2012 wasn't a bad year, work-wise.. here we go with the annual review of the year in Hats.

We saw the release of Classic Woolly Toppers:

I enjoyed working on this book. It turned out to be quite a different project than originally planned, and this was a very good thing. The initial idea of CWT was a different play on 'classic', more along the lines of 'familiar' or 'tried & tested' yet the designs had other plans; I just couldn't stick with that theme. It was interesting actually, to try and set myself the task of emulating that kind of style, and failing. I like the result though! Each Hat took on a different construction angle and it reassured me that *my* style has it's place, that it's OK to just go with my own flow. For a few years now I've been uncertain of my identity and this book gave me back a bit of confidence in that area.

Classic Woolly Toppers was also a good photography project - I used more models and even flew in the lovely Charlie for a couple of shoots! I put more thought into location and lighting and actually *planned* each shoot (though I never got right down to mood and position boards) and I reckon that proved successful.

Here are the Hats from CWT..

From top left we have:

Ravine, Sumner, Karenin, Camden Cap, Taboosh, Corbelle, Bobba, Annular, Imagiro and Alternato.

 

Besides the book, there were a bunch of single patterns, too. Not as many as previous years, a total of 17 besides the book designs, but still a fair production.

From top left we have:

Arkanoid, North Lyme (beanie version), North Lyme (slouch version), Mushroom Cap, Bóithrín (square top version), Bóithrín (beanie version), Sarah's Slouch, RainbowretTangled River, Buzzba, Ledger (Aran), Ledger (Tom), Niamh, Retro Beanie, Bias Slouchy Hat, Sideways Pinstripe Beret, Runway, Kabouter, Encircle and Minikins.

Compared to previous years, 2012 didn't see *that* many new designs published - 27 in all. 2011 saw 35, 2010 saw 34, 2009 saw 14, 2008 saw 24 and 2007 also saw 35, with 2006 at 30 - which would make 2012 a relatively quiet year! 

In fact, 2 of the 2012 releases (Mushroom Cap and Bobba) were old, old designs that needed revisiting, and several were designed the year before and published in 2012. The balance between self-published and published-by-a-3rd-party changed, too - of these 17 single patterns, 6 were published in other books or magazines. 4 of these 17 were free patterns.

Other highlights include exhbiting at TNNA - whilst this was costly and exhausting, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have every intention of doing it again. In fact my booth and display is already planned, as well as my 2 super-lightweight suitcases! (they're not quite packed yet, but they're as good as...) There was no summer tour this year but there was an autumn one, and that was great fun too, and a chance to catch up with a few sorely missed woolly friends.

The Mystery KAL saw record numbers - we had an amazing number of participants! - and a switch from 2 patterns to 1. That seemed to work - it was at least more manageable for me, and the feedback seems to be that only having the one pattern was a winner from a KALer point of view, too. 

2012 was definitely a different kind of year, but there were reasons for that; it may have been good work wise but on the personal front, as you'll likely know, it was a rather different story, and I had to somehow make work fit in around that. Financially, 2012 was my best year ever, which was a surprise, and that makes such a difference - knowing that I've received tremendous support from all my readers and customers makes it so much easier to cope with all the not-so-good stuff. I don't have to stress as much about keeping food on the table or paying the bills, and that really is a big weight off my mind. For that, I could never thank you enough :)

And 2013? Well, there are no great plans. That doesn't mean I'm not going to be doing anything (!) rather that I'm going to be kind and not pile it on so much. Playful Woolly Toppers will be finished and released (this was one book meant for 2012) and I will be running off to TNNA again this June, but otherwise, I'm going with the flow. There are some designs due out with magazines this year, so keep an eye out for those. I want to work more on big, sculptural Hats but I'm making no deadlines. There are more experimental designs I want to play with but there's no time limit. There are a few places I'd like to run workshops, but there are no promises. 

I want 2013 to be a kind year, not a stressful one, and I really do hope it's a good year for all of us.

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead

To celebrate the recent release of Classic Woolly Toppers, there is going to be a blog and podcast tour that includes some fantastic folk who love Hats just as much as I do. The line up of those broadcasting and writing about Classic Woolly Toppers is really exciting as there are some very talented writers, designers, podcasters, and bloggers whose work I have enjoyed for some time.

