Local knitwear designer found mysteriously mauled. Authorities say she appears to have been attacked by rabid weasels. Friends and family express shock and can't think of any motive for the vicious attack. ⁠ Some have called for an investigation into the victim's kitten, who was found at the scene of the crime, fastidiously cleaning off her claws, with what one witness described as "a vengeful gleam in her eye." But the kitten, speaking through her legal representative, maintains her absolute innocence and claims to have been napping in a sunbeam when the events in question occurred.⁠ Further updates to come [...]

Ensorcellment is back! Though I regret to inform you that there have been several credible reports of ghostly apparitions in recent days... If you're feeling brave enough to risk it, the pattern is up on both ravelry and payhip. The code "BOO" will take 10% off for the next day or two. Patreon folks at the appropriate tiers should sense a spectral presence emanating from their inboxes (as should anyone who bought it before the patterns came down this summer). And should any of you come to feel a cold chill in the air or notice a shadowy movement out [...]

Someone, somewhere is wondering if the wee pointy hats are sized for people. So I have enlisted Owlbert here to provide a demonstration (he'll exact his revenge later). The hats are tiny and wee and absurd. If you tried to make them people sized, you'd have to build in a whole bunch of structure to make them work and fit and stay in place. It would become an engineering project, not a knitting project. I currently have the brain power, stamina, and general fortitude for a (simple) knitting project, not for an engineering project. We must know our limitations! The [...]

You know that point in a project where you know it's going to be nifty...you just do...there's no room for doubt. But the niftiness is not yet quite evident to everyone else?⁠ Think of that point about two inches into the leg of a lacy sock. You can tug on the fabric and see that the stitches are making a pretty pattern. And you can slip it on and pull it up to your ankle and see how well it's going to fit. And you know quite well that hand knit socks are just inherently a thing of beauty. You can [...]

Let's do something scary. Let's talk about money. There are two arguments that make the rounds in knitting circles. They go more or less like this: One: Things are hard. Folks are struggling. Knitting should be financially accessible. Therefore knitting patterns should be free/cheap, or else you're not being inclusive enough. Two: Producing knitting patterns takes a tremendous amount of work. Most designers make shockingly little (there's substantial overlap between 'designers' & 'people who are struggling'). Therefore knitting patterns should be more expensive, or else you're not fairly compensating designers for their work. These seem to be in conflict...but they're [...]

We did it! We hit the goal I set for patreon, and so I've sent a donation off to Women on Waves (the organization that Aid Access asks folks to donate to support their work).⁠ Aid Access will help you get abortion pills entirely online. They will send them to you, no matter what state you live in. And they offer pricing on a sliding scale so everyone has access.⁠ You can order them even if you're not pregnant to have on hand in case you need them later. I did exactly that earlier this summer. Things are scary enough [...]

We have a winner! Ensorcellment (pointy hat) beat out Concoction (tiny bottle) and so will be returning early next month (likely Tuesday the fourth, assuming no catastrophes between now and then). Though it seems Miss Fizzy is not so sure about this decision. She's quite interested in getting to know more about that bottle, and very very very uninterested in having anything to do with the hat. (I did try, she declined. Firmly. Or is that pointedly.) All the usual stuff applies! If you had the earlier version, you'll get the new one automatically when it comes out (you don't [...]

I want to pay for some abortions. When I hit 350 patrons, I'll set up a monthly, recurring donation of $150 to do exactly that. Things are bad here. They're only getting worse. Giving people the tools to manage their own abortions is the most direct way I can find to help people who need abortions but can't get them because of the terrible laws in this country. Aid Access does amazing work getting abortion pills to people who need them. (You can order abortion pills online right now, even if you're not pregnant, just to have on hand. I [...]