yarn stores and kits

I've had a few yarn stores ask me about making up kits with my patterns. In the past, this was a bit difficult because I don't keep a stock of printed patterns and I don't have a distributor. However, the In-Store Pattern Sales program on Ravelry has made this so much simpler! You can go here to read all the details about the program. In brief, you ask to be added to the list of participating stores, Ravelry reviews your request, and upon approval you can then sell patterns from a wide range of designers (the designers also have to sign up for their patterns to be sold this way). The store gets a percentage of the sale, and can either print out the pattern for the customer, or email them a copy.

If you're interested in making kits from my patterns, here are some other helpful tips. I don't list a specific yarn for any of my patterns, since toys can be knit from a wide variety of yarns. I always give accurate amounts and colours, so you can use whatever yarns you would like to promote. If you need more information on what yarns I used for a particular pattern, you can send me a message, or check my Ravelry projects. I usually use polyester fiber-fill for the toys, which is inexpensive and easy to find at fabric or craft stores. I sometimes use wool roving, which makes very nice stuffing, but costs more and can be harder to source. I use plastic safety eyes for all my toys. Etsy is a good place to find a wide range of sizes and colours, but you may be able to find them at craft stores. I also tend to use vintage buttons on the clothing, which helps keep the costs down.

Feel free to use my free patterns for kits as well! The Fuzzy Lamb, Holiday Mice, and Mini Alien are some of my most popular patterns. Besides, if someone really likes the toy they make from a kit, perhaps they will come find out what other toys I've designed.

The In-Store Pattern Sales program is good news for other people as well! If you would like to buy my patterns, but are hesitant to purchase something on-line, talk to your local yarn store about signing up for the Ravelry program. As well, if you would like to teach a class using one of my patterns, the yarn store could use this program to purchase copies for your students.

baby orangutan kits

I've listed 8 kits for the Baby Orangutan pattern in my Etsy shop. There's only a few because they take a lot of time to put together, and I sell them at cost (since I can't get the yarn wholesale). You'll get enough yarn to make 1 toy: it's a lovely soft single-ply wool. It's not too fuzzy, but should brush up quite nicely to give your toy the right look. You'll also get enough fingering weight yarn to knit the rucksack, and a vintage button from my stash. There's a lot of fun colours to choose from! I also included precut kerchiefs, since the toy in the pattern photo looked so cute that way. The fabric is unfinished, so you might want to finish the edges with a bit of hand-sewing or fray-stop liquid.

These kits include a copy of the pattern, since I no longer sell patterns in my Etsy shop. If you've already purchased the pattern, just let me know, and I'll refund the price from the cost of the kit.

baby orangutan

It's been almost a year, but I finally have a new pattern for you! The Baby Orangutan is available in my Ravelry shop. I knit the first one ages ago, and had so many requests for a pattern, I knew it had to be the next design I developed. The final version is a little different, but I think he's cute and clever!

The right yarn, and a few interesting techniques, combine to make the toy look just right. You need a soft, fuzzy yarn in rusty red for the main colour. The face is created with intarsia, while the thumbs are little bobbles, and slipped stitches give shape to the ankles. A little rucksack for adventures seemed like the perfect accessory. This one is knit from fingering weight yarn, and you can make it with or without the flap on top. I decided to use a finer yarn for the rucksack, so it's simpler to scale up for my larger toys.

I haven't had the pattern test knit, since I didn't want you to wait any longer for a new pattern. However, because it's sold on Ravelry, I can easily send you updates if I need to make any changes to the pattern. If you find a mistake, please send me an email or Ravelry message, so I can take care of it right away.

I will have a small number of kits for sale in my Etsy shop, probably tomorrow. I'll post an update when they're ready.

images from my week

Kyr

Lev

autumn colour

hungry goat

all images borrowed from mricon

back to work

Today is my first full day of work since Kyr was born, 18 months ago. Both boys are off at preschool today, and I finally started getting myself organized! I wrote up lists of projects, prioritized everything, went and got supplies, and then attacked my disaster of a yarn stash (I figured it wouldn't do to start anything before I knew what I had).

Four hours later, everything is finally back in it's place, neatly organized into bags by weight and colour. There's also a large bag of yarn to be sent off to the thrift store. I discovered I have far more of some things than I will probably ever use (how many outfits would I have to knit to use up 6 large ziploc bags of fingering weight yarn?) But also much less of some things than I would like (such as full balls of worsted weight yarn for knitting toys). At least I have what I need for the first project on my list.

Tomorrow, I think I will clean up the rest of my studio, just to make a really good start at this working thing.

toffle

I found a copy of the book "Who Will Comfort Toffle?" in a little place called Reading Frenzy, in Portland. I love Tove Jansson's books (actually, I wish I could be Moomintroll), and her illustrations are both fun and lovely. I think this book will become a favourite at bedtime.

portland

I've been in Portland, Oregon, since Monday evening. My husband is here on business, and I got to tag along because my wonderful parents were willing to watch the kids. While I do miss my boys, it's been great having a few days to myself in such an interesting city. I've been shown around by a native of the city, had breakfast with one of my favourite bloggers, been to some beautiful gardens, seen a childhood friend whom I didn't even know was living here, bought yarn and fabric, visited the Oregon Zoo, had some great coffee, and eaten some delicious food. (I'm not going to provide links for everything I did, since I saw only a tiny part of the city. If you want ideas, please see this excellent list).

I return to my parent's place in BC tomorrow, and in just a few days we fly back to Montreal. I miss home so much, and our busy lives will restart in a big hurry once we get there. I think it's going to be a great Autumn, and I hope you come back here to see what we're up to.