Fair value

I hadn't really planned to talk about this, but after a Twitter exchange yesterday I felt I had to write down my thoughts on the matter.

All photos (c) Caro Sheridan (splityarn.com )

This should really be two separate blog posts. One about my latest eBook purchase, Aurora Borealis Mittens by Shannon Okey. And a second about what I consider to be fair pricing for patterns or eBooks. But the two topics got tangled up on Twitter, so I'm going to talk about both here.

I bought Shannon Okey's book of mitten patterns yesterday on a bit of an impulse. Overwhelmed by the euphoria of successfully completing my Fiddlehead mittens, I immediately wanted more gorgeous color work mittens. The finished objects mind, not necessarily knitting them.

I'll admit I debated whether I should buy the eBook or not. I've only recently begun enjoying stranded knitting. But a few things persuaded me: I like having options, I have lots of stash to use up, I have money in my PayPal account, and frankly, I like supporting indie designers and small presses like Cooperative Press. I briefly met Shannon last year at MDSW, via a mutual friend and she seems like a good person doing good things. So I wanted to support that.

I also didn't want to blog about the book, because I've just recently reviewed the Spring 2015 Sockupied magazine and I don't want people to think that all I do is review products (with or without compensation). If I mention stuff it's because I've found it useful/helpful/interesting in some way to my own knitting life. I have no illusions that my sporadic blog posting is in any way influential!

But the Twitter conversation I mentioned earlier compels me to mention the book. I read the book cover to cover after buying it. I don't plan on knitting more mittens right now. I'm just casting on for a Catherine sweater by Glenna C, a fellow Canadian designer I met the other week. But I was curious about the contents.

About Aurora Borealis Mittens, the book

Astrid

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading Shannon's Aurora Borealis Mittens. My expectations weren't that high going in, given my past with stranded knitting and the quality of some pattern books I've bought in the past. But Shannon hit all the sweet spots for me. She has a unique voice that comes through clearly and which is very engaging. She's conversational yet informative, almost like you're talking with someone from your knit night circle who just happens to be an expert about stranded mittens and Norse history.

Her section on techniques and tips hits all the main points. She covers gauge, needle types, yarn types,  the importance of finding what works for you given the materials you're using. Then she gives practical advice for how to hold the yarn (yarn dominance) and how that affects the end product. She acknowledges that you might want to share skeins of yarn with a knitting pal since stranded mitts don't usually use full skeins. There's solid descriptions of casting on/off techniques, cuffs, felting, and so on.

Dagmar

For each pattern Shannon offers a short introduction with bits of Norse mythology or personal anecdotes thrown in. (Bonus reference section at the end of book, pointing to more resources for Norse Mythology!) For me, this really creates a more meaningful connection to the pattern and to Shannon herself. You can tell she really knows what she's talking about. And this is reinforced throughout the patterns as she drops in bits of timely and real world suggestions. She doesn't just tell you do something. She tells you WHY you want to do it. A lot of writers forget this part. And in my opinion, it's the why that is important. Knowing the why creates an educated knitter who can deviate from the pattern to suit their own needs, resulting in a more successful finished object.

Eydis (An example of a pattern that I
would have chosen different colors for.)

To be balanced, and to avoid sounding like an infomercial for the book, there are a few "off" things about the book. But I don't like mentioning these because frankly they're not a big deal, mostly my personal opinion and/or completely normal for any book. Not all the color combinations impressed me. Which is entirely subjective and not a reflection on the actual patterns. I looked beyond the colors and focused on the charts, which are lovely. Except for 2 of the thumb chart patterns which are teeny tiny. I've exported graphics into patterns and I know what a pain in the but sizing graphics is. And I've dealt with tech editor revisions and test knitter revisions, so I know how easy it is to overlook something or inadvertently introduce an error. Especially when multiple people are touching the file: the writer, the tech editor, perhaps a graphic designer, etc. And in fact, Shannon is aware of the graphics issue, which means it will likely be rectified shortly. (Another great thing about eBooks; they can be updated more easily than print.)

Fair Value

Nordic Stars

This brings me to the "fair value" portion of my post. Someone on Twitter commented that the book seemed a bit pricey, and expected to pay more along the lines of $1/pattern for a hardcover book and 50 cents/pattern if the book is paperback.

