My latest digression is out! This time we're exploring duplicate stitch and how you can use it to decorate your knitting. I used the hats in Penchant as an example (because really, how pretty are they with a little extra adornment), but you can absolutely apply the concepts to other knits! Patrons go check your email, it’s there waiting for you. Everyone else, you can read more about it here. As promised, I succumbed to my baser tendencies and put together a brief digression on duplicate stitch (or rather, as close to brief as me exploring something that amuses me [...]

So a few days ago, I took the embroidered hats off to the beach. The same beach where I'd taken them in their unadorned state for their first photo shoot. There was just one problem. We'd had, um, a bit of snow between the first photo shoot and the second. And snow always complicates photos. It's not just the tromping off to the photo shoot (you can see my little wheelie cart back there behind the sun screen, it's not precisely rated for off roading in the snow) or the not freezing your face off part of the process. The [...]

Yeah, I've never been good at knowing when to stop. Which is doubtless a challenge to folks in my life. But it seems to work out ok for folks who cross my path in a work context, as it means there tend to be...um...options in my patterns.⁠ Which is the long way of saying yes, all the different mushroom shapes are in the pattern. Because of course they are. Because I mean really, why not. ⁠ The pattern is called Foraged, and you've got a few more hours (till the end of the day today, Friday the 17th) to use [...]

I started a patreon last year when I revamped my business. I was nervous, but it ended up being exactly what I needed. So let's talk about it!⁠ Making a living writing knitting patterns is...tricky. There are rather a lot of people who think patterns should be free or at least dirt cheap (yet somehow still expect professionally produced patterns which take a tremendous amount of time & skill & camera gear & fancy software to create). Not you folks! I decided early on I was absolutely not going to try to appeal to people who felt that way and [...]

There's a voice in my head that is constantly warning me that Someone In Charge is going to show up any second now, get right up in my face, and demand I explain myself. Insist I justify my choices. Require that I convince them that I am Normal and Trustworthy and Reasonable. But here's the thing...that never ever ever happens. It just doesn't. No one is ever going to knock on my door, tell me they received a report that I knit something useless and absurd, and make me account for this scandalous waste of time. If this were gonna [...]

They're back! The pattern is called Foraged, it's out on both ravelry and payhip, and the code TOADSTOOL will take 10% off for the next few days.⁠ Now look, I fully acknowledge these are not precisely the most practical knit in the world. But I maintain that sometimes practicality is not what you need. Sometimes you need delight and wonder and absurdity. And these do a pretty good job on that score.⁠ There are a whole bunch of different mushroom shapes in the pattern. Each one only take a few hours, a few dozen yards of yarn (mine are made [...]

So I mean yeah, you can use duplicate stitch to do all sorts of utilitarian mending stuff. It's an absolutely grand way to reinforce weak spots in your fabric. But you can also make it preeeeeeeeeetty. Possibly even borderline fancy. I'm stitching on the hat that came out last week (as part of the little bonus on duplicate stitch that will be out later this month). And I gotta be honest, I'm kinda loving this vibe. This is going to be fun!

So it doesn't precisely feel like it just yet (we've gotten more snow in March than we did in December), but the days are getting longer and spring is just about here. Which seemed like a fabulous excuse to bring these little guys back. They will (as always, barring any catastrophes) be back Tuesday! If you need a copy for yourself, you know what to do. And if you want to help someone else get a copy, you can donate to the Community Supported Pattern fund. We've talked about this before, but the idea is that folks with a little [...]