An update

Greetings!  It's been too long since I updated this blog...I've had a hard time keeping up.  Here are some details about things that I've done, umm, in the last few months!  The Manitoba Craft Museum and Library has put the Accessibility for Pattern Makers and Users event online for anyone who might be interested in viewing it. (Bonus, you can knit or spin or whatever while watching the talk!)  I've been doing some occasional blog posts for Winnipeg Sews, too.  This is a great local sewing studio where both my kids have had successful sewing lessons...culminating in making pj bottoms. I'm continuing to write for the Vancouver Jewish Independent as well as doing occasional pieces elsewhere.  I wrote a piece on dyslexia, Fight for the Right to Read, for the Winnipeg Free Press in October.

I'm participating, again, the Fasten Off Yarn Along this year.  This is a great opportunity to get knitting and crochet patterns at a discount, as well as to socialize and knit/crochet along with others in an accessible environment.  All my patterns on Payhip and Ravelry are on sale for 25% off through December 8th at midnight with this coupon code: FO2023

(This is a pretty darn good deal and a fun event.)

What am I making/knitting/spinning these days?  Well, I've finally admitted to myself that I was just too overwhelmed with the household renovation and other obligations to turn out patterns this past year.  I decided 'sabbatical' might be the best term for what I've been on.  I've been at this for about 20 years, more or less, in terms of writing fiber publications and designs, it is ok to take breaks.  So I am knitting but using up stash and turning out things like this funny Snail Hat (A classic Elizabeth Zimmerman design) instead.

We've also finished up the renovations 'to paste our house back together' for now.  Does this mean it is all fixed?  Not really...but things are finally stable, the plumbing and electricity work, the holes are plugged up.  It means we'll save up and take time off for now. 

It may seem small, but part of 'getting back to normal' means emptying more boxes. Some of our moving boxes have not been emptied due to all the construction, some furniture needs to be moved.. and after a year, it's time.  I do a little every day, when I can manage, and twins and the Professor help on weekends.  Last weekend, I put our nice dishes away in our breakfront for the third time. (Yes, I tried twice before, but had to move them each time due to construction.)  I also managed to unpack some family china.  This box had been packed for our move from Kentucky to Canada in 2009 and now, it has a safe place and it's all finally out of the box...and the enormous china box is no longer in the living room. This is both a frivolous thing and also, well, a reassuring step towards making order in our house again.  

 

Remember the sale! Please check it out if you're interested.  There's still time to download a pattern.  Join in and make something with your hands during a stressful time.

Wishing you everything good.

No more bandwidth?

You may wonder where I've been.  The answer would be, umm, completely overwhelmed with moving and all it entails!  Also, the “new” house needs quite a bit more work, so we are living in a construction zone.  Not a noisy "disrupt the neighbours" or 24 hour highway construction zone, but the kind that slowly and steadily has now lasted a year and now, in this phase, involves a lot of demolition.  Here is a shot of our kitchen, halfway through being gutted, a couple days ago.  Note the ugly ancient carpet that was found under the island, (why?!) and our dog in the shot, she sticks close by all the time right now.  This stuff is nerve-wracking at times.

Also anxiety producing?  Having freezing pipes, a half demolished kitchen, and a wall without a proper support beam in place.  So, yeah, we're getting a new kitchen that we hadn't bargained for...one without an enormous island.  (Yes, I want a kitchen table in the kitchen.  I'm so retro.)  In the end though, it will be warmer and safer too, so that's a bonus!

Our temporary kitchen is inside of a first floor powder room, which will eventually be a half-bath again.  It was originally part of a servants' staircase and was seriously under-insulated.  This meant the pipes froze there too with some frequency.  We're revisiting that lack of insulation now while we wash dishes.  Glad it is only November and not too cold yet.  It's really good news that this old house was built in a sturdy way in the beginning, it's lived through some badly done renovations in the past, and now we get to help fix it all.

