Accessibility for Pattern Makers and Users

 On Wednesday, August 23rd, at 6pm at the Manitoba Craft Museum and Library in Winnipeg, I am teaching about low vision accessible patterns, accessibility and how to make patterns more accessible.  This workshop is for knitting and crochet designers (and anyone who writes instructions for makers) as well as for those who are seeking more accessible and inclusive patterns.  There is no “one size fits all” but there are so many ways to be more inclusive.  Come explore this topic with me! 

Housekeeping and hibernation

It seems a little like we've been in an endless loop of very cold days (Think: -30C/-25F, for many days in a row) and then there is a little warm up and a big snowfall.  It's great for the drought Manitoba has had, but it's also been somewhat hard to get through.  I find it hard to exercise when the air is so cold and the sidewalks aren't plowed...and both have been a recurring theme this year.

Some of my hibernation time has been spent on housekeeping.  I realized that some of my older knitting patterns, available for download on Lovecrafts.com, Ravelry and Payhip...were still priced at US$4.  Alas, prices for everything in life have gone up.  So, I spent some time raising those to an even $5.  While the price increase seems small, it may mean the difference between buying a fancy coffee...or not.  When I get back to going out and buying those coffees?  Yes, I think my work is worth that.  So, you can find the Molly Baby Socks, the I'll Pack a Hat (links to Ravelry) and others still around for sale on Payhip and Lovecrafts if you want a quick knit this winter.

The sunlight has been bright and cheering though, which is helpful.  The light in my office has been sort of blinding.  Here's a shot of me, wearing the Lattice Embrace

 sweater as I leaned over my computer.  I've been trying to get back into my work routine...delayed for weeks after a longer than usual school winter break, but I have fewer gigs right now, too. (Thanks Pandemic)  If you've been looking to work with me for writing, editing or design...or even teaching a workshop - don't hesitate to let me know!

I've been doing some spinning (this is Clun Forest wool on the left and Polwarth on the right, waiting for its bath to set the twist...) and taking time to be with my family.  At these very cold temperatures, we're not doing a lot of playing outdoors, so we've come up with some fun new projects inside.

There's been a lot of playing with stuffies and legos and playmobil, listening to audio books, and dreaming of warmer weather and picnics to come.  We've also had the opportunity to buy a Spinolution wheel--the Echo-- second hand, and it's just the right size for a kid to learn to spin on a wheel. I've been doing some lowkey coaching, he already knows how to spin on a spindle, but the hands and feet coordination takes time to learn. It reminded me of how much I loved to teach beginners, pre-pandemic! 

This is most of the February news from here.  Sending you this bit of peaceful domesticity...I can't lie.  I've thought a lot about what peaceful protest looks like-not what we've seen (or the honking heard) in Canada of late- and worrying about the safety of Ukrainians and their democracy.  There is not a lot I can do from here...but we continue to celebrate science, try to take care of each other, and continue making and doing until things finally warm up. We're staying hopeful and looking forward to spring, summer, and those hot weather days outdoors. 

Fasten Off Yarn Along!

It's been a while since I participated in a knitting pattern event or sale of any kind.  I'm busy helping kids learn at home, fitting in work when I can, and dealing with the noise and disruption of an infill construction project near my house and well, all the pandemic stuff.  Heck, I haven't even published much in the way of new patterns this year, although I now have 65 patterns newly available on Payhip!

 -Like many, I haven't been a fan of Ravelry's revamp -- it has big accessibility issues.  So, when I heard that there was an event with many off-Ravelry, accessible options for knitters/crocheters/yarnies to enjoy, I decided to join in...so here's more information! 

Note: Even the coupon code alludes to this crazy year we've been having...let's open up that window and say goodbye to 2020!

I am honoured to be participating this year in the FastenOff YAL!

This is inclusive stitch-a-long event to showcase independent crochet and knitting designers.

It starts tomorrow and it comes with a big sale!

Get 25% off all my indie patterns from November 25 through December 5th! This sale includes all of my patterns and my ebook on both Ravelry and Payhip with the coupon code:

FO2020

You can learn more about participating in lots of ways!

Note: Even if you don’t feel like participating, please feel free to enjoy the sale and share the discount code!
Thanks for checking this out!!
On Twitter
On Instagram
On a discussion forum on Discord--information here on how to join

and on this super helpful website.

