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

Anyone Need a New Bag?

My Hornpipe Bag pattern is now available!

This handy double-knit bag is just the right size for running errands, going to your summer dance class, or attending an outdoor show. And because it's double-knit, you get a fun patterned bag without worrying about your keys, pens, and other bits getting caught in the floats! 

This fun pattern is backed by photo tutorials, linked directly in the Notes section of the pattern, and also easily found in the Helpful Posts tab above, for the techniques I used that may not be familiar to you. 

Where can you buy the Hornpipe Bag pattern? Right here on this site! Hornpipe Bag on this site🔗

But that's not all! Buy before end of day on Friday (the 21st), using code KDRDHB20 and receive 20% off. This is code is only found here in this post as a thank you to my readers. (Yes, there's another code for a smaller discount that I'm putting out more freely. No, they can't be stacked.)

What are you waiting for? Get the Hornpipe Bag pattern today ;)

Yours in yarn and release day chaos,

Síle

Announcing a Mystery

Today's the day!

My mystery knitalong is live! Practice Makes Perfect is available in the Patterns tab above! 

The knitalong begins August 30th, and the Warm Up packet is ready for you now. It includes all of the details for the knitalong.

Practice Makes Perfect is a scarf pattern knit in knit/purl patterns commonly associated with ganseys. It is worked in worsted weight yarn and I recommend using a solid or semisolid colorway to show the textured patterns to their best advantage.

My sample scarf, worked at a gauge of 24 stitches and 34 rows in 4 inches/10 cm of stockinette stitch, measures 11 inches/27.5 cm wide and 81 inches/202.5 cm long. I used Briggs & Little Tuffy (80% wool, 20% nylon; 215 yards/197 m = 113g), an Aran weight yarn. Any worsted or Aran weight yarn will work for this pattern, in any fiber or fiber blend. You'll want to swatch to get a fabric you like with your chosen yarn. I recommend a blocked gauge close to what's listed above (and in the pattern) to keep your yardage use similar to mine. I've listed 895 yards/818 m in the pattern; this includes a 10% buffer amount because our individual gauges are often just enough off to not use the exact same amount of yarn.

Practice Makes Perfect will be released in ten Steps, released weekly starting August 30, 2022 and the final Step being out on November 1st. The knitalong runs on Instagram, using the hashtag #PracticeMakesPerfectMKAL to find the various projects, until November 15th. I will be keeping track of completed scarves posted with photo(s) and the hashtag on or before November 15th, and on November 16, I will select the winner of the knitalong prize pack. I'll be using a random number generator for the winner selection.

There are more details on the pattern page🔗 (link stays within this site).

I will add that Practice Makes Perfect has two pdfs for each portion, including the Warm Up. The first is a standard (line by line written and charted instructions) pdf, and the other is low vision and screen reader accessible. The second pdf is in 24pt sans serif, all-black type with fully written line-by-line instructions, with minimal abbreviations. Having the two pdfs for each portion of this pattern means it is ready to be knit by most knitters, no matter their needs and/or preferences in knitting instructions.

Until the first Step is out on August 30th, Practice Makes Perfect is available for $5 CDN, no coupon or code required. Once the Steps have started, Practice Makes Perfect will be available at its regular price of $6.50 CDN.

I hope you'll join me in knitting Practice Makes Perfect this late summer into the autumn. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Yours in yarn and Warm Ups,

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 :) 

Underestimating

Happily, I've been getting some design work done the last bit. And I'm oh so close to having my next pattern with my techeditor! 

But first I've got to get it cast-off and blocked. You wouldn't think casting off would be an issue, but when you're doing a bit of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants designing it really can turn out to be a thing.

I'm at work on a shawl I'm calling "Hap-Hazard", and it's one I've worked on, off and on, for nearing 6 years. I knit the original in an acrylic yarn and wanted to see if it was better in a blockable fiber. That plan took a small detour as I worked on other items. Finally I was able to acquire 5 hanks of my go-to wool from Briggs & Little, Heritage, and get to work. I don't work on only one thing at a time though so the shawl got put aside more than a few times.