 I couldn't let this pass by. Aurora Borealis Mittens is $16.95 US for the eBook and $26.95 for the print and eBook version. The book itself provides 16 patterns, plus the techniques section and the bonus Norse mythology info/resources, in a total of 108 pages.

Individual patterns tend to sell for an average of $5-6 US. Maybe less for accessories, maybe more for a sweater or complex lace shawl.

When you run the numbers, the eBook gives you 16 patterns for about $1.06 each. The print book, that's $1.58/pattern. And that doesn't take into account the pages of advice on technique and clear explanation Shannon also provides, along with links to further tutorials and resources. How do you put a price to that? I think those 6 pages of the book are worth more that $1.06. That's knowledge and power right there that you can use and apply to future projects.

Sure, $26.95 is pricey. That's why I love having the option to buy the eBook for $16.95. eBooks are my preferred method of buying books these days, since I find it easier to mark up PDFs as I knit. And if I need to print a chart for reference, then I have the option of just printing the page(s) I need instead of lugging a book around (woe, I don't have a tablet!).

In the Twitter conversation I've referenced, Shannon mentioned that prints costs are almost $5 per copy, plus tech editing and photography costs of around $2,000 for the overall book. So right away, take $5 off the price of the print book. That's $22. Hard costs like tech editing, photography and marketing and advertising have to be paid out of that. Plus a fair profit to Cooperative Press and a fair wage to the author. Plus a bunch of other costs I can't imagine because I'm not in publishing. For the PDF version, there's Ravelry fees and other expenses I imagine.

Sigrún

And that's for books bought direct from the publisher. If the books are sold wholesale, the publisher automatically loses 50-60% of the book price. So that $27 book costs the wholesale $10-14 (which goes to the publisher). From that $10-14, subtract the $5 printing cost, and another $1 for shipping the book to the wholesale purchaser. The publisher is now left with a max of $4-8/book to pay for tech editing, photography, marketing, pay themselves and pay the author.

Just by ball-parking the numbers like that, it's easy to see that Cooperative Press is setting reasonable prices for its books. They deliver quality content in smaller quantities. They're not selling thousands of copies of each book. They are a small press working with authors to pay them a fair wage for their intellectual property. They provide niche content that larger publishers would reject because it doesn't sell 10,000 copies.

And look at it from the author's point of view: they probably spend a good 6 months (or 12-18 months) working on a book and its patterns. Say they make a generous $1-3/copy sold. Again, I'm making up numbers on the generous side. And say 1,000 copies of a book are sold. That's $1-3,000 for 6 months to a year of their time. Time that they spent and didn't earn other money. These people aren't getting rich off these books! Sure, they may sell more copies over the years, but not 10's of thousands of copies.

Aud

Would I love to pay $5 for a PDF or $10 for a hard copy book of patterns? Sure, who wouldn't? Money is tight for everyone. But look at the people behind the product and you'll see that those kinds of prices aren't sustainable. They don't allow the authors or Cooperative Press to earn a living wage. The people writing these books, editing these books, photographing these patterns, and printing these books need to pay their mortgages/rent, their utilities, buy their groceries, clothe their kids and take their pets to the vet.


You can't do that if your profit per book is $1-5 and you're only selling 500 or even 1,000 books. (Note - I have no idea what the actual numbers are, but I'm making some guesses and assumptions. Maybe they do sell 5,000 copies of each book, but I doubt it.) And as Shannon Okey tweeted, "A lot of work/money goes into making books & you never know if you'll earn it back. It's nervewracking."

Since I've been knitting, and even more so since I started designing and selling knitting patterns, I've become more aware of the disparity between what things actually cost to produce and what people are willing to pay for them. The debates are all over the internet and assorted Ravelry forums. Everyone has their opinion. This is mine and I'm not guaranteeing that I'm presenting a cogent or comprehensive argument here.

We're used to buying cheap goods made overseas for pennies. Goods that are poorly made and that we are expected to throw away and replace seasonally (for clothes) or every few years when those items break or new upgrades are released.

Nordic Stars Tam

Me, I'm making the conscious decision to support designers whose work I appreciate and respect. I'd rather put my dollars into purchases which support organizations that offer living wages to their contributors. I'd rather spend my money on independent designers or yarn dyers than big box products. Sure I still buy certain things from big box stores.

But when I have a choice and when I can afford it, I'm happy to pay fair value for quality workmanship. I want those designers/dyers to be able to afford to stay in business. Because if they don't, our choices of patterns, yarns, fibers, etc will become severely restricted.

