Going (Too) Big?

The phrase "Go big, or go home" has been a bit stuck in my head the last while. And my Three Hand Reel sample has reached the point of having 933 stitches in a row so it's also very fitting! 

That number of stitches in a row also has me wondering if there's such a thing as too big. I'm not an overly fast knitter; I consider myself average speed at best. So these long rows take me a good while to get done. Definitely something to keep in mind for future designs. Well, try to keep in mind anyway lol. I know myself. 

Summer has definitely come to Atlantic Canada! We've had a lot of heat and sunshine so far. So much that Roomie and I got a little pool for the backyard; inflatable sides and about 55cm/22 inches deep. Plenty of room for two lounging adults. It's been quite nice to have. That's also led me to my latest personal project: Beach Flowers🔗 by Brenda Grobler (link to designer's site). I'm using some variegated Bernat Baby I had on hand which is giving it a bit of an underwater look:

Fun, right? I'm enjoying the change up between it and the Three Hand Reel. Nothing like a bit of crochet to offset a lot of knitting.

I forgot to include my Spotlight of Canadian yarns, designers, and shops in my last post so you're getting an extended one today:

SPOTLIGHT

First up I thought I'd stay fairly local to me, and start with some truly beautiful yarn. Windswept Fibres & Design🔗 (link to their website) is located in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Pam hand dyes some of the prettiest colors on our Rock. I'm a big fan of her Best Kind Sock; I'm knitting the sample of an upcoming lace shawl design with it currently, and it's glorious to knit with. A hank of this yarn in the 2022 Come Home colorway was part of the prize pack for my MKAL a few years ago too. All of the colorways have Newfoundland-inspired names, while the yarn lines get their names from common/popular sayings here. If you get to visit St. John's, you can buy in person at the Artisans' Loft, located on historic Water Street, which is one of the many fun shops in downtown St. John's. 

Speaking of yarn shopping in St. John's, Wool Trends🔗 (link to website) carries a wide range of yarn weights, fibers and colors along with needles, hooks, and notions. Confession: I order from them quite a bit! Deirdre and staff are fantastic whether shopping in person or online.

If you're on the lookout for Canadian wool, look no further than New Brunswick-based (Atlantic Canada represent!) Briggs & Little Woolen Mill🔗 (link to website), Canada's oldest woolen mill in operation. Fun fact: the mill is older than Canada! It's been operating, under a few different names, since 1857. While B&L's yarns can best be described as rustic, they're wonderfully warm for hats, mittens, hiking/work socks, outer cardigans and pullovers, and even shawls. These are work horse wools in a very wide range of colors. You'll find at least one line of B&L wools at most Canadian yarn shops; I can buy their Heritage line (Aran weight) at my closer lys, and I order Sport regularly from either Wool Trends (mentioned above) or Fia Fia (mentioned in my last post). I love them for their wooliness, price point, and durability, and you'll notice several of my patterns' samples have been knit with B&L wools.

Leaving Atlantic Canada for a moment, I bring you to Sweet Paprika Designs🔗 (link to their website) based in beautiful Montreal, Quebec. Hand-dyed yarns, patterns, kits, plus tools and notions, books, etc, they have it all! If you're familiar with the Fasten Off Yarn A Long, Debbie and Elizabeth Sullivan, the sister duo behind Sweet Paprika, have been participating designers for several years. Debbie's Eadgyth (ie Edith in Saxon times) shrug is very high on my must-make list *heart eyes*

Ok, fiber friends, I think that about does it for today! I hope you're beating the heat or keeping warm depending where you are in the world, and that your projects are going well. Are you working on small light things, big keep-you-warm-while-you-work things or coming up the middle? I'd love to hear about them!

Yours in yarn, and the annoyance that is a mosquito buzzing your ear every 30 seconds,

Síle

Hello!

And welcome to the Stitches & Steps blog :)

I noticed that there've been a lot of new fiber friends checking in here lately, and I thought a little intro post might be timely.