This spring I've needed that comforting knitting though, so Hap-Hazard has been added back into my rotation of in progress projects. And it's nearly done. I posted a photo to my Instagram today showing just the small ball of wool and some of the stitches on the circular needle. Here's the photo:

(And before anyone asks, the stitch marker is by a clay artist in St. John's who sells them as Dawn's Creations; website: Dawn's Creations. I bought a set of her Jellybean Row Houses from Cast On Cast Off (lys in St. John's; website: Cast On Cast Off); this is the green one. I like green and purple together. You've seen my Rínce Fada scarf, right? Sorry for the tangent lol)

So I got the photo posted and returned to the cast off. I hadn't gotten too far when I realized that I was going to lose at yarn chicken by a large margin. sigh I did the only thing I could: removed the shawl from the needle and frogged back 4 rounds of lace knitting, tinked another as I replaced the stitches on the needle, and now I'm in the process of tinking the last round. My pattern has a 6 round repeat. More than enough wool to cast off properly now!

When I started working on this pattern, I had 3 charts adding up to 144 rounds of the border. I knit 70 when I realized that 1) it was going to be far bigger than I thought, and 2) I didn't have enough yarn to get much finished beyond the 70 rounds. Oops! Time to cast off! And then the aforementioned yarn chicken occurred. 1075 yds/ 5 hanks of my chosen wool seemed like the right amount to get for this design. Next time I go for the even half dozen! An extra hank of worsted weight is always handy for a hat or a pair of mittens. And then I don't need frog/tink more than normal! 

I've adjusted the charts and the written instructions already so once it's blocked and final measurements are added to the pattern, and photos are taken, I'll get the pattern off to be techedited and figure out how to run the test knit once it's done there. If anyone has any tips on holding testknits off-Rav, I'd love to hear them! I'm looking into YarnPond as a possibility but I'm open to anything except R*velry (for obvious reasons, like not being able to use it very long myself), and via email. I used to hold them over email but found it difficult for my testers to share with each other. That was a benefit of my R*velry group; everyone could see how each other's project was turning out, and could ask questions that were seen by everyone participating. Much more fun! Leave me a comment if you've had success with a certain platform or if you've participated in a testknit with another designer that you enjoyed where it was run. 

In Jakey news, the floofy boy is happy and healthy. The fur isn't quite fully grown in on his tail, but you'd never guess all the troubles he had these last few months. You can still use code Jakey to get 25% off any of my patterns (tab at the top of this blog), with monies after fees going to the remaining bill. Thank you to everyone who has bought patterns this spring! 

I think that's all the news around here for now.

Yours in yarn and chart revisions,

Síle

Well Did You Ever...

 What a swell party this is! 

Yes, I once again have song lyrics stuck in my head :) Hard not to some days, especially when you learn you hit "save" on a post but not "publish" *facepalm*. So today you can read two posts that are new to you!

I meant to write this earlier this month, but life has a funny way of derailing plans. 

Are you familiar with Germander Cottage Crafts? It's a blog and shop run by Hanna, and she's been running featured indy designers every month. I'm so pleased to be May's featured designer!! Be sure to pop over and have a look see at both the blog and shop :) 

Speaking of Off-Rav Designers, one of my personal projects right now is Aoibhe Ní's Finola (link is directly to the pattern page on Aoibhe's website, YarnTowers.com). I hadn't ever done more than a square in Tunisian crochet before and look at this beautiful shawl I'm in the midst of!

If you've ever considered trying Tunisian crochet, I highly recommend Aoibhe's patterns. Not only are they well written, she also has fantastic videos showing exactly how she does the various steps of the pattern. And I'm not normally someone who finds videos helpful! You can find my project notes for this, and my other projects, over on my other blog here.

How's your weather? We're having a cold rainy snap to end out May. Really hoping weatherman Eddie is right and warmer temps are coming to start off June!

Speaking of June, how is that next week already?? They say time flies when you're having fun but I haven't had much fun lately, and it's still zooming by!

That's it for today! Be sure to checkout the hashtag #WIPWednesdayOffRav on Twitter and Instagram today for all kinds of inspiring projects, patterns, and yarns! Wednesdays are so nice with all the photos :)

Your's in yarn and a warm sweater (I told you it's cold here! lol),

Síle

Greetings from 2021!

