Ripping Yarns: a knit design, travel & Hat blog

More Classic Woolly Toppers Hats revealed

2012-05-17T12:30:44Z

Classic Woolly Toppers is coming along! All of the samples are ready, photoshoots are underway and I've a pile of tech edits to check over as we work our way through the first round of tech editing. It'll be ready before we know it; I'll certainly have all the samples and promo stuff ready for TNNA!

Roberta is a singer/actress/performer; I'd asked before if she'd model for me but wasn't too sure when she'd be back to the Yard. We learnt on wednesday that she was here, and yesterday afternoon we popped out for a quick photoshoot - it had been raining all morning (in Italy in May!) and was very cloudy, providing the perfect weather for an afternoon shoot.

Here are a few quick shots - there's a mountain of photos waiting for editing, and these are fresh off the camera.

This Hat is 'Alternato', and is one of the simpler Hats in the book. It's gentle style is both comfy and flattering and it's knit in Sparkleduck's 'Genie' sports/DK. Liz @ Knitting On The Green gifted me this skein of yarn with instructions to make something for myself, yet these colours begged to be part of the book, it works so well with the rest of the Hats. (so that'll be a 'make something for yourself' fail then - sorry Liz!)

Introducing the 'Camden Cap' knit in Malabrigo's Rios superwash worsted. Who doesn't like a peaked cap like this? And it even has a little knitted button at the crown for detail. The Hat is knitted all in one, and unlike many knitted Hats of this type, the Brim isn't worked as an add on - it's knitted first and is an integral part of the Hat.

This textured beanie is 'Sumner', knit in Babylongleg's Semi~Precious 4ply. Those rings are created by knitted tucks, and with it's deep doubled brim it's no quick knit, but it's oh so worth the extra effort. I think I want to rephotograph this one; the background isn't really working, and grey can be such an awkward colour to photograph just right. Thankfully the luscious silk in the Semi~Precious gives it just the right amount of lustre.

And this is 'Annular', a deep slouchy beret knitted with Alisha Goes Around's Bevy of Swans DK. This is one Hat that really loves a lot of hair! It's crown shaping is worked concentrically, rather than the more regular mitred or balanced crown shaping methods, and the stitch pattern really highlights the shape.

Kinda goes without saying that Roberta is a natural in front of the camera! I hope I'll get the chance to work with her again, she's good fun. On saturday the lovely lovely Charlie arrives, daughter of my good friend Susan Crawford and model of the Meret. Having worked with Charlie before I know we're going to have a great photoshoot or two, and I know she's super excited about a visit to Italy! We're pulling out all the stops for this book; I do hope you like it when it's published.

That's all for now, more will be revealed soon enough. It's back to that pile of tech edits for me!

5 years on

2012-05-08T08:56:13Z

This time 5 years ago I'd finished all of the Hats for Going Straight and we were planning the 2nd photoshoot.

GS was my first book, and looking back at it now, it was a pretty mammoth project for a first book.

I fall in and out of love with each of my books - for the most part I find it impossible to revisit old work and when I do, all I ever see are the faults. GS is on it's 3rd edition, and I can still see areas I'd like to improve, but I'm still proud of it.

24 Hats, all designed and knitted sideways, took some experimenting and time. I loved being totally absorbed by it and do sometimes miss having the headspace to get that engrossed (I fell pregnant during the summer when I was working on this one, which in turn put the publication date back 3mths)

My favourite aspect of the book is probably the layout. I like a clean and minimal layout, me, and really can't be doing with anything fussy. I guess that comes from my teaching experience - in the Art department one of my responsibilities was to liaise with the SEN department and there learnt the value of good contrast and lots of white space. Crisp, clean lines with lots of room to view them make the absorption of information so much easier for everyone, not just the folks who need a little extra help.

If I could go back and change anything, I'd maybe reknit some of the samples in better yarns (all barr a handful of patterns where I sought support, the whole of that book was worked from stash, on a tight budget) I'd also like to improve some of the colours in the photos, which would involve going back to scratch, as I was pretty inexperienced at colour balancing then. Otherwise, the 3rd edition is looking pretty good to these critical eyes.

Ironically, or maybe not, Going Straight is my worst selling book. And it's also my most pirated. I guess it didn't have the best start in life, being published through Lulu (self publishing offered less options back then, unless you could afford to fork out a chunk of money, which I couldn't) and I think it missed out a little. It was the book that interested Arbour House Publishing and that got us working together, and bought about a change in direction and new friendships.

