Still here, working on one stitch at time.....

 

Staircase to....

This image is one of my favorites. I took it few years ago at an old castle in Czech Republic named Pernstejn. If you ever have a chance to travel to Czech Republic, this is a wonderful place to visit, as it's usually not overrun by tourists. The castle has been used by movie makers as a setting for several movies, especially fairytales. The castle has been on my wish list for many years, but the opportunity to visit always seemed to slip away, until few years ago, when I stayed at my friend's place who live nearby, and finally I was able to see the castle. I hope to return to visit this castle again at some point in life, but more importantly I want to visit my friends again. I visited them this summer, but the castle didn't fit our itinerary, so hopefully the next time....

This brings me to my knitwear adventures. I still create and knit and write patterns, just at much slower pace than I used to. The blog posts are less frequent, my toy mystery KAL happens about once a year and the time seems to never be there for all that I would like to create. 

I am working on a flat version of my Paw Print Heart pattern, and this should be published and available within a week. I also am participating as independent knitwear designer in two major events that happens around this time of year.

On Ravelry it's the Indie Gift-a-long which runs to the end of this year and participants can win prizes. This year there are over 250 independent knitwear designers and thousands of knitting and crocheting patterns. 

If you are not on Ravelry, then the Fasten Off might be for you. This event is held entirely online and there are about 100 independent knitwear designers who offered their patterns. You can participate in games, meet fellow crafters, and win prizes. 

When I started this blog in 2011, I really didn't know what to expect and I definitively didn't imagine that one day there will be more than a million of visitors to this little space online. 

Thank you all for visiting, reading, and believing in my craft, ideas and creativity. 

I will continue one stich at time.

  

Around the World Stitch -a-long and some other Work in progress.

 

I took this picture the last time I was traveling by airplane. It has been in the summer of 2019 and I was returning home from visiting my family in Europe. It seems like a lifetime ago. I do not know if and when I will be able to visit my mom again. I hope that it will be this year, but who knows what is still ahead of us. I have realized that these days I travel a lot in my dreams. I am visiting places that are close to my heart.

 

Somehow I have stumbled upon an event named Around the world stitch-a-long. It is an independent knitwear designers knit a long and it is happening all around the world. I am a bit late talking about it here as the fun already started on February 15th. But the whole thing is running through March 28th so there is still plenty of time to participate and win some prizes.

The event is filled with knitting, crocheting, games, and variety of prizes. In the group on Ravelry the chat is filled with traditions, recipes and chat with people from all around the world. 

Here is the link to the group on Ravelry: Around the World Stitch-a-long   

and here is the link to the big bundle of participating designers also from all around the world: Participating designers 

also the event is hosted on Instagram Around the World SAL

One of the participating designers and organizers is Ranee Mueller from Arabian Knits. I had a pleasure get to know her a bit through this Interview with a designer  I did two years ago. 

Join us for this fun event and learn about the other participating designers. In a way it's like traveling to far away places and learn something about people from those different places. 

 In December 2020, after I published Paw Print Heart knitting pattern I announced that for every purchased pattern in the month of December I will donate $1 to our local animal shelter. In December I have sold  9 patterns for the Paw Print Heart. I decided to donate $1 for all of my patterns sold in December. That was 35 patterns and therefore $35. I have rounded that up to $50 and made a check and dropped it at the local animal shelter. 

In December I was approached by a Canadian yarn website and asked if they can sell my knitting pattern for Rockefeller, the owl on their website. 

Here is the link to the pattern on the Canadian Yarn website: Link here

 

Thank you for reading and visiting. 

Keep on knitting, one stitch at time.....

 

The tools of a Knitwear Designer and #Why I Make

 

As a knitwear designer published by third parties I have to promote my designs on the social media I have a presence. I try to do that but sometimes Instagram gets left behind. In the past month or so I had several knitting patterns published and I was thinking about how to mention all of the knitting patterns without feeling like it's a promotion or an advertising. 

Yesterday, I took this picture and posted it on Instagram. I did not know what I will write at first, and then it started to be a list of tools a knitwear designer uses.

The list:

Yarn 

Knitting Needles 

Sketch Book and notebook 

Ideas 

Swatches 

Knitted Samples 

Computer Work (pattern writing, grading, editing) 

Photography 

Patience

Responding to Submission calls 

Acceptance 

Persistence 

Luck

Social Media visibility 

If and when patterns are accepted more of the above 

When patterns are published add pattern support

It's a lot to do for one person.

Even though it is a lot to do I continue to do that. Simply because I love what I do, knitting and creating.

Last week I have received an email from @Lovecrafts about another competition for Blogger of the Year 2020.

I have tried last year, and even though I did not win, my entry was interesting enough to be mentioned on their blog. I see that as a huge success. Links to the two are here:

My last year entry

Article on Lovecrafts

I was thinking about what I would like to write for this year entry. I had so many ideas and I kept returning to the idea of dreams of our childhood and how we either pursue them or abandoned them. 