As always, thanks for checking out my designs.  Please enjoy the sale!

low tech spinning

The big news today is that my article on low-tech fiber processing is featured on PLY magazine's blog!  Here's the link:
Low tech wool (and other fibres) prep

I'm proud to be included in this processing issue--via the blog!

I often encounter new spinners who are overwhelmed by the expense and complicated nature of all the tools and gadgets they think they must have to begin spinning.  In fact...spinning can be pretty simple and low cost.  This piece spells out ways you can use your hands to do the work-without the tools.

PS: I'm not ignoring all the upsetting stuff that is going on in the world right now.  Far from it, but I'm needing distractions so I don't despair entirely.  I hope this provides a helpful distraction.  In the meanwhile, believe me, I'm thinking about peace in the world--and rain in Australia.

PPS: How did Rosie McStrippit get her name?  Well, she's clearly related to Strippy McStrippit, made in strips, and there's a story about elementary school and Irish (or Scottish?) dance in there...for another time.

Rosie McStrippit

At last, here is the next 'McStrippit' pattern!  Introducing..
.Rosie McStrippit!

Rosie McStrippit’s an A-line, square necked women’s tunic, in seven sizes with a trick up its sleeve. This is a bottom-up, simple sweater knit in pieces…eight pieces, to be exact. You’ll work towards a sweater that drapes and flatters while enjoying completely portable, simple patterned knitting that fits in a purse while you’re on the go!

Too tired to carry a top-down sweater project on your commute, to kids’ lessons or the doctor’s office?  These McStrippit designs are for you.

Rosie McStrippit requires knitting, purling, increases, decreases, and sewing up at the end. This design uses written instructions and a schematic. It uses a single strand of Aran yarn that knits at 17 sts sts = 4"/10 cm after blocking on a size US 7 needle.

You may wonder how I got all these photos...well, I had twin eight year olds and one very patient professor photo taking photos of me all at once on one sort of "warm" December day.  (They used an iPad, an ancient digital camera and a fancy camera that the Professor used to shoot all the photos for my first book,  Fiber Gathering.) There are also a couple photos indoors, and unless I am modelling, I took all of those.

I am very excited to release this sweater design, as it matches the dress that I made in the last post, AND I think it's a really useful concept for those of us who knit on the go.  I announced how long it took me to get everything online today---and how much I charged, per pattern, at dinner. One of my twins said, "But Mommy, that's not very much.  That's not anything like as much work as it took you to make it."

If I don't count any of the time I spent designing this, knitting it, grading the spread sheet for all the sizes, writing the pattern, editing the pattern, getting the pattern online (and it's here on Ravelry and here on Lovecrafts.com...) 

Well, I need to sell 13 patterns at full price just to pay for the basic supplies: yarn and the tech editor fees.

How much does a pattern download cost?

$7 US

Having a little pouch of knitting with you while waiting at the doctor's office, the playground, piano lessons, the school bus stop?

Well now?  That's priceless!

I hope you enjoy knitting Rosie McStrippit as much as I did.
(I'll explain the name some other time...)

A quick sale!

You may have noticed that I am now on Instagram.  It is definitely a new thing for me!  Please follow me over there @yrnspinner!

A year ago, this month, I published Freestyle Super.  It has been an absolute favorite around here, and it's a true workhorse.  It went off to Grade 3 this morning on a kid's back...because it was 17F(-8C) when we got up.  Yes, that cold.  And in October.

I am still learning how it works, but here is what I posted over there (hint, it's about a sale! Enjoy!  Happy quick winter knitting!):

Gee Mom, it is scary how much you like this Instagram thing now! (Sweater featured is #freestylesuper. It went off to Grade 3 on a kid this morning!) To celebrate this fun I am having, here is a sale on all my Ravelry knitting patterns. 

#linkinbio #knittersofinstagram #knittersofravelry #knittingpatternsale #knitting 

20% off all my patterns until Nov. 1 at midnight, CT (US& Canada) with coupon code: Halloween

Strippy McStrippit is live!

If you know me in person, you've seen me carrying around a little pouch of knitting forever.  It's now a real pattern, it's live on Ravelry, and it's called Strippy McStrippit!

It's late at night while I am posting this and it's still summer vacation and I'll be up early with kids, so here is the description.  If you're anything like me, you long to have a mindless sweater on the go, but in small, light pieces...and here it is!