My favourite Hat from the book is still Strudel, and this photo of Corrie is as gorgeous as it ever was. Ann @ PixelDiva did such an amazing job with the photos; infact the whole team were amazing. It really was a special project.

This week I've started to think about the layout for Classic Woolly Toppers, and it'll be kept to the same theme as Twisted Woolly Toppers, another layout I'm pretty chuffed with. It'll keep the Woolly Toppers collections cohesive, too. The last few photoshoots for CWT have been booked, the last couple of Hats will be going off to test knitters then tech editors this week, and I hope to have the pre-orders up for the end of June. Not bad huh, considering how much this year has thrown in the way!

Back to my boys

2012-05-05T09:41:04Z

Tuesday evening saw me arrive back to my boys, and I couldn't have been happier to back. The two weeks away felt like a month or more.

Aran has chicken pox and I've a rotten head cold, so we've been laying low for a bit. For once I am *actually* resting!

Tom's been a star - as well as looking after both of us he's been up to his usual tricks of making stuff - this week it's been Elderflower Champagne and a new porch for his shed. Mushroom soup is on the list for today, as I'm still not managing solid or bulky food well (and Tom's mushroom soup is *delicious*)

The weather is lovely and the sunshine most welcome. We've gotta keep the wee dude out of the sun as much as we can, to reduce scarring, which is easier said than done.

Tuesday was Workers Day, and the annual festival was held on The Yard. I missed most of it; didn't arrive back until about 10.30pm, but as soon as the boy was asleep I went out for a wander. Not to party, as the party was definitely in full swing by then, but just to see everyone! Having missed most of the day and all the fire displays and more, it was nice to at least make it along for a wee while.

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I was pretty good and got bang up to date with work before my surgery, and although it never really stops, it's totally manageable while I recover. The last few designs are on the needles for Classic Woolly Toppers, and we'll be sorting out the next and last photo shoot in the next couple of weeks. There will be new illustrations for the techniques section, and at this point I can safely say that not a single pattern in this book involves kitchener. Not one.

In other news, I'm closing down my personal Facebook page, and added a note for knitterly folks to hop over to the main artist/business page as that's where all the blog posts, events etc will be posted. Personally, I don't like Facebook, have never been keen on it, and now I've had enough - there aren't enough hours in the day and I don't use it; everything gets posted automatically from somewhere else. Facebook keep changing the back end settings and every few months I have to go back in and reset my settings back to 'private' and that's really starting to piss me off. That, and the fact that everytime time I block an app I get more messgaes through it... it's just too spammy for my liking. I know folks like it though, so I'm keeping the business page where blog posts will be posted and folk can share photos and more.

And onwards... there are some illustrations to go over in my inbox and some test knitting feedback, and then it's back to my knitting. Enjoy the weekend!

The good news

2012-04-28T07:28:05Z

The auto-reply is still on for emails and I'm still officially having a break from work while I recover from surgery, but I thought I'd pop by here and share some good news.

I was last on the list for surgery on thursday, and I'd only just come round from the general anesthetic when I spoke with the surgeon, so there are still lots of details missing and lots of questions waiting to be answered.

The 'unknown shadow' turned out not to be a lump, or even a polyp or fibroid. As far as I can tell, it was infact scar tissue (from my C-section) and the surgeon carried out a small procedure on it. They still took a biopsy, but only the one, so the chances of there being anything 'sinister' are muchly reduced. This is all very welcome news. Still have to wait a while for the results, but am feeling much more positive about it all.

The other news isn't so great and I will spare you most of the gory details. Scar adhesions are the main problem - some were seperated during surgery, others are more complex and couldn't be dealt with there and then, and could pose possible risks in the future. What the future holds, we don't know yet, we just have to wait and see. But we can most likely blame the adhesions for the pain and discomfort over the last couple of years. It's a bit weird knowing your innards have been bonding, let me tell you.

Finally, after all this time, we seem to be getting to the root cause - my C-section. Not just the surgery itself, but the fact that it got infected at 2 weeks and 6 weeks post op. We knew it could be messy at the time, and we're only realising just how messy now.

I'm having a few more days off, I'm still in pain and pretty sluggish, so please bear with me. I can't even focus on knitting right now, let alone anything else.

