole of Common Thread Fiber🔗 This will take place on Discord.

Saturday, December 16th 2 - 3pm Eastern (UTC -5) Zoom Video Panel with Aklori Designs, Síle of Knit Dance Repeat Designs, Natalia Yarncraft, and Shana of Shanalines Designs. All links and other information for this event is above.

Sunday, December 17th 9:30 - 10am Eastern (UTC -5) AMA with Aoibhe Ni🔗. This will take place on Discord.

Sunday, December 17th 4:30 - 5pm Eastern (UTC -5) AMA with Kerry Bullock-Ozkan of Bullock-Ozkan Designs🔗. This will take place on Discord.

Monday, December 18th 4 - 5am Eastern (UTC -5) Zoom Video Panel with Kath Andrews Designs🔗, Leela Mary Knits🔗, Sage of Little Seal Designs🔗, & Woolly Wormhead🔗. Meeting information: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83223316027?pwd=cG8yQmkvZWFhYmd2c2JNdGNKamdwQT09🔗

Meeting ID: 832 2331 6027
Passcode: 288240

Tuesday, December 19th 5:15 - 6:15pm Eastern (UTC -5) Zoom Video Panel CrochEt Cetera by Connie Lee🔗, Joanne of Made with Love and Fibres🔗, Sarah Dawn 🔗, & Rachel of Stitches and String Theory 🔗. Meeting information:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86915024196?pwd=N2Y0dW1WeVpqRE5LditSTVVHYUM4UT09🔗
Meeting ID: 869 1502 4196
Passcode: 545767

Thursday, December 21st 2 - 2:30pm Eastern (UTC -5) AMA with Teresa of Classical Songbird Designs🔗. This will take place on Discord.

Wednesday, December 22nd 2:30 - 3pm Eastern (UTC -5) AMA with Emily Wood Designs🔗. This will take place on Discord.

Thursday, December 28th 1 - 1:30pm Eastern (UTC -5) AMA with Yvonne of Red and the Wolf Designs🔗. This will take place on Discord.

Friday, December 29th 1 - 2pm Eastern (UTC -5) Zoom Video Panel with Bronwyn of Bronwyn the Brave🔗, Sandra Conway🔗, Cori of IrocKnits, & Mary W. Martin🔗. Meeting information:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87983462155?pwd=MFY1S0ltMzh5VUZ0U2JLSkp4V2N0Zz09🔗
Meeting ID: 879 8346 2155
Passcode: 635232

Friday, December 29th 8 - 8:30pm Eastern (UTC -5) AMA with Kathleen Sperling🔗. This will take place on Discord.

So there you have it, the schedule of designers taking part in the AMAs, and Video Panels for this year's Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long :) I hope you can join us for some of the fun.

That's all from me this evening!

Yours in yarn,

Síle

A Quick Note

December 8th already!

Time flies when you're having fun, and we've already been having loads of fun over at the Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long. The Discord server is lively with chatter and games, and we're hitting our stride on Instagram (who knew Story games and reels of our Prize Wheel would be so popular?), and Mastodon. (Unfortunately Twitter wasn't the best last year what with the massive exodus of so many people. And more have left this year so the hard decision had to be made)

The sale period ends in just under an hour and a half; midnight in the Eastern (North American) timezone! 

Of course you're more than welcome to shop after that, the sales code just won't work anymore. 

And the games and fun go through December 31st, and well into January 1st. So join in, post a photo of your FOYAL Bingo card on Insta (#FOYALBingo), or one of your pet sleeping on your WIP in the furry-friends thread on Discord. 

As a sidebar to FOYAL, German designer Yvonne Becker of Red and the Wolf Designs (link to her website 🔗) will be welcoming other participating designers to join her on Twitch for chats on designs, yarn, and whatever else comes up. She hosts her Twitch stream 3 days a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Shameless plug moment: I will be her guest on Tuesday December 12th :) 

And there will be at least one other chance to ask me questions or otherwise get answers from me! FOYAL plans on running their popular Designer Ask Me Anythings and Designer Video Panels again this year. With 96 designers, in some very different time zones, the schedule for these events isn't out just yet. I'll fill you in on anything I'll specifically be participating in. You can also find the official schedule for everything on the Fasten Off website (link to FastenOffYAL.com🔗) Please note the FastenOff YAL schedule times are presented in Eastern (North American) time.

