Spoilers, Darling: the OMA/Karie Sock Club 2015, pt 1

And so the madness begins with the first pattern launch of 2015.

Hello Demimonde socks.

I am so very glad that Lilith and I decided to do a sock club, because it has really opened my eyes to sock design. Socks come with their own design challenges and I really relished working with a differently shaped canvas. It's hard to describe it, but with socks, the canvas is obviously 3D-shaped with things happening around the heel/gusset area and the toes. As a designer I had to think about stitch patterns in several new ways - which direction I wanted them to go, how I wanted to deal with the transition into the heel area or the transition between leg and foot. I found it hugely satisfying to work with all this - and I do hope it resulted in a great knit for sock club members. I designed three socks in total and they are all just a wee bit different from one another.

The colour and pattern inspiration came from a TV show that Lilith raved about. I do not watch much TV, but I fell in love with the dark, decadent feel of Penny Dreadful. I know a fair bit about mid-to-late 19th century pop culture, but I enjoyed looking through archives of Eva Green looking resplendent in corsets and bustles. It was hard work, but someone had to do it!

Demimonde is directly inspired by late Victorian lace. I want the socks to provide a glimpse of ankles but also have an air of ever-so-slightly seedy respectability. Lilith's colourway - "rarest orchid" - was perfect. The purple hints of opium dens and smoky parlours.

(However, I was slightly thwarted when it came to photography! Here in Scotland we have very little natural light at the moment and my planned photoshoot on a dark velvet sofa with brocade scatter cushions turned out to be .. rather unworkable. We eventually shot these photos on a crisp, frosty morning - maybe not quite Eva Green frolicking on a plush velvet sofa, but you can actually see the socks.)

I should also mention my amazing sample knitter, Sue. Sue managed to knit the sample for me on a very tight deadline and did a fantastic job. I prefer to knit my samples myself, but deadlines collided for me last year and Sue really came through for me. Thank you!

So. the first pattern of 2015! At the moment Demimonde is an exclusive club pattern but will be released for general purchase in August. Stay tuned for another new pattern this month - it is an accessory and it's an stunning one (so say other people too).

What's Next, Dear Karie?

(crochet motif by my mother. she makes very beautiful things)

If you listened to my interview on the Knit British podcast, you will already have heard about my future .. er, non-collection plans. Unlike Doggerland, the Authors & Artists series isn't going to be collected in one place and it won't have a coherent colour scheme or design vocabulary. I reserve all that for things to come (and things are in the pipeline). No, the  Authors & Artists series going to be slightly more playful and anarchic. I'll be playing with beautiful yarns, having fun with small, quirky ideas, and the patterns will be released when they happen. No sign-ups, no massive thing to pre-order. We are going to play this by ear as I spend some time getting the Next Big Endeavour ready.

Authors and Artists is what it says on the tin. I love books and I love art. Every day I am inspired by something I see in a gallery or read in a book. The patterns are going to be inspired by people who make the world seem a much richer place just through sharing their own creative impulses. I'll be designing accessories of various kinds and probably also dip into some garments. It's going to be an adventure fuelled by tea, books, and art. If you feel like it, feel free to read some books or look at some artwork - but it is not a requirement.

I hope you'll join me one way or another. The first pattern will be released this month!

And on the Second Day of 2015 She Did A Podcast & Stuff

The last FO of 2014 showcased on the second day of 2015. I knitted the Coffee Bean cardigan for my youngest nephew as an Christmas present. I've used the pattern before and it's a great little project that looks contemporary, knits up a treat, and has a lot of scope for customisation. I used two balls of (the now sadly discontinued) Rowan Pure Wool Aran and used a remnant of a third colour in PWA to knit the buttonband trim. I just wanted to add a little pop of colour to a neutral-looking cardigan. I rather like the end result. Buttons are coconut shell buttons from an old, old eBay haul - this is the third project that uses these buttons and I still have many left!

