Introspection - final eBook now available!

I’m so pleased to let you know that the final eBook for the Introspection is now ready for you to download!

If you’ve purchased the eBook through Ravelry you’ll have received an update notification this morning. If you purchased through this website or Payhip then you’ll have a received an update email only if you opted in to receive them - if you didn’t opt in then you can still use your original download link to access the latest version.

Buyers on Etsy will receive a message from me with suggestions on how to access the final file, but I suspect that I’ll need to send you a link via either one of the other platforms as Etsy doesn’t have an update system in place, but we’ll work out the best option for you.

I’m so glad we’ve been able to get this finished, even though it is later than expected. The pandemic, and the knock-on effects of it, is no doubt a reason for delay that we’ve all heard too many times yet it’s still derailing all of the best laid plans.

But! It’s here, it’s in your hands, and I can let out a sigh of relief that one more project has been signed off and is no longer in limbo!

I do hope you enjoy the graphics with this one. Vicky has been helping me by adding all of the ISBNs and updating pages for print to all of the previous collections in this format, but this is the first one she’s worked on from start to finish. I particularly like the circles, and the way she’s run with the theme of mindful knitting throughout.

Bonus pages that you’ll find within the eBook include calculating yardage and how to take these Hat designs and shapes and start venturing beyond stocking stitch. This collection may have started with my want for simple, meditative knits whilst mostly bed-bound with poor health over the last few months of last year, yet it’s turned into a ‘6 Hats in any yarn in any size come design’ book and is so much greater than the sum of it’s parts.

Introspection - a different perspective

It wasn’t possible for me to knit more than 2 sets of Hat samples for this collection, although I did briefly flirt with the idea of knitting up a worsted weight set until I listened to my shoulders who were firmly saying No. But I can do is get the Hats we have photographed on different people.

Aida, a friend of ours who’s more like family, is more than happy to model for us and she’s been to visit recently. So together we popped down to the local derelict quarry to continue our ‘let’s rephotograph all the Hats’ project. We’re a bit exhausted, we’ve done 3 shoots in this last week alone, but the results are worth it.

left side view of the Intro Beanie on Aida, shown in blue sock yarn

front view of the Intro Beret on Aida, shown in pink sock yarn

right side view of the Intro Bonnet on Aida, shown in multicoloured sock yarn

left side view of the Intro Pixie on Aida, shown in multicoloured sock yarn

left front view of the Intro Helmet on Aida, shown in deep pink striped sock yarn

left front view of the Intro Slouch on Aida, shown in deep indigo sock yarn

Don’t they look great? I think it really helps to show them on different models in different environments, even if they are the same Hats.

This are a little big for Aida and it’s mostly not that noticeable except perhaps with the bonnet - given it’s split brim and roomy shape it’s one design that really needs to fit properly.

These are now in the queue for their alt text and descriptions - we’ve a team system backend for getting these things all written in a consistent format that the new website will be able to pull and thus reducing the need frontend to keep inputting the same thing over and over again.

And I’m slowly adding these shots to the product pages here and on the various platforms. That’s one thing I’m really looking forward to not doing on the new website - adding all the photos to all the pages to all the menus. On our internet connection that takes an age and eats an awful lot of time. Patience self, patience!

I’ve enough photo editing just from the many recent photoshoots to keep me busy for some time, so obviously we’re planning more! With Tom and Aran modelling, and maybe Simone who modelled Slonnet for us. We’ll see how the next few weeks pan out, as I’m in desperate need of some downtime and quiet.

Introspection - all single patterns now available!

If you purchased the Introspection pre-order you can now use your original download link to access all 6 of the single patterns and if you’ve been waiting for one of the other styles to released as a standalone pattern, you can now get your hands on it!

Intro Beret, front view on Sue

Intro Bonnet, side view on Tom

Intro Pixie, front view on Sue

Intro Slouch, side view on Tom

All six single patterns are now available - Beanie, Beret, Bonnet, Helmet, Pixie and Slouch - and they’re in the shiny new layout with ISBNs and download links for the tutorials. The individual webpages are active and you can buy them on Etsy, Ravelry and Payhip as well as here.

