Housekeeping

It's time I did a little housekeeping with my patterns. All of them need a few changes to be made to the copyright statement to reflect my decision to go License Free, so it's actually a really good time to give them all a little tidy up. If you know of any errors in any of the patterns, could you please contact me and I'll look into that pattern and hopefully delete any more gremlins that are floating around.

Thanks!

And isn't this photo cute! I actually took it last year when Red Riding Hood Yarn ran a little Olympics inspired competition of her own. The green garment my David is wearing is a short sleeved Greyson - I think he looks super cute! It was knitted in RRHY too, one I think I even came up with the name for - 'Green with Envy'

All patterns now License Free!

That's right! As of this last week, I've announced that all* my patterns are now license free.



That is, when you purchase the pattern you are also purchasing the rights to knit it to sell. Having been someone who has custom knitted, it's hard to make money selling beautiful handknits, when you factor in your time and materials!

I shared this on my Facebook group and was overwhelmed by people's positive responses - it's very heart warming to see that others may wish to knit my patterns to sell. In fact, the post was shared 50 times and 'seen' by over 5000. That was exciting to watch, considering on average my FB posts get seen by an audience of about 400!

I'm slowly going to start working my way through my patterns and updating their copyright information to this:

                                                                                                                        

Copyright and License Free Information

This pattern is copyright and is the express property of the author Julia Stanfield.

This pattern is for personal use. Please do not sell or publish.

However, you may use this pattern for small scale commercial purposes, making items personally. Please credit any items you knit for sale back to this pattern and Julia Stanfield as the designer.

Thank you for choosing to purchase and knit my patterns, I hope you’ll put your finished details and photos on Ravelry! I love seeing them.

Happy Knitting!
 

xx

 

Julia

                                                                                                                         

 

You'll find all my patterns HERE

 

*license free applies to all patterns not written exclusively for yarn clubs or publications

5 Random Things About Me

Sarah from Sezza Knits tagged me in a '5 Random Things About Me' post the other day and I thought, hey, why not. Let's see if I can come up with 5 random things!

1) I'm left-handed. I used to wonder if it was because when I was 18 months old I lost the tip of my little finger on my right hand in the hinge of a door and had my hand bandaged up for a while. But I think I was always meant to be a leftie. I was the only leftie in my family and I think I've always liked that I am a little different in a completely socially acceptable way!

2) I LOVE music. Love love love it. I feel happiest when the radio is playing and I am one of those annoying people that whistle everywhere, without realising I am doing it. I often hear myself whistling away at the supermarket to the music that plays through the speakers there and think that it must be really annoying. Then I'll refrain for a bit, until the next song comes on and most likely I'll just join in again without thinking. At home I think I sing (and dance, it's hilarious to watch I'm sure) along, whereas in public places that's probably a bit odd to walk up and down the aisles signing at the top of your lungs to some song on the radio. My FAVOURITE purchase last year was getting a radio/cd player finally put in the car. How I lived so long without music in the car I don't know, but now it's there I couldn't be without it.

3) I'm not a worrier. I don't lose sleep thinking about things. If I hear something that upsets me or I don't like, I generally try and do something about it. If I can't do anything about it, I'll be deeply saddened or frustrated, but not worried.

4) I think I have a little bit of an obsessive compulsive personality. I can never stop at just one. It's all or nothing. So I can either open that packet of biscuits and expect to have inhaled them all within an hour, or leave it there for a week. I can never buy one skein of yarn or have just one book from a series of books (I LOVE books)

5) I'm the middle child of 5, 4 girls and then one boy. I do find birth order theories and studies quite interesting. I like to think I can get on with pretty much anyone, though I'm not sure if that's to do with birth order or just who I am. And would you believe it, but although I grew up in Hastings, me and all my sisters have all made our homes in Wellington. It's brilliant. In fact it needs a blog post all of it's own one day...that's if anyone would find reading it remotely interesting!

I love this photo, I think we all look pretty good in it...oh how I wish I still looked remotely like this (that's me in the wedding dress...7 1/2 years and 3 kids ago)

 

And here's the 5 of us, lined up in birth order like my Dad's siblings do. I'm sure people feel sorry for my brother for being the only boy with 4 big sisters, but I think he loves it, really.

 

Ok - and now to choose a few people to blog too...hmmmm - who might actually do it and whose blogs do I love to read

Alison - Kiwi Crafty Chemist

Kate - Chevgirl

Justine - JustJussi

Viv - Highway Cottage

 

 

 

 

Winter is coming...