I don't want to work for $3.15 per hour, nor do I expect that anyone else should. Yet, if an author only earns $3,000 for a book they spent 6 months (24 wks, 960 hrs) working on, that's what they're earning hourly.

And because I'm Canadian, there's a little bit of "who am I to say that these artists should be forced to work for pennies just for my benefit?" Why should I think I am entitled to cheap patterns/yarn so I can get a good deal? How am I entitled to devalue someone else's artistic endeavors for the sake of a few dollars?

There are a few designers I choose not to purchase from for personal reasons. But that's my choice. And it's their choice about how they run their business. But before we talk about what's fair, I think we need to look at both sides of the coin and figure out what's fair for both sides, instead of just taking into account the face value of the side we're on.

$15-20 for knowledge and patterns I can use for the next 30 years and which will give me hundreds of hours of knitting pleasure? That's fair value in my book.

---

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated in any way by Cooperative Press or Shannon Okey for writing this. I asked permission from Shannon to use the photos and to quote her tweets. She also gave me some of the numbers I used re: wholesale costs. But I wrote this because I feel strongly about putting my money where my mouth is when it comes to supporting indie designers and small presses like CP.

Fiddlehead Mittens

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on my first pair of Fiddlehead mittens, a pattern by Adrian Bizilia. This pattern has been around for ages (since 2008, to be exact) and I've been admiring it since it was released. Just one problem: I couldn't do color work.

Unblocked mitt

I've tried several times over the years to do color work. Intarsia was do-able, but finicky. Stranded work was nigh impossible for me. My floats were too tight, giving me fabric that bunched up and rippled. I couldn't figure out how to hold the yarn comfortably. It was a slow slog to make any progress on a project. Plus, frankly, I do not have an eye for matching colors. (Ask me how many times we repainted our old kitchen cabinets before giving in and buying new ones! 4 coats of paint in different color combos before accepting we couldn't pick colors that went together.)

But over the past 4-6 months, I've been practicing more with color work and getting more comfortable with it. So when I saw the Fiddlehead mitten kit at Needles in the Hay in Peterborough, I took the plunge.

I'm rather proud of the results (even though this is a dodgy cell phone picture).

Pattern: Fiddlehead mittens by Adrian Bizilia.
My project page: here (with actual yardage used)
Needles: 3.5mm (size 5US)
Size made: Medium
Yarn: From the kit: Berrocco Ulta Alpaca Light and Ultra Alpaca Fine (for the lining)

Tip that made all the difference:
A while back I found an article that described a simple way for weaving in ends as you knit. I can't find the original source at the moment, but it has made color work so much easier - less ends to weave in at the end! Wait - I just Googled and it might be from this website. Lots of pictures and explanation there.

What you do when joining a new yarn is knit 1 stitch as normal. Put your needle through the next stitch as if to knit. Then take the tail end that needs to be woven in, lay it over the needle from right to left. Take your working yarn and loop it around the needle as normal, catching the tail yarn. You only knit the working yarn, but the tail yarn is twisted around the working yarn. See the link about for photos and detailed explanation. You alternate the knit stitch and "looped" stitch for however long you think necessary. I usually do 12 stitches (6 pairs of knit/loop).  That's it. The yarn is woven in. You can snip the remaining tail off, although I usually leave .5" and check it out again after blocking.

Occupied with Sockupied

All photos (c) Sockupied/Harper Point

When Amy Palmer, Editor of Knitscene and Sockupied, put out a call for people to review the latest issue of Sockupied (Spring 2015), I jumped at the chance. Here was a e-magazine I'd tried out when it debuted in Summer 2010, but hadn't really paid much attention to since. Partly because of the eMag format which I found unwieldy and partly because I have a backlog of sock patterns queued up already.

I was eager to see how things had evolved over the last 5 years.

I remember being amazed when Sockupied debuted 5 years ago. Here was the perfect magazine for me: all about socks; even then I was an avid sock knitter. Conventional knitting magazines, which were great learning resources as I moved from beginner to intermediate knitter, just didn't seem to have enough content geared specifically toward my main love: socks.

Laith Socks, Rachel Coopey

Spoiler Alert!

For those of you with limited time, I'll cut to the chase. I love the new Sockupied format of being PDF only. It saves space on your computer. It's easier to download and start using. The content is very focused. The patterns and photography are beautiful. If Sockupied had been offered in PDF format from the start, I would own more issues of it. I'll definitely be paying more attention to Sockupied from now on.