So first off, I'm Síle (pronounced she-la), and the Stitches & Steps blog is where I share all my latest news and chatter on my pattern designs (Knit Dance Repeat Designs aka where the site gets its name), personal crafting projects (heavy on knitting but occasional cross-stitch and crochet forays happen), Irish dance news and inspiration, and the occasional blip about my physical health.

Across the top, you'll also find tabs to: an index of my photo tutorial posts and helpful hints, a gallery with internal links to all of my pattern pages, and a glossary of Irish dance terms that have appeared in my pattern intro paragraphs plus a few from blogposts. (Aside: I'm always happy to add to the glossary, so if there's a term or word you're curious about, drop me a comment in the form in the sidebar, and I'll get it added to the glossary as soon as I can)

Along the sidebar I have links to other places to buy my patterns (Payhip and LoveCrafts), and links to other inspirational fiber folks that you might also enjoy. I try to include clearly marked links to any patterns and/or designers I discuss in my personal projects, and tag them in the post. If I've forgotten a link, don't hesitate to let me know! :) It's always my intention to have links but my brain fog sometimes distracts me before I can hit publish on a post.

So that's a wide net overview of the site :)

Why Knit Dance Repeat? To be honest, I fell into it! I was designing a few little things here and there, and writing them up since 2009. Anchors & Ropes was published on my then-blog I think in December of 2009. Could've been November. Anyway! I wanted to design more. I enjoyed it and it was a great creative outlet from my series of retail and customer service jobs; I've been assistant manager of a dollar store, worked at Walmart as both floor staff and a cashier, worked the drive through of a coffee place, etc...

Then I got hurt, and I was home, in a lot of pain, with only books and my yarn hoard to keep me occupied. Thankfully I had my Roomie for company and awesome support, but even the absolute bestest friends can't fill a void in your own head left by suddenly not having a purpose. 

To say I went through some things in the summer of 2015 is an understatement.

But what did happen was I literally dreamed a pattern coming together. I sat bolt up in bed at like 3:30 in the morning, scribbled down the idea, and went back to sleep. When I woke up later that day I looked at the back of that envelope, and discovered what I'd done.

I had used the math of the music of a reel to outline a cowl. Who does that?! Apparently me lol The thing is, it was solid. The idea was completely knitable. I think I cast-on that afternoon.

But that also got my mind firing. If I could use the time signature of a reel (4/4 for those not familiar traditional Irish music) to come up with a cowl pattern, could I use a similar process to design something for a light jig?

I'll spare you the whole journey, but the answer was yes for the light jig, single jig, slip jig, treble reel, treble jig, and hornpipe.

And that blending/melding/mixing of knitting and Irish dance/music brought to mind what I used to do. I knit, I danced, and then I repeated it over the course of my week. Heck, I often knit while at dance! In the down room before class, and even backstage during rehearsals for performances. A few times backstage during performances to help with nerves if I'm being completely honest lol. Even when my feet weren't dancing, my fingers often were! 

The blending of the two worlds also helped me keep my place in dance when we (my dr and I) weren't sure exactly where this was going to lead. Irish dance was a huge component of my life. Many of my absolute dearest friends came into my life because we met at the studio. The music always spoke to me from the time I was a little girl. The steps always felt like they were meant to be mine...

Ok, not trebles; those never felt exactly right lol I'm a slip jig not a treble reel! Thank you for that line, Bernie!! :)

Where was I??

Oh right! Irish dance and trad music were, and are, a big part of who I am. And at a time that was scary and uncertain, I needed that comfort and stability, even if I could hardly put one foot in front of the other to walk from my room to the bathroom. Especially because of it, really.

And my little niche has allowed me to play with knitting and Irish dance in ways I never imagined. And I continue to play with both in ever expanding ways. I have so many ideas!! 

One thing you'll notice is there's not a firm schedule for when new patterns come out here at KDRD. Where I do everything (with the exceptions of photography and tech editing; shout out to Krista and Heather for providing me with the best of both disciplines!), and from only my smartphone to boot, everything hinges on my pain levels, fog levels, and general "can I knit/write/edit/sit up today?". I do my best to be timely. I don't always succeed but I do try.