Too tired to carry a top-down sweater project on your commute, to kids’ lessons or the doctor’s office?  This design’s for you.

 

Strippy’s an A-line, modern open women’s cardigan, in seven sizes with a trick up its sleeve. This is a bottom-up, simple sweater knit in pieces…seven pieces, to be exact. You’ll work towards a sleek and flexible cardigan while enjoying completely portable, simple patterned knitting that fits in a purse while you’re on the go!

Strippy requires knitting, purling, increases, decreases, and sewing up at the end.  This design uses written instructions and a schematic.  It calls for a double strand of lace-weight or a single strand of Aran yarn that knits at 17 sts sts = 4"/10 cm after blocking on a size US 7 needle.

Strippy McStrippit will also be live on Lovecrafts.com...coming soon!

Knitting density

Sometimes you have to knit a sweater because winter isn't over, but the kid has darn well worn through his favorite sweater.  Yup.  This is a new version of Stripe Freestyle in all Canadian yarns--all from stash in my house.  I've got some Custom Woolen Mills yarn in here, some MacAusland's Woolen Mill yarn, and some specially made Seine River Shepherds yarn (grown in Manitoba, processed by Custom Woolen Mils in Alberta.).  The kid dictated where the stripes should go, how much bigger the new one should be, the whole nine yards.

I knit it as dense as I could, because after the fifth patch on the old Stripe Freestyle?   I got tired of darning and knitting whole new sections of the old sweater!  The dense knitting caused me a little nerve pain and muscle irritation (I have a good physio/physical therapist) so I didn't get this done as fast as I had hoped.  However, we had fresh snow and big winds today, so he was well-pleased to march off to the school bus in his parka and snow pants ....and a new sweater.

Happy new sweater in March---in like a LION!

hibernation

 I know there are people who continue to rush around outdoors even when it is -40 and the windchills are much lower.  Unlike much of the US upper midwest, Winnipeg didn't shut down last week.  This meant that believe it or not, my kids still got on the school bus, my professor went off to work last week.  Things sort of stalled out for me though.  By the time I got the kid with the cold back at school, and got Sally, the old dog eating, and the food made for dinner, there was precious little time left for much else.  Dog walks were difficult, as was waiting for the boys at the school bus stop.  I felt lucky I didn't have to commute...and I put off all but the most basic errands until it warmed up on Thursday, as well.

 However, somebody didn't read the school bus manual, because after a few days of those crazy cold temperatures?  On Thursday, the temperatures warmed up--a bit--but the buses were cancelled because there were so many accidents and buses whose lines froze, etc.  Also on Thursday, we realized my car wouldn't start, even though it had been plugged into the block heater timer.  

So, we plugged it directly into the outlet in an attempt to warm up the battery.  I drove the professor's car, and he took the bus, and we still got the kids to and from school.  Indoor recess is apparently a hotbed of paper doll activity, where my kids join several others in drawing and cutting out every kind of magical creature paper doll, and building a cardboard house for them, as well.

So what did I do from January 24th to about January 31st?  I worked on the computer, knit, cooked, and enjoyed the great indoors. (which still required woolens, by the way, even with the heat going full blast, it is hard to make inside toasty when it is so cold outside.)  Here is one of the things I worked on.  This is a new Stripe Freestyle for my kid who is outgrowing his old one!  It is getting short and I've had to knit patches on the one pictured in that link.  (It has been worn a lot and he loves it.)

I am using all Canadian yarns on this one.  Leftovers from On Track and Woolly and a light gray that somebody chose, but then changed his mind about, I think.  The yarns are from MacAusland's Woolen Mill and Custom Woolen Mills.    The kid in question thinks a natural colored white yarn, leftover from Woolly, will go best as the next stripe.

However, something happened.  The sweater is a nice, dense plush 34" around, on a size 8(5mm) needle.  And I did all this in a week, and I inflamed my upper back/shoulder a bit.  So, now I am back to only a few rows a day, until things calm down.  I've changed knitting styles and positions, but it still hurts! That's what comes of being too enthusiastic a knitter, I suppose...?!

Meanwhile, the conversation around hate doesn't take time off in the winter.  The restaurant where my knitting group meets was targeted recently.  So, today, it's -30 windchill, 6" (15 cm) of new snow blowing around, and we're still talking about hate crimes.  Dang.