The Details

Sockupied 2015 is the first time the magazine has been released in PDF only format. I love this new format. It's straight forward. You can email a copy of the PDF to yourself to access on other devices (and as an easy backup method). And it takes up very little disk space on your computer: 3.75 MB. Download the PDF and you're ready to check out the delicious patterns. There's 1 file with all the pattern information you need.

Previously you had to download and install the file onto your hard drive. It's not an onerous task, but it does take up disk space (546MB for one issue I downloaded for the .exe, plus more for the installed magazine).

The eMag format was both interesting and frustrating. Because of my day job, I'm very much at home on a computer. I spend my working hours, along with many leisure hours, glued to a laptop. So it was fun to have something interactive to click through. But from a usability perspective, I didn't always know where to click. Or how to get the pattern for the sock I wanted to knit from the pattern, including how to find it again after I've closed it.

The Magazine

Mill End Sock, MK Nance

One of the first things that struck me, aside from the beautiful photography, was the cozy and 'real' feel of the magazine. This isn't a magazine where the designs might have artistic merit but are clearly not intended for everyday, real wear. I can see myself knitting and wearing every one of these designs. The techniques described sound completely do-able, the finished products cover a range of skill levels, and the yarns used are accessible, affordable and easy to swap out for something in your own stash or LYS.

I love that the table of contents clearly states whether the pattern is toe up or top down - one of the first questions I have about a pattern. Plus, there's a short description of the key highlights of the pattern. This tells us that in  MK Nance's Mill End Sock pattern "Swirling stitches cover the legs" and cable lovers might like Kate Atherley's Washington State Knee socks in which "Simple small cables are worked in a sport weight yarn." This makes it easy to pick out what's unique in each pattern.

Washington State Knee Socks, Kate Atherley

Sockupied's design aesthetic has really streamlined itself too, for the better in my opinion. Sure, it was fun to have lots of things to click in the interactive eMag, but that didn't necessarily improve the content or the reading experience.


Now, the magazine has a laser focus on what it does best - presenting beautiful sock patterns in a beautiful and consumable way. There are 5 patterns, a featured designer interview and an article on how to customize your knee-high socks - the perfect how-to article to answer questions that might be raised by readers when they explore Kate Atherley's knee-high sock pattern.

Another I noticed with much appreciation, is that there are no advertisements in Sockupied. I understand that advertising usually pays for magazine production costs, not subscriptions. But I like this streamlined approach. Sockupied is offering readers what we want: beautiful sock patterns at an affordable and fair price.

The Spring 2015 PDF is $11.99 on the Interweave site. You can also explore the patterns on Ravelry. That's a meager $2.40 per pattern - cheaper than any professional pattern I've seen. Plus, Kate's article on customizing socks is invaluable. Truly, any sock knitter should have the know-how to make their socks custom fit their own foot and leg shape. Factor that great advice into the purchase price and it's a steal at $2/pattern and article.

The featured designer article is a fun little feature too. Although it's just a page long, it's a fun way to learn a bit more about the designer as a person, her key design elements, and offers some handy sock knitting tips. In fact, I'm looking forward to trying out her Kitchener stitch tip on my next pair of socks!

The Patterns

Karner Butterfly Socks, Jennifer Raymond

I won't spend too much time on the details of each pattern. You can check those out for yourself on Ravelry. But what does deserve mention is that editor Amy Palmer has chosen a nice balance of techniques and skill levels. There's something for toe up vs. top down knitters. There's different heel turn techniques. There's something for the adventurous (Karner Butterfly socks, by Jennifer Raymond), which have you knit the leg of the sock around and then pick up stitches for the foot. And they don't shy away from the fact that, hey knee-high socks are a lot of knitting, so here some using sport weight yarn! It's quicker!

Chain Socks, Mone Dräger 

The One Sock Two Ways feature is another nice touch. I personally prefer knitting with solid or semi-solid sock yarn. But we've all been seduced by that colorway which looks great curled up in the skein but when knit up turns into a muddle of colors. One Sock Two Ways shows you how the pattern looks knit up in both a semi-solid and a variegated/hand painted yarn. And Chains Socks

by Mone Dräger looks like a great pattern to use that hand painted skein we all have but don't know what to do with.

