September 2018 Wrap-up!

Looks like I spaced a bit on doing a September wrap-up—it’s already October 8! But here’s everything that happened around MediaPeruana Designs last month:

• I re-released the Corteza mitts and Lewisburg pullover patterns

• The Marina di Chioggia capelet patterns was published in I Like Knitting’s October issue

• Sign-ups for the Currituck Sound not-mystery knit-a-long (NMKAL) opened—sign up by October 21 to participate!

• I put out a call for sponsors for the NMKAL—if you’re interested in sponsoring, details are on the NMKAL page

• I re-started my sample for the NMKAL because my colors just weren’t working, and I had to come to terms with that

• The Down Cellar Studio Pigskin Party KAL kicked off last month and MediaPeruana Designs is once again a sponsor—earn bonus points when you use MPD patterns throughout the KAL

• Samples are now available for purchase on the site

A pretty busy September, and October is already moving fast!

Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em . . .

I’m not a big fan of Kenny Rogers particularly, but I think we’ve all heard this song. It’s one that has some important life lessons—and knitting lessons as well.

In preparing for our fall not-mystery KAL, I picked 2 beautiful skeins of yarn that I thought would go together perfectly for Currituck Sound, the NMKAL shawl project.

They look just perfect together, don’t they? The rich gold of the solid color sprinkled throughout the variegated skein—I thought it was a match made in heaven. So I cast on.

As I began a section of the shawl that had the 2 colors overlapping each other, I paused. It just didn’t look . . . right.

But maybe a few more rows and it would take shape.

I pushed forward.

But a few more rows in, it didn’t look any better.

Why? What was the problem? The 2 skeins looked so gorgeous side-by-side. Why did they look like mud in my shawl?*

So I had a choice.

Keep pushing and pushing and finish the shawl with my 2 yarn babies—and possibly end up disappointed.

Or accept the fact that the colors just didn’t work together and try something else—with potentially better results.

How many times have you kept pushing with a project that wasn’t working? The yarn was too itchy or didn’t play nicely with the gauge, the colors obscured the stitch pattern or pooled in the wrong places, the sweater didn’t seem to be knitting up the right size?

And how many times did you convince yourself it would work out in the end, only to end up with a project you hated and/or never used because it was ugly, itchy, or didn’t fit?

Why do we do this to ourselves? We trick ourselves into thinking that because we’ve already spent time knitting something, we need to press on because we can’t recoup the time and energy already invested. The sunk cost fallacy.

We need to learn not to view knitting time as a sunk cost. No one likes ripping out a project, and no one likes “wasting” their time and energy on a failed project. But what’s worse: spending 5 hours knitting something that doesn’t work, frogging it, and then spending an additional 30 hours on a usable project we love; or spending 30 total hours knitting something we ultimately hate and never use?

So, I frogged most of my shawl, and started over with a new color combo. This one is working up much better.

No, it’s not my perfect mix of fall colors. Yes, I had to rip out a couple hours’ worth of work. It’s not the end of the world. My new color combo is working up beautifully, which means I’ll end up with a shawl I actually like—and that’s what counts!

(Not to mention, I won’t spend the entire time knitting it thinking, “Is this working? This isn’t working. I bet blocking will fix it. I’m just being silly, these colors are fine. But are they? What if . . . “)

So remember: you are the boss of your knitting. The boss sometimes has to make tough decisions, like letting go of an employee that’s just not working out. So feel free to fire your yarn, hire a new pattern, re-train your gauge, and do whatever it takes to get a finished project you’ll love.

*The answer is that the yarns didn’t have enough contrast; to avoid this problem yourself, try taking a black-and-white photo of your skeins together to make sure one is sufficiently darker than the other. Also, the shades of gold were actually slightly different—the gold in the variegated skein was warmer.

PS: Sign-ups for the Currituck Sound NMKAL are now open! The price increases throughout the sign-up period, so don’t wait!

Who loves ya? Reflections on industry support

When I started designing I, perhaps naively, assumed that if I supported someone in the industry--designed with their yarns, promoted their shop, shared their designs--they would return the favor. 

