Greetings Unravelers!
A couple of things are filling my mind today: how can it be Wednesday already in a week that feels like it should be Friday and How are you?
No, really… How are you?
I have a project that is darned near impossible to put down that is filling my day…as well as my lap now! I am entirely smitten with Night Shift – I am following the “recipe” and am changing the background yarn and the “dot yarn” in different sequences – and I am happy with how that is working out! The pattern says I have 4 more repeats to do, but I think I might need to do a couple extra repeats to get a “wear-able size.”
Despite the turmoil of life right now, I am falling asleep soundly moments after getting in bed, and I have finished no books this week!
However, I want to take a minute to talk about a bit of “stash enhancement” of a different sort this week! Necessary Stash Enhancement!! All over the Knitiverse events are being cancelled – events that equate to income for many in our fiber community. Pattern designers, teachers, Yarn dyers, etc. are all feeling the pinch of this downturn in our economy (and by our economy – I mean the economy of our Knitting Community) It’s time for all of us to buy something – a couple of patterns, a skein of yarn, perhaps even an online class!
I read this blog post by Jennifer of Burke House Crafts earlier this week and she has put her patterns on sale for free until the 29th. (you could elect to pay for the pattern rather than taking it for free!)
Then I saw these Tweets from Shannon Okey:
Many designers are offering pattern sales or free patterns right now, and while I would love to, my main source of income (event organizing) has been shut down for an indefinite amount of time. When will we be allowed to work? We don’t know. THAT’S what’s freaking me out, tbh.
— Shannon Okey (@knitgrrl) March 16, 2020
So if you’re in the market for patterns, I would love for you to consider some of mine. I’m working on bringing back my online classes/etc too. https://t.co/DiZcTbdYjNhttps://t.co/lc4JyBHoSlhttps://t.co/Dz7hJrUpAw pic.twitter.com/XKyFwdD9ff
— Shannon Okey (@knitgrrl) March 16, 2020
I also found some GREAT ideas on Amy Singer’s twitter feed…and a new Knitty dropped last week! Amy has conveniently gathered cancelled/postponed events with vendor lists here!
And, I never, ever knew that Twitch.tv has a Makers & Crafting category!
Too many to list, but the Makers & Crafting category on https://t.co/RHW602o9H3 has a *lot* of fiber artists who stream regularly. @Lioness_tv (crochet), @girlnovember (knit & crochet), @AliCatFiberarts (weaving), @LoonyLoomworks (weaving), @KnitterWhippet to name a few!
— Liz @ Freckled Fiberworks (@FreckledFiber) March 16, 2020
Finally, Patty Lyon’s How to Support Our Fiber Community has some excellent ideas!
One thing I am fairly certain of is that you are not going to see the news talking about our community…so we need to be focused on it!
That’s all I have for today, as always – if you wrote a post to share, please add your link below and thank you!
Your Night Shift looks gorgeous!! Wow! I can’t wait to see this finished.
For some reason I can’t add my link (I’m sure it’s just me), so I’ll just paste it here: https://katiegilley.com/2020/03/18/knitting-and-reading-round-up-week-12-of-2020/
My Night Shift is still a swatch but I’m hoping to have time to focus on it after today. I haven’t finished a book either but I’m very close to the end of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World. I think you’d like that one if you haven’t already read it.
Your Nightshift is beautiful! I had hoped to be working on mine by now, but all things in good time. Thanks for all the ways to support the fiber community. You’re right, I haven’t seen them mentioned on the news, and they are important to us. 🙂
Night Shift is the most fun knitting I’ve ever done! 🙂 Like you, I switched up the sequencing of the “background” and the “dots” and it created a lovely effect. Yours is going to be gorgeous. (And if I’d had more yarn, I’d have made mine slightly bigger.) Thanks for the updates on fiber-world support, Kat. 🙂
Working hard to keep from unraveling here by focusing on good things and ways I can help. Thanks for the links
thanks for the links! I love your project and I can see why it’s hard to put down. I’m trying to get a walk in every day to calm my nerves. It’s been a little frazzled whenever I see the news… Stay safe my friend!!
Your Nightshift is really lovely! The colors work so well. We just had a 5.7 earthquake so we’re focused on that! I’m going to be knitting today as a way of keeping calm. Stay safe!
Your Night Shift is stunning! I can see why you want to continue knitting it past the regular end point.
I’ve been fully expecting to have trouble sleeping, but in reality I think I’m so exhausted by all the worry and all the news that I’ve been falling asleep pretty fast!
The Night Shift is gorgggggggggeous! I’m sticking with the recipe for now but we’ll see as it the rows grow. I’m at 121 stitches right now. Thanks for all of the info!
Ohmygoodness I can see why you’re hooked! That Nightshift is lovely! and thank you for the fiber goodness roundup. It is truly heartwarming to see our community coming together!
The Night Shift is stunning. What a great color combination. Yes – I would make it a little bigger if you have the yarn. Also some nice ideas here about supporting the fiber community.
Oh wow! I’m loving your Nightshift Kat. Beautiful!! My home office is pretty much set up (docking station and monitors arrived today). I’ve been working out every day and plan to walk each day (weather permitting – not today though). This is just such a surreal time. We need to hang in there and support each other.
While I think I am finished with stimulating the economy with non-essential spending. Sod for the front yard, case + of wine. I’m thrilled to be able to support a LYS that will do curb side service. It’s amazing to me to see who people are getting creative to keep things going. 5-10 years ago I don’t know if this would have been possible. I’m down to the last 20 pages of The Outsider-goodness this is a gripping book. Happy Friday and I hope you have a fabulous weekend.
I may have bought more patterns in the past month than I did in the last year. Possibly…