It's all part of the process

2012-04-23T10:34:09Z

You'll often hear different folks define what they think is professional or the right way to go about getting the job done in this industry; in any industry. One thing that crops up again and again is the design process itself. The idea that we can plan out all of our designs ahead of the making/production is one that's often touted as professional; a more streamline and productive process. That we will sketch, swatch, calculate and write before the sample is started. This might work for many, but it doesn't work for everyone.

I've rambled on before about being a kinesthetic learner and that means I work on the needles. If I get a query asking about an aspect of a pattern, I problem solve on the needles. I could sit and sketch and plan until the wee hours but as soon as I cast-on and get stuck in, it's gonna change. And to be more efficient, I've given up trying to work the other way.

Only my camera phone is around this week, so please excuse the not quite stellar shots. This is a design I've been on working on for Classic Woolly Toppers - I spent some time swatching and calculating gauge to decide how the fabric should work for the form desired but it wasn't going to mean anything to me until I got playing with it proper. And that section of the body after the brim has been ripped out and reknit countless times, despite supposedly knowing how it was all going to work beforehand. Now I'm happy with it, although without any of my head forms with me I'll still not guarantee that the proportion is correct. I'm a perfectionist, and unless it's right in the fabric, it won't move on.

Before I cast-on I will have calculated whether the design is feasible, and whether it's gradable, and there will be a rough plan. Occasionally some designs work themselves out entirely in my head, although not often, and I always know where the design will be heading before I start. And when they do work themselves out in my head, if it can't go straight onto the needles I write everything down, and make notes about it's form. But otherwise, I design on the needles and write as I go. I couldn't possibly sort out the fine details otherwise, it's the fine tuning that finishes a design. It's what works for me. For many people, this wouldn't be good use of their time, and for larger garments I could totally understand that. But planning and writing before casting on is the bigger waste of time for me, because most of that work will be discarded once yarn meets needles.

On the rare occasion when I've found that I have to stick to a design proposal that's been mapped out on paper, one that can't be altered or be allowed to follow it's own path, then I find those to be the least interesting pieces, they always lacking that something. And if I had to work like that all the time, I'd have walked away from this job a long time ago. I can't design to commission, and rarely can I design to fit a theme. I need creative freedom. And if that means I'm not a proper 'designer', then so be it. (if I'm not a 'proper' designer, what am I?)

The standard submission format is sketch + swatch + details. Whenever I've submitted in this format, I've been rejected. Every time. Whenever I've submitted a knitted sample, I've been accepted. Every time. These days, I tend to not bother if a publication insists on the sketch route; it's not how I work and it really interrupts my flow, and what's the point if it's not going to get in anyway? I understand the logistics of the sketch submission process, it's the most practical way for clients to gather information, and as the majority of the population are visual learners, it often works pretty well. But it isn't a one size fits all scenario.

It's not as if I can't sketch - I'm a former Art teacher. I used to have to teach kids how to draw, and when it came to applying for university, I used to have to make them have some kind of drawings in their portfolio, because that's the unspoken rule. This reliance on drawing has always puzzled me. And I could ramble on about the different types of drawing and how we have preconceived ideas about what a good drawing is (everyone nearly always picks the repesentational type as a 'good' drawing) and how, really, a drawing is another way of communicating and expressing and that, truly, there is no right or wrong way. I find drawings that are expected to demonstrate a 3D idea (because, yes, bodies are 3-dimensional, as are knitwear designs) difficult as a concept. I think in 3-dimensions, and trying to convey those ideas on paper is a translation I don't see the point of.

There is a 3D equivalent of a sketch - a maquette. It's a to scale model of a sculpture or installation or piece of architecture or anything that makes use of space. And to me, knitting the sample directly is simply making a maquette. The Hat itself is the sketch, and given the wonderful nature of the medium of yarn, that allows us to rip out and start again with little waste of materials, I get to perfect that maquette on the needles. And seeing how gauge isn't a constant, there's no more accurate way to calculate measurements than from the finished fabric itself. The Hat is my swatch and sketch in one.

Some might say I'm lucky that I work with Hats and can work this way. Except it's not luck.

I've been over and over this post, as my tone seems a bit off. But that's how the words are coming out I guess. I have my surgery this coming thursday, the day when they perform a multitude of minor surgeries and surgical tests, and that's weighing pretty heavy on my head right now.

Changing shape

2012-04-15T10:03:47Z

Over the last year or so I've been thinking about my business a lot, considering how it's structured and how it's evolved, and where I want to go with it. For a long time I've been unhappy with my work... it's not that I don't like the Hats, although whether or not I like the finished design isn't always a consideration for publication - I'm a process based sort who considers proportion and form more than overall aesthetic. It's more that they haven't challenged me in a long time. Or rather, I've not pushed myself creatively.

