Breaking a long silence
Some updates and soon a new design release
Writing again on this blog after a very long silence is not easy! But here I’m attempting it!
I disappeared from the knitting scene for a while, but that doesn’t mean that I stopped to knit! I have been very busy with my main work, and obviously, my knitting slowed a bit, but never got to a complete halt.
What’s happened in the meantime: I moved flat, I had challenging, sometimes bad and sometimes good months, I stopped to dye my hair and I designed two big projects not released yet, and I started to be more active again. In particular, I went back to my old love: swimming. As often it happens, what is going on in my life inspires me hugely, as it can be easily spotted in my new designs and ideas.
As some of you may have already noticed over social media, on Ravelry and in Klakladesigns’ shop, I recently launched two new hat designs, Easing flow and Thriatletes.
Easing Flow was designed to mark my first wonderful experience of open-water swimming in the winter season! Asking my swimming buddies to suggest a name for this design, Patrick, a legendary swimmer of the local lakes I swim to, suggested the name of Easing flow, which perfectly describes the effect that open water swimming has on us that are practising it! The design has two options for the motif repeat: in one option, the swimmers go in one direction in one band, and they are mirrored in the next band, going in the opposite direction. In the other option, two different phases of crawl stroke are shown, one in each band, but the swimmers are orientated in the same direction. You have a few combinations to play with!
After designing Easing Flow, the idea to knit a slouchy beanie with a triathlon theme came naturally, and that’s how Triathletes pattern was born! I’m not a triathlete, nor an athlete, just an amateur! In 2022 I turned 50, and not only I’ve resumed swimming (indoors and in open waters) but I started to run 5k on Saturday ParkRun. I’m not a regular participant, but I’m enjoying it. Now with bikes, I don’t have an incredible feeling, I used to cycle a bit as a child and teenager, but growing up I always preferred motorbikes/ scooters, which are less tiring, but who knows, maybe in my 60s, I will pick up a bike! These activities led me to meet many lovely people and great athletes that compete in Duathlon and/or Triathlon; the community around the lakes I go swimming, for example, are so supportive and fun people to be around. I wanted to include this experience in one hat that can be worn during waiting time at sports events or on a relaxing day.
I advertised both patterns on social media swimming’ groups, and the response was very enthusiastic. I discovered that, among swimmers and triathletes, there are quite a few knitters! And what I didn’t anticipate was quite a bit of demand for knitted hats, requested by people that don’t knit.
Now, generally, I don’t knit commissioned garments because, as you already know, summing up the cost of the yarn plus the hours spent on knitting it up, the final price of the piece will be astonishing. On the other hand, as you may already know from the previous post called Unique Items, producing the exact piece many times, means that I can get bored, so at least I need to change shades! In addition to that, I need time and mental space to shape and make new ideas and designs.
While designing a pattern I have to make some samples and if they are not of my size I usually gave them away to friends. Anyway, after seeing the enthusiasm around Easing flow and Triathletes, I decided that both these latest patterns have a special place in my heart and I will knit some more pieces in my spare time sometimes you will find them in the shop under the Unique Items section.
The last thing, I said I designed two big designs. The sample of one of which was finished in May 2020 and it is finally ready to be released on the 1st of February! Stay tuned to discover why it took me such a long time to launch it and what the new garment exactly is!
as finally, I am going to release a new pattern on the 1st of February!
Bye for now,
Have a lovely Sunday!
Claudia