I had plenty of childhood dreams that I wanted to achieve. I would like to mention one particularly. Growing up behind the Iron curtain was very restrictive and we were not allowed to travel outside the Eastern Block. As a child I read a lot and I dreamed a lot about traveling all over the world. Under the circumstances it seemed impossible. We were not allowed to do so. Yet the Velvet Revolution in 1989 gave us the freedom to travel all over the world. I studied and become a tour guide, a profession that allowed me to pursue my childhood dream of traveling. At one point as a tour guide traveling with a group of tourists we were in the Monument Valley and my group of tourists went for a tour with a local  Navajo guide and I was left behind to wait for their return. At that moment I was approached by the owner of the company, a Navajo man and asked if I want to go for a horse ride while my group of tourists are exploring the beauty of the land. I went and it was magical. Unknown to him, he allowed me to fulfill my childhood dream of riding a horse with a Native American through their land. I cherished that memory and I have a picture of me on the horse in the Monument Valley to remind me that sometimes when we don't expect it our dreams can come true. 

 In the photo above you can see the image of me on a horse at the Monument Valley. You can also see a paw of my dog. Having a dog was another childhood dreams of mine, and I had to wait for it to happen for many years. 

Another of my childhood dreams was to become a writer. I earned BA  in Creative Writing, something I never expected to do when I was a child. I earned that degree in a non native language. I see that as an achievement  on its own. During my talks with my school advisor I mentioned that I have been creating knitting patterns and that some of them were published in a book collections, or on websites or in magazines. My adviser told me that this is what being a writer is. Have your work published. I guess I have in an unexpected ways achieved another childhood dream. 

 

Stana's Critters Etc is my personal adventure one stitch at the time. 

So if you have a dream, a passion, keep on dreaming, keep on being passionate about it, you never know when the dream comes true. 

Thank you for reading and visiting.

This is my entry into the Lovecrafts competition for The Blogger of the Year 2020. This is also my answer to the question Why I make. 

I love to create and share my creativity and passion with others so they can learn, create, craft and enjoy the process one stitch at time.

#WhyIMake 

 

Summer 2020

As the pandemic continues its rampage through the world I am trying to adjust to what is happening around me in the real world and online as well. 

Under a normal circumstances I would be visiting my mom and friends in Europe. I would be sitting on my mom's balcony and knit, while the two of us would be talking. I would call my friends from the time I lived in Europe. We would get together and sit on a sidewalk in one of those little cafés, catching up on our lives. 

I miss that this year. 

But, whenever I am away I wonder what it would be like to spend the summer at home. This year is the year I can experience that. I am spending my summer at home. I have the time to watch my garden grow. I get to enjoy fresh berries and incorporate vegetables from our garden into our meals. It is exciting to sneak in a kale and create meatballs that turns green and cause raised eyebrows and musings about "What is wrong with those meatballs?", "Why are they green?". 

And a huge bonus is that I get to talk to my mom on daily basis on Skype. I love it. I know it is not as seeing her in person, but it is a joy to be able to talk to her. 

Aside from working on few knitting patterns that will be published in the future by a third party I also get to work on some fun knitting projects. 

Remember my pattern for One fish, two fish, three fish?

Blog post about it

I am revisiting the pattern and have fun with creating more fish and play with the idea of a food chain and who gets to eat who. I will be posting an updated pattern for this fun food chain sometime next week or so and if you are on Ravelry and a member of my group you can join the Knit-a-long hosted in my group. Otherwise the pattern will be available on Lovecraft, Ravelry. 

Recently I have opened a store on Payhip where you can purchase some of my patterns. I am slowly adding more patterns to that store, so check it out. Payhip store

Thank you for visiting.

Summer and 3 new knitting patterns

Summer knitting

Long time ago I used to travel all the time. I travelled for pleasure and for work. When I was younger and free I used to be a tour guide. It was the best job ever. I was paid to travel, learn new things, experience new places, and share the knowledge. I would spend most of the year on road, travelling to various places and countries. When I was not travelling for work, I would travel on my own. It was truly the best job I ever had. Nowadays I don't travel for work anymore. Somehow falling in love and moving across the ocean to live in another country, and having a family made me change the direction of my career and life. My life is more settled and my travelling days are limited to visit my family and friends across the ocean once a year. It usually happens during the summer months. It creates a challenge to find a reasonable priced airline tickets, as the summer months are the most expensive months to travel. Seeing my family and friends once a year makes the trip ever so special and treasured.

Flower Heart

While I was visiting my family and friends three of my knitting patterns were published in I Like Knitting Collection.
Link to the web page: I Like Knitting

These three patterns are now also available to purchase in my Ravelry store:
My designs

and soon will be also on Lovecraft website:
My designs


Marina Infinity Scarf, a playful striped infinity scarf in white and blue. Link to the pattern:
Marina Infinity Scarf

photo by I Like Knitting

Cora Clutch, a one skein knitted clutch knitted in Caron Cakes with added lining, zipper and two buttons. Link to the pattern:
Cora Clutch

photo by I Like Knitting

Luna Infinity Scarf, a giant infinity scarf or a cowl, worked in Cascade Magnum yarn. Link to the pattern:
Luna Infinity Scarf

photo by I Like Knitting

Thank you for visiting.