Upcycle, fiction and design

It's been a big few days here.  We had a scare in our household--our boiler decided it needed some attention.  That's not scary in a more temperate climate, but it was solidly in the "extreme cold warning" range in Manitoba.  That meant real temperatures of -30 and windchills of -40.  (That's darn cold in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.)  I spent much of last week taking care of that, but thank goodness, we are all warm and safe.  A home with no heat is not a good option with those kinds of wind chills.

In the meanwhile...I was so pleased to have one of my designs featured on Upcycle's Creative Reuse Center's Facebook page.   It's this one:
Freestyle Super

And, this sweater has been in constant use during this cold snap!  We love it here.  It uses a lovely soft yarn, Quince & Co. Puffin, which I would normally deem a bit too precious for use in a kid's school sweater.  However, someone else donated it to Upcycle, in Alexandria, Virginia.  We visited Upcycle to do a play group with friends while on a trip to see family.  And I lucked out with enough of this brown yarn to make most of a kid's sweater....and design one, too.

Finally, in 2007, I won a fiction contest for a short story I wrote.  (Wow, that was 12 years ago!)  The magazine, Jerry Jazz Musician, has been doing an amazing retrospective on their fiction contest, and they featured me!

To read the feature, check out this group of profiles, and scroll down.  I won contest #15.

Here's a direct link to the short story itself:
The Prayer for Swift & University

Happy reading!  Winter: It's a good time to stay in, read, knit, and be grateful for a house with working heat.  (I know I sure am.)

Catching the light

Since the last time I was here....well, time flew by.  We had school vacation until January 7th, and I just relaxed right into doing that.  Any work that got done was sort of accidental.  I did have one odd famous moment though.  I got called by a CBC reporter since I'd written a couple of opinion pieces on infill long ago.  (I guess no one else was in town!)  He asked to interview me, and then I appeared briefly in a TV clip, and a couple of articles.

In case you think that writers are big earners, well, not so much...here's a link to a recent NY Times article that covers how little writers make these days.  (A recent Canadian Writers Guild piece said just about the same thing.  It's depressing.)

I did get paid for my initial columns, but I did the interview because I care about maintaining historic neighborhoods and creating intelligent zoning plans so that developers and architects don't get the chance to wreck the character of hundred year old neighborhoods because they think they are boring.  (How about what I hope for? --quiet, beautiful, and mature?!)

Once school started again on Monday, I threw myself into catching up with work.  I have managed to submit three articles in three days.  (I'm tired.)  It is also a really hard time of year to take photos of anything outside.  When we had a warmish day a while back (think, a high of 30F or maybe -1C!) and it was sunny, I rushed outdoors.  By comparison, it was sunny today....and around -18C or 0F.  With the windchill, it was more like -25C or -13F.  I still walked the dogs twice.  And yes--My kids still had outdoor recess.

In the vestibule between the front door and the inside door, we have a big coat closet area with a bench.  On the bench, you can find a lot of handmade woollies at any moment--just in case you need one.  For this "warm day" photo shoot, I grabbed some handmade things and rushed outside.

These photos are outtakes, but I wanted to share the snow, the sunshine and the warmth.  In no particular order, here are:
Distal (the red handspun shawl)
The Hole Inside Mitts (kid and adult sizes)
Thump Thump Mittens (good for Valentine's Day!)
Due North Mittens (2 pairs)
and one plain jane handspun mitten, no linked pattern, that I spun and knit about 25 years ago.  That pair's still going strong.

Happy winter sunshine, when you can get it...and yes, the snow stays on the ground here from November to April.  It only looks this nice after a snowstorm and before it gets dirty.  You can tell the houses with the kids and dogs because the snow is all trampled, like in these photos.  We take playing in the snow very seriously!

Freestyle Super--a new design!

 Hey, can you believe it?  We actually had a snowfall yesterday in Winnipeg.  One that stuck to grass and cars and decks and made a big icy mess!  Our leaves aren't even off the trees yet...but, this mom worked ahead.

Today, I launched a new knitting pattern called Freestyle Super! It comes in a bunch of kid sizes:
2-4, 4-6, 6-8, and 10-12, and it's an oversized pattern.

It even comes with a sample, all knit up, that fits both twins.

Hurray!