Designer AMAs will be held on Discord for half an hour, and the Designer Video panels will be held on Zoom, with the chance to watch them after on FOYAL's Youtube channel. (If you want to see some and/or all of last year's Video Panels you can find them here (link to FOYAL's Youtube channel 🔗))

That's everything for tonight!

Yours in yarn and Fastening Off,

Síle

The Countdown is ON!

🎉 We're roughly an hour from the start of this year's Fasten Off YAL! 

And as always we start things off with a sale!

96 designers, plus yours truly, have over 3000 patterns on for 25% off from 9pm Eastern tonight through December 8th! Visit the database at: https://www.fastenoffyal.com🔗 !

Be sure to share with any yarn crafters you know! The designers have patterns for: knitting, crocheting, and Tunisian crochet; everything from socks and mittens, to blankets and decorations, sweaters to toys. There are even items for pets!

Hope to see you on one of our many social media platforms during the Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long 🤗

Yours in yarn and fun yarnie games,

Síle

It's Almost Here!

Well, fiber friends, this year's Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long kicks off this coming Friday! 

November 24th, be there or... hmmm. It's not really square to miss FOYAL. One could say that the crafters and designers are the true squares. 

Anyway! You may notice the shiny new tab next to the Irish dance terminology one. Just in case you have your eye on a pattern or 2 from Knit Dance Repeat Designs ;)

The designers and data entry volunteers are making sure that the database is correct, and the links and photos are working correctly. Ah, there's nothing like a deadline looming to create all the little flutters of activity that are happening now.

As expected work here at KDRD has slowed up quite a bit in anticipation of the fun and busy time that is FOYAL. I hadn't counted on a late request for a scarf of very specific requirements to crop up though. So that's been designed and the knitting has begun. I won't be sharing too many photos of it from now on since the recipient doesn't know *exactly* what it's going to look when it's done. Here's the bottom garter stitch border:

I hope I get to make something small during FOYAL this year but we'll see how operation red scarf goes.

That's it for today! We've got quite a wind and rain event going on, and it's probably best I save my phone battery in case of the power going out!

Yours in (red) yarn,

Síle

Who's Ready For FOYAL?

The weather has been a tad gloomy here, and the temperature's are dipping down. As the colder months set in it's time to turn my mind to the Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long (FOYAL).

What is the Fasten Off Yarn-A-Long? It's a make along promoting independent designers of knitting, crochet, Tunisian crochet, and loom knitting patterns, that is hosted on a number of social media platforms. It starts with a sale period (November 24th through December 8th this year), where you can purchase patterns from participating designers (like me) for 25% off. Yes, I said 25% off. The Yarn-A-Long itself kicks off on November 24th and runs through December 31st. And I mean through the 31st: the New Year's Eve Boonanza rings in the New Year in every time zone and then keeps going! 

Games, with chances to win random prizes, are run on our more popular social media accounts. These include the FOYAL Discord server, and Instagram account. Volunteer registrations close tomorrow (Nov 10th) and will give organizers a better picture of where games can be held. Random prizes can also be won just by posting on your preferred social media using the hashtag #FastenOffYAL. The prize pixies will be ready to contact winners when things start :) If you'd like to volunteer, volunteer sit this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqHY0fzGN8-NN5-XX_qzPcSE3nXjjT5oVPqxzNh2nfY0Ocsw/viewform

If you're a designer and would like to participate, Designer registration is also taking place right now. Last year there were over 100 designers, and over 3500 patterns involved in the sale! Visit this link: https://www.fastenoffyal.com/signup.html