Seems reasonable, right? I mean, it’s not completely outlandish—knitters are nice!

So, being idealistic and assuming that we’re all here to help each other, I've often been too quick to give my patterns away--whether for event promotions, or to yarn companies I thought might be interested in them, or to LYSs that might want to make a shop sample.

For example, I once created multiple samples for a design, using different yarns for each of the samples. I had purchased these yarns on my own (ie, I did not receive free yarn support). When the pattern was published, I sent a copy of the pattern to each of the yarn companies I used, hoping they might want to create their own samples. And while all of them were friendly and enthusiastic when responding, the majority ultimately did nothing to promote the pattern--no social media sharing, no newsletter promo, and certainly no creating their own samples. So I spent money on their yarn, used it in a design, gave away the pattern and got exactly nothing in return. 

And I’ve made the same mistake dozens of time—I've used the same dyers for a number of designs, never realizing I didn't see a single one of my samples at their shows. I've promoted local yarn shops' events and watched as they had numerous big name designers in house for trunk shows and workshops--but I've never gotten an invite or seen any of my designs on display. I've sponsored KALs and other events and didn't stop to think that the host really only promoted the biggest sponsors. I just kept pushing, thinking persistence would pay off and eventually all of my support would engender reciprocal support.

It’s disheartening, but it’s also my fault--I assumed they would return the favor, and I assumed they would want to support someone else in the industry. But this is a tricky thing about a woman-heavy industry that often seems more like a crafting community--it's easy to forget that these are actual businesses, and businesses have a bottom line.  Businesses do not exist to be friendly and supportive (although, of course, some are); businesses exist to make money. And many businesses that I’ve dealt with simply made the decision that promoting my patterns wasn’t the way to make money.

It feels personal, when our industry is so small (comparatively) and close-knit (sorry), but it's not. It's business.
(I have not seen the Godfather, but I have seen Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail.)

It’s a hard truth to swallow, but as a smaller scale designer (in terms of reach and popularity), for many businesses, I’m not a smart investment—that is, the likely return on supporting MediaPeruana Designs would not be equal to or greater than the time, effort, materials and/or money invested in that support. And given how small most businesses are in this industry, there’s not a lot of wiggle room for risky investments.

And while I am disappointed that this is the decision those businesses have come to, it’s made me realize that I need to do a better job of considering my own investments. If I sign up to sponsor an event and donate 5 pattern downloads for prizes, that’s equivalent to investing ~$50 in the event. Can I reasonably expect the event to provide enough exposure or promotion to drive $50 worth of pattern sales? Or if I design a sweater that uses $125 worth of Dyer X’s yarn (assuming, in this case, that I paid for the yarn), can I expect Dyer X to drive enough customers my way to sell 18 copies of the pattern? If not, then that’s not something I should be investing it.

That’s not to say that all collaborative relationships in the fiber arts industry have to be exactly equal, or that there’s no room to just be supportive without expecting anything in return, but rather that I need to consider all the implications and possible outcomes of a collaboration and make sure I’m truly ok with those outcomes before embarking on it (and that I certainly need to stop making business decisions based on my own idealistic assumptions!).

Do your work in the fiber arts industry? What has been your experience collaborating with other businesses?

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August 2018 Wrap Up!

The long wait is almost over--fall is nearly here (note: fall begins the day after Labor Day, and you'll never convince me otherwise, no matter how hot it is!)! 

Here's what's been going on around MediaPeruana Designs this month:

• The Susquehanna Cardigan pattern, originally designed for Neighborhood Fiber Co's sweater club, was re-released and is now available to everyone.
• Fall Sweater Bundle deal: 4 patterns for $16 with code IHEARTSWEATERS (and today's the LAST day to take advantage!)
• The Off the Needles August KAL/Instagram Challenge was underway--finishing WIPs so our needles are clear for fall projects. Today's the last day to post on Instagram and tag your project #OTNAugust18 for a chance at the grand prize!
• A new tutorial for the Old Norwegian (Twisted German) Cast-on was published--great flexible cast on for ribbing.
• I actually finished a selfish knitting project that I'm thrilled with:

Pattern is Summer Sun by Julie Knits in Paris and yarn is Duck Duck Wool Silky Singleton in Your Mom Wore Docs First

That's it for August--lots of fun stuff coming up in September because it's the BEST knitting season of the year! 

