On location

The mitre square project that I mentioned a few blog posts back is pushing ahead! They’re through their first round of tech editing, and the patterns and tutorials are looking pretty polished.

We’re staying at a little AirBnB in the mountains of Liguria, visiting friends who’ve regularly modelled for us. They’ve recently moved to the area and weren’t able to come to us, so we’ve come to them.

Which means yes, it’s photoshoot time! I’m just about to steam block these Hats to remove all the creases from storage, and pick out all the cat hairs, then we’ll be heading over to our friends’ new house; they’re renovating and a partially derelict house could prove to be the perfect backdrop for these. If not, we’ll find somewhere in their little town and if that fails, we’ve always the mountains.

Summer is a tricky time to do a photoshoot in Italy - the scorching heat isn’t exactly ideal for wearing woolly Hats, and the harsh sunlight can wreak havoc on my lighting preferences. And folks are usually away, travelling for work or enjoying a holiday, or escaping the heat. As much as it was 5 hours on the road to get here and we’ve the extra expense of paying for somewhere to stay, I’m mighty relieved to be here and really looking forward to getting these photographed. As an added bonus, it’s much cooler up here in the mountains and it’s even cloudy this morning. Fingers crossed it stays like this for the rest of the day!

Not quite full circle, but...

Last summer I started a project that I hoped would give me the creative surge that was very much needed. But it didn’t work out as I envisaged; I think I was asking too much of the project and of myself, given the poor state of my mental health. I kept pushing and pushing, getting more and more frustrated, whilst at the same time knowing that there was a way to make it all work.

Thankfully I’ve been living with my ADHD and Autism diagnoses long enough to see what’s at play and why, and to be a bit kinder to myself. So I eventually realised there was no point in keeping butting heads with this project; I needed to park it and wait for my brain to switch into gear when it was ready to.

About 6 or 7 weeks ago I figured I’d pick this up again and see if I could form it into a publishable collection for this coming September. It was a tall ask; I’m still not coping well with deadlines and although my EMDR treatment has been effective and is still ongoing, it is still ongoing and progress takes time; some days, or even weeks, all I can do is hide in a corner raging at the world.

But I figured that I could try changing my approach.

Originally I’d been wanting to write this collection along the lines of Get Garter and Introspection - a guide to making a range of styles of Hats using this modular construction method. I was trying to make the mitre squares fit the Hats, and it wasn’t working. So what if I tried it the other way round? What if I pulled myself out of that rabbit-hole and let the squares lead the way?

Within a month I’d designed and knit 8 sparkly new Hats.

What’s really fun is that the squares decided they wanted to be a whole different set of Hats. They don’t fit what we might expect of Hats and certain Hat styles in lots of ways, and they’re proving hard to name. So rather than label them as a ‘beanie’ or ‘beret’ or similar, we’re going to run with a Minecraft-esque theme for the names because they really are built by adding more blocks and developing skills. They’re as cuboid and modular as they come.

The patterns are written and in the tech editing queue already! I’ve needed to write a whole bunch of new photographic tutorials and they’re mostly done and waiting for editing, I’ve a couple more short ones to finish today. Then all they need is a photoshoot and layout.

We’re on target to publish in September which makes me daftly happy as I haven’t published a proper creative collection like this in two years. I need this to feel like my brain is working again, and to be totally honest, the business needs it too - September sees the start of my busy season and if I don’t have something to launch and kick things off with, sales over the winter can struggle. It’s been a scary time for a lot of folks and we rely solely on this income to feed, house and clothe my little family, as you know. So I’ve very much felt a lift, even a hint of optimism, with these Hats.

Given their construction - only one small square to make at a time, with minimal thought to shaping needed, and their suitably for using up oddments and playing with colour - I think they’re the perfect thrifty projects for brains short on bandwidth or tight budgets. I had an awful lot of fun knitting and designing them and I’m pretty sure you will, too.

A little later into the summer we’ll be putting out a call for beta-knitters - the aim being for you to try the Hat construction method out and help generate interest on social media. You’ll get early access to one of the patterns and all the tutorials and in return for talking about the projects online and using the hashtags, you’ll get a free copy of the full and final eBook containing all 8 patterns! I did mention there were 8 designs, yes?

We’re not ready to start the call for beta-knitters yet but when we are, members of The Woolly Hat Society and Patreon supporters will be the first to hear about it. The last time I did something like this, for the Imperceptions collection, literally hundreds of people signed up and it was a huge success! But it does mean that we may need to limit places this time around as there’s an awful lot of admin for us to manage, so you’ll want to keep an eye out for newsletters over the next couple of months to make sure you can grab a place.

So, yeah. A whole new collection! 8 Hat designs written for 12 sizes across 8 gauges. The methods can be adapted for an even greater range and they’ll also work with other square types, too, including crochet. They’ll love your leftovers and oddments and they’re the perfect playground for trying out colour combos and seeing Hat construction from a whole new perspective. They’ll demand little of you in return for a stunning Hat.

Can you tell I’m excited about these? Can’t wait to get the photoshoots finished so we can start sharing the photos!

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 - 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!