If you’ve purchased the pre-order it’ll depend on which platform you purchased from as to how you get notified of an update.

I’ve sent a message via Etsy to each pre-order customer, and if your original download link doesn’t allow to access the latest files then please reply to me and I’ll set you up a unique coupon code that’ll let you purchase the pre-order on Payhip for free. Etsy limits the number of files that sellers can add to a listing so until the eBook is ready, all 6 of the single patterns have been merged into one file for convenience.

Payhip does have a notification system of sorts, but you have to opt into it when you purchase, and given the wording and lack of clarity around that understandably not everyone has checked that box. If you’ve not received an update email then use your original download link to access the 6 single patterns and the pre-order file. There is a limit to the number of times a download link can be used on Payhip, and I have lifted that a little, and hopefully releasing them in batches rather than one by one should help with that. But do remember that there’s one more update to come, for the final eBook.

Ravelry has an automatic update notice and I’ve opted to send the updates to outside PayPal email addresses as well as internal Rav mail, just in case one of the two doesn’t get through - which in my experience happens more often than it should.

The Beanie and Helmet single patterns have had a tiny update too, mostly a couple of tweaks to the language in the crown shaping section so they match the others and provide even more clarity. The other change is in the linked tutorials, which have been updated to cover a couple of clever techniques that create really smooth increases in those Hats where there’s a change in shape between the brim and body.

Besides aiming for meditative, refined knits that work in so many sizes across so many yarns, and creating Hats that will work perfectly with the most opinionated of hand-dyed yarns or most challenging of hand-spuns, I aimed towards techniques and details that not only stretch our skills but also challenge the methods we already know.

I mean, this is me - I can’t help but change things and challenge myself when designing! It’s the ADHD, I need to indulge my problem-solving self and stave of boredom, so I get engrossed in the little details. And these 6 Hats each have details that stretch what we know of the standard beanie or the standard increase methods or the standard crown shapings, except they may be a little more subtle than my usual patterns. Then again, maybe 10 crown shaping options isn’t very subtle!

One area that you’ll find some interesting details is in the folded brim options for each style. I’ve a new tutorial to share soon, about how you can increase stitches as you join the brim itself - which is something you’ll have met if you’ve worked Elfdans, North Lyme or Bedragonned or any of my patterns that have a double up brim in some way. It’s a really clever little technique that creates such a neat finish and does away with the need to increase after the fact.

But I also push the folded brim further with the Intro Bonnet and Intro Helmet - these feature brims split in some way, and that needed me to approach things from a different direction if I wanted to keep the same clean lines throughout. I talked about this more with Patreons and in due course I’ll get that written up as a free tutorial, but you’ll see how I approach it if you work either of these Introspection Hats.

We’re now working on finishing up the eBook - getting all the content into layout and then checking over everything - and it’s coming together really nicely. The eBook - and the print version, too - feature bonus chapters, including how to switch up the stitch pattern from stocking stitch and start branching into design, so there’s lots to look forward to!

I do hope you enjoy these new patterns, I look forward to seeing what you do with them :)

Introspection is available for pre-order!

The collection went on sale last night and I got a newsletter out this morning. I’m completely exhausted but it’s here. I’m publishing a new collection for the first time in 18 months!

Myself and my tech editors have been working flat out to iron out a few kinks with the first patterns. Problems that probably wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the fact that I went for seamless construction and refined details with a bazillion size and yarn weight options, not to mention all those brim and crown options.

Most of the finickity bits we've worked through over the last few days apply to most of the patterns, which means we've done the bulk of the tech editing work and the rest should be a little more straightforward. Famous last words and all that but I’m not expecting the rest to take long.

The pre-order includes a file explaining how the patterns will be delivered and what to expect. It also has the first 2 patterns with it. The first 2 patterns are Intro Beanie and Intro Helmet. If you managed to purchase the pre-order before the Helmet, I’m impressed with your speed! And you can use the original download link to access the Helmet, likewise the other single patterns as they’re made available.

The pre-order is available on Payhip, Etsy and Ravelry as well as here on this website.