What does this mean for Knit Dance Repeat Designs for the end of the year? I'll hopefully have the Four Hand Reel released during FOYAL. And I will be working on my current sample as well as some small projects for FOYAL. I'm in the midst of a sea of moss stitch on my Countess Cathleen:

What's been on my personal needles? I knit two Treble Reel Toques recently for gifts. They turned out well:

You can find the Treble Reel Toque pattern here: link🔗 (link stays on this website)

I'm working on my summer cast-on, a Colorica Cardigan🔗 (pattern by Romi Hill; link goes to her website). I'm working on the right front of the yoke. It's been slower going than I'd like but I've been working on it inbetween other projects but I'm really happy with how it's looking:

The stockinette fabric really wants to roll! I have 18 rows left in the mauve, and then the light green section, matching the left front that is visible in the photo. I'm thinking light blue for the third color. I'm using remnants (and hanks) of Briggs & Little Sport that I have on hand so it will be a very colorful Colorica ;)

That's all from here at KDRD headquarters!

Yours in yarn and end of the year plans,

Síle

2023? Already?

Hello, my fiber friends!

I can hardly believe how quickly December flew by! Whoosh! Gone! Sort of like deadlines ;)

I can say that 2022's Fasten Off Yarn Along was once again a success. And fun was definitely had during the New Year's Eve Boonanza! I was literally crying with laughter a number of times! Fun with fiber folks; what more can you ask for?

Sadly, the weather here has been the pits. Newfoundland in December shouldn't be considered a rain delay. I think my toes are growing webs. It rained all but something like 6 days the entire month! Don't tell me climate change isn't happening, I'm seeing it real time.

Rain, especially heavy angry December rain, makes for rotten photo conditions. And that has pushed the release of my Hornpipe Bag back. I'm not even setting another tentative date at this point. When photos get done, I'll announce the pattern is releasing the next day. Done. I hope it'll be soon. I'm also listening to more rain falling as I type. I'd cry but I don't need finger webbing to go with my toes'.

I've put a few more yards into both the sample of Countess Cathleen, and my Twist Again (pattern by Robynn Weldon; link to her Payhip shop) during December. I also started but, unfortunately due to needle MIA, not finished a pair of Talamh (pattern by Liz Corke; link to her Payhip shop) for Sistwerp. The left fingerless mitt is done, the right isn't.

Have you ever attempted to work in the round with only 3 dpns? I don't mean 3 holding your sts and knitting with a 4th one. I'm talking 2 holding your sts and working with the 3rd. I don't recommend it, especially with 2.5mm dpns. Nope, not a good plan. I was forced by hand cramps to switch to Magic Loop. Some knitters like ML, others do not. I personally despise ML. The poor right mitt is suffering due to my loathing. I'm setting myself a deadline of Saturday, January 7th, to have mitt 2 done. Otherwise I fear the poor thing may never be off the needle!

I'm using Briggs & Little Sport in "mauve", which is a gorgeous gray-tinged lavender that I have to say is a really interesting color. Some light gives it decide blue hue, while other times it resembles dark/wet stone, like from an Irish or Scottish castle wall. It's a color you can definitely find a story in, which is very cool. If nothing else, I've discovered a new favorite color amongst Briggs & Little's fine color line up.

I hope you're enjoying new projects for the New Year. What have you cast-on recently? Finished anything fun? I have some double-knit swatching coming up soon for an idea I have. When don't I have new ideas?! I plan to spend the first bit of 2023 finishing up 3 specific projects: Twist Again, Countess Cathleen, and Four Hand Reel. The last just needs its lining sewn and attached. I really should have it done by now! One of these years, I might learn to sew properly. I say might! lol

What else can you expect from Knit Dance Repeat Designs in 2023? A few more of my existing patterns will be getting their updated looks and screen reader accessibility. I don't know how many I'll get through but I intend to keep at it. I'm fairly certain I'll be releasing at least one other pattern this year besides Hornpipe Bag. The front runners are Four Hand Reel and Hap-Hazard. We'll see what happens! I have a few tutorials I plan on sharing too.