One other thing about me: I live on the island of Newfoundland off of Canada's most eastern coast, adrift in the north Atlantic Ocean. This place informs a lot of what I do knitting wise indirectly. And like any good solid Rock, it's given me a pretty steady base to work from. I'd be very remiss if I didn't mention my adopted home. And nothing set in stone but I have an idea or two that'll give my dear island some attention of its own amongst all the dancing and tunes.

So welcome! I hope you'll come back often and see what I'm up to. Comments and questions are always welcome either on a post/page or to the form in the sidebar. 

Ok, so no design news to share this week. I'm still a bit behind in my head from my overnight to Town midmonth to be honest. You wouldn't think an overnight would disrupt so much but here I am. 

In personal projects, I got the first sleeve of Roomie's cardi done. I'm knitting her a Folklore Cardigan by Amy Gundersen🔗 (link to the pattern's page on the MadelineTosh website) in classic cream and black. It's such a great classic cabled cardigan in DK weight; I'm using Patons Astra purchased from a local shop. 

And here's a pic of the sleeve:

I have 1 and a half diamonds done on the second one so it's moving again. I admittedly got a bit bogged down by it for a while because I've been working on it since October. But things are zipping along again, so yay!

The other piece I've put any time into is Nicole from Common Thread Fiber's Keep It Secret Keep It Safe Shawl mystery knit along aka mkal. I finished Clue 1! Clue 4 dropped today lol. Working behind as always lol. I'm using Briggs & Little Heritage which is a wonderfully woolly worsted/aran weight yarn. Canadian too, from our oldest woollen mill in the country. They're Atlantic Canadian neighbors too, being based in New Brunswick :) As I pointed out last post, this pattern is only available on Ravelry for the duration of the original knit along due to the need for sending weekly clue updates, and Common Thread's off-Rav location is on Ko-fi. I'll safe link as soon as I can!

So that's what's keeping my personal needles busy, and I've been doing a wee bit of pattern writing and charting for new designs but nothing I can share just now. Maybe next time I'll have something definitive for you.

I've written a novel this time! Whew! I hope you've had a favorite drink and/or snack to get you through today's post lol

What are you working on, fiber friends? A last minute warm hat or pair of mittens to help stave off the polar vortex that's gripped much of North America? Or are you thinking spring and summer, and have a lovely tee or tank on your needles or hook? I'd love to hear from you :)

As always, I remain

Yours in yarn and really long intros because it's either four words or a novel with me lol,

Síle

Well

I was going to announce winners in my anniversary word games yesterday. But with no entries, I don't have an announcement to make!

I hope the games were enjoyed even without entering. 

Wow, over halfway through January already!

I spent an overnight trip in Town this past week (went in Thursday morning, home again Friday afternoon) for a doctor's appointment. Unfortunately it was the worst weather day of the entire winter so far, especially when paired with taking the Metrobus around. Brr.

I did manage to get to Michael's and pick up some beads for Roomie that she asked if I could get there for. And I got a few colors of embroidery floss since I'd like to explore cross-stitching again. Cross-stitch and plastic canvas needlepoint are where my crafting journey began when I was 6, so a little return to roots exploration happening. I have a sampler I need to finish that I started in 2020 (self designed), and would like to stitch some smaller bits just to change up my creativity a bit.

Sadly I was in too much pain, and didn't feel up to fighting the wind, to make it to Chapters. I did wander the Coles in the Av for a bit but oddly no books found their way home with me. Any I saw that were interesting were ones I either already have or read via the Libby app/NLPL and don't need to own. 

Oh, and I indulged in something I never order out here simply because of my history with the business. I went to the Timmies in the Av and had a large white hot chocolate with 2 cream and an Earl Grey tea bag. Yum. Haven't had that in ages. It's similar to a London Fog but thicker/creamier, which appeals to me. I need to try the microwave jar method of frothing milk and see if I can make a semi-decent London Fog at home. Lots of anti-inflammatory properties in Earl Grey that would be beneficial to me if I got in the habit of one a day. It's sodium I need to cut out not anything else ;)

The anniversary celebration is over so what's next for Knit Dance Repeat Designs, you may be asking. Good question! I'm really hoping to have a pattern release announcement soon. Hand sewing and back spasms aren't really conducive to one another so I'm afraid I can't be more specific than that. I don't like not being able to give hard deadlines but these are the cards I hold, fiber friends.

