Some updated listings

It's so dark this time of year!  I try to spend a lot of time enjoying the bright mid-day light (when it happens) and seeking out lots of color, images, and ideas.  I have just been notified that Loveknitting.com has updated the listings of a few of my patterns there.  Here are some pictures and links.  The Hole Inside Mitts come in nearly every size one might need and has a short story included!  Available here on Loveknitting.com or on Ravelry. 

Another story + pattern is Riverbend Garden Hat, and this one is also sized for everybody.  Hat and mitt patterns are still well within reach for holiday gift giving, particularly if you have a chunk of time for knitting. You can check out this pattern here at Loveknitting and also, on Ravelry.

Some people love a textured mitt, and last year for Valentine's, I released the Thump Thump Mitts.  The striated texture reminded me of heart muscle. Here's a link to more info on Rav about these mitts--they too are available in lots of sizes.

Last but not least in my "flood a cloudy snowy day with happy knitting pictures" is the Undertow Hat.  This is very quick indeed and also available in lots of sizes.  Read more on Ravelry here.
This time of year, I am very grateful for wool and its warming qualities --and lots of it! 
More than once recently, I've been asked about why I pair writing articles with knitwear design.  The short answer is that knitwear design is creative, but also very stimulating detailed math and technical writing.  It serves an important function, too.  It keeps people warm and comfortable, as it has done for hundreds of years, as well as allowing smart people the opportunity to create their own clothing.  It's clothing that fits properly, exactly sized rather than mass-produced...and tailored to our tastes and needs. 

Often, this comment (about why I do this kind of design) is paired with some sort of belittling statement. I am lucky though--I had a strong liberal arts education.  Good education and flexibility allow us to do different kinds of work, and I'm grateful I have this opportunity to diversify my work life.  Also, as the person belittles me, I sometimes look at his/her clothing. I rarely see something handmade at that moment.  In our busy society, handmade often means one is wealthy, or that someone really loves you.  I focus on the latter.  It allows me to move along quickly, think of that love I've given and received, and I try not to say anything I'll regret later--because I know that a handknit item from someone you love is a precious thing.

This piece on diversity went live yesterday...

In a strange twist of fate, my piece on peaceful protest and diversity, written several days ago, went live yesterday on the CBC Manitoba website.  Here's the link:
Acknowledging diversity--warts and all

Meanwhile, horrible things were happening in Charlottesville, Virginia.  I grew up in Virginia, and I spent two happy summers at summer camp in Charlottesville.  My stomach was twisted in knots all day about what just took place there. 

 Let's not let violence and hate win.  Peaceful protest is the way forward--and using our critical thinking skills? Essential.  I'm so sad that hate (and lot of outsiders) took over--with violence against diversity, against African- Americans, and against Jews--hate took over Charlottesville yesterday. Let's vote for peaceful protest and love.  Love wins.

A Yarn Spinner Story + Pattern

I have some big news....in the last week or so, I have been slowly announcing the first in a new line of patterns.  I've been doing it here on Ravelry.  I am mentioning it here on my Ravelry group.  (Please join my group!  I'd love to have more chatty members there!)

 I have even been trying to resurrect my ancient newsletter email list, which has resulted in much gnashing of teeth and a loss of about 2 work days to the e-newsletter deities.  Note: If you are not on the newsletter, and would like to be, I hope to figure out how to put a sign-up on my blog soon.  It is not as easy as it looks!


So, here are The Hole Inside Mitts,
 my first new story+pattern.  Please check it out!

PS: There's still room in my spinning class, but it's filling up fast.  Sign up soon!
 
 The Hole Inside Mitts: A Yarn Spinner Story + Pattern

Introducing a whole new kind of knitting pattern….one that comes with a story attached! The new Yarn Spinner Story + Pattern line allows readers who knit (or knitters who read) two pleasures at once. Enjoy a piece of short fiction, accompanied by a useful pattern that stands on its own. This downloadable luxury offers a sweet combination for thinking knitters, particularly ones using a tablet or smartphone.

How knitting can help heal the hole in your heart:
The first story, The Hole Inside, gives a taste of unrequited love from an independent, travelling heroine who never forgets her knitting. While on a business trip, she encounters women who invite her to their knitting group. Settle into a coffee, a town filled with college students, and an unsettling surprise from the past that calls for some escape with needles and yarn.


This story pairs with a stranded mitten pattern in 7 sizes. Start with 2-4 years for your nearest toddler and complete right up to the unbelievably XXL hands of your Valentine, this is one flexible pattern that has you covered.

The Hole Inside: A Yarn Spinner Story + Pattern is the first in a series. Expect to see more short fiction from author Joanne Seiff soon. As well, look for the companion series: A Yarn Spinner Essay + Pattern. Joanne Seiff’s articles and essays appear on the CBC, Salon.com, and in the knitting world on Knitty.com, Interweave Knits, Spin-Off, and Vogue Knitting. Seiff feels that linking her love of writing and knitting design in this short format offers an exciting and novel horizon for fiber arts!

The Hole Inside, Yarn Spinner Story+ Pattern’s initial offering, is available now for a Valentine’s Day 2015 release for download on Ravelry, as well as through Loveknitting.com for EU knitters. (This is a treat without calories!)