In the midst of all this, I'm juggling some new part-time work, some older freelance commitments, and of course, the care and feeding of my twins, who are very busy being in grade 6. Just today, I started volunteering at my kids'  elementary school with grade 1 kids in the bilingual program, too. It was a fun afternoon. 

So of course, I wasn't busy enough? ...so I signed up for an event!  I am participating again as a designer in the Fasten Off Yarn-a-long.  What's this?  Well, it's a way to buy lots of knitting patterns, on sale, from November 25th until December 8th.  It's also a way to participate in a yarn-along (knitting and crochet) event, even if you can't participate on Ravelry.  My patterns on Payhip and my Ravelry patterns are all on sale for 25% off with the coupon code: FO2022.

There are also games to participate in, a Discord channel, and more.  The good news is that it's a sale with over 100 designers participating!  Lots of exciting designs to explore and enjoy.  Learn more at www.fastenoffyal.com and have fun!

New Pattern! Veecardi McStrippit

 

After a long incubation period, I introduce you to...Veecardi McStrippit, my new design! This textured cardigan pattern is knit in seven pieces and is available in 7 sizes, from 33-53". There is also a Low Vision Accessible version available.  Check it out on Ravelry, Payhip (both of these sites have a Low Vision option) and coming soon...on Lovecrafts (no Low Vision option there, the platform doesn't support it).

To celebrate this new design and the start of school summer vacation here, I'm also having a sale.  Get 20% off all my designs on Ravelry or Payhip  until July 5th, (ends midnight, CT) with the coupon code:

SUMMER

And now...I'm going to photo bomb the blog just the way Sadie the dog did during this cardigan's photo shoot!  Enjoy!

Sale!!

 Big sale!  All my patterns on  Ravelry and on Payhip are on sale!

The sale starts today, November 30th, at 9pm ET and ends at midnight ET on December 6th.  Use this coupon code to get 25% off!

FO2021

Also, please feel free to join in with the Fasten Off YAL to chat on discord, earn prizes, and more!  This is an accessible event, which is why you can gain access to the whole sale and event without using Ravelry, it offers lots of accessible patterns and web options, too.

Enjoy! (And I would be so grateful if you wanted to check out my designs, we just replaced our boiler cause uhh, the old one died, we needed heat and winter is here!  Every download counts!)

Esme McStrippit and other news

We've been busy indoors this winter.  First off, kids have been growing so I knit a new kid sweater.  He then posed, with great joy, and I had to pass it along to everyone else to enjoy.  He's sporting a one-of-a-kind handknit by Mommy striped sweater made of plotulopi (Icelandic, unspun yarn) and seems delighted by it. This twin is particular about his sweaters so I'm relieved that this seems to have been a home run!

The kids have been learning at home, doing remote school since the end of October.  This involves a lot of reading time, and we seem to have also trained Sadie the dog into enjoying reading time as well.
While I'm helping kids learn through a pandemic, I've had a slow down in terms of articles coming out... but this piece ran in the Jewish Independent on January 15th: 

Kindness a blessing to share

During the first few days of January, I managed to make this wool tweed vest using a fabric remnant from Fabcycle in Vancouver.  I was thrilled to use up deadstock fabric and this has been a great additional winter layer so far.  (plus, it has a pocket, and I can never have enough of those!)

The kids added to their 'learn to sew' samplers with a 'here's how to do a running stitch' lesson.  I hadn't been pushing these lessons until one day, one of my boys started to cry because we weren't having enough sewing and art lessons.  Well, OK then!  Happy to oblige...!

Last, but certainly not least, I have finally (FINALLY!) released a new knitting pattern.  Hallelujah.  It took me long enough!

This is called Esme McStrippit and when I uploaded it onto Ravelry, I discovered it was my 80th pattern there.  In honour of this new pattern, I'm celebrating with a sale.  Get 20% off all my patterns!  This sale is happening on Ravelry  and on Payhip and ends on Tuesday, January 26th, at midnight, Central Time, US&Canada.

Use the coupon code:

Esme

For the 20% off discount!

Here are some of the shots of the sweater--the one shot with me in it was taken by a kid, too!
 