I love this.

I just saw this on a friend's Facebook page and I thought, it's so true.

In my own knitting circles, people are always keen to a knit night and a catch up - of course a bit of knitting takes place along with yarn sharing, pattern showing and general gossiping. But as the weather gets cooler, the leaves start to turn golden brown and the mornings start to feel chilly - the motivation also ramps up.

Me, I've been relatively motivated lately. I have two patterns to have to Hannah of Red Riding Hood Yarns for her yarn club in the next while (ha ha, I'm not going to say exactly when, I don't want to give away exactly which month I'm designing for!) but today I wrote up the beginning of another pattern, named it (yessss! Love that part) and I'm hoping to get this one up and ready for testing in the next couple of weeks. It's getting cooler, it's time to start knitting! And seriously knitting - not just procrastinating about getting my knitting out.

Hoping you find your knitting mojo too if it's been enjoying the summer (I wanted to type 'hibernating', but it seemed so wrong to use for waning motivation over the warmer months!)

xx

J

Ps - I've just joined Twitter too! You can find me there as 'justonewip'. I don't really know what I'm doing or saying there, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon! I do so love all the knitting updates others post.

Primrose - Perfect for both hemispheres right now!

Introducing Primrose! Sadly, a beautiful pattern - which never made it to the blog as it was released amongst a haze of house selling/buying 'stuff' (Open homing and the like).

But I'm so proud of Primrose, and love the look of the pattern so much that it definitely deserves it's own blog post still! I was just thinking the other day, that at this time of the year, Primrose knitted in wool, is perfectly suited to both hemispheres. The days growing cooler in the autumn of the Southern and the still cool but growing warmer days of the Northern.

From Ravelry:
Primrose - The Little Sister Pattern To Katniss.
Pretty. Feminine. Delicate.

Primrose is a stylishly simple and seamless pattern, featuring sweet lace panels in the raglans, waist and hem.
Great for layering with leggings or jeans in winter as a tunic, or knit in cotton for a pretty summer dress.

Primrose is written in 11 sizes (NB - 10 years) and looks just as gorgeous on older children as it does on babies. It comes with three easy to follow options within the pattern for the empire waist band - lace, lace eyelet (looks lovely with a ribbon threaded through) and a no lace option.

I had wonderful testers of the pattern - just look at some of these photos! One thing I was pleased to learn during the testing, was that Primrose seems to suit older girls, just as well as younger. A true knit more than once type pattern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can be purchased via this link to Ravelry for $6USD, or you can click this link to buy now directly. href

="http://www.ravelry.com/purchase/julia-stanfield-designs/128501"><img src="http://www.ravelry.com/images/shopping/buy-now.gif" border="0"/>

 

Or you can just leave me lots of lovely comments, that's fine too!

 

xx

 

J

 

 

 

 

 

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

It's so hilarious when children lose their teeth! Penny's lost her two top front teeth in the last week and it's just so funny looking at her!

She's gone from this:

Photo by Rachael Brown Photography, I actually can't find a photo on my computer from most of last year, eeek! Where have they gone!

To this (30th of January):

To this (23rd March):

And then on Easter Sunday (31st March) - she looked like this (she reminds me of a vampire, just a little!)

 

It is just a little bit hilarious isn't it!

Come Learn To Knit With Me!

I'm thrilled to post that I've been asked to teach a 'Learn to knit' course in Hanmer this year. From the 17-19th of May, you'll find me giving a workshop, teaching a small and intimate group of 6-10 how to knit! If you've always wanted to learn, but never had the time or the teacher - now's your chance.

Here's my blurb from the website:

Course - Beginner Knitting – seamlessly and speedily. In this course Julia will introduce the basics of knitting in the round including:

• How to use circular needles
• How to read a pattern
• Knitting basics – knit, purl, increasing, casting on and off
• How to fix mistakes
• How to check gauge
• Useful links and resources
• How to wind yarn into a ball from a skein
• Julia will also give a demonstration of how to dye yarn yourself using things you have at home
• Students will be working through a pattern for a child’s garment written by Julia with the aim of completing it over the weekend. 

But wait, there's more! I have a wonderful friend who happens to live in Christchurch and is a very talented knitter and yarn dyer - so Rachel Booker, of Featherbrush Yarns, will be joining me for the weekend! I'm so excited about that!

Rachel actually dyed and knitted this Little Hoodlum for my David! My pattern (and model lol), her yarn and knitting - a beautiful combination I think!

