I've been adrift, and I suspect many of you have been as well. We're tired of hearing about what an unprecedented time we're living through, and about the shared societal trauma we're suffering. I've gone from being overly obsessed with reading everything that we know about the coronavirus to almost completely withdrawing from all news. [...]
Review: Charmed Yarns BFL Twist
Beyond the Garden Gate Shawl, available in Issue 4 of yarnpeople magazine I had never used BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) before, but had heard a lot of good things about it. So when Lindsey Miller of Charmed Yarns made an offer to a knitting group that I was in, I jumped at the chance to [...]
“Colorwork” in the Fibre Art Industry
TL,DR: Racism is inherently evil, and it sucks. It has NO place in my space. If you object to that, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Likewise, if you're part of the "keep politics out of knitting" crowd. So much has happened in the last several weeks. There has been a [...]
Concerning Cotton and an Attractive Alternative
I've discovered that my hands really do not like working with cotton yarn. Too many rows and the pain forces me to pick up something else, or take a break from knitting altogether. Unfortunately, most of the yarns approved for Knitted Knockers are 100% cotton. I've tried a couple of different brands now, and I [...]
New Pricing Structure for Sleepy Dragon Workshop
Over the past year or so, there's been a spectacular discussion on social media about inclusivity in the fibre industry. It's run the gamut on topics, from diversity in designers and models featured in magazines, to size inclusivity in garment patterns, to financial accessibilty. It's this last topic that I've been pondering in detail. You [...]
Coping with an Invisible Illness
I haven't been doing much with the Sleepy Dragon Workshop lately, because I've been really struggling with my health. I generally try not to talk about it much, because I don't want it to seem like I'm always complaining. But I think there are a lot of other people out there who could benefit from [...]
Five Features of Fantastic Designers: How to be Good to Your Test Knitters
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the things that I think make a good test knitter great. If you read through that post, I think most designers will agree that when you find test knitters who do all of those things I listed, they're really the ones you want to hang on to. [...]
Seven Simple Suggestions for Becoming an Exceptional Test Knitter
As I've written before, test knitting for other designers is a lot of fun. It's a great way to help them out, it makes the overall fibre community better, and it's often an opportunity to learn a new technique. Before I started designing on my own, I did multiple test knits for others in order [...]
GDPR: What’s it all about and how does it affect your business?
You've probably been hearing a lot about the new EU regulations for sharing and storing information about customers. It can seem a little confusing and overwhelming, and if you're not part of the EU, you may be wondering if you even need to be concerned about it at all. The fact of the matter is, [...]
Behind the Scenes of Knitwear Design: Sample Knitting
I've just recently submitted two patterns to magazines, which was a first for me. The first one was not selected, and the deadline for the second is not until tomorrow, so I haven't heard yet. I have four more patterns I want to have written up by the end of the year, and will publish [...]
Top Ten Tips For Blocking Your Fibre Art Masterpieces
To block, or not to block; that is the question. But also how, where, when... Actually, there are a lot of questions to consider when you are finished with your knitted or crocheted project. I'll share some quick tips here, then you can visit the Horde if you want to download the file that [...]