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!

Here comes 2020!

In 2019, I designed and published 4 knitting patterns: worrybear, strippymcstrippit, deirhart and thestayputkippah.

 I also wrote and had published more than 65 articles, helped edit a diabetes health book, and returned to sewing—since October, I have made myself 4 dresses, 1 pair of pants, a vest, some dish towels and a summer tunic! Whoa. My boss is reasonably satisfied with my output....
(I am a freelancer.  The boss is me!)

To celebrate 2020 and my upcoming birthday, I am offering 20% off all my Ravelry patterns (including Three Ply, which was featured in Vogue Knitting Magazine this fall!). This ends January 5th at midnight, CT. Thanks for celebrating with me! Have a wonderful new year!
Use this 20% off coupon code on Ravelry:
2020


Psst!  I sent a new pattern off to the tech editor...Stay tuned!  Here's something new for 2020...I can't wait to share it with you!

Back to School Sale!

The first day of school went smoothly around here, thank goodness...and I am finally getting back to my work life.  All the work (writing, etc.) has to happen when kids are asleep, guests have left, and this makes for one very tired freelancer.

I recently had an article come out here--but I need to avoid commenting on details to protect the privacy of some vulnerable minors.  It's a bad situation, but that's all I can say for now.  It fits under the category of 'something has gone really wrong with protecting kids.' I used to teach in inner-city environments like DC and Buffalo, NY, I know when something should be reported, but I'm worried that no one will look into this, despite my best efforts to report the info safely.

In happier news:

I'm having an article come out in the next issue of PLY Magazine!  It's called "The Mad Felter" and I'm excited to see how it looks in print.

In other happy news...

I am running a sale over on Ravelry!

Use the coupon code:
backtoschool2019

and get 20% off all my Rav patterns until September 12th.  (ends midnight, CT, US & Canada)

This is your chance to get my new pattern, Strippy McStrippit, on sale, too!

I'm giving blog readers a special opportunity to get the sale a little bit ahead of everyone else, too...if you read this, feel free to share the promotion! Thanks for checking out my work!  Happy September!

New article, new design and a sale!

The Jewish Independent has just published my article, "A need for order in our lives."  If I had to come up with a theme for the last few weeks, it would be "please help me make order, everything feels out of control over here!"

We had a big surprise right before Louis Riel weekend (Family Day in other provinces, or Presidents' Day in the US.)  A water main break happened right across the street from our house. The whole next block was a skating rink, but had no water to drink.  We were very lucky, we didn't lose water, although it was a bit brownish for about a day.  It was safe for flushing and washing, but we did use bottled water and I took a whole Shabbat dinner, pre-cooked, right out of the freezer rather than try to cook under those conditions.  It's good to be prepared.

And yes, it is loud when the utilities folk are jack hammering outside and it's -30 out.  Did I mention we had a relative visiting from the US?!  I was so frazzled that I lost my parking ticket from the airport parkade and had to pay the full day's worth of parking-- for 45 minutes. (Yes, I am not over that one yet!)  Some days are like that.  We've had a few sick days and this other chaos here, too. (Pause here and feel comforted by a bear or two...)

But meanwhile, I have finally (after many years of being told to do it) published this pattern.  What pattern?  It's
Worry Bear.  For now it's available on Ravelry, and I hope it will become available on Loveknitting.com soon.

This is a special design for me.  It's a pocket sized bear, and it comes in two sizes.  One fits a kid's hand, and the larger size fits an adult's hand.  It's an ideal fidget tool for someone with ADHD, SPD, Autism, dementia, Alzheimer's, anxiety--or anybody who is worried.  It's a private hug in your pocket that helps you know someone loves you.  I've made these for family and friends for years.
In order to celebrate FINALLY getting it published, I'm having a sale.  Until March 5th (ends midnight, CT, US & Canada), get 20% off all my Ravelry patterns  with the coupon code:
Worry Bear

...Because everybody gets worried sometimes. It might be great to make extras if you have time, and donate them to a school, hospital, ambulance service, or anyplace where people might feel stressed.  I have dear ones who carry these around every day.  (Heck, even I sometimes need a Worry Bear or two.  Like, when the water main broke, and I lost my parking ticket....)