I'm trying to finish up Roomie's cardigan before I start the swatches for my next two large samples. These are a pair of double-knit wraps; sister designs, really. One is 3 color double-knitting, the other is 4 colors. I need to swatch for usage so I can estimate the yardage I need to acquire to knit the samples. So much math! So much yarn!

The other thing about these swatches is they'll be perfect for getting the photos for my beginning double-knitting tutorial that I've been putting together. This tutorial will include all kinds of tips and tricks to help knitters on their double-knitting journey. The things I learned the hard way lol. Much of it is my preferences though; I've tried to be clear on that, and include links to other methods that may suit you better too. I'm nearly done writing it, then photos need adding before I hit publish. I'll let you know before it comes out. I'm aiming for late spring, May-ish, for it to be ready, but that's a moving target for now.

Alright! That's my catch up this week. What's on your needles and/or hooks, fiber friends? Anything new? In my personal projects alongside Roomie's cardigan, I'm working on clue 1 of the Common Thread's Keep It Secret Keep It Safe (KISKIS) mkal. Clue 3 came out yesterday lol :) While the mkal is going on, it's only available on R@v due to sending out updates; Ko-fi isn't set up with functionality for them but Nicole has mentioned releasing the finished pattern in her Ko-fi shop when it's complete. You might be interested if you like large worsted weight shawls full of yummy textures inspired by Middle Earth and Tolkien. Common Thread's Ko-fi shop, and all of their existing patterns, can be found here: Common Thread Ko-fi Shop🔗

This time I really am done! lol

Yours in yarn and semiorganized chaos,

Síle

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

 

That Was Unforseen

February was a heck of a month.

Remember how I popped in to show you I'd started the knotworks on my Countess Cathleen cloak?

Yeah, I jumped the starting whistle a wee bit. Turns out, I didn't have enough wool to finish the knotworks where I'd positioned them. And the cloak wasn't where I'd hoped it would be lengthwise either, so...

I frogged back to the row before I started the knotworks (again), started knitting again, adding to the background. And very quietly ordered 4 more hanks of wool.

(Aside: I ordered the wool at 3:45am on a Thursday. Around 8 hours later I had an email saying my order was at the post office, and it was ready for pickup at my local post office on Monday. I can't tell you how absolutely blown away by the service from Cast On! Cast Off! in Triton🔗 (link to their website; they have 5 exclusive colorways of Briggs & Little Heritage!) Of course, it helps they and I are on the same island. But seriously I wasn't even expecting my order to be into the mail that quickly!)

With the new hanks in hand, and a lovely (insert eyeroll here) snow storm happening outside, I charted out the knotworks, and the bottom borders (with transitions for all 3 sizes!).  Happy dance! 

I'm only 3 rows from the (please let this be the final) knotwork starts :) Granted, the rows are over 600 stitches in length so it's taking a bit to get them done. But once the knotworks are started my progress will pick up.

I'm an odd creature in that easy knitting, like say stockinette in the round, takes me foreeeeeevvvveeerrr. But stick a complex cable or lace pattern in the midst of it and I'll have it done lickety split! If you're at all familiar with online knitting magazine, Knitty🔗 (link to the wonderful webzine), and their delightful rating system, I have a tanktop from one of the previous iterations of their shop that says "piquant" on it for a reason. My former knit night pals can laughingly tell you about the time we held a knit-a-long for the Pinwheel sweater (was on the now defunct Elann.com), and everyone finished, except me because I got bored of all the stockinette in the round and started other projects instead of finishing it *insert cry-laughing emoji here*. I digress.

