10 years in the making club

Hello! We have a busy week ahead here at KDD – and the whole team is still hard at work preparing everything behind the scenes for three almost-simultaneous big launches: our People MAKE Glasgow book; our beautiful new Schiehallion yarn, and our new club. I’ll tell you all about Schiehallion later in the week, but I thought you might like to know now that the club is scheduled to begin on September 25th, and will open for subscriptions this Wednesday September 9th, when we reopen the KDD online shop (which will remain locked and inaccessible until that time). For those of you who are interested in the club and would like to know what it is about, and what it will involve, I thought it would be useful to set that out in some detail for you here, and hopefully answer any questions you may have before subscriptions open up.

What’s the club about?
I began my career designing patterns for hand-knitters a decade ago in 2010, in the rather odd and difficult circumstances of having been disabled by a stroke at the age of 36. I’d loved knitting for many years, but following my stroke, it genuinely became my lifeline. Knitting first helped me to develop strength and dexterity in my paralysed left hand and arm. Then, as I embarked on the slow process of physical and neurological recovery, knitting became my principal creative outlet, and the provider of infinite joy and inspiration. And it also happened to be the way I tried to make my living. I’ve grown into my knitting (and designing) over the past strange and wonderful decade, and my knitting has also grown with me, as my one-woman business has become a thriving small creative company. With the help of Tom, Mel and the rest of the KDD team, I’ve produced a wide range of popular home-grown books and yarns, supporting patterns that diverse and talented knitters all around the world continue to make their own. In a collection of designs created for our new flagship yarn (Schiehallion), as well as a few popular anniversary re-issues, the 10 Years in the Making club celebrates my own decade in design, as well as the restorative power of making more generally.

When does the 10 Years in the Making club start and finish?
The club takes us right through the Autumn and into winter, running for 13 weeks from September 25th and ending on December 20th.

How many patterns are included in the club?
There are 16 club patterns in total:
12 brand new designs (released in club weeks 1-12)
and 4 reissues of some classic KDD patterns: Owls, Paper Dolls, Carbeth and Carbeth Cardigan (all the reissued patterns will be released to club members in week 13, just before the Christmas holidays)

What weight of yarn are the patterns designed for?
With the exception of the Paper Dolls and Owls reissues (fingering weight / 4ply and bulky-weight respectively), all patterns are designed for DK / sportweight, and samples have been knitted in KDD’s new yarn, Schiehallion.

How will I access my downloads?
Patterns are released every Friday (sent directly to your inbox or Ravelry library) and there’s also an exclusive weekly essay, sent out on a Sunday.

What are the Sunday essays about?
This club is all about the things I most love in my knitting, and the weekly essays take up this theme in ways that link in with each week’s pattern release. These essays are not, in any sense, technical tutorials, but are rather a series of fun, exploratory pieces looking at the ins and outs of different construction methods, my favourite nifty knitterly tricks and tools, or suggesting some simple methods of lending your work a really neat finish. As in previous clubs, each essay is sent via email directly to your inbox every Sunday morning.

What can I expect from the new designs?
For this club I’ve designed 8 new garments and 4 new accessories / items for the home.
Patterns include: 4 pieces knitted from the top-down; a circular yoke sweater; a modular blanket. Colourwork and cables feature strongly among the designs.
There are a couple of super-simple pieces (which might be made by any beginner knitter) and a few challenging patterns, featuring more involved techniques such as steeking or braids.
All garments (including the 4 reissues) have been graded across an inclusive size range that extends to at least 60 inches.

Is there a printed 10 Years in the Making book too?
Yes. You can choose a digital only option (involving weekly pattern downloads and essays and an ebook at the end of the club) or a print plus digital option (in which, in addition to the weekly downloads and essays you’ll receive the beautifully printed 10 Years in the Making book shipped to your chosen address at the conclusion of the club).

Are there other benefits?
Yes! Throughout the duration of the club, members also receive a 10% discount on all items in the KDD shop, including our brand-new Schiehallion yarn.

Where do I join the club?
Purchase your club subscription here
(Please note that the KDD shop will remain locked and inaccessible until the club launch on the morning of Wednesday September 9th)

Ravelry and non-Ravelry options
As well as our usual method of delivering patterns directly to your Ravelry library, for the first time this year, we are offering a non-Ravelry option, in which your club patterns can be accessed as weekly downloads directly from the KDD website.

We would like to make it clear that we are fully committed to supporting those knitters who are unable to use Ravelry and, if that’s you, we’d like to assure you that we’ve carefully developed a range of parallel systems to ensure you get the same great experience of the club.

But we would also like to point out that from our own perspective, which also has the key aim of delivering the best customer experience possible for all club members behind the scenes, it is simply much, much easier for us to manage the club if the majority of members choose the Ravelry download option. The bare fact of the matter is that delivering your patterns directly to your Ravelry library each week is more straightforward, more efficient, and places fewer administrative demands on us. So we would like to stress that, if you are able to use Ravelry, and you’d like to help us deliver the club in the best way we can for everyone, please choose the Ravelry download option.

To choose between the different download options when purchasing your subscription simply enter your Ravelry username when prompted (or type NONRAV in this field if relevant)

How is the club priced?
Basic digital only option: £24.00
Print+ digital: UK shipping £26.00
Print + digital: EU shipping £28.00
Print + digital: ROW shipping £30.00

Shipping areas
If you are purchasing the print plus digital option, please make sure you select the correct shipping area when purchasing your club subscription.
For shipping purposes:
“Europe” includes all EU and non EU countries in the EEA area, such as Norway or Switzerland
“ROW” (Rest of World) includes everywhere outwith the UK and Europe (for example, Canada, the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Japan)

Other issues to bear in mind
You can join the club at any time from when subscriptions open in early September, until the closing date of December 20th – you’ll receive all the patterns and benefits whenever you decide to join.
If you aren’t sure you want to join the club, but wish to purchase an individual pattern download, these are available at our usual prices of £6.00 per garment; £5.00 per accessory.
If you like and purchase a few of the club patterns and decide at later date that you’d like to become a club member, you are welcome to do so, but in that instance we would be unable to offer discounts on any previously purchased club pattern.
(The club is intentionally very reasonably priced, with the subscription cost representing a £62.00 – £68.00 basic discount on purchasing all its patterns individually, before accounting for other benefits).

Other questions?
Leave a comment here, pop into the KDD Ravelry group or email us at info@katedaviesdesigns.com

We hope you enjoy the 10 Years in the Making Club!