Lattice Embrace

I'm excited to report -- I'm finally getting back to publishing knitting designs.  Or maybe, to be clear, two designs. The first has been launched today and is an asymmetrical cardigan called “Lattice Embrace.” It's a bulky, easy knit, and yes, it's a way for me to send 'a hug' to knitters!  That's how this sweater feels to me. I knit it and took notes while remote schooling twins last year, and now that they are back in school in person, I've been able to focus on writing it up.

This design’s now available for download on Ravelry, Payhip and Lovecrafts.com.  

Note: If you’re looking for a Low Vision Accessible version of the pattern, that's available on Payhip and Ravelry.

Just making this leap back into focused work has been exciting. I found I lost concentration when it came to helping 4th graders and couldn't do the math needed to grade sizes while juggling everything during the pandemic. This sweater includes sizing from 36-64” and that is a lot of spreadsheet work!  I'm looking forward to seeing how this design makes its way into the world. I love seeing knitters’ work and interpretations of these designs.

I'll also be participating again in the Fasten Off Yarn-Along this year.  This event starts at the end of November and includes a hefty discount for the first week for those buying patterns.  I will pass along the secret code closer to the time.  

If you happen to worry about wool moths, my article on that appears in the Winter 21/22 issue of Vogue Knitting! (I was pretty stoked to be included in an issue with such a famous knitter on the cover.) I also continue to write a column here for the Vancouver Jewish Independent as well…but it’s not always on knitting or fibre arts topics… That’s most of the news for now!  

 

Low Vision Accessible...and more

 Big news!  There are now 24 of my patterns uploaded to payhip right over here:

https://payhip.com/joanneseiff

I did this so that all my Low Vision Accessible patterns would be available for sale on another platform...for those who cannot manage Ravelry's new look.  All of these have this note:

Accessibility Note: This pattern offers an additional Low Vision pdf option, with Arial 24 point font and photo captions, for those who need large print.

 I'm still learning this new platform, and I hope to get my other designs up there in the future, as time allows. 

Deir Hart (yes, I'm the model) is one of the patterns that's already live. 

In other news, The Jewish Independent ran this piece-about the value of fences, neighbours, and community- on Friday:

Fences, and walls, can be good

Disclaimer: I'm not for border walls between countries, or anything big-scale. No!  This is strictly about why a fence around my yard keeps my kids and dog from falling into a construction site...or by extension, how a carefully constructed boundary, like an eruv or, say, a mask or social distancing, can offer us, as individuals, both protection and community as we navigate challenging times.

Last but not least:  Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!  I hope all is well, wherever you live, and even if you don't celebrate this- and that we all continue to find things for which to be thankful and grateful, given our current difficult (pandemic) circumstances.  Take care and eat a lot!

Value each other--a Valentine

Valentine's Day is a chance to show how much we value each other.

Today, my article about kidnapping, human trafficking and MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls) went live here, on the Jewish Independent website:

When Joseph went missing

This is a serious issue, and it's not just something that happens to "other" people or other communities. Moms, daughters--our family members, people we value--are going missing.

Valentine's Day also made me think about how my household makes stuff to show we care about each other. This morning, one of my kids gave me a handmade beaded bracelet and a lot of art he's made me.  I've hung up the art!  I am wearing my "mom" bracelet!

In the last few years, I've focused on designing things and offering special releases and sales for Valentine's Day.  This year, there's no new design and no 'special' sale. Why?

I've spent a lot of time reformatting older patterns lately so that they are now Low Vision Accessible.  This is a long process...I'm not done. This means knitters with vision challenges can use a pattern with easier to read, larger fonts, single column formatting, no italics, and photo descriptions.  It takes time to redo each pattern, but --I am doing it because I value all of us, and it would be great if all knitters could find patterns that they can read.

Reformatting these patterns also helped me to see that many of my patterns haven't sold a lot of copies, and perhaps they have only sold when they were on sale.  I try not to make my patterns expensive...so without a sale, they are accessible.  However, the message sometimes seems to be that only things 'on sale' or 'free' are good.  That message doesn't value me or my time or efforts, either.

My choice for Valentine's Day this year is to be proud of my knitwear design work, to keep trying to improve it, and also, to stop 'de-valuing' it, too.  So, no sale today.  Does this mean fewer patterns sold overall?  Maybe.  Does it mean I earn less income from patterns?  Yes...I'll need to find a way to make up that loss elsewhere in my freelance work.  At roughly $5US a pattern, it is not an easy way to earn income, even without a sale.

However, we, as people, have great value. Everyone is important.  I'm trying not to let financial issues get in the way of recognizing that...no matter who we are or what we create.   Each person has value and is a gift.

 All of these knitwear patterns, including "Deir Hart" and the "Thump Thump Mittens"--are available
on Ravelry and on Lovecrafts.


More importantly, let's value each other every day...not just Valentine's Day!

Imperfection

This is a quick post--I had an article run in the Vancouver Jewish Independent on Friday:
The comfort in imperfection

and speaking of imperfection, we have imperfect immune systems...and spent much of our weekend resting on the couch and playing indoors here.  We've got a revolving door of colds and respiratory viruses going on, nothing important, but keeping us from feeling perfectly good, too.

I continue to slowly update my knitting patterns so that those with vision challenges can use them more easily.  I've created a bundle here on Ravelry so that the Low Vision Accessible ones are easier to find.  So far, I've done ten patterns...but I've a lot more to go!

Wishing you a healthy week!

Low Vision patterns-coming soon!

This week, I've been slowly but surely reformatting some of my knitwear designs on Ravelry. 
What am I doing?

I'm reformatting these to provide an additional pdf, for free, in a Low Vision format.  This is for people who need larger print to easily read a knitting pattern.  I'm also adding photo descriptions, as I am able, and getting rid of fonts and italic that might make the design hard to read.  All my designs are already black print on a white background, which also improves accessibility for the vision-impaired.

As of this week, I've launched Low Vision Format versions of:
Rosie McStrippit, The Stay Put Kippah, Strippy McStrippit, Worry Bear, Deir Hart and On Track.

I hope to add more Low Vision Format options to my patterns over time--it may not work for every design, but I aim to keep working on it.  So far, it hasn't sold a single pattern, but that's not why I'm doing it.  It seems to me that making life better and more accessible for everyone is a good thing to do...and well worth a few minutes every day, when I can fit in the reformatting.

Here are some cheerful photos of the patterns I've already relaunched-I will try to post more as I go along!  (click on the photos to see bigger images)

I've also had this article come out in the Vancouver Independent:
A page of Talmud each day

Finally, January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  
#WeRemember

Many millions of people died in the Holocaust, including 6 million Jewish people.  (These were, in part, some of my family and perhaps yours, too) 

Please take time to remember the many people who were lost...Jewish family, friends, those with disabilities, LGBTQ*, Roma, political prisoners, and more. 

Let's work towards a more accessible, loving, tolerant and accepting world.  Never Again.