Speaking of snow, that dump we got in February melted down fairly quickly. And then we received another 54cm (roughly 21 inches) this past Thursday through Saturday morning. Guess who tried to shovel out the household for the second time in around 3 weeks. And guess who is hurting a lot, and unable to sleep despite the taking of medications meant to calm muscles and pain signals. Someone writing a blogpost much earlier than she normally does, perchance? See, I figured you'd put the clues together ;)

My recent internet rabbithole has been looking for sources of large quantities of 6/0 beads for Cherish the Ladies, and a few other designs that aren't quite far enough along to put on my cast-on list just yet. Admittedly, I don't have yarn for any of them. Kind of slows things down a bit lol. And yes, other designers probably have yarn before they start a design. Seems logical, right? While I routinely employ logic in all kinds of situations, designing isn't always one of them. We've established I do things my own way, even when it makes no logical sense, right? Oh good. I was afraid no one noticed ;)

The furry members of the household have figured out I'm awake, so I must give them attention. You'd think no one ever pets Jakey and Silver by how they get on...

That reminds me! You need to see the photo of Jakey from Saturday night. I had the cloak out to knit some after the hockey game, and... well see for yourself:

The furry nephew wasn't pleased that I asked him to get off my cloak. And with that expression on his floofy little face, I decided to work on something else completely. He's a benevolent little tyrant of two things: 100% wool (in hanks, balls or already knit up), and my lap if one of his sisters gets up with me. Sil has learned to sit on the arm of the couch next to me to avoid him pushing her off my lap. He's quite the character, our Jakey.

Well, fiber friends, I think I've been at this long enough *yawn*. Maybe I can get a bit of sleep in, on this rainy Tuesday morning. I hope your projects are all coming along nicely. Pop a comment below to let me know what your current project(s) is/are.

Yours in yarn, and an ever stiffening back,

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:

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

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

Something a Little Different

Quick post today :)

Do you like trying out crafting techniques that are just a bit different than the usual? For example, Tunisian crochet instead of standard crochet. I like changing things up a bit, sort of testing my skills, stretching my craft muscles.

As you know, I've been working on the Finola shawl (by the talented designer Aoibhe Ní; her website is YarnTowers.com🔗), which is stretching my crochet muscles to Tunisian crochet. It's coming along great and I'm really enjoying the making. And it got me thinking about my knitting muscle. How can I stretch that? What step up can I reach for?

Have you ever seen 3 color double-knitting? I hadn't until I saw the Waterford Wrap by Alasdair Post-Quinn (link to his website, double-knitting.com, is in the sidebar). Revisiting patterns I own lately got my mind to thinking that's something I'd like to try. So I started on a little test piece/swatch the other day, and I'm really pleased with myself for how it's coming along. Here's a collage photo, so you can see both sides:

You might find my "flowers" familiar. They're the same ones I used on the sides of my Rínce Fada scarf :) So that's my little experiment right now. And yes, there's a reason for my playing with 3 color double-knitting, but that's for a later day!

September 1st, the unofficial first day of Fall. This year is zipping by for me. I hope you're ready to dive into sweater season! I know I am :)

Yours in yarn and the tangle 3 color knitting puts me in,

Síle

The Countdown Is On

"Which countdown?" you may be asking.

The Countdown of all Countdowns in the Fiber World: The Countdown to Classic Rav being No-More. After March 31st, Classic Rav goes away and with it a number of people's ability to access the site even remotely safely.

Yes, yes, I know there a lot of crafters not effected by Nu Rav in any way and they'll for the most part merrily roll along as if nothing's changed. Plenty of people have been doing just that since last June; in five days ago it was nine months since the sneak attack... I mean, launch of Nu Rav.

Nine months without bringing in an accessibility consultant, even though there were qualified individuals who volunteered to help. Nine months of locked threads. Nine months of "Please contact us through email" that never gets answers. Nine months of lost revenues for designers unable to access their accounts. Nine months of crafters essentially locked-out of their libraries of pdf patterns that they spent time and money putting together. Nine months of being gaslit, of being told it's just an over reaction to the website update and people will get over it. Nine months since people had seizures, and/or the starts of migraines that have literally lasted over 200 days. Heck, nine months of migraines, eye strain, tension headaches, etc lasting on average a week in order for people to get their shops closed, or libraries downloaded, or projects and stash information transferred elsewhere.

