Alveare & advanced price change notice

Sometimes you just want a quick knit, something you don't need to think about too much, and something that flows easily. The same happens with design - I needed something that I knit without ripping, something that had pleasant, simple elements, and something that wouldn't cause me a headache when pattern writing.

I knit this Hat during our drive down from the UK to Italy. When we take our long road trips I'll often work whilst Tom is driving - if Aran is asleep or content with his travel toys, I take the time to catch-up. I'd been reformatting a number of patterns and pattern writing, and the urge for a simple knit took over. I started playing with some of the Zitron Nimbus Merino in plain shades, the same yarn that I worked with for the Nimbus beanie, and this Hat grew effortlessly!

It's not quite a slouchy beret, not quite a slouchy beanie, more somewhere inbetween. I like how the wide rib of the brim reflects the horizontal rib of the body. I couldn't resist adding the bobble, which is more a teardrop shape than a ball - it is optional if you don't fancy that little bit of whimsy!

Alveare is the Italian for beehive - I played with lots of words to get the right name, something that explained it's texture, and thought this word had a rather nice ring to it. Here's the specs:

Materials:
100g/200m/218yds Nimbus Organic Merino Aran (100% Merino)
OR 100g/219m/240yds Araucania Nature Wool Multi (100% Wool)
Set 4mm DPN's
Set 4.5mm DPN's
Stitch marker as necessary
Tapestry needle

Gauge:
18 sts x 24 rows to 10cm/4" on 4.5mm needles over St.St

Sizes:
To fit sizes: S (M, L), 19 (21, 23) inches, 48.25 (53.25, 58.5) cm
Finished size: 16 (17.75, 19.25) inches, 40.5 (45, 49) cm

Format: written only

Alveare costs £2.50, and is already available for download. Enjoy!

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I've had to do a fair bit of restructuring with my prices over the last few months, and this is because of print distribution and the costs of paper and ink. There are now 2 price brackets for my patterns - £2.50 for those that fit one page plus the cover, and £2.75 for the others. I may need to introduce a 3rd one, £3.00, because most of the sideways designs with their more complex charts take up a lot of space, and I get virtually nothing from the print sales of those. I'm still thinking about this, though, and will see if there's another option open to me.

One decision that I have made hasn't been easy, and that's to change a few of my free patterns to paid-for. These patterns will be going into print distribution, and I felt it wasn't fair that shop customers would have to pay and online ones not.

There aren't many that will change, and I've thought long and hard about which patterns will, and what their changes will be. Here's the changes and how it will work:

Lucy - this was originally published in Magknits, now defunct. The charts have already been redrawn, and once the layout is finished it will be tech edited and a price added of £2.75. It will go up for sale from the end of November.

Arbacia - published in the now closed magazine, The Inside Loop. The free version will remain as long as the owners of the site keep it live. The charts will be redrawn and the pattern re-tech edited and offered for sale for £2.75 from the end of November. The link to the free pattern will remain on Rav and my website, and the pattern will have a note explaining that the old version is still available.

Spring Cap - this was originally published as a for sale pattern, then offered free - I took it down days after publishing it because I didn't think anyone would be interested in it. I will reknit the sample & rephotograph it, probably have charts added and have it fully tech edited. This won’t be ready before December, and will cost £2.50

I’m also considering adding Urbanista to my print line, although the free version at Knitty will remain. Haven’t fully decided on this one yet.

I appreciate that making free patterns into for-sale patterns isn’t a popular move, and it wasn’t an easy decision, but like any small business owner in this current climate, I need to keep the money coming in. I don't earn a lot and thankfully our lifestyle is incredibly cheap, but I am the only wage earner, and really, any designers should be paid for the time they put into a pattern. (I earnt a total of £25 for the 3 patterns above. That's not each, that's total!) Print distribution is a big move for me, which hopefully will make my business more stable. All of the patterns mentioned will be improved, to justify the cost.

There are still plenty of free patterns available, and the majority of them will stay as they, especially if they’ve been published in online magazines. There is also still plenty of time to download them before things change, and it's only fair to give an advanced warning!

I hope you can appreciate my reasons for making a few changes :)