 

 

Here is a line up of who you can expect to find talking about Classic Woolly Toppers

9th September 2012 - The Electric Sheep Podcast hosted by Hoxton Handmade

13th September 2012 - Subway Knits Podcast hosted by Maria MN

17th September 2012 - Stolen Stitches Blog hosted by Carol Feller

21st September 2012 - Tot Toppers Blog hosted by Kate Oates

25th September 2012 - More Yarn Will Do the Trick Blog hosted by Jean Moss

29th September 2012 – TheKnitgirllls Videocast hosted by Laura and Leslie

3rd October 2012 - Sand And Sky Creations Blog hosted by Simone Van Iderstine

7th October - Susan B Anderson Blog hosted by Susan B Anderson

11th October 2012 - Dull Roar Blog hosted by Alex Tinsley

15th October 2012 - rock+purl Blog hosted by Ruth Garcia-Alcantud

19th October 2012 - Sheep to Shawl Blog hosted by Donna Druchanas

23rd October 2012- do stuff! leethal Blog hosted by Lee Meredith

25th October 2012 - Knitspot blog hosted by Anne Hanson

27th October 2012 - Bricoleur Knits blog hosted by Cirilia Rose

31st October 2012 - Just call me Ruby Blog hosted by Susan Crawford

Also, listen out for the Paula’s review in late October for the Knitting Pipeline Podcast that she’s squeezing in between lots of travels!

Each host will feature the book in a different way that will really help you to get to grips with what makes this book so special. The variety of different blog posts and type of presentation means that you can learn about the book in new ways and perhaps meet some new bloggers and podcasters along the way. Many of the hosts will be celebrating with discount codes or giveaways of all shapes and sizes so be sure to check each post out so that you don’t miss out on any fun!

Of course, if you cannot wait to get your hands on a copy of CWT, you can purchase the book over here, as well as find out more about the book and the individual patterns. Camden Cap is this months knit-a-long in the Wormhead's Hats Ravelry group - we'd love to see you over there too!

 

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead

It's that time of year again, when we start thinking towards the colder months and increase our woolly Hat production! And that also means that we start our monthly knit-a-longs over in the Ravelry group.

For September, we'll be knitting the Camden Cap

 

 

This Hat has proven to be the most popular from Classic Woolly Toppers and it's the ideal Hat to kick start the KALs. Incorporating a whole bunch of techniques, it's a fun Hat to knit. 4 sizes are included, making it ideal for the whole family or seasonal gift giving. Furthermore, it's a Hat that looks just as good in a variegated yarn as it does in a solid.

The style of Hat - with it's roomy beret like body and that peaked brim - makes it a Hat that suits a whole lot of people. It's very wearable, and looks just as good on short hair as it does long, and on all face shapes. 

 

 

You'll find lots of little attentions to detail... one being how the columns of twisted stitches line up in relation to the brim. If you've closely looked at a stitch version of this type of Hat, you'll notice that the seams don't fall at the centre front, and instead the half way point between the seams is at the centre front. When working through this design, this detail was an important one to maintain; the design would have been much easier without that.

Camden Cap differs from other knitted caps of this style in other ways, too. Here, we knit the brim *first*; it isn't an add-on or after thought, and there's no picking up of stitches to be done. The brim is shaped using short rows, a technique that I love for so many reasons, and they prove really effective here. For stiffening the brim you could use craft plastic, yet I recycled a plastic bottle, and tips on how to do that are included. 

Rarely do I get to knit and wear one of my own designs, yet I'm determined with this one. I've even ordered some fibre from HillTop Katie so I can spin my own yarn and make myself a pretty special Hat. I'm really looking forward to doing something for me, and having a Hat I can wear for fun - you wouldn't believe how rarely this Hat designer gets to do that!

So if you fancy knitting along with us, please do come and join us

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead
CategoriesCWT, Hats
2 CommentsPost a comment

Oh yes indeedy, this book can now be yours!

There are a couple of purchasing options for Classic Woolly Toppers...