So what has occurred in nine months? The animation that originally played on the login screen that prevented many from even getting onto the site after the Nu Rav launch, was first slowed and then stopped with an option to play it if the individual chooses. There has been tweaking of the original Nu Rav to have options to turn off the problematic drop shadows and there are now two options for viewing the site in Nu Rav, Herdwick and Merino modes. You can now add a Spotify link into your profile, great for podcasters! Of course it does nothing for those podcasters that can't even login, but you know, nothing important. (*Extremely heavy sarcasm*) It's my understanding a dark mode is currently in testing. 

You may be asking, "Where's the accessibility consultant TPTB said they were looking into?" Can't answer that as there's been not one peep about it since Jessica, one of the co-founders, said they were looking into it in her blogpost of July 30, 2020. Not one peep has been heard on this in over 7 months. We've heard all about wonderful sales numbers. (May I just add that of course sales were up last June over the previous June when they had to close the site to protect users from the inundation of backlash due to the Turd ban. Kind of a no-brainer that sales in a normal month of almost complete calm are going to be better than that contentious month.) 

Perhaps it's because of the uproar of June 2019 that TPTB decided to play hardball with anyone bringing up the accessibility issues in the Big 6. Threads locked and archived almost as soon as they appeared questioning if anyone else noticed getting headaches, or worse. "We value your feedback! Please post only in the designated thread", a thread that was locked and unlocked daily, meaning if you were experiencing issues outside of North American Eastern time zone business hours, too bad for you. And then even those threads disappeared and questions about their absence resulted in more locked and archived threads. Keep the majority of users from hearing about the problem and eventually the problem will get tired and go away, appears to be the modus operandi here. It's another way of gaslighting those experiencing problems too. Because many people coming across discussions of the  issues on other social media are quick to defend Rav and the TPTB, not realizing just how long this has been ongoing. Just today I had someone say that they didn't know what the issue was so it's possible that TPTB aren't aware of it either, had anyone tried reaching out to them? I'm grateful someone was able to answer and point the questioner to the myriad of data compiled by the ever organized Kathleen over at WIP Insanity. 

Which is precisely where I'm suggesting you head for further information. She has a much better breakdown of what's happened, what hasn't happened, and links to what might actually explain what went so terribly wrong. I mean besides ignoring the problems reported by beta testers of Nu Rav in the first place, because that might've led to a much better outcome for a lot of people. For a complete overview of everything head over here to the blogpost of updated information. If you're looking for what has been done/fixed, you'll want this page.   

Here we are on the 21st of March with ten days left before the end of Classic Rav. I doubt any of us thought this would be the future. Heck a year ago we were just really starting to process what the pandemic might be leading to. Rav exploding and making me and many others sick (thankfully "only" a two day migraine with nausea; I do not have any history with migraines other than when living in an apartment with a mold problem that I didn't know about. Talk about being blindsided.), that in July I would close my Rav shop, which I long credited with helping me transition to being a "real designer", and embarked on a journey with this blog/site and Payhip to sell my patterns Off-Rav. Nope, didn't see any of that happening. And yet, here we sit on the 21st of March with a mere ten days remaining of Classic Rav.

10... 

Fasten Off Yarn Along 2020

I mentioned this last post and now I have more details to share!

Fasten Off Yarn Along, the OffRav indy knit and crochet designer pattern sale and make along, starts on November 25th! Wednesday! Tomorrow!

So first off is the pattern sale. 93 designers, including me, will be offering a selection of their patterns at 25% off their usual price starting on November 25th and ending on December 5th. The sale code is the same across the board, on any platforms the designers choose to set it up on: FO2020. For example, the code will be good on all of my designs (except my ebook because it isn't fully complete yet) both here on KDR (see the sidebar labeled My Patterns --->) and in my Payhip shop (link also in the sidebar). All designers participating have at least one OffRav option for your safe pattern shopping, whether that be their own site, Payhip, or Etsy.

