Well, I wrote out the first in the Designer’s Notebook posts this morning, only to have my blog client eat the entire contents. So if you received an email saying “we have a new post” and you’re wondering where it went… well, so am I. I guess that post’s superpower is invisibility….

Tune in later this week, after I re-create the post and get it up for you.

Shows in 2010 and 2011

Well, it’s official. Handknit Heroes will be at Stitches East again this October, and at Stitches West in Spring 2011. Just giving you a heads up, in case you’re going to be at either show.

Return to Me, My Pretties

One of the saddest parts of my day is opening my email and finding out that we’ve had a return. It pops into my inbox from my mail service with “RTS” as the “address info,” and my heart just goes “oh!” We currently have 7 unclaimed RTS’s for Issue 3 right now. Did your package go astray? If you haven’t received Issue 3 yet, please send a note to support (at) mortaine.com so we can help you out.

On Designing

Over the next 2 weeks, I’m going to share with you the process of designing a basic hat. Now, partly I’m doing this because for Issue 4, I want to publish a few hats (yes, not one but several!) But also, I know how daunting it was for me when I was new to knitting and trying to figure out what I needed to know and do in order to design something new.

So, in the next two weeks, I will be opening up my red notebook and sharing with you some of the process for designing a hat, accounting for gauge, different stitches, and designing for multiple sizes. Hopefully, you will find it useful and informational, and if nothing else, you’ll enjoy watching me try to fit a 5 sts/inch pattern to match 3 sts/inch one.

Shout Outs!

Knitting Knights is a cute new manga-style knitting comic book with kind of a space-alien (in a mangaesque way) theme.

I had a blog article posted last week in Lighting Little Fire’s Midsummer Days Dream blog festival, about traveling with small projects.

And the Crochet Liberation Front gave me a huge honor this week by bestowing the Let My Picot Go award! Thanks, guys! You’re the best!

PS: Sorry this went out with “Untitled 2″ as its creative title– I hit the “Publish” button a little too soon! Whoops!

Stitches East is this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut! Handknit Heroes will be there, sharing a booth with Knit Princess. Stephanie will be selling and signing comic books, so if you’re in the area, come by and say hi! If you’re local, bring your comics to sign; I’m always happy to do so!

The new subscriber discount in our online store has been extended to December 1st.

England was marvelous and lovely and… full of germs. I came home and promptly spent the next week laying in various hotel rooms hoping to recover from the stomach flu. It was so bad, I missed Rhinebeck. How sad is that? I even drove past it, because I was on my way to New Haven, Connecticut, but I had to just wave at everyone in their nice knitted sweaters and keep going. I felt terrible, and not just because I was sick.

I also left two of my handknitted socks (from different pairs) in England, but fortunately a friend of mine found them and will send them along, so they’re not lost forever. But if you knit socks, you know the trauma of working 8+ hours a day in commercially-made socks when you had planned to have beautiful hand-made ones that would perfectly fit your feet instead. And being sick, I’ve been completely unmotivated to knit on the 2 pairs I brought with me to work on. In fact, for all the knitterlyness of this trip, I’ve bought a lot of yarn (of course), but have only crocheted a pair of slippers, a pair of mittens (which I’m not fond of and will probably frog), and half of a hat.

The good news is, I’m doing a lot better now and am back at work. Marc and I worked on something neat and fun while I was in London. I can’t talk too much about it, but it was a different direction for Handknit Heroes, one which I hope will be entertaining, at least, and very kid-appropriate.

Oh, and that picture is us, Marc and Stephanie, the Handknit Heroes team. The picture is blurry, though. It’s one of the last photos on my camera before it broke on Sunday (everything broke on this trip). The last photo on the camera was this one:

Yes, unmasked, our faces literally break cameras. I guess we have super-powers after all!

Shout Outs

We were covered in the English press fairly heavily, so I’ll post the roundups here:

SFX gave us a great review.

Tom Watson, a member of parliament, also likes the comic.