Firstly, there's the PDF option, which is always the most popular with my regular customers. The PDF can be downloaded to any mobile device and while I know it isn't specific viewer optimised, it is the best option for all round viewing, allowing you to transfer it between devices and still have the same PDF functionality.

The PDF edition will set you back a mere £9, which is pretty good value considering it's packed with 10 patterns AND a detailed tutorials section conatining all of the specialist techniques required to knit.

A few customers have previously enquired about the possibility of a joint PDF+print option, which up until now wasn't a very viable option. I've been able to arrange a special purchase set-up through Ravelry, where you can buy both options together with a serious saving! The joint purchase will cost you £16.50 - the PDF can be downloaded immediately, and the print edition will be shipped on or before 25th July. The books will be shipped from the US for this deal, so those outside of the US will incur international shipping, but even with that, there's a decent saving to be had on the cost on the combined costs of the PDF and print editions.

The print edition will be available within the next week through Amazon but is available through my CreateSpace store. If you're after the book only edition through Amazon then I need to ask you to be patient for a little longer as the details are all processed.

Previously, my books were only readily available on Amazon.com, but now, thanks to improvements with my printer (CreateSpace) and their distribution, all of my books are now available through the main non-US and European Amazon's, which will save a lot in shipping times and costs.

And....! My US pattern distributor, Deep South Fibers, is now carrying all of my books, and I'm just about to get their first order ready which will include Classic Woolly Toppers! This book received a great reception at TNNA, and I hope that your local LYS will already be stocking it. If they're not, send them to DSF, as all US physical orders will be going through them from now on.

It's pretty exciting stuff, eh? 

All of the patterns in the collection are available individually as well, so those only wanting one pattern won't have to buy the whole book. That said, for the cost of 3 single patterns you've got the whole book, with the tutorials included, so if there's a few you like the complete book offers you better value.

Have at it, folks! I'm so pleased to have reached this stage; this year has really but some hurdles in the way of achieving anything, but we got there. And I'm super chuffed with how it all turned out.

-------------------------------------------------

Classic Woolly Toppers carries a dedication to Lynn Parks, who was a valued member of the WW test knitting team. She very sadly lost her battle with Crohns whilst I was away at TNNA, and a dedication seemed the most fitting thing to do. Lynn didn't test knit any of the patterns in this collection, as her health had been troubling her for some time, but you will know her name from my previous books, and on Ravelry, where she was known as 'lnupermom'. I'd love it, and I'm sure she would too, if you could spare her a thought whilst knitting one of these Hats. Test knitting, as well as tech editing, is such a valuable part of the process, and we're all very sad to have lost someone so forthcoming with her help and knowledge.

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead
CategoriesBooks, CWT
3 CommentsPost a comment

After 2 days of travel I finally got back here on thursday from my TNNA adventure, and jet lag and heat exhaustion are doing it's worst. Sleep though has started to come round, and after what feels like weeks of only getting a few hours per night, a solid 12 hours were managed last night and already I'm starting to feel vaguely human again.

There's a lot to share from this summer's show, and I thought I'd start with my booth. I've exhibited a lot over the years, at various shows and art exhibitions, but never at TNNA. Once I'd got the gist of how the set up works there from the Designers Forums, I set about finalising the last few details. My display had been planned for the best part of a year and seeing it all come together on the day was pretty cool.

This post is photo heavy, and I'll start from the beginning...

All of my display materials, to fill the 10ft x 10ft space, came in 2 suitcases. The smaller red one is actually Ruth's (Rock and Purl) - my 2nd one was slightly larger to allow me to pack some clothes and we used the smaller one to transport everything on set up day. Ruth and I shared a room, and she was a fantastic help at setting up my booth.

 

We started with the drapes (curtains) first. The conference centre had a grey colour theme this year and I very much needed white. Once the drapes were up, we could start uncurling the banners, as seen on the right of the photo. The table was hired and came ready draped... it's how they do things over there, every last item, right down to the plug sockets, are ordered and hired individually and it can get pretty costly if you're not careful.

 

Knowing that a) hiring display gets redonkulously expensive and b) knowing I was coming from the other side of the Atlantic with a maximum cargo allowance of 2 x23kg suitcases, we got clever. This is the start of my display unit coming together.

