How is it Monday?

More to the point: how is it February?? 2025 is just rolling along even as the world becomes more of a dumpster fire.

Gather with your communities, fiber friends. Whether online or in-person, support each other, hold each other up with love and kindness. And when you've got the energy, however you're able to, be the change you want to see in this world.

I'm going to leave that as it is, for now. I'm still collecting my thoughts, and ordering my words on what's going on with our once-respectable southern neighbour. I will say this though, in true Newfoundland fashion, "Thank god we're surrounded by water!" while still holding as many of you as I can in my heart. 

So beyond the collapse of civility between nations, I managed some pattern work this week. Charts are nearly complete for four, yes, 4!, new designs, and basic pattern writing has begun on them. I plan for these to be a literal ebook: 4 patterns of similar items in one pdf... well 2 really because there will be a "standard" one with both charted and written instructions, and a second presented with low vision accessibility in mind (24pt sans serif font, emphasis shown with bold type instead of italics, minimal abbreviations to be clear with screen reader technology, etc). These four designs cover a number of double-knitting techniques, which I thought was a fun idea. These are quick to knit accessories too so just right to learn/try a little something while still being useful.

On the personal project front, I have 3 diamonds of length knit on Sleeve 2 of Roomie's cardigan now. And I put some rows into the birthday surprise gift too; O! I finally finished the chart for that. Whew! That was a bit of a marathon truth be told. When I reveal it that will make much more sense. I didn't get a start on Clue 2 of Common Thread's Keep It Secret Keep It Safe mkal unfortunately. My hands seemed drawn to DK weight yarns this week ;) I'm using Paton's Astra for both the cardigan and the birthday surprise (It's Roomie, they need to be able to safely go in the washer and dryer), again purchased locally. Top of the hill and around the corner in fact. Very handy.

What's on your needles and hooks, fiber friends? Any FOs (finished objects) from January? 

Yours in yarn and varying degrees of fogged brain,

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

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

It's Been a Hot (& Humid) Minute

Where does time get to? Too much summer relaxing that's the culprit ;)

Not really! I've been hard at work here knitting samples and working new ideas into clearer pictures of what I want to do next.

And checking in with the three absolutely fantastic test knitters on Yarnpond who're flying through my Hornpipe Bag pattern. I'm majorly impressed with both their knitting skills and speed, and their feedback about the pattern. This was definitely a good decision on my part to check out Yarnpond for running my test knits. I'm so pleased with things so far.

And that means the Hornpipe Bag pattern will be out sometime in August; exact date not fully determined just yet. Absolutely certain on August though, so be sure to pop back here or turn on notifications for my account on Twitter and/or Instagram (links in the sidebar) to get the news as soon as it's ready!

Ok, I confess to this year's North American Irish Dance Championships (affectionately known as NANs and/or NAIDC) stealing my attention away from my yarny pursuits earlier this month; July 1st to 5th. Held in lovely Montréal this year, they showcased the top talent in the CLRG's North American region. My Instagram feed ranneth over with so many fantastic photos and video clips! *insert starry-eyed emoji here* I do not envy the judges their task to pick the absolute pinnacles amongst such talented dancers! And the outfits! The bling! Love love love seeing all the color everywhere! Orange and red seemed particularly popular; particularly appropriate for the summer heat. Congratulations to every dancer that qualified to dance in Montréal and the absolute best of luck to those who qualified for Worlds next Spring.

Alright let's come full circle and come back to yarny things, like my patterns ;) One of the samples I've been working diligently on (well when the yarn hasn't been physically sticking to my hands; I dislike humidity.) is that for my mkal!

And I can say it's coming along very nicely, as is the pattern writing portion of the job. Quite honestly, I should have the sample done later this week or early next week. 

What can I tell you about the mkal? 

It's for an accessory that is suitable for anyone, roughly teenage and older, especially those that experience colder temperatures; think under -10°C/14°F. I live in Canada; I know those temps are coming back in the Fall. 

I can tell you the pattern uses worsted or Aran weight yarn. The sample I'm working on now is being knit with a wool and nylon blend (80% wool, 20% nylon) yarn. The one I plan to knit along with everyone during the mkal will be knit using a 100% acrylic yarn. I'm pretty certain any fiber or blend of fibers will work with this pattern. I'm not fully sure of the yardage just yet. I have my swatch result number and will soon have my actual yardage used number. I like to compare the two before I give an amount to anyone. Same with the gauge and finished measurements. My version of "measure twice, cut once". I think that's some good starting information for you to start thinking about an mkal with a late Summer/early Fall start date. 