This is the problem with being the sole wage earner. All the time I have the responsibility to earn money, to keep us in food and make sure we can pay the bills and it's a heavy burden to bear, especially in a creative industry. This in turns forces me to be more productive and time efficient, which often means sticking with styles and shapes that I've done plenty of before, and that I know will be well received. And I've known for some time that this has been slowly and surely destroying my soul.

Now I'm finding myself in a place where I have to make a change or else (and let's not consider the alternative), and business wise, I reckon I'm established enough now to do it without risking income. A few times recently I've mentioned that I've been making changes to stuff in the background, changing how I work, so I can ease the pressure a little. That's sort of mostly done now, and the next step is to push my boundaries a little, experiment more with form, and explore avenues that have kindly sat there waiting for me with the doors open.

Today has seen me diving into some of my favourite inspiration - books and leaflets, ideas and styles from different times or places, to get those ideas flowing.

(don't mind me and the ever present Instagram filters; I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon)

I've a small collection of vintage Hat knitting patterns, and always keep an eye open when I can for more. I love the shapes in many of these, yet when looking through the instructions, there isn't evidence of a strong structure to them. I'm a bit of a structure purist so this does bother me, yet they're a great base for ideas.

This is a favourite book. Books covering the full history of Hats, in more of an encyclopedia style don't come up very often, so this one is a bit of a rarity, and believe me, it's treasured. It covers Hats from all periods for all places and is the most comprehensive of it's kind that I've found. All the Hats are depicted through illustrations, not photographs, with notes for each time period and place, and with additional details on who would have worn them etc. This book fires me up more than anything.

Many of the classic or historic millinery styles don't lend themselves to knitting very well, unless they're felted, which, as much as I love it, is a little imprecise for me, or are prepared to add all the trimmings, which I find simply too fussy. Yet there's still room for me to use changes in gauge to stiffen fabrics for more upright Hats, for example.

Here's the thing - I'm a 3D person. I've always made sculptures from fabrics and soft materials. And whenever I veer away from that, I get a little lost. As much as I love playing with stitch patterns and surface texture, that's not what drives me. It doesn't matter how simple or complex the stitch, it's the structure that counts. How that shape is formed is my life blood, and how that translates into knitting is my output. I'd like to stay with Hats, they suit my every whim so perfectly - small and portable, ideal for travelling, and quick enough to appease my short attention span. They really are wearable sculptures, even in the tamest of styles, through which I can explore technique and structure. And honestly, I've had moments where I've wanted to abandon this industry all together - I'm trying to avoid that.

Classic Woolly Toppers is one step in a different direction, a baby step if you like (oh yes, there are plans for some seriously out there sculptural Hats, a book of) and the Hats themselves are nearly all done, and I'm liking it so far. Considering that at this moment in time I can't see anything I've done in a positive light (this is pretty normal; we'll blame the black dog for that one) this is one small thing for me to hold onto. The changes in progress may not be so evident on the surface, yet they're being felt strongly back here. It's all encouragement to move forward, slowly.

The night sky

2012-04-11T08:22:58Z

There's been a lot to absorb over the last couple of days, as the dust settles. So often I get this this urge to drag myself to the surface, to stamp my foot and reclaim my space, yet it usually takes more energy than I can muster. This time, I can feel myself holding on and standing my ground, and that's quite an achievement.

These photos were taken over the long weekend, of an evening around the bonfire. They were only taken with my phone, and it's very pleasing to discover that my phone is the pretty handy little pocket camera that I'd hoped it would be. The Henge is something I see everyday, well as long as I leave my cave and get out of the bus. I played no part in it's building or design, it was built by the Mutoids many, many years before I came here, and it's now part of my world.

The photo as it is, taken on my Samsung Galaxy S5830 with the night setting.
There's an out of focus Aran in the foreground slightly to the left.

Tilt & Shift effect, using the Camera 360 app

Tilt & Shift image then Instagram'd, using the Inkwell filter

I've sort of made a deal with myself, to try and capture an image everyday, of things I see everyday. I figured that would be a good way of not only reminding myself who I am, but the world at large, too. I don't blog about The Yard much as I'm mindful of the fact that people live here, and want to respect their privacy. And that in turn means that some of the things I capture may be a little abstract, but abstract is fine. My world can be pretty abstract after all. The plan is to post photos through Twitter or Instagram, and I've no doubt a few of them will find their way here, too.