Support your favorite fiber artists--without spending a dime!

We know how important it is to support our favorite fiber arts businesses (pattern designers, yarn dyers, LYSs, teachers, etc.), but how can you continue to support them when your stash bins are overflowing and your pattern library rivals the library at Alexandria?

For those times when cash is scarce or you fear you might actually be crushed by your stash, I've put together some ideas for supporting your favorite knitting (and crochet!) related businesses without spending a dime.

1. SHARE SHARE SHARE. Tell people about the businesses you love. Your favorite indie dyer is planning a shop update? Tweet it out. Your favorite designer released an amazing new pattern? Repost a photo (with permission!) on Instagram. An amazing teacher is offering workshops at your LYS? Tell all your Facebook friends. Even when you aren't in a position to spend, someone else might be--helping your favorites get seen is an amazing way to support them. Just be sure to tag or link to them so potential customers know where to find them.
2. Use what you've got. This is sort of a funny suggestion because it seems so obvious, but I think we all know how easy it is to accumulate yarn, patterns and notions, and not actually use them. The designer or dyer gets the sale, which is great, but putting your purchases into action is also valuable. You can share your WIP photos, participate in KALs, and chime in on forum discussions, and  all of which can drive other customers to the business. 
3. Leave reviews. If you've purchased something from a fiber artist in the past, you can help others be confident in the quality of their work by sharing your experiences. On Ravelry, you can rate both patterns and yarn. You can review businesses on Facebook, Google and Yelp, and pattern books on Amazon. If you maintain a blog, you can post a review there. Or you can shoot your favorite fiber artists an email just to tell them how much you like their work--they might want to excerpt some quotes and post them on their own websites. All businesses depend on building confidence among potential customers, and your reviews help do that.
4. Be a Raveler. Even if you're not active in the forums, creating project pages for your knits is another way to help dyers and designers get seen. When you start a new project page, include a photo and make sure you link to the pattern and the yarn--this shows other Ravelers how the yarn and pattern are being used, and increases the likelihood of both turning up in search results.
5. Show off. I probably don't have to tell you this, but if you're attending a fiber event (Rhinebeck, Vogue Knitting Live, Maryland Sheep and Wool, etc), wear those knits! Be sure you know what yarn and pattern you used so you can tell everyone who compliments you where to get the goods to make their own amazing sweater/shawl/socks.
6. Interact online. Social media is all about the algorithm these days, for better or for worse. That means that the more you interact with your favorite dyers, designers, teachers, etc., the more of their posts you'll see--and the more they'll be seen by other users too. "Liking" and leaving comments on their posts gives them a visibility boost, so they can reach more customers--and it's easy to do too.
7. Subscribe. Many fiber artists have YouTube channels for podcasts or tutorials. Once they've reached a certain threshold of subscribers, they can monetize their channels, which, yes, means you'll see some advertising, but it also means they'll get some ad revenue! Easy peasy. 
8. Test and Sample Knit. Many designers and dyers rely on knitters to test patterns or knit samples for them. Test knitting is generally not compensated monetarily (most designers offer free patterns in return) and sample knitters are usually paid by the yard. Both test and sample knitters play important roles in supporting these small businesses, so keep your eyes peeled for opportunities from your favorite fiber artists.

Have any suggestions for cost-free ways to support fiber artists? Share in the comments!

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Self-care: Knowing when to Step Back

Later this month I'll be re-releasing a sweater pattern that was previously exclusive to Neighborhood Fiber Co's Sweater Club.

Officially, I could've re-released the pattern in April, but that seemed like a poor month for a sweater pattern. Pre-fall, just when people are starting to get sick of summer and are daydreaming about their Rhinebeck sweaters and other cozy knits, seemed a more auspicious time. 

I also thought it would be a great idea to knit a second sample. The original resides with NFC, and I planned to take new photos to go with the re-release. Could I have asked NFC to borrow the sweater for new photos? Perhaps. But I thought it might seem like I wasn't happy with their photos, which wasn't the case at all. I just wanted photos that were more my style, and that looked more fallish. 