Take care!  We all worry.  Consider knitting a Worry Bear instead.

PLY SOCK Newsletter SALE!

Big News!  My article on

 Breaking out of a Rut: Getting a new sock yarn groove 

is featured in PLY Magazine's newsletter this month!

I'm excited!  To celebrate...
Please save 25% off ALL my Rav patterns, including the sock patterns until January 14th!  (ends midnight, Central Time, US & Canada)

Use the coupon code:
PLYSock 
and get the discount!

  Here are a few socks I've designed over the years, to get you in the mood. :)

Check out just my sock designs here!

Spin On!

Sale & Freestyle

This fall has been intense--lots of stuff on the homefront to sort out and fix.  This past week, Sally the dog (now, age 14!) had a bad tummy ache and we were worried things were all over for her.  She seems to be on the mend...with a lot of antibiotics, anti-nausea pills, and more.  Meanwhile, things haven't been quiet elsewhere either.

I wrote about some of it in this article that came out last Friday:
Sorting out playground fights

The short version is that untangling what's happening in my twins' lives can take a while. Lots of appointments and drama. Sometimes, it's a lot easier to fix a sweater!  Stripe Freestyle had a major blow-out this past weekend.  This is one of the cuffs, and suddenly, I saw my kid's thumb going through the cuff like a thumb hole...where I hadn't made one when designing the sweater!

He loves this sweater.

So, first I got it off his body. (not easy, actually.)
I waited until all seven year olds were asleep....
I put a piece of white paper behind the enormous hole so I could really see it.

I picked up stitches substantially below the beginning of the hole, using a double pointed needle one size below what's called for in the pattern.  Then, I began recreating the cuff, picking up whatever weak stitches and edges I could on either side of the hole.
When I was finished, it did not look perfect or untouched.  In fact, I even took a tapestry needle and stitched over many weak stitches I'd spied around the hole--after this was knit up.

And making this, and RE-making this, felt good.  He loves this sweater and has worn it just about every other day for the last year, and I have no intention of trying to either knit a whole new one or shop for anything right now.  Instead, I fixed what I'd made previously, and that was the kind of "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra that I'd like to have more of in my life.

After the big mending job, it needed a bath, and then it dried on a towel on the radiator over night, and is now good to go.  I am, however, encouraging my lovely boy to consider rotating his sweaters a bit more, because this one will not last forever.

THE SALE
If you too are a "maker" sort?
I'd like to invite you to download a pattern from Ravelry, at 25% off, with this coupon code:
Making

The sale lasts until midnight, CT, on November 30th.  Please share this "Making Sale" with friends!

Stay warm.  Happy knitting, cooking, reading, resting on the couch, and enjoying this hibernating season. :)

A new design for the trains

I'll preface this by saying that the tragic events in Pittsburgh last Saturday have really thrown me for a loop...and many things have taken a back seat to this tragedy.  I've already had to write a column on deadline about it, and well, maybe I'll be able to write more here later.

However, I've got little kids, so we need to find things to celebrate and talk about to counterbalance this grief.

The big news in Manitoba is the return of the train to Churchill!    In fact, our prime minister even visited Churchill to celebrate.
In honor of this event, I've released a new sweater pattern.  Well, no, actually, I'd designed this train-themed sweater with my twins previous to the announcement, but what a great coincidence, huh?!

On Track is now available on both Ravelry and on Loveknitting.com.  It's a kid sweater (good for boys & girls, truly unisex) in sizes 2-10.

It's also available for sale on Ravelry for 50% off until Sunday, November 4th, at midnight CT (US & Canada) with the coupon code:

Churchill

The day of the photo shoot, we played outside.  This is what twins, one dog, and two handknit sweaters look in action. (Other dog was hiding under the porch, and two parents were trying to keep from being run over...)