Before I go and dive into pattern writing, I'd like to thank everyone again for their amazing support, it really does make a huge difference knowing we're connected. Sometimes things have to be said, and sometimes we have to dive in at the deep end to discover that really, it isn't that deep after all.

Keeping it Real.

2012-04-09T10:11:30Z

There are numerous reasons why we choose to live the way we do, living an alternative, low tech and simple lifestyle. One of those reasons is the sense of community with like minded people, people who accept you the way you are, for what you are, without judgement. To many, we live on the fringes - there isn't room for people to choose to live as we do within mainstream society. Our politics or lifestyle choices don't fit, our want to not be pinned down to bricks and mortar clashes with the status quo, and like any other human being, we gravitate towards those of a similar mind.

I doubt I'll ever be able to feel completely at home anywhere, or at least, feeling settled is something that will forever elude me. Yet here, I feel more at home than I have anywhere.

I was born in Essex to a working class family. I was sexually abused as a child. My parents divorced when I was 17 and I shouldered more responsibility than most teenagers should. I survived a violent attempted rape in my early twenties; attacked by an alcoholic ex-partner, ironically only months after I saved his life following a suicide attempt. I put myself through University and 2 degrees, by working every spare hour in pubs or shops and taking every student loan offered to me; I'll forever be in debt for wanting an education. I've had 3 breakdowns - 2 mild, one major where I volunteered myself for sectioning, and have been in and out of therapy and off and on meds for enough years. I can remember staring out of my bedroom window at night, when I was about 8 or 9 and should have been asleep, feeling so sad about where I was or who I was and wanting to escape, somewhere, somehow. I've had clinical depression for a long, long time.

I'm not telling you all of this for sympathy. None of this is news, it's all in the archives if you dig deep enough, and sympathy has little use. No, I'm telling you this because it's REAL.

As real as the fact that we live in a converted double decker bus and we have a beautiful 4 year old son. As real as my need to constantly create and play with wool and 3D forms. As real as having built a business through my own determination and individuality. As real as having published 4 books. As real as supporting my family from the earnings that business provides, in an industry where the pay is poor and the hours long. As real as my art degree from a highly prestigious college. As real as the 6 years I spent in full time teaching, helping others to not only be creative, but in turn to accept themselves. As real as having the most amazing and beautiful friends, all of whom I love and miss dearly. As real as having a supportive family who have learnt to understand me better over the years. As real as the fact that it's now been 2 years since we stopped smoking, and 3 months since I kicked the coffee habit.

My point is this: life happens. It isn't a jolly little journey through which we can happily skip without a care in the world. Shit happens. And amazing stuff happens, too.

I, for one, am sick to death (almost, quite literally) of those who insist that we should all be happy, all of the time. That isn't real life, it's a veneer. This idea that we all have to grin and bear it, or better yet, sweep it under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist, is a damaging one. This mentality that is alive and well in many areas, that suggests that the negative should never be mentioned or the different should never be accepted, is a problem. A big problem.

It's this type of small mindedness that helps keep people like me prisoned in their dark corner.

And I for one want say it as it is and keep it real, and would like to be free of judgement for that, too. It's time to lose the veneer and break the taboo. I have had enough of living in fear of people who lack understanding and compassion.

We live the way we do because we're trying to be the change we want to see.

Instagram & the Brims

2012-04-07T09:29:05Z

You'd be forgiven for thinking this week that Classic Woolly Toppers will be all about the Brim. It isn't, yet that's been my focus of late, and it's quite refreshing.

The iphone Tom bought me for my birthday only lasted a week - really couldn't be doing with all those compatibility problems or the constant need for internet. So off it went to it's new Mac loving owner, and I bought myself a Samsung Galaxy as a replacement (2nd hand, but as new, for the same price as the well used iphone. Bargain)

The new phone is a dream - Android is Linux based and I couldn't have asked for a more useful and accessible device. It talks to my Ubuntu system without a fight, I can transfer photos and files via the data cable, and the Bluetooth means I can stay connected to devices on different platforms. I love it. Except, it lacked Instagram. Finally last week Instagram released their Android version and I've been enjoying playing with images for the sake of it.

Lately I've been having more panic attacks, the stress of the last few months taking it's toll, I think. And with that, I've been finding it difficult communicating. I'm trying not to run off into a corner and hide, but at the same time, I can't help feel that what I say or type sounds odd or worse, and confidence vanishes. Paranoia has been kicking in, and that's never healthy. With images, I can still stay in touch with the outside world without saying anything 'wrong' at all.