Another great thing about the patterns is that they offer multiple sizes. Rachel Coopey's socks come in only 2 sizes. But the rest of the patterns offer from 3 to 6 (6!) sizes to choose from. The instructions are concise and clear. 

My only 'issue' (in quotes because it's more of a personal preference) is that due to the format, the instructions tend to run together in longer paragraphs. I like a bit more white space and visual separation between my instructions. Here's an example of what I mean.

Gusset

Next rnd Sl 1 pwise wyb, k19 (21), pick up and knit

16 sts along side of heel flap, work 32 (36) instep sts

as foll: k1, [p2, k2] 1 (2) time(s), p2, work Chart E over

24 sts, k1, pm, pick up and knit 16 sts along side of

heel flap, k36 (38)—84 (90) sts: 32 (36) instep sts, 52

(54) sole sts. Pm and join in the rnd. Dec rnd Work in

patt to m, sl m, ssk, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog—2 sole sts

dec’d. Next rnd Work even. Rep last 2 rnds 9 (8) more

times—64 (72) sts rem: 32 (36) sts each for instep and

sole.

If I were writing up the pattern (or even just following along), I'd prefer to see it like this:

Gusset
Next rnd Sl 1 pwise wyb, k19 (21), pick up and knit 16 sts along side of heel flap, work 32 (36) instep sts as foll:

Rnd 1: k1, [p2, k2] 1 (2) time(s), p2, work Chart E over 24 sts, k1, pm, pick up and knit 16 sts along side of heel flap, k36 (38)—84 (90) sts: 32 (36) instep sts, 52 (54) sole sts. Pm and join in the rnd.
Dec rnd:  Work in patt to m, sl m, ssk, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog—2 sole sts dec’d.
Next rnd Work even.

Rep last 2 rnds 9 (8) more times—64 (72) sts rem: 32 (36) sts each for instep and sole.

That white space and use of new lines for new rounds add visual cues that help me separate out chunks of information. But, I understand that this is a personal preference and that different magazines have different layout and style requirements. But since this is a PDF, I can easily highlight text using the PDF tools to help me focus on the steps, line by line.

Full disclosure: I was given a review copy of the Sockupied Spring 2015 PDF, but otherwise received no compensation. Amy Palmer, Editor of Sockupied was clear that what I said about it was up to me. She encouraged honest feedback, both good and bad. And frankly, I was going into the review with the opinion that Sockupied had disappointed me after its debut in 2010. But I really like what Amy & team have done and the direction they're taking with the PDF. By focusing on the content and not the bells and whistles of how it's delivered, I think they've really come up with a winner.

I finished things!

Just a drive by blogging to say that I've actually finished several knitted items recently and a couple are darn close to being done.

I'm just waiting for a cowl to finish drying, and then some decent daylight for photos. Then I'll be able to share pictures of what I've been up to, including a couple of FO's from Andi Smith's e-book Synchronicity, which I blogged about recently.

Interview with Eloewien

Spring's Beginning Scarf

For my final Q&A as part of the Indie Design Gift-a-long (which runs until December 31st) I found out more about Laura, a designer who publishes as Dragonwing Arts.

How would you describe your design style? 
I tend to favor more traditionally-inspired lacework, but I’m starting to work on easier patterns for newer knitters.

What prompted you to start designing? 
I really wanted a scarf to match a yarn I had purchased from a local Indie dyer, and I couldn’t find a pattern that fit what I wanted. I wanted something that used different leafy lace patterns. This ended up as my Spring’s Beginning scarf, and my first pattern.

Do you find your design style has evolved over the 7 years you’ve been releasing patterns? 
I’ve realized that my patterns may be too complex for some knitters, so I’m trying to design some simpler patterns that appeal to a wider range knitters.

Jack Frost Scarf 

Who is your knitting audience? Who are your designs targeted at? 
I’m not really sure how to answer this one… But my best guess would be people who enjoy more detailed, charted patterns.

What are your favorite techniques or types of things to knit? 
I love lacework. The more complex, the better I tend to enjoy it.

