The Big Sale means

 Knit Picks Big Sale will mean that lots of yarn is headed my way as I have been designing lots more doilies to go on hula hoops! (That's an affiliate link, that won't cost you anything to use, but will help keep the lights on at Chez YarnDiet.)

Speaking of which, Love Is and a Home for James are both available in my Ravelry Store.

I have slightly less than 108 hula hoops, waiting to be covered in knitted fabric, beads and possibly lights.

I'll show you all the yarn I ordered for them, when it gets here!

Until then,

Knit Happy!

~M

Here we are...a Month Later

 A while back, some knit and crochet designers and I were having a conversation about the "state of the pattern creating industry".  While the pandemic and "stay at home" orders that we all lived through in 2020 created a huge influx of beginner knitters/crocheters, and a significant increase (in some designers cases) of pattern sales, through the first half of 2023 many, if not most, are seeing a decline in those sales.

We asked each other for opinions of why? Why were pattern sales numbers for many of us declining the way they were?

We had guesses, but of course, no reliable data to base our assumptions on.

What we came up with was the pandemic meant that many people were simply bored and needed something to do with all the hours that had previously been devoted to commuting to and from a day job (for those lucky enough to be able to work remotely) and the hours that had been devoted to that day job for those who could not work remotely but still had to "stay home".

2023 has the world acting like we are back to normal, people no longer have those extra few (or many) hours in their day to learn a new hobby.

The conversation from there went on to how to attract more, new knitters and create more easy to make beginner patterns, with my lone dissent of "Who takes care of the intermediate knitter?".

 My point, which was quite soundly put aside was designers already have people who can knit, purl, cast on, bind off and who are ready for something a little more challenging but don't have those same few (or many) additional hours in each day to devote to a hobby they came to enjoy when they did.  Surely what they need, if they know it or not, is a way to build skills from making a one size doesn't quite fit but is good enough hat, to a perfectly fitting sweater, but in smaller bite size projects that won't take years to finish. 

In the meantime I went on to design some rather complicated shawls and "easy" socks that still assume that the knitter knows how to do things like pick up stitches evenly, or pick their favorite cast on, but the thought was niggling in the back of my mind and my inner muse (I call her Minnie Mouse) kept asking "What about this, what about that?"

So I've decided to put my money, and time, where my mouth is and create that series of skill builder patterns.  Each will include two or more projects devoted to a specific skill, a small practice project (some would call it a swatch but I know how much people, in general, would prefer not to swatch) and then a larger "level up" project, that is still smaller than a sweater. Possibly some could be used by Yarn Stores for a teaching opportunity like the My First Lace, My First Cable classes the yarn store I worked at during my teens would occasionally offer.

As someone who has been knitting for cough50pluscough years, I don't remember what the techniques were that tripped me up the first time I knit a sweater, but I do know that in the past 15 or 20 years I have learned new and better ways of doing things than I did for the longest time and there is always something new to learn about knitting. For everyone one way of doing something there seems to be 3 or more other ways of achieving the same ends and each one is either best suited to a particular type of project or an individual knitter.

 Which is the very long way around of my asking you, if there is still anyone checking in on this sadly neglected blog, what techniques would you like to "Level Up" ?

I am already working on I-cord (which will include 3 different I-cord cast on options, an I-cord bind off, integrated and applied I-cord edges) with three patterns, Picking Up Stitches on Garter Edges, Cast On's and Bind Off's with two patterns, and Shadow/Illusion knitting with two patterns.

You'll never swatch, just jump right into a pattern for a useful object, because a slightly wonky coaster or dish cloth can still be used.

Please leave a comment with what you would like to learn/level up.

Until next time, whenever that may be...Knit Happy!

~M

PS, I am loving my Induction Range!  The Power Boost function to boil a large pot of water in next to no time will never cease to amuse me!

Where does the time go?

 Is anybody even still looking at this blog?  

As you can tell, for months I haven't!  I don't have any excuses, other than, when you have all the time in the world to get things done, nothing gets done!

I'm sure the past few month have been filled with something, let's see if I can remember what?

 Knitting patterns were written, knit and released, although on a rather lackadaisical schedule. 

I finally gave up waiting for my "builders special" range/stove to die and bought a fancy new induction one!

 

And 108 hula hoops!

 

Of course, yarn was obtained.  (Much more than this, but the photo was handy)

And there is a new face, well actually old, face in my stair well.

The Annual Around the World Stitch Along is just past the half way point.  So far, I think the participants are having fun.  We have over 100 Finished Objects from knitters in 11 countries!

That's all I can think of for now, maybe I will get back into the old habit of at least blogging weekly.

If anyone is here to see it.

But, I wouldn't hold your breath, my follow through on the blog has been severely lacking this year!

Until next time

Keep Knitting Happy,

~M

And another month bites the dust

 So far, I am not that impressed with 2023!

RIP Tippy

As near as we know...20 plus years is a pretty good life of adventuring, being a pampered house cat and taking naps in the sun. When he started feeling the cold he would agree to wear a sweater but needed a coat to go adventuring in the snow as far as the mail box.

Adopted in 2004, estimated age 1 to 4 years old at that time.

We will miss you!

Better Late than Never

 Midway through the first month of the New Year is late to share last years accomplishments and this years plans.  I don't know why getting back into regular blogging has been so hard, but better late than never and if not now, when would I start again?

2022 was a year of change in my little corner of the world.

We changed all the main level flooring.

It has long since needed something done to it.  The living room floor had faded (badly) and had multiple dings in it from when the children were younger and not very careful with what they did.

TDQ (The Drama Queen) and TFB (The First Boy) both changed jobs so new routines had to be established, and both seem to really like their new positions!

While lots of work was done in the garden, it never seems to be enough.

We grew honey nut squash from seeds that I had saved from some we had bought and thoroughly enjoyed the prior year.  Lots of honey nut squash!

I published 19 new designs in 2022, including 6 that are part of a book with Knotions.

I'm not sure I will publish that many again this year, but there will certainly be patterns in days to come!

So, I made a start and wrote a post, now to see if going forward I will continue.

Until next time,

Happy Knitting!

~Mary

Has it been over a month?

 There has been so much going on, it is easy to forget to post here.

The Indie Designer Gift Along is well into the planning stages, along with the After Party Gals Xmas Knit Along and...I am planning on a Black Friday through Giving Tuesday Sale.

Not to mention a brand new, sparkly e-book with Knotion featuring Webs house brand Valley Yarns.

More later, once I catch my breath!

~M

Monday Musings

 Well, hello!

It has been a while, and I am sure the same old excuses are getting old!  But, maybe now that summer is over I can get back into some kind of routine.

How was your summer?

Mine was filled with ridiculous things like knitting clock faces, giant doilies to go on hula hoops, getting used to new routines and then having them shattered for a few weeks, lots of veggie gardening and not enough keeping up with actually publishing patterns!  There are so many coming up in the next few weeks it makes my head spin.

Annina, Tanja and I have also been getting ready for this years After Party Gals Mystery Sock Along; although I have to admit I am a bit behind on getting my socks knitted up and we have something really special in the works for before that event starts.

 

But, that is enough for today!  Hopefully this writing things down will stick and I will be back Wednesday with some more WiP's.

 

~M