For now, that's all I have to update you on. I intend to be a bit more regular about that this year. 

Happy 2023 to you and yours!

Yours in yarn and new year-ness,

Síle

Tis the Season

It's time once again for... 

The Fasten Off Yarn Along!!

Where has this year gone?? We're almost to the end of November! And that means the return of one of my favorite events: Fasten Off Yarn Along, the fun off-Rav sale and make along!

This year's FOYAL runs November 25th through December 31st, with the pattern sale running November 25th through December 8th. Yes, I said pattern sale! We have 109 indie designers of knitting, loom knitting, crochet, and Tunisian crochet patterns signed up with a selection of their patterns in the 25% off sale! 

I'm happy to say FOYAL has attracted more designers and crafters each year of its existence! 

Where can you find all the details? The official Fasten Off Yarn Along site 🔗, of course! We're running games (with the possibility of winning prizes!) on the official Discord server, Twitter, and Instagram accounts too.

And yes, I'm a participating designer once again :) You can see the Fasten Off Yarn Along tab at the top of this page, taking you directly to the patterns I'm offering in the sale. 

Please keep in mind that my patterns are priced in Canadian dollars, and the Fasten Off site lists everything in American dollars, so the difference in conversion can result in some discrepancies when applying  the 25% off code. The code this year is FO2022. 

I hope you'll join us for the fun of the Fasten Off Yarn Along to end 2022.

Due to some health issues (thankfully not Covid-19) in both me and my photographer, my pattern Hornpipe Bag hasn't been released yet. But it will be out some time during the Fasten Off YAL. I'm aiming for early in the sale period so you can take advantage of it. I keep you in the loop on this.

As for personal projects, I'm happily onto the first sleeve of my Twist Again sweater (pattern by Robynn Weldon). Here's the latest photo, right after I completed the front of the body:

Aren't the cables great? I'm using Bernat Satin in "Grape", which I just love working with. 

How are your projects shaping up? Are you making gifts for anyone? Perhaps something for that important person who looks back at you in the mirror? ;) 

Until next time, fiber friends!

Yours in yarn, and Fasten Off updates,

Síle

Beginnings & Endings

To begin: I'm nearly over, and very much done with, a nasty sinus cold that invaded my ne'er-do-well head cavities last Monday. Thankfully it wasn't anything worse, but as someone whose colds tend to turn into sinusitis it was bad enough.

And of course nearly over means I have some lingering bits of it. Like the cough that woke me up far too early on a Sunday. I really dislike waking up feeling like I'm choking. Add in that it's Sunday is insult on top of misery. 

Once awake, it can be hard for me to return to sleep, especially if pre-sleep I was pondering some interesting little yarny puzzle or another. Thankfully there is yarn in my room. Sadly, at the moment the only free needles I had to hand were the 6.0mm (US 10) monstrosities I bought a few years ago to knit a quick blanket for an erstwhile relative. I learned that bulky yarn and thick needles make my hands throb and turn interesting shades of red; I don't recommend the experience!

I digress. 

With the plastic vampire stakes and a ball of unlabelled but seemingly worsted weight, maybe heavier, yarn I casted on enough stitches to try what I had been pondering. I give you the first 9 rows:

The cables are doing what I expected. I don't care for the fuzziness of the yarn but it was the best option with these needles. What I don't like is that weird canyon between the cast-on and the rest of the piece. Luckily this is just a "try it with what's on hand" thing that I planned on frogging anyway.

Of course that canyon put me in mind of how we begin a project. I mean quite literally. The cast-on. 

Chances are you, like me and the seemingly majority of knitters, go with your first learned cast-on as your default. For me that's the cable cast-on; how appropriate is that for someone who loves to knit cables? And it works pretty well for me other than times that the needles are too big for the yarn, and I'm not really as awake as I should be when casting on. Like this morning! 

But as I worked on this little bit that might become part of something larger, I began to ponder cast-ons, and how a large number of us stick to a few, most notably the first one we learned. Do you rely on the same tried-and-true cast-on for most times you need to start something? When do you change it up and go with your second choice option? 