Furry nephew Jakey is starting to walk on me, so that tells me I've been typing for what he considers too long. Aren't cats fun to live with? :D I got this photo of him next to me while I was knitting yesterday:

Sleeping like a furry angel. I can report his health has been perfect the last quite awhile, which is a relief to his humans and his sisfur Silver. 

So that's all my news! Unfortunately I haven't been working on any personal projects enough to show you anything today. Hopefully next post!

Hope you're staying cool and enjoying the summer, or winter depending where you live. Are you working on any interesting projects? I'd love to hear about them!

Yours in yarn and cat fur,

Síle

Celebrating KIP

Did you get out to celebrate World Wide Knit In Public Day (WWKIP Day) yesterday? There wasn't an event near me this year, but I'm now thinking about next year. Well, depending on where I'm located anyway. Not leaving Newfoundland; possibly changing locales. And yes, I've been saying this for about 9 years now lol. I digress.

I've seen a lot of fantastic photos on Insta of various gatherings yesterday and it looks like everyone had a great time. I know I really enjoyed past events with my knit night pals (waves to Lindsay, Susie, Sara, and Michele 👋🏻) before my big move. We'll see if I keep track of time better and remember before 3 days before the next one. Next year's WWKIP Day is June 10, 2023. If you'd like more information about WWKIP Day, the official website is here: WWKIP Day🔗

Bringing things closer to home, I'm getting the photo tutorial done for my Hornpipe Bag before I release it for testing. The pattern is ready to go but I think having the tutorial ready first will be a benefit to testers as well as knitters. Stay tuned for the announcement that the test has gone live, later this week! I'll be conducting this test via Yarnpond, which is a new venue for me. I'm quite excited to give it a try! Now if only my helper wouldn't help quite so much...

Speaking of giving things a try, I'm at work on the sample for the mystery knit-along I'm planning to host later this year. And I'm putting together some prizes for it too ;) My current timeline for this is to announce the mkal and have it on sale next month, and then the Steps will be released weekly starting in late August/early September. 

I picked up my Twist Again (pattern by Robynn Weldon; pattern page in her Payhip shop 🔗 recently and have a bit more done on the body. I really love this cable panel. Hopefully I'm better at staying focused the next while and I'll have a new sweater for when colder temps reappear! (Unless of course another design idea jumps to the forefront of my brain)

Did you attend a WWKIP gathering yesterday? What's on your needles or hooks? I'd love to hear about it :)

Yours in (fur covered) yarn, and upcoming news,

Síle

Spoke Too Soon

On the weather, that is! Bright sunshine and 9°C here today. Brrr! Happily I have warm knits to help me through this. I really hope we avoid "Juneuary" this year! Keeping my fingers crossed!

My Countess Cathleen cloak is starting to take shape. I was playing with it a bit last night and took these photos:

I think Silver was getting concerned about me. :,,,D Isn't she precious? Sweet girl

Anyway! In the second photo you can just make out the cloak body starting to come out from under the hood's folds. Hopefully I'll have more to show off very soon!

Are you waiting to hear more on my Hornpipe Bag pattern? I should have it ready for testing soon! I've decided to give Yarnpond a try for this test, which gives me a collective spot to run the test and gather feedback. This is more akin to when I had my Rav group and everyone involved could see questions and answers as they came up, which I found to be a much better way to communicate. As compared to when I tried running a test via email; that was a nightmare for everyone, I think. I didn't enjoy it as much that's for sure. And I had brilliant testers! Couldn't have been better! Yarnpond is free to signup to, and it's quite nominal in fees for a designer to run a test. So I'm going to give it a go. 

This will be the year of experiments! Not only am I going to be giving Yarnpond a try for running a test/preview knit, but I'm working on the sample for a mystery knitalong (mkal) I plan on launching in the late summer/early fall. That will be run on Instagram, which I'm hearing is pretty good for craftalongs since they're really about seeing the projects take shape. I think it'll be fun!

That's what's keeping me busy, what about you? What's on your needles right now? What are you looking forward to making and/or finishing over the warmer months? 

Yours in yarn, and calendars,

Síle