And I'm sure you're wondering what other designers are getting involved, and how to find them. Never fear! The crack team of Kathleen & Rachy have thought of that. There is website located here (also linked in the sidebar of this blog under Other Sites of Interest) which has searches of both designers and patterns, plus by craft, category, and who will wear it/use it.

What about the make along portion? I'm so glad you asked. This event is cross-platforms, and not just sales platforms!! There is a Twitter account, an Instagram account, a Facebook page, and a Discord server! Participate with whichever ones you're most comfortable with. If you're using Twitter and Instagram in particular, be sure you use the hashtags: #FastenOffYAL & #FastenOff2020 so your posts can be found and get the make along love they deserve. I have to say, I'm really liking Discord for chatting despite just learning how to use it. Old cats can learn new tricks! ;) 

The make along portion of events starts at 9pm EST (GMT -5) on November 25th (giving you time to buy a pattern or two first) and wraps up December 31st at 11:59pm EST (GMT -5)! Stay in and make along with old and new friends to Fasten Off 2020! There will be chatter and crafting and fun and community!!! Join in and help Fasten Off 2020 in crafterly style!

During the entire make along period, there will also be prizes! Each participating designer is donating free patterns of the winner's choice, plus there have been some generous donations of gadgets, and even yarnie goodness!! And there will be games! What's more fun than fibery games? Well, besides crafting that is! 

I hope you'll be joining in with me at the Fasten Off Yarn Along. I'll be cheering participants on, answering any questions, and making sure this is a fun and safe event for everyone. Unless someone is rude or bullying or using harassing language. That has no place at an inclusive yarn community event, and I will delete any harmful posts if they pop up on my watch. The code of conduct is posted on the Fasten Off Yarn Along site. It really boils down to be respectful and have fun while allowing other participants to do the same.

Now, I need to find those pompoms so I can properly cheer everyone on...

I wasn't kidding, I totally have pompoms at the ready:

Yours in yarn and pompom glory,

Síle

All the News That's Fit to Print

 Well, maybe not quite, but there's a bit to talk about.

First let me draw your attention upwards, to the blog header. Notice anything different? (hint hint wink wink) I played around and tried a few different things and I really like this one. It's much simpler than some of the others I came up with, which I'll let you in on:

Oh the fun of picture editing apps! 

As you know if you've been reading along, (and if you haven't, you can catch up here, here, here, and here) R*velry hasn't been very responsive about their redesign fiasco. Unfortunately, that's causing a lot of issues for at least one designer I know. Tania has been suffering greatly during this mess and R*velry's response to her request for an alternative way to pay her bill is absolutely despicable! You can find it here on her Twitter and Instagram accounts. The vast majority of designers don't have staff they can give access to in the manner suggested. And giving access to a trusted friend or relative puts the designer at risk for going against GDPR regulations in EU countries, as well as the UK! At the very least the suggestion is unuseful to recommend something that could cost a designer that has already lost her a good portion of her earnings this year. Or was it more sinister and the suggestion was meant to make said designer disappear, along with her nagging requests for accommodation. And yes, I may be a bit over the top with that suggestion, but considering the gaslighting done by persons at R*velry is it really a stretch to consider that possibility? 

Here's some good news! A number of designers are banding together to put together an event similar to the Indie Gift-A-Long, but Off R*velry. Kathleen of WIP Insanity and Rachy of Rachy Newin Designs are our intrepid organizers for the Fasten Off Yarn Along! There will be a pattern sale period, followed by the Along part of the fun. There's a Discord forum set up for chatter, pre-event as well as during. You can find the official Twitter and Instagram accounts for the Fasten Off Yarn Along by following the links I've given. I'm excited to be participating in this new event! I'll post more as we get closer!