I used all North American yarns to knit this, and it was unbelievably quick knit on size #10.75(7mm) needles.  You could buy all Canadian yarns, like Custom Woolen Mills or Briggs & Little. 
Or, you could buy all U.S. yarns and consider the lovely Quince & Co. Puffin... or, you can combine them, as I did!

The pattern is now for sale online at both Ravelry.com and Loveknitting.com.  If you go to buy the pattern on Loveknitting, you will find I've paired up other yarns that they sell--but the colors mostly match this sample.  There are lots of yarn choices at this quick-knitting gauge.

Hope you enjoy these fun shots of our twins while they modelled and horsed around in the backyard.  (before it snowed.)  We're looking forward to wearing this sweater for a long while to come!

If you're even a little interested in knitting one of these for yourself, hustle over and download a pattern soon.  You can have many hours of knitting pleasure for the price of a fancy coffee.

Happy October!

Fissure

Fissure is live!

Yes, it's been a long while since I've released a pattern.  Here's more info:

Fissure

A knitting pattern by Joanne Seiff

/ˈfɪʃə/

NOUN

1. a long, narrow opening or line of breakage made by cracking or splitting, especially in rock or earth.

synonyms:

opening, crevice, crack, cleft, breach, crevasse, chasm

Ever thought of how life goes along, with all its texture, until something breaks? A fissure can be an illness, a career challenge, a relationship break-up…something that disrupts life’s texture. Fissure is a rectangular wrap to express that kind of disruption…but in knitting form.  This design features Cecila Campochiaro’s Sequence Knitting, a 3 stitch, textured repeat, until a Stockinette stitch, scalene triangle splits it apart.

The sample uses 2 skeins of Reywa Fibers’ Embrace, a DK weight, fair trade Tibetan Yak Down yarn, to create a wrap that drapes without elasticity.

Fissure, like life, is flexible: adjust the yarn type and weight and gauge by choosing a needle two sizes larger than called for and create a design all your own. With approximately 400 yards (366 meters) of DK weight yarn and size 8 (5mm) needles, the shawl measures approximately 60" (155cm) long by 12"(30cm) in width.

If you'd like to learn more, here are three ways to check out the pattern!

Loveknitting has the design for sale here.

Ravelry also has the pattern live here.  (Psst. You can also just favorite it for later!)

Finally, if you know what you want...and you want this PDF download right now?!

buy now 

Happy summer knitting! :)

Art and Science about Wool

I also played with photos of Woolly-a kid's design that is available on both Ravelry and Loveknitting.com.  I am still learning how one adjusts photos and designs to make line drawings...it was fun experimentation.

My husband, the professor, wanted to pass along a new study about sheep and curly hair research here:
Merino Sheep provide Clue to Curly Hair

And now I am back to spring break with little boys and getting ready for Passover!

Cute as a button

 When I finished this hat, I was sitting on the couch, holding it in my hands, and the first thing that came to mind was... "Well now, ain't you cute as a button?"
And that's how I named Button, my new pattern. 


This is a simple and fast knit, and reminds me a lot of a design I did a long time ago, the Icelandic winter cap.  I used a Canadian lopi-style yarn from Custom Woolen Mills (purchased on our family's adventure to Alberta last summer) but Istex Alafoss Lopi from Iceland, is a great choice, if you can get some.  If not, any bulky yarn will do!

This winter, most photos have been taken indoors.  It seems like every time the weather warms up enough so that someone wants to pose outside, or the camera won't freeze?  Well, that's when everyone's too sick for a photo shoot.

I must have had a premonition when I wrote that last blog post. I stayed indoors with one (or two) sick kids from February 10 through 15, and today is the first time they've both gone back to school.  I'm worried--somebody might keel over...but I was a bit desperate to go grocery shopping, and do some work uninterrupted.  (Writing columns to a deadline while trying to tune out PBS kids' shows can be hard.)  And well...frankly, I could not wait to be alone again for a few moments!

For now, Button's available for sale exclusively on Ravelry.  It should be available on Loveknitting.com in a day or two.  If you're keen to knit a hat quickly, while watching the Olympics, for instance, maybe you could download it now...and if you have yarn on hand? Be done by the end of the weekend.  To do that, you do not have to be a speedy Olympic knitter or anything, either...no luge, skeleton, bobsled or curling necessary.  (Well, the brim does a little curling at the end, but you don't need any brooms at all, it does it on its own!)