But this is 2015, so let's not talk anymore of Christmas. Happy new year, everyone!In Scotland, we celebrate Hogmanay which makes the advent of a new year seem extra special. This time my partner and I actually went to a small party where we danced the night away and tried our hand at karaoke (good grief). I even wore a new frock which helped chase away all the clouds left behind by 2014. The bells were celebrated with a wee dram and we enjoyed a healthy serving of Stovies too. Dear reader, I appear to have gone native.

However, to kick off the new year in a suitably knitterly fashion, I sat down for a chat with the lovely Louise Scollay. You can hear a full hour of Louise & I chatting about our year in knitting, what plans we have for 2015 and how much we are looking forward to the Edinburgh Yarn Fest. When we did the interview, my head was full of the cold. Apologies for that! Our chat also include what my post-Doggerland plans are .. the first pattern from the new venture will be released later this month, actually. I really, really enjoy chatting with Louise - I think the podcast clocks in at 70 minutes ..  but actually we talked for like 2.5 hours. See if you can spot when I started coughing my lungs out so Louise had to do some super-clever editing!

One of the things Louise & I spend some time discussing is the idea of choosing a word that will keep you company throughout the coming year. It is a concept I have shamelessly stolen from Joanne Scrace - we discussed our mutual loathing of New Year's resolutions one evening and Joanne mentioned the ONE WORD thing. I like words, so obviously I love this idea. Surprisingly, I found it difficult to come up with a word that worked for me but I settled on this:

What would your word be?

So. It is the second day of 2015 and I am cautiously optimistic. Not bad for this glass half-empty girl.

Changes to Pattern-Selling & Ebooks

Due to law changes, 2015 sees a few changes to how customers within the EU can buy my patterns. Please understand that a) these changes are not my decision and b) some of these changes may be temporary as various platforms work out how best to respond to the new laws. Are you in the UK or live outside the EU?

Move on. Nothing will change for you.

Are you in an EU member state other than the UK?

Read on.

Single patterns:

Whether you buy my patterns through my website or via Ravelry, you will now be redirected to LoveKnitting to complete your purchase. Ravelry and LoveKnitting have entered into a partnership to make the law changes easy and transparent for you as a consumer. LoveKnitting will handle the financial transaction while Ravelry will add your new pattern to your library. Important: when you buy a pattern now, you will see the pattern price plus your local VAT rate displayed. LoveKnitting will collect the VAT and hand it over to your local government. If you do not already have a LoveKnitting account, you will need to register with them.

Please note that my previously announced price changes will go into effect in 2015, but I am trying very hard to keep prices as low as I possibly can. Depending upon where you live, the added VAT on top may make it look like a very dramatic price hike but the VAT rate is decided by your local government (who also collects it).

Promotions:

There is currently no way of offering special discounts or promotions via the LoveKnitting/Ravelry integration, so unfortunately any future promotions will not be available to EU citizens outside the UK. I am very sorry.

E-books/pattern collections:

There is currently no way of selling e-books or pattern collections via the LoveKnitting/Ravelry integration. This means you won't be able to buy At Midnight or Doggerland via the LoveKnitting checkout. However, if you want to buy either collection, please get in touch with me using the contact form on this page. There may be a few ways we can work around this issue but I want to discuss them with you on an individual basis.

E-book pricing will be reviewed mid-summer 2015 and currently remains unchanged.

Please note: I view all this as temporary measures as marketplaces adjust to the new laws. I am looking into other distribution options as well, so do keep an eye on this website.

Phew. What a way to end 2014. Thank you so, so much for all your support in 2014. Despite all the upheaval, I hope we'll continue to have all sorts of fun in 2015.

x

'Tis the Season

Happy Holidays to you all.

 For the past week or so I have been cooped up in bed with a terrible cold that turned into a head-cold that turned into a chesty cough that just won't leave. We'll be taking it easy this holiday season, so I get a chance to recover before 2015 kicks in. I will get to see some of my favourite people over the holiday season, but it is also the time of year when I'm very much aware that I live overseas. This is the season of missing people so very, very much.

Wherever you are and however you celebrate the forthcoming holidays, I wish you peace and joy.

Glædelig jul og godt nytår.

An Unexpected Twist: Looking Back at 2014

One of the reasons why I love this blog is that it allows me to retrace my steps. 2012 was the year of throwing out all the I ought to.. and 2013 was the year of 'what happens when I try to do the things I love'. 2014 offered an unexpected twist.