 

Onto the bases go the uprights... the bases are wooden (made from scraps of 18mm ply), sprayed black, and the uprights are reclaimed tent poles...

  

Onto the uprights go the shelves, which are added in order. The shelves are made of plastic covered foam (sandwich) board - this stuff normally comes paper covered, which scuffs and dirties easily, yet this plastic covered stuff was a real discovery. Originally we thought we'd buy sheets of corrugated plastic and cut them to size, yet when we discovered this stuff at the local printer, we knew we'd lucked out. They cut it to size and finished it for us (their finishing was way, way neater than we'd ever achieve on the corrugated plastic) with the whole lot (plus one spare shelf) costing less than we expected to pay for the raw materials.

 

Once all but the top 2 shelves were on, we needed to start straightening it up and squaring it up. There are crossbars too to be added. My trusty assistant and I did a pretty good job of this considering how lightweight and flexible the materials are (and she kinda likes the camera, too ;)

 

It's starting to take shape... did I mention that my custom built display unit weighs a mere 9kg (approx. 22lbs) including the crossbars and base? That's pretty suitcase and travel friendly, don't you think? 50% of it's materials are recycled, and furthermore, it is future-proof, in the sense that a) it is adjustable and/or can be added to and b) it will serve many more shows yet.

 

Next up was getting all the Hat display stands out and preparing the table. I got asked *a lot* and I mean seriously, a lot, about my Hat stands. If you Google 'folding wig stands' you'll find these kiddies, and they come in a good range of colours, too. I only had 30 (!) of them, and this particular style of wig stand isn't so common in the UK anymore, and Becky in VT very kindly took shipment of an extra 10 for the show, to appease my OCD. (non matching display stands would be the horror of all horrors)


The wall display consists of berets stretched over circular cut regular foam board to show off their intricate patterns at the crown. I had tried a number of different combinations of the circles ahead of time, but wanted to leave this part flexible. In the end I felt fewer circles were better and less cluttered.

 

Nearly there... the circles were hung on monofilament (fishing wire) stuck to the back of the circles, but the environment in the conference centre unstickied every type of tape I had in my display kit, and some of that stuff is seriously sticky! In the end we also pinned the circles to the drapes, just to be sure.

 

Almost there... the circular photos framing the outer edges of the booth are simply pattern photos printed on standard paper, cut, laminated, then trimmed again. This makes them ultra lightweight, glossy, and gives them a subtle frame. 

 

The display unit, complete with it's Hats... on the left are the Classic Woolly Toppers Hats, and on the right are the Twisted Woolly Toppers Hats.

 

A side view, with the crossbars visible. Crossbars are crucial to making something like this work - the unit is itself is so lightweight that it really needs to be held firmly to stop it going wonky. 

 

Hanging with the berets-as-circles on the wall were these circular mirrors, and these also got a lot of attention too. They're acrylic, so super lightweight and not so easy to break. Acrylic can break given enough pressure but doesn't shatter like glass, and is far less dangerous, let alone 10 times lighter. For large mirrors, or long distance viewing, acrylic mirrors can appear a little distorted - for these I kept them small and mounted them on foam board to keep them straight, and then knitted them little cuffs (and incase anyone else asks, no, there won't be a pattern for the cuffs...)


There are neat little stacks of Hats there on the table - when I've exhibited over the last couple of shows in the UK, I've preferred to let the Hats loose on the table, as folks are more likely to wade in and try them on, which is something I actively encourage. The stacks (sorted by style) look much neater but hardly anyone went through the piles, let alone try them on, which was a shame. I'll be rethinking some of this next year.

And do you see there, printed copies of CWT? I have previews! Or rather, I had previews... they've all been given out. Thanks again to Becky for taking shipment of those as I'd never have received them in time if I had to have them shipped here.

 

And there's me, in my booth, at the end of set up day!

There'll be more blog posts to follow, I promise, once I'm feeling myself again. In the meantime, I'm going to sit outside, try not fade with the heat, and work away on some deadline knitting.

ETA/ thought we should mention that Tom is open to commissions for custom built units of this kind, as we have had enquiries! Email us :) 

Posted
AuthorWoolly Wormhead
14 CommentsPost a comment