Scrumptious Knits blog tour

2012-04-02T11:04:42Z

Today we have the honour of starting the blog tour for Carol Feller's latest collection, Scrumptious Knits!

For her previous book, Contemporary Irish Knits, I interviewed Carol about her design process and how she found working with a mainstream publisher. You may have noticed by now that talking with designers about these aspects of their work is an interest of mine, and for this collection, I was intrigued to learn how she felt about self publishing, in relation to her previous experiences.

1) What's your favourite piece from Scrumptious Knits and why?

I think that probably my favourite piece from the collection is Ignus, the top down tunic with side cables. It was knit very much for me and what I wear in the winter. While I like the skinner jean style I prefer it with a longer top to come down as far as the hips. The combination of a very streamlined top with almost hidden ornate side panels appeals to me on many levels. It’s low key enough that it can be worn daily but there is enough interest as a knitter that you won’t get bored while you knit. That’s a great combination; fun to knit but also very wearable.

It was also one of those knits that I had to ‘hold my nerve’ on. I could picture in my head what I wanted it to look like but it didn’t come together until the very end. It is so long with a big expanse of st st at the center so when the body was finished before the cowl neck was added it looked very unbalanced. The difference the neck made was huge, and aggressively blocking it gave it enough drape that it softened around the neck.

2) What was the greatest challenge to you writing/designing the Scrumptious Knits collection?

Organisation. When you’re putting a full collection together (as you well know!) there are so many different strands moving along at the same time it feels like you are being pulled in a million different directions.

You have knitting, test knitting, tech editing, layout and photography all churning along at the same time. Also, with a printed book you have lots of logistic issues going on in the background at the same time. Where will it be printed? How many copies? Where will it be stored? Who will distribute?

Most of the time I did enjoy the challenge but there are times when it became overwhelming. Also, thinking about logistics can be distracting to the creative side of the brain and it’s hard to toggle between them!

3) Can you tell us what it is about Fyberspates yarn that spurred you to create a whole collection with it? I've worked with it, it's gorgeous stuff!

I’ve worked before with Fyberspates on individual patterns and Jeni was a pleasure to work with. Last summer I began talking with her about the possibility of a collaboration and she loved the idea. Everything about the project fitted in place as though it was meant to be! Her yarns are amazing to work with and the colour palettes are all shades I adore working in. Luckily I had enough time to plan a larger collection and it all came together much more quickly and easily than I would have dreamed.

4) How have you found the challenge of self publishing a collection after working with a mainstream publisher?

I learned a lot while working with a publisher on Contemporary Irish Knits. It was an amazing experience, it also made me aware of what kind of projects I could manage on my own and what would be better done through a publisher. It also gave me some organisational skills that I didn’t have before that I was able to use with Scrumptious Knits.

I kept the number of patterns in this booklet smaller so that I could produce the quality of booklet I wanted. If it was a bigger project it would have been much harder to do. Without the financial resources of a publisher behind you, it would be hard to take the 12-18 months publishing time necessary to create a 200 page book. It takes a lot of self-confidence to put the large money commitment into a booklet you’re creating yourself. I needed to evaluate the costs carefully to ensure that even in a worst case scenario I’d still break even. (BTW I’m happy to report that it’s done much better than that :)

5) What does the future hold? Are you working on any more books?

I have got plans in the coming months to get started on another booklet. I hope to have this one completed by the end of the summer or autumn if all goes according to plan. I’m enjoying the daydreaming stage of this project, envisioning a theme and interesting, fun projects that would fit within it. However for a little while plans for this have been put on hold as I’ve committed to a new project in an area that is totally new to me. As we’re still working on it I’m not giving any details away yet, but I’m really, really excited about it!

Thank you so much Carol for sharing your thoughts with us about this collection, the designing process and self publishing! I especially love these photos too, they're my favourites from the book - they contain a wonderful atmosphere. Scrumptious Knits contains all of Carol's hallmark design features - practical knits combined with lovely cables and textures, and I'm not surprised to hear that the collection has been well recieved.

If you'd like to grab yourself a copy of the booklet, which is available in print or digital form, or any of the single patterns, then have a look on Carol's website, Ravelry, or the Fyberspates website. The next stop on the blog tour is Ann Kingstone - look out for her post in a few days. Enjoy!