I’ve been hung up for the last day or so in fixing up the “free” page where I have all the patterns available for free downloads, but I’ve gotten that completely straightened out. I’m using a great plugin called download monitor. It took me a day or so to figure out that I needed it, but once I found it, I was able to set up all the downloads in no time at all. Setting up the table on that page was a bit of a nightmare though, even though I was just copying the code from the other page.

I think I have the bones of the site set up and now I just have to spend some time on data entry. That shouldn’t take overly long. It’s just tedious. I’ve reclassified and recategorized many of the patterns to make them easier to find. The monthly system made sense before when I was releasing new patterns all the time and sticking to monthly themes. But now I’ve gotten most of the seasonal themes covered, and the new patterns I’m designing do not fit into that system. This new way will be much better.

I hope that in just another few days (or a week at most) I’ll have the whole site switched over. I’m so excited!

It’s not a mistake. I’m going to attempt a massive makeover of the entire Designs by Emily website. The first step will be getting the blog portion set up.

You will (I hope) begin to see a shopping cart set up in the blog. My goal is to integrate the entire shopping cart and blog into one site. Unfortunately, because of the way the site is set up, and because I am an amateur at web design (I barely know what I’m doing LOL), this whole thing will have to be done live. So if you keep checking back, you’ll get to see the changes to the site as they happen.

I do love the new look though! I hope you do too!

Every year for the last several years, Janet Nogle has gathered together patterns from dishcloth designers and has put together a wonderful calendar devoted mostly to dishcloths, and including other patterns for the home.

I was very pleased to contribute a pattern to this year’s calendar.  The pattern is called Diamond Panels Dishcloth and it is a bit different than anything else that I have designed before.  Here is a photo of it:

As you can see, I did not take this photo!  Anyone who knows my work, knows that I just slap the cloths on the scanner.  Janet is a complete wonder when it comes to photographing dishcloths and she did a fabulous job making my cloth look very fancy indeed!

This cloth is a little lacy, but simple.  It just has k2tog, SSK, and yo for the lace stitches.  So long as you are careful with your counting, you’ll be able to do it.  It also has a simple crochet border.

The 2010 Dishcloth Calendar is called Gifts from the Heart…Back to Basics.  It is available for purchase from this site:  www.dishclothcalendar.com.  You can purchase a digital copy to download for $16, or a printed copy to be mailed to you for $18 plus $5 shipping.

The calendar has an incredible number of patterns this year.  Many of the patterns are contained in sets, which will be perfect for gift giving. The Dishcloth Calendar this year also contains many patterns for the home besides dishcloths. There are sets with placemats and potholders, soap sacks, baby bibs and even a doggie/kitty bed!  So, head on over to www.dishclothcalendar.com and check it out!

But, it’s been on my mind.  And I do want to do another Challenge.  But before I do a challenge, I really, really need to get the Free patterns/KALs squared away for the next several months.  I think I will not start the Challenge until at least February.  Things have been a bit crazier than usual around here and I remember how demanding the last Challenge was.  I certainly cannot take that on if I’m not completely ready to focus on it!  First, I need to focus on the regular stuff like Free Patterns!!

That’s where I need some help.  I have a nice idea to add a pattern for December (I know it will be late, but better late than never) and I need some ideas for the next few months.  I like to have my Free patterns try to keep with a monthly theme.  For example I’ve been trying to think of something for January that will be sort of Wintery that I haven’t done already, but between my boys being sick and the bad weather knocking my head down every few days I haven’t felt very creative.  Any ideas?

Leave me some comments and help me come up with some ideas for the year for free patterns. I always feel like I’m playing ‘catch up’ with them and would love to get them planned and out of the way before I try to do anything else.  February will also be tricky because I have tons of heart related patterns and I’ve already tried unsuccessfully to do a groundhog.  I’m running out of ideas to keep the patterns to a monthly theme.  They may just have to start being random pictures which I suppose will be fine, but a bit….random!

In other chatty news, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  I had a great knitting related Christmas.  Between my hubby and my mother I am now outfitted with some very cool new needles and gadgets and lots and lots of miscellaneous knitting notions.

My hubby got me the Harmony interchangeable needle set from Knitpicks that I’ve been drooling over for a while.  i can’t wait to try them out.  I actually haven’t done any knitting since Christmas!  My mom got me a ball winder and a scale.  I spent an entire afternoon winding up all the half knit balls of yarn I could find and weighing them.  I found 39 half balls of dishcloth yarn that had knit one dishcloth out of and then left lying around at the bottom of my knitting basket.  I rewound them all and refastened the label so everything is nice and neat.  I’ll be able to get another dishcloth out of each one of those, so I’m all set for a while.  Plus all the new balls of dishcloth yarn that I keep buying because I’m never sure of what I have.  Because I use small needles (size 5 or 6) and because my cloths are on the smaller side (cast on 37 stitches) I can very easily get two cloths out of each regular 2.5 oz ball. 

Did anyone else get cool knitting stuff over the holidays? 

I’ll post again in a few days about my progress with planning for the KALs/Free Patterns for the next few months.

I’ve been working on designing one of my new projects and I’ve set my test knitters loose on the thing.  They are excited about it. But thank goodness for lots of testers because we’re still working out some of the important details like needle size, gauge and how much yarn.  It’s definitely different than a dishcloth so I’m not sure on some of those details.  Don’t expect to see it for a while yet though.  I’ve given them until after the holidays because it’s a bit bigger than a dishcloth and I know that we are entering into the craziest time of year!

I also need to get busy on designing a free pattern for December.  The 24th is rapidly approaching and the KAL will begin.  It would help if I had an idea!!  Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.