On the knitting front, I'm splitting time between the Hornpipe Bag and a blanket for my furry nephew. Here's the latest pic of the HB:

For Jakey's blanket, I've knit a dishcloth (Cat with paw print by Susan Mrenna. I had this in my R*velry library; I don't know if it's available elsewhere), and then picked up stitches around the edge, and I'll be working the rest according to Louise Tilbrook's Fuss Free Baby Blanket recipe; sadly, it's no longer available, a casualty of removing her patterns from R*velry this summer. (You can find her other designs either on her site or in her Payhip shop.) Fairly simple and makes excellent use of some odds and ends I have. Jakey always liked snuggling with Maureen's blankie, which I've put up since her passing in 2018, so I think he should have his own. Little cuddler that he is. How can I not when he gets under my fleece like this:

Isn't he precious? He'll be 7 in a week! Seems like yesterday he was 10 weeks old and uncertain about everything to do with his new home.

And that brings this post back around to me. You may remember I was in St. John's last month for a medical appointment. I had a phone appointment with my doctor last week to hear the results. There were abnormal cells. I'm being referred to a specialist; thankfully, there's a couple here and I won't need to travel. So that's where that is. Injury recovery has taken a bit of a backseat this last while. I manage my passive stretches a couple times a week. I just don't have much energy for more than that. I'd like to burrow under the covers and hibernate it that's not a feasible option with so much on the go. I digress.

What are your crafting plans looking like? Thinking of joining in on the fun of the Fasten Off Yarn Along? ;) Or maybe you're under a pile of mittens for the family before winter truly takes hold. I'd love to hear what's on your needles!

Yours in yarn and cat fur (Jakey is supervising his blankie construction),

Síle

New Ways to Find Things

There's been a lot of discussion about how the fiber arts community that can't and/or won't use R*velry can find each other. Here are some ways to find and/or connect with this part of the community.

There are a few websites that have been set up; you'll find a link to the Fiber Indy List in the sidebar (full disclosure: I'm listed there), but also there's the Accessible Patterns Index (I'm also listed there; 11 of my 15 patterns include Low Vision Accessible pdfs) and the Yarn Database.

Websites are great for finding designers and patterns, but what about other crafters? There are healthy crafting communities on Instagram and Twitter! And the easiest way to find them is through hashtags. Through polls and discussions this last week or so, Twitter user BirdieToldMe (@kaysaraahsaraah) has helped to add some hashtags we can use to search for other crafters, as well as designers, indy dyers, and notions makers; talk about finding your community! #RavelryAccessibility, which was coined during the first throes of NuRav to enable ease in finding out what was going on when forum threads were being locked and archived almost as soon as they started has been decided to be left to information posts, and these are the decided upon hashtags to use on pertinent community posts: #OffRav , #OffRavDesigners ,  #InclusiveYarnCommunity and on Wednesdays be sure to use #WIPWednesdayOffRav on your progress pics. By following these tags on Instagram and Twitter, you'll quickly find the vibrant communities existing on both social media sites.

You may be wondering why I've capitalized each word in the above hashtags. It makes them readable to screen readers instead of being garbled, and also easier to read by individuals with sight issues and some who are neurodiverse. I find them easier to figure out as a glasses wearer since age 9 ½. Unfortunately, this means typing out the hashtags every time instead of relying on auto fill or the suggestions that pop up. But I think those extra few seconds are worth it to make the hashtags accessible and inclusive. If we want to say we have an #InclusiveYarnCommunity, we can show it by our hashtags.

Some designers have set up new places to house their forums as well. Louise Tilbrook moved her "Everyday Knitters" group off of Facebook earlier this summer to a new home on Mighty Networks. Tania Richter had been using Discord; I'm not sure if she's still using it due to her extra severe migraine and subsequent medical appointments/corrective lenses/minimizing time of any kind of online activity/medications. I've heard others are trying to incorporate fora into their existing sites, but I'm not aware of anyone who has this up and running just yet; if you're aware of anyone who does, please let me know in the comments below so I can boost it. 

I've given my R*velry group members a heads up that the group will be disappearing before the Classic Rav deadline is up. As of this writing, I haven't decided how, or if, to replace the group. It was never as much as a hub as I'd hoped. I'll be hosting test knits via either Fiberly or Yarnpond going forward, which was the main reason for my group's existence, so I don't feel I really need one right now. Something to think of in the future maybe. 

Yours in yarn and hashtags,

Síle