And also, I wanted to be able to wear the sweater!

So, a few weeks ago, I cast on. I had worked through all my pending publications and could finally start a new project--5 weeks before I wanted to publish. I knew in my heart that 5 weeks, while doable, would also be challenging--this is a sportweight sweater, afterall--but I pushed the worries aside. I would just . . .get it done. I always work up until the last minute and this would be no different. And it would be worth it!

But yesterday, not even having completed the yoke, I had an epiphany. 

It would NOT be worth it. 

Having a new sweater and new fallish photos would make me happy, but it will not lead to significantly more pattern sales. What it would do would stress me out, trying to speed knit the sweater, photograph it in the 95 degree heat, and edit the photos by publication day.

Why was I doing this, again?

I love this design, and the pattern is perfectly lovely the way it is. It doesn't need new photos. And my family and business don't need me driving myself crazy trying to make them happen.

So, I'm not going to.

I will re-release the pattern at the end of the month with the original photos, and I will accept that, while the perfectionist in me won't be happy, the exhausted mom with enough on her plate will.

I will still work on my sweater--I do want to have one of my own, in this perfectly fall-ish shade and delightfully cozy wool--but it will get done when it gets done. 

And I will continue working on taking care of myself and ignoring my inner perfectionist.

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July Wrap-up!

Wow, the summer is just flying by! How is it August already? And my beach vacation has already come and gone? Soon I'll be thinking of nothing but fall fun and SWEATERS!

Here's a quick review of what went down in July here at MediaPeruana Designs.

• I released 2 new patterns as part of the Juntos: Knits for Togetherness collection--Ex Nine socks and Greenbrier shawl/cowl. The pre-order price for the collection is now set at $15.99, and will stay there until the next set of patterns is released in mid-October.
• I announced the start of Off the Needles August, my annual Instagram challenge / knit-a-long. Throughout the month we'll be working on clearing off our needles so we're ready to start new fall projects by the end of August. To participate just share photos of your WIPs on Instagram with the tag #OTNAugust18--easy peasy.
• We raised $50 for RAICES Texas--thanks to everyone who purchased a pattern to support this cause!
• The newsletter promo pattern for the 3rd quarter is Chucheria--you'll get the pattern for free when you sign up for the MPD newsletter.

August will be a chill month, design-wise, so I'm hoping to get more blogging done, as well as a few new tutorials filmed. Plus, a previously exclusive design will be re-released. Stay tuned!

Knitting Patterns: Copyright, Distribution and Commercial Use

Today I'm going to cautiously wade into the waters of copyright as it relates to knitting patterns. 

This is sometimes seen as an unproductive discussion because the laws surrounding intellectual property are somewhat hazy, but I still think it's a discussion worth having--because just because something is technically legal doesn't make it right (and vice versa). We so often talk about the "knitting community," but if we truly want to consider ourselves to be part of some kind of cohesive group, I think it's important that we recognize some faults in that community and work to address them. 

First, copyright. I am not a copyright lawyer, and I don't play one on tv, but my general understanding is that designers own the copyright to their work--that is, the text and images used to create their patterns. And this is true whether they officially register the copyright or not. The design itself may or may not be protected under copyright (more on this later), but the "recipe" to make it is the intellectual property of the designer.

What does that mean? It means it is illegal for anyone other than the designer to sell or distribute the pattern or any part of the pattern. It is illegal for someone to purchase a pattern and then sell copies of that pattern or to distribute the pattern for free without the designer's consent. Consent may come in the form of an agreement with a yarn company for exclusive rights to sell/distribute the pattern for a specific period of time, a wholesale arrangement to sell patterns in a local yarn shop, or a contract to distribute a certain number of patterns as part of a kit, like KnitCrate. But in all cases, the designer still owns the pattern; a customer purchasing the pattern has the right to use it, but not to distribute it.