I find it interesting to think of such things when the cats are snoring and everything is only semi-light and I find myself knitting in bed without my glasses on.

Cast-ons turned my mind to cast-offs. It's always exciting to finish a project, isn't it? The mystery knit-along of my Practice Makes Perfect🔗 (link stays on this site) scarf is nearing its cast-off! I'll be releasing the final Step on Tuesday (November 1st), and the intrepid knitters have until November 15th to post photos of their completed scarves to be eligible for the prize draw. I'll be random generating a winner of the prize pack I put together this summer on November 16th.

What's in the prize pack? Some lovely goodies! Take a look:

What do I have for the lucky knitter? First off, a hank of Windswept Fibres' Best Kind BFL Sock yarn (75% superwash BFL wool/25% nylon; 425 yards/400 metres = 100g) in their Limited Edition colorway "Come Home 2022". I just love the bright colors sun n this so much! And Windswept Fibres is from right here on the island of Newfoundland too. A little piece of my home going to the winner.

I'm sure you can tell the two other parts of the prize are stitch markers but you'd probably like to see them a bit better. I'll go left to right. So here's the first set:

These I ordered via the Etsy store of The Knitting Bag PEI🔗 (link goes to Etsy); an Atlantic Canadian neighbor! I wanted to find something to tie knitting and Irish dance together. I didn't quite get the dance part but I definitely got the knitting and Irish in! I like that this set isn't all matchy-matchy and comes with a lobster-claw progress keeper along with the 5 standard ring markers.

And these are just cute, and once again from close by:

What are they? Newfoundland mummers! This adorable set of 4 markers features little figures dressed in their plaid flannel-look pajamas, with yellow or green mittens on their feet, and pillowcases with eyeholes cut out over their heads! And no, they're not for Halloween. Mummering is an old Yuletide tradition from the bays and outport communities of this wondrous island. Let me link the video for Simani's (pronounced sim an eye) "The Mummers Song"🔗 (link goes to Youtube) for you to get a feel for what mummering in Newfoundland is about. These cuties were made by Dawn's Creations, and if I'm remembering right she's from near St. John's. I ordered them through Cast On! Cast Off! just before the yarn store relocated from St. John's to Triton, Newfoundland. COCO is also where I ordered the hank of Windswept Fibres yarn from. You can find at COCO at their website here🔗.

So that's the little package the winner of the random draw of finished scarves will get in their mailbox. Oh, and a card with a local scene, and a quick congratulatory note from me. I can't send a parcel without a note! I think that'll bring my little mystery knit along to a close nicely. 

Speaking of endings, October is done tomorrow! Where has this year gone?! Before you know it, it'll be New Year's Eve!

But wait, there's a little beginning before we get to that ending. You've heard me mention the Fasten Off Yarn A Long before. And I'm happy to say the gang is back together for 2022! 

We're already gathering ideas and going over last year's feedback to put on year 3 of the little craft along that could. I can tell you things will kick off on November 25th, and run through every conceivable hour of December 31st. If you took part in last year's New Year's Eve Boonanza, you know I mean that quite literally! Designer signups will be coming soon, so if you want all the details be sure you're signed up for the emails; you can do that at this link🔗.

I have one other beginning that's sort of an ending. My Hornpipe Bag pattern is just awaiting photos before its November release. Yes, really! Between a wedding, birthdays, illness, musicals, and bad weather, it seems everything has been set upon hampering the photography of this one! But we (that is, me and my trusty photographer) shall prevail! And I have a self-imposed deadline: the pattern will be out before designer sign-ups for FOYAL start. Watch this space for the exact date! That will bring my year's new releases to a close.

Want to know what else is starting to close? My eyes. I think I'll end this to post, and begin a morning nap 😉

Yours in yarn and a warm fleece blanket with two cats,

Síle

P.S. I wasn't kidding about the fleece blanket, or the cats:

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 :)