What is your greatest challenge throughout the design process? 
Coming up with ideas. I got pretty busy for a while and just wasn’t finding inspiration, then I saw an amazing window at the Fine Arts Center they built at Virginia Tech, and I was up and running again. That window happened to inspire a cabled scarf pattern I’m working on now. A picture of the window is up on my website athttp://www.dragonwingarts.com

Braided Cable Cowl

What do you have planned for 2015 design-wise? 
The only two projects I have in the works right now are the cabled scarf and a cabled bag from Cascade Sunseeker yarn that I feel in love with. When Outlander comes back on Starz in the spring, I plan on watching it closely for more ideas. I might try to make a set of mitts I saw on a background character in the current episodes, but I haven’t been able to make the gauge work with any of my current yarns so far. I hope to continue with my Outlander inspired patterns that I’ve been working on recently.

Interview with Christina Werge

Ready to meet another designer who is participating in the Indie Design Gift-a-long? This week I got to know more about Christina Werge from Berlin, Germany. 

Annie, Hitch: Patterns inspired by
the Films of Alfred Hitchock.
photo (c) Nick Murway

I've been to Germany many times in my younger years to visit family, so it was fun to reconnect - in even the remotest way - with someone actually living in Germany. 

Christina is an accomplished designer who has been published in a number of places, including Knitty, Knit Now, and Clotheshorse. She also has a design in the Cooperative Press book Hitch: Patterns Inspired by the Films of Alfred Hitchcock. You can also find her designs on her website  Herrlichkeiten which also offers tutorials and blog entries.


What I really noticed about Christina is that she has an impressive range of designs, from accessories like shawls, hats and mitts, to sweaters and tank tops.

How would you describe your design style?

My designs always have a twist to them. Sometimes you’ll have to look hard to find the it - a unusual construction or small details. My designs sometimes look more complicated than they are as I always have the knitting process in my mind when designing. If a design looks good, but is a pain to knit, it is not going to be published.

Dome Hat, photo (c) C. Werge

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My inspiration comes from a lot of sources. I am a very visual person and love to discover patterns in everyday life and nature. Sometimes this leads very directly to a design like when the cupola of the new synagogue in Berlin on my way to work sparked the idea for the Dome Hat. But more often it’s just a detail that gets my gears working…

Who is your knitting audience? Who are your designs targeted at?

I love to think about my audience as knitters who like to try something new and have fun knitting for themselves and other people. That’s why I have a lot of smaller, giftable things in my portfolio. I believe easy does not have to be boring and love to design for a wide range of skill levels. While I love to design things for everyone, I feel I can best anticipate the challenges of my own figure when it comes down to sweater design. MY sweater patterns are designed to make women look great - if they have curves or not. I always include instructions where to alter the fitting of my sweaters so that every woman can look good in them!

Daphne Tank, photo (c) Christina Werge

What are your favorite techniques or types of things to knit?

Looking at my patterns I’d have to admit that I love slipped and twisted stitches. It’ such an easy thing to knit - or in the case of a slipped stitch to not knit - and they open up a world of possibilities: colour work, cable work, even shaping (like the waist shaping of Daphne) is possible.

You have a sweater pattern, Annie, in the book Hitch: Patterns Inspired by the Films of Alfred Hitchcock from Cooperative Press. How did you come to be involved in the book?

I saw the call for submissions on the Designer board in Ravelry. As I love Hitchcock films I just knew I had to give it a try and submit a design.

Is there a difference in your design process between self-published patterns and designs for publications like Knit Now, Knitty or Hitch?

Yes, there is. While a call for submissions might spark an idea that leads to a self-published design or an idea that was to become a self-pub fits a call for submissions so well, it gets chosen, the process that follows is quite different. When self-publishing, I can/have to chose the yarn myself, my personal deadlines are flexible and I can make changes until the last moment and perhaps just knit another sample. There is a lot of going back and forth involved. With publications that’s different. I write down the pattern first as always, and then I will knit the sample. When working for someone else my sample knitting is the first (and possibly only) test knit there will be. So everything is pretty straightforward. Especially as I have to get a lot of knitting done in little time.

What is your greatest challenge throughout the design process?

Letting go. Accepting a design just won’t work and not trying to start it again and again is definitely not my strength. ;)

What do you have planned for 2015 design-wise?

Dome mitts, photo (c) C. Werge

I have a sweater pattern almost finished and also a great cable heavy design. I didn't have much of time for designing this year and next year looks like it’s going to be similar. So I’m focusing on self-publishing as I can tailor my schedule to my needs.

Elinor Shawlette, photo (c) C. Werge

Me! Me! Me!

Just a drive-by posting to link to a fun interview that I did with Corley. She had some great questions for me and posted the interview on her blog, Crafted by Corley.

Thanks so much Corley!