I went with a deep, deep brim on the Intro Beanie because I like it’s proportion and the way it sits, but you don’t have to. You can easily adjust the depth of the brim and add the extra length to the body. The deep brim is even toastier in the folded brim option, and I’ve heard from quite a few folks that they’re keen to knit this one for that reason!

All of the patterns have 4 brim options - 1x1 rib, 2x2 rib, garter stitch and the folded brim. I’ve added in extra little details that create nice, clean lines without being too challenging to do. It’s these little details that can make a Hat in my opinion.

The beanie has 10 crown options so there’s a lot to choose from!

From a pattern writing and technical editing angle, the Intro Helmet was the most brain bendy one. I guess there always has to be one? I spent quite a bit of time in video meetings with my tech editor, as it was easier to explain with my arms moving around and pointing to my head than it was in our chat group! It was worth it, as it’s really clean. I’m really chuffed with how these patterns have come out - so many options, so many possibilities, yet super clear and concise instructions.

It’s not that this one is particularly difficult to knit, more that I wanted a completely seamless construction and used some clever moves, and explaining those clearly is where it gets tricky. The knitting itself is much more straightforward and it all makes sense as you work through it, but I will warn you not to over-think it if you read ahead in the pattern.

The helmet has 6 crown options. It works on a similar maths principle to the beanie, only it’s shaping is more rapid, and thus not as much room for as many options.

In case you missed it previously, there are 6 styles in this collection - beanie, beret, bonnet, helmet, pixie and slouch - and they’re written for 6 yarns in up to 12 sizes. Each style has 4 brim options and between 6 and 10 crown options. Which is an awful lot of Hats!

They’ll love your hand-spun or hand-dyed yarns, especially if they’re the kinds of yarns that prove challenging to many patterns. These patterns will play really nicely with those opinionated yarns. And they’ll also be just as happy with your semi-solid, solid or mill-spun yarns - there really is room for everything within this collection.

The bulk of the work is done, I only need to work through and make some minor changes to the remaining 4 patterns before sending them back for further editing. The layout style has been developed so once the editing is all done it’ll all get dropped into layout ready for final checks! Folks won’t be waiting long for the remaining patterns or final eBook, and I reckon 6 weeks tops.

The eBook will include a couple of bonus chapters that the single patterns won’t have, which includes how to calculate yardage and how to start substituting stitch patterns - this will appeal to adventurous Hat knitters and inquisitive Hat designers alike.

There are also 12 photographic tutorials in the eBook, and they’re available to download as PDFs via links within the single patterns. This collection will also be going into print so if you’re an LYS, keep an eye out at Deep South Fibers.

Phew. I hope you enjoy knitting them and find them useful!

Introspection - the first photos

Trying to get any photoshoots done through the pandemic has been super tricky. We’re lucky in that we’ve immediate locations on our doorstep and enough folk living on site - where we’re kinda considered one household but not at the same time - to be generally able to find someone. It’s still not been easy and we had a few false starts with these new Hats.

Thankfully Sue and Tom stepped up!

Tom hasn’t modelled for me for years and years. He’s far happier behind the camera! But he knew I wanted a male model and who we had in mind needed to change plans, so he offered. I’m glad he did, he really pulls them off don’t you think?

I knit all of the styles in both 4ply/Sock and DK weight yarns to show how they might look in different weights. It wasn’t feasible to cover more yarn weights with the samples, I just can’t knit that much or buy that much yarn! Tom’s modelling all the DK samples and Sue modelled the ones in 4ply weight, and I’ll share those soon.

The six styles included in the collection are beanie, beret, bonnet, helmet, pixie and slouch.

As I mentioned previously, the patterns are written for 12 sizes across 6 yarn weights. Each style has 4 brim options and between 4 and 10 crown options! The crown options relate to the internal structure and body shape more than the brim does, and could only be determined by the maths; it wasn’t possible to provide quite so many options for some styles. But hey, they’re not exactly lacking in choice! I’ve written all the options out for you so you can choose which you prefer, and there’s a handy chart with each design so you can select the right size and yarn weight combo.

The collection won’t be maths heavy - all you’ll need is an idea of your gauge and the size of head you want the Hat to fit. From there you can mix and match - a kinda choose your own adventure Hat collection come any size any yarn any Hat collection. Phew!