Knitting Season

I’ve written this post specifically to answer any questions you might have about our Knitting Season club (which will open for subscriptions on Friday, 5pm GMT). There’s quite a lot of detail here, so do take your time reading, and if there’s something I’ve not covered, feel free to post a comment and I’ll endeavour to reply.

When is the club happening? How long will it last?
The Knitting Season club will start on January 11th, and run over 12 weeks.

What happens in those twelve weeks?
There’s a pattern release every Friday (in the form of an individual pattern download delivered directly to your Ravelry library) and you’ll also receive an article / essay every Sunday (delivered to your inbox). At the end of the club, you’ll receive two printed books (shipped to any address worldwide). (More about the books below)

How many patterns are there?
Knitting Season is a collection of 13 individual patterns: 8 garments (including a dress); and 5 accessories / items for the home (including a blanket).

What projects will the club include?
The Knitting Season projects are quite varied, with each one speaking in a different way to the club’s central theme of exploring the creative process. Some projects do this by working with a new technique; by experimenting with a novel construction method; by mashing up two different techniques to create something a little different, or by encouraging the knitter to play in their own way with scale, colour, or different kinds of inspiration. There are a few small, simple projects (which knitters of all abilities will find absorbing) and larger projects (some of which might take a few weeks to complete, or others that are more involving and might be enjoyed over a much longer term). There’s also a big collaborative project (which I hope you will find inspiring). You don’t have to knit everything. Some of these projects may not interest you at all. That’s ok. The idea of the club is for you to explore a few ideas, and participate in a way that you enjoy – whether you want to relax and knit something very straightforward, to engage with some interesting new techniques, to make something you really want to wear, to work with your friends to create something amazing, or to take on a bigger knitting challenge.

Which yarns are used?
There are a variety of yarns and yarn weights used in Knitting Season . I’ve written the patterns for Milarrochy Tweed (fingering / 4 ply); Buachaille (sport / DK) and our completely new (heavier-weight) KDD yarn – but you can, of course, knit any of the projects in any yarn of your choice). The new KDD yarn will be released at the beginning of February and will feature in three club projects.

Can you say anything else about the new KDD yarn?
No. It’s a surprise.

What other benefits are there to being in the club?
*There are two types of subscription – standard and limited edition.
*We have a fixed number of “limited edition” subscriptions available, as part of which you will receive a bundle of items (including the Knitting Season Journal) at a special price (posted out before the club begins) in addition to everything that’s included in a standard subscription.
*For the twelve week duration of the club, all members receive a 10% discount on any purchase from the KDD shop.
*All members also receive an ebook and print book of the Knitting Season pattern collection (shipped to any address worldwide at the conclusion of the club).
*All members will also receive a separate printed book, focusing on the club’s central theme of creative exploration (shipped together with the pattern collection to any address worldwide, and more of which below).

Hang on – we get two different books as part of the club?
That’s right. The Knitting Season collection has a particular internal coherence that makes sense to produce as a single book. The second book is a fun, practical (and, I hope, eminently readable) guide to different approaches to creativity, illustrated by Tom, and written by me (and from which you’ll receive extracts, every Sunday, during the club). The aim of this book is to bust some common myths about the creative process (propagated by everyone from art schools to business gurus) and to remove some of the pressure (and preciosity) surrounding ideas of creative making. I promise that this book will not bombard you with decontextualised “inspiring” quotations, banal positive thinking mantras, or complicated exercises that are meant to change the way you do things. But in this book you will find approachable and enjoyable chapters that may help you reflect on – and relax into – your own approach to making stuff, all of which are bound together by a governing idea of creativity that’s both practical and inclusive. This book’s title is Do Nothing: A Counterintuitive Guide to Creative Making.

I’ve been really enjoying working on this book at the same time as I’ve been creating and making the designs included in the Knitting Season collection. So in a very particular way, Knitting Season encapsulates how the two halves of my creative process – the writer and the designer – work in parallel, communicate with, and inform one another.

OK – the nitty gritty – how much do these things cost?

*Limited Edition Subscription bundle includes Milarrochy Tweed sampler pack (15 skeins; 1 of each shade); Knitting Season 8oz canvas project bag; Knitting Season journal and KDD pencil; 12 weekly pattern releases; 12 weekly essays; print book and ebook of Knitting Season pattern collection; print book of Do Nothing; 10% discount in KDD shop for club duration; shipping of 2 parcels (one at the beginning of the club, and one at its conclusion) to any address worldwide – and costs £100. The number of available subscriptions to this bundle are, as its name suggests, limited.

*Standard subscription includes 12 weekly pattern releases; 12 weekly essays; print book and ebook of Knitting Season pattern collection; print book of Do Nothing; 10% discount in KDD shop for club duration; shipping of one parcel (including both books, at the conclusion of the club) to any address worldwide – at a cost of £40. The number of standard subscriptions available is unlimited. You can also decide to take out a standard subscription to the club at any time: in January, half way through the club duration, or right at the end, if you like, and you’ll still receive all benefits.

*Standard subscribers may also choose to add the Knitting Season Journal and KDD pencil to their subscription at a cost of £20 plus shipping.

*If you do not wish to subscribe to the club at all, you will also be able to purchase the Knitting Season Journal independently in the KDD shop as a completely separate item.

What can I knit with the yarn in the limited edition bundle?
Knitting Season includes three projects (released in weeks 5 and 6) which, if you choose to knit them, can use every last skein and strand of the yarn included in the subscription bundle. That said, no one is telling you how to knit, or what to do with your yarn . . .so you might choose this subscription option simply to get a great price on 15 skeins of yarn, with which you can knit several hats from our Milarrochy Heids collection, plus one of the club projects. It’s worth saying that the Limited Edition subscription bundle is a really good deal and represents a huge saving on purchasing all of its components separately (which is one reason why we’ve had to make it limited!).

So when can I subscribe?
Limited edition and standard subscriptions will go on sale in the KDD shop at 5pm GMT Friday, December 7th. The Knitting Season journal will also be available to buy at this time.

Knitting Season is different to what we’ve done with our club in previous years – but in a really exciting way. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve spent much of the past year designing!

I hope this post makes everything clear, and answers any questions you may have. If there is anything else you need to know, pop a query in the comments box. Thank you!