Where this becomes an issue, most often, is when websites based in countries where IP laws are not well enforced upload designers' patterns and either sell them or allow you to download them for free. It is very difficult to have these websites shut down or the illegally-distributed patterns removed--which is why the onus is on the knitting community to refuse to patronize such websites. If you find a designer's pay-to-download pattern posted somewhere for free, it's not a great deal or a lucky find, it's theft.

You might also find this problem with less scrupulous yarn shops and yarn boxes--if a company is distributing a pattern free with purchase, they most likely have an arrangement with the designer, but there have been instances where the designer had no idea, and only found out when a customer brought it to their attention. If you see a situation where someone is distributing patterns and it seems shady to you, it doesn't hurt to let the designer know. Best case scenario, they'll tell you it's all above board and you can continue to shop happily. Worst case, they'll tell you they never approved distribution of the pattern--it will become a complicated situation they have to resolve, but you've done the right thing in making sure that company can't continue to steal from the designer.

Where the distribution issue gets a bit murkier is when we talk about "sharing." Maybe you bought a pattern, knit something gorgeous from it, and your friend wants to make it too. Is it ok to give the pattern to your friend? This is technically legal--but as a contributing member of the knitting community, a better move would be to encourage your friend to purchase her own copy of the pattern. If you like the designer's work enough to purchase the pattern, consider that every sale denied the designer works to undermine their business--s/he cannot continue to create the patterns you love without pattern sales.

I've also heard of situations where people in the same knitting group freely share patterns with each other, or worse, photocopy patterns and distribute them to the entire group. This is not something anyone's going to go to jail over, but it's still theft. Or how about the posts on Ravelry, Facebook, and the like where someone says, "I really love XYZ pattern, but I don't want to buy it. Can someone help me figure out how the designer did such-and-such part?" Reverse engineering a pattern on your own is one thing (good for you!), but publicly crowd-sourcing information on how to copy a design is disrespectful. Not only are you denying the designer a sale, you're also publicly discussing the details of the pattern so other people won't have to buy it either. Not cool.

What about distributing free patterns? No harm, no foul--the designer won't make money anyway, right? 
Sorry, but free or not, the designer still holds the exclusive rights to distribute that pattern. S/he may not make money from a free pattern, but it may direct traffic to a website, drive interest in other pay-to-download patterns, or be free only under certain conditions (for newsletter subscribers, for example). If you have access to a free pattern that you'd like to share, the right things to do is tell other knitters where or how you got it--not to just give it to them.

And lastly, since copyright law also protects the designer's photos, it means that you cannot freely repost those photos. Again, the law is not clear cut because of provisions related to fair use, and no one's going to arrest you, but if you want to repost a designer's photos on Instagram, your blog, etc., you should ask them first, and if they say yes, then you need to correctly attribute the photos to them and link back to them. (But to save yourself time, you might try reading the terms and conditions on the designer's website, which may outline terms for reposting/reusing copyrighted materials, as mine does!)

So that more or less covers distribution, but what about use--if you purchase a pattern, do you have the right to produce and sell handknits made from it? This issue is a lot trickier because there seems to be no official consensus on whether the design itself is the designer's intellectual property (and this may vary by country anyway). Not to mention, I imagine very few designers have the resources to actually take such a case to court.

My patterns state "for personal, non-commercial use only." What does that mean? For me, it means I don't care if you make a few hats and sell them on Etsy, or knit up some socks to resell to your family and friends; what I would not be ok with is a business mass producing my design and commercializing on it (which happened to Kate Davies a few years back when a pullover that looked suspiciously like her owls sweater was being sold by UK retailer Debenham's). Now, is my little disclaimer going to stop anyone from doing that? Probably not. Is it going to afford me any legal protection? I don't know, and hope I never have to find out!

What about other designers? You'll have to ask them.
Literally, if you'd like to produce knits from a designer's pattern for sales purposes, write them and ask if it's ok. Technically maybe you don't have to do so, but it's still the right thing to do. Most designers probably won't have a problem with it because people buying patterns and people buying handknits are markets that overlap minimally, if at all. But if you're going to use someone else's work for commercial purposes, I believe the best practice is to let them know in advance. 

Have any of these issues come up in your knitting life before? What are your thoughts?

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