Go on, book your flights or get in the car. It's very reasonably priced, and if you're learning to knit, you will be able to knit fabulous items forevermore that would cost you a fortune to buy from a boutique shop!

Red Riding Hood Yarn Club - Grab Your Passport!

I'm so excited to be a small part of the Red Riding Hood Yarn Club this year. I'm in the middle of designing, knitting and testing 2 patterns as a designer for one of the months of her Winter Yarn Club! How thrilled was I to be asked!

It promises to be fun!

Hannah's note on her RRHY Facebook page says:

This year, the Winter yarn club will run for 3 months over May, June and July, then there will be an extra month that will be signed up for seperately, to give those who cannot afford a whole 3 month club a chance to get in on the action :)
You can choose to either purchase a boys, or a girls spot and will recieve all packages to suit.

The packages are totally themed, and will include:

• 200g Yarn
• Knitters gift ( notion of some kind )
• Edible Gift
• Exclusive childrens pattern from a Kiwi/Aussie Designer

I will have 36 places available this year, 18 boy spots and 18 girl spots.

Prices
The standard price this year will be $180 and includes postage within New Zealand. For Aussie club members an additional postage charge of $20 will be added. Other International members will have additional shipping.

You will have the choice to recieve both sets of patterns ( so if you're doing the girls club, you will also recieve the boys patterns) for an extra $10

Extra skeins of yarn will be able to be purchased for a discounted rate for club members wanting extra. Patterns are still currently in testing but i will advise closer to the time on which sizes need more than 200g yarn.

• Extra Skeins will be $30 each

Sign ups will be on April the 3rd at a 10PM NZT

To secure your spot you need to email me at redridinghood@hotmail.co.nz the following.

Your Name
Your Address
Whether you are NZ Residential, NZ Rural or Australia ( only open to Kiwis and Aussies sorry)
Whether you would like a boys spot or a girls spot
Whether you would like to receive the extra set of patterns ( so boys patterns if you purchase a girls club and vice versa) for an extra $10


Payment can be made by bank deposit (nz) or paypal ( both NZ or International. If NZ then please choose gifted so you pay the fees) no later than Thursday the 4th.

I will email you payment details once i receive your signup email.

Spots will be on a first in first served basis and are limited to 18 girls and 18 boys spots.

Parcels will be sent out the first week of each month, and signups for the extra Month will be on the 1st of July.

Good Luck!
Hannah x

So, sign ups are today!

But wait, there's more!

Grab your passport! Because the RRHY club is taking participants on a trip around the world, each designer (great designers too! Sarah Ronchetti, Kelly Brooker, Cathy Rubin - plus me in there too) is coming up with designs for a specific country.

 

So, don't get left behind! Go pop over to Hannah's group - have a look at last years packages and theme and then set your computer to set an email at the right time!

 

It's sure to be a fun 'trip'!

Pattern Naming

I just love coming up with names for patterns! I've recently named 4 upcoming patterns and I feel like I can really get to work on them once they are named. I find naming them is the easy part! Then the developing, knitting, writing, testing, formatting, photographing and releasing begins.

I have been working on a few patterns when I've felt like it over the last couple of months, but now that I have them named, watch this space! 3 are already destined for something special...more about that shortly, but the 4th I'm hoping to have ready for testing shortly so I can tie the release of it in with an upcoming KAL spot in the fabulous Budding Designers Downunder group in June.

I could've named many many more children too! But like I said, naming is the easy part! 3 will have to do!

My Designing Springboard

I'm so lucky to have a sister who designs patterns. I've written before about having a sister who happens to be also a talented designer. Man, it's so nice to be able to talk to someone close about the designing process and show her top secret designs, talk about names and colours and problems!

Sarah Ronchetti, my little sister, has just celebrated her first anniversary of releasing patterns. And with 22 well written patterns under her belt! Talk about diving in at the deep end! But I'm so proud of her and I love telling people of her designs. At a playgroup we both go to (we live probably 3 kms away from each other) I often point out the beautiful things her Amelia is wearing to other knitting admirers as being one of Sarah's designs. Super clever!

So go check out her blog - join her mailing list and look at her patterns if you haven't before - or go check out all her new ones! I particularly love the look of this hat, which was first released in Knit Now but now can be purchased via Ravelry.

 

Or this, her Shelley Bay pattern looks just beautiful!

 

She's also releasing a new boys pattern which looks fabulous, any day now!

 

Happy Anniversary Ses!