I started the year injuring my knee. As painful as it was, the injury also gave me some downtime to reflect upon my life and my work/life balance. Later in the year I was offered an opportunity to move into a new role with the yarn company I was working for .. and I decided to turn it down. Instead I became a fully self-employed knitting designer, writer and teacher. It was a very big, scary decision but I am yet to regret it.

From Brighton to Belfast, I travelled a lot this year. Unwind Brighton coincided with my new career path and it remains an undisputed highlight of my year. I loved Brighton itself, I loved teaching my classes, and I especially loved meeting knitters from all over the world. I have so many memories from Unwind: the teachers' dinner where I looked around thinking holy moly, this is like the knitting equivalent of a Nobel Prize dinner party, teaching in a Grade II-listed Georgian house, going on an impromptu photo safari of Brighton with Bristol, winning the Pompom Party pub quiz (I am still proud of my nano-second response of entrelac to an anagram question), teaching crochet to someone with the best sense of colour I can ever recall meeting, giggling hysterically over Sunday lunch with Joanne, and watching the Football World Cup finale in a craft beer pub filled with friends both new and old. And all while I was knitting a very woolly cardigan in the sweltering heat.

Design-wise, it was another bumper year, although most of the design 'action' took place after I turned self-employed.

+ I had patterns in two book releases this year: the Picycle Shawl in Bespoke and also The Juniper Hat and the Pinecones Shawl in The Knit Generation. The latter book was curated by Sarah Hatton and is just incredibly beautiful. + I had several patterns in knitting magazines this year. The Proserpine Shawl,  the Mirja Hat & Gloves set, the Wharram Cowl, the Scollay cardigan, the Dala Love hat & boot toppers, and the Koselig vest all appeared in Knit Now while the Stina Crochet Collar popped up in Crochet Now. I also had the Vintage Moments set appear in Let's Knit.

+ Even more excitement as I collaborated with my good friend, Susan Crawford, on a design for her Knits in a Cold Climate collection, Noblesse Oblige. I also released the freebie Seaforth Hat as an exclusive download from LoveKnitting.

+ And probably the most exciting thing was finally finishing the Doggerland collection with Vedbaek, Ertebolle, and Storegga. I received so many messages and mails about Doggerland and I continue to be floored.

17 designs in one year. Last year I said I wanted to try my hand at garments and socks. I managed to publish two garments (Scollay and Koselig) and I have a sock club launching in January. I nearly made the deadline! I also had two magazine front covers which was equally bewildering and exciting.

I also managed to find time to write (including two articles for Knit Now about the Arts & Crafts Movement and Nordic knitting), teach, tech-edit, copy-edit and do some mentoring. Hardly any translation jobs in 2014! I went wholesale with my patterns which is a new adventure.

Yes, 2014 was a year of the unexpected twist and I think I'll look back at it as a transitional period in years to come. I have no idea what 2015 will bring (my 2013 prediction was "So. 2014? It will look quite a bit like 2013, I imagine."), but I think it'll be another year of transitions and changes. We'll see.

Finally, some of my personal favourites from 2014.

1913: The Year Before the Storm by Florian Illes was my favourite read of 2014. I love my early 20th century arts and culture and 1913 was a really great take on cultural maelstroms and intermissions. It was very, very much up my street.  Stuart Murdoch's Glasgow-set pop musical God Help the Girl was always destined to be my favourite film of the year: it is filmed in a five-minute radius from where I live, I love Murdoch's band Belle & Sebastian, friends appear as extras and I freaking love musicals. Pure catnip, I tell you. Under the Skin was amazing too. The novel by Michel Faber is one of my favourites and I was relieved to see the film had not lost its otherworldliness. My favourite singer-songwriter, Neil Finn, visited Glasgow in April. I've seen him play live on mumble, mumble occasions, but this year's concert was really quite special. Here's some footage from the encore (not featured: me bawling somewhere in the crowd).

And 2014 was the year that Dave & I went to Arran for the day. And what a good, good day that was.