That was a bit hectic! I'm so glad that so many knitters and crocheters enjoyed the Fasten Off Yarn Along :) It made for a very fun month! I love that we formed such an amazing community feeling in such a short time. 

Ah, but now the New Year's been rung in and things return fairly much to normal. Well, new normal anyway. I know some places are going into tighter Covid lockdowns again today. I hope all of the crafters have enough supplies to themselves through it all!

Are you a fan of goals at the start of the year? I don't mean the typically broken ones like losing weight or exercising X days a week. I mean fun goals, like reading X books this year, or learning to knit cables. 

I enjoyed the Challenge feature on R@v the last number of years, and I've done alright with it. I had a goal of 15 projects last year and I finished 17. We won't go into how many I started ;) I could still set a goal and track it here I suppose...

One thing I had decided on a bit ago was to knit myself a sweater each year; cardigan or pullover, didn't matter. As you know if you were following along, I knit a Harvest cardigan last fall (link is to the pattern's page on Tin Can Knits' website). This year's sweater is a pattern I bought during the Fasten Off Yarn Along: Twist Again by Robynn Weldon (link goes to the pattern page in her Payhip shop). I just love all those cables!! And I have a lovely dark lavender yarn for it :) I haven't started it yet. I've been tempted to, but I decided I need to get at least two projects off the needles first.

I did finish a project during FOYAL (although I only swatched one officially, the aforementioned Twist Again)! I finally got my G'night Cap by Sarah Schira (link is to her website) finished; I only cast-on in January 2019! I only meant to set it down for a week or so to finish up something else and... Anyway!! It is done, it is fabulous, and I love it! Picture? Why of course!

I used just a bit over 1 hank of Briggs & Little Heritage in "Light Green". It's cute and oh so warm :) Let January throw another Snowmageddon at us! Ok, not really; I don't want to that much snow at once ever again. But my new hat is warm and wonderful.

What am I working to finish up? So glad you asked! I started Simee Dimeh by Romi Hill (Sorry, no safe link at the moment. I know Romi is getting her website set up, and I that you can email her to get her patterns via email instead of through R@v at this time) last May and I'm in the midst of chart J. It ends after chart K, so I'm very close to finishing. I chose to use the rainbow for my 7 colors and ordered 7 hanks of Briggs & Little Sport from Wool Trends, one of the lovely lys' in St. John's aka Town. Here's where it's at currently:

How's that for colorful?! I've used red, orange, yellow, paddy green, light blue, blue heather, and violet to make my rainbow, and I'm really pleased with how it's coming along. 

So that sums up my personal knitting, let's look at my work knitting!

I published two patterns last year, the Treble Reel Toque and the Treble Jig Legwarmers (links are within this blog. You can also visit the Patterns tab near the top of this screen)

This year I'll be publishing the Hornpipe Bag and the Slip Jig Shawl. I'm continuing to work on the samples and tweak the wording of the patterns as I do so. (Behind the Scenes info: unlike some (most? probably most) designers, I first outline the pattern and swatch and make notes, and then I write the pattern as I knit the sample.) I hope to also publish at least one of the two other samples I have on the go currently. These are Hap-Hazard (my twist on a hap shawl), and Gone Feising (pronounced "feshing"; an Irish dancer's outfit for an 18 inch doll).

I'm also at work "translating" the charts from Rínce Fada into line by line instructions to make a low vision accessible pdf to go with the standard one already available. Because I charted it for reversible double-knitting (standard double-knitting gives you a mirrored image on the backside that gives you backwards facing letters and words), each and every stitch is represented, and when I choose the written instructions option from my charting software I get "KMC PCC KMC PCC KMC PCC..." instead of "(KMC, PCC) 3x..., so I have to manually edit each row, which isn't easy on my eyes, and yes, I'm taking regular breaks to rest them. I'm about half through chart B and the charts go up to I so it'll be a bit before I have it ready but I am working on it, and hope to have it ready to go for you summerish ideally. Watch this space! There will be fireworks* when I announce it's ready! *Not really fireworks. A photo of some most likely. No animations will be on this site. 

I think that's all I have to tell you about today. Happy 2021 to you, again :) If you'd like to tell me about your crafting goals for this year, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear what you've got planned!

Yours in yarn and to do lists,

Síle

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