Bleeding Cool is ready to jump on the bandwagon!

And Anglo Celt, Irvine Times, and a rather large family of outlets ran a story on the 6th…. but I can’t find it now (404 Not Found)! Geek Chic, if you have a permalink, send it in, please!

Finally, It Came from Darkmoor included a shout-out to the comic book– thanks, guys! Sorry we missed you on your second time around the comic show floor!

Remember, if you’re looking for Handknit Heroes in your local shops, we have a store locator on our website. If you’re from England and trying to find this lovely comic book, try I Knit London (Waterloo, London), or Yarn Over (Eastbourne, East Sussex).

Lots of stuff going on at Handknit Heroes Central… and a lot not going on, too!

First: Upcoming Events!

I’ll be at Sock Summit in booth 726 in Portland, Oregon from August 6 to 9– hope to see you there! We’ll have comic books, t-shirts, and some snazzy new knitting patterns, including our first sock pattern. The sock pattern is an intermediate pattern, but it’s a fun one for sock knitters.

I’m also going to be at the Seattle Mariners Stitch n Pitch on August 27. This should be very exciting– I love baseball, and have wanted to go to a Stitch n’ Pitch since I first learned about it. I’m definitely looking forward to cheering for the Royals (I often cheer for the away team… somebody should!) and spreading more Handknit Heroes joy around the world!

Play Yarn Dash, Enter to Win Stuff

From July 15-31, the Handknit Heroes home page has an image for Play Yarn Dash, a type of online scavenger hunt where you log your visit at participating fiber and yarn related companies to enter and win cool prizes donated by the participating shops. Find the corresponding link on one of our other pages to log your visit. Play Yarn Dash is free to play, and you get a free knitting pattern when it’s all over.

Keep the Fleece!

The Keep the Fleece deadline for the Worlds Longest Scarf project is approaching in September. If you’d like to participate in the Handknit Heroes scarf and team, let me know– we’ll get you set up!

Meanwhile the Keep the Fleece contest has a deadline of September 1st. Handknit Heroes is proud to be a category sponsor for the GI Joe category for any natural fiber item made by a man.

What Else is (Not) Happening

Unfortunately, we had a minor setback in producing the comic book. Among other delays (writer’s block: mine), Marc threw his back out and is laid up. So he’s resting up and we’re sending him lots of get well wishes.

His pain is your gain, though. Since Issue #3 is going to be delayed, we’re sending out a special bonus pattern to all subscribers at the end of August. It’ll be a fairly easy pattern– if you knitted the bag from Issue #2, you’ll be able to make the pattern in Issue #3, and I think you’ll enjoy both knitting and wearing it. It’s my way of giving Marc a break in the schedule so he can recover, while still giving our subscribers something fun to enjoy while you wait for him to recover.

Shoutouts

A BlogHer Blog Shoutout! Thanks!

Unrelated to HKH, but still cool: “Hilariously, Yumi’s power is related to knitting and the little outfits she creates for Kansuke. Once he steps into one of her outfits, Kansuke becomes human-ish and has the ability to fight on his partner’s behalf.“

A very quick update for all the designers out there: The Mask Design Contest entry form is live! You can download it in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Don’t Miss the Design Contest!

The superhero mask design contest is still on, with a deadline of July 15th! We’re looking for the perfect superhero mask for Ana to wear with her gorgeous new costume shown in Issue #2!

The guidelines are available online, and the contest entry form will be posted by the end of this weekend. We’re really looking for a great mask for our budding super-heroine, so check out the details and start designing! The contest entry fee is a $5 tax-deductible donation to Heifer International to give sheep to needy families in developing nations.

We will also have the mask design entries at Sock Summit in Portland in August to show off the amazing skills and talents of our fans.

New Postcards!

Last month, I published the Secret Identity Mask as a free downloadable pattern in our online store and in Ravelry. At the time, the pattern could also be purchased as a postcard, if you really needed a hard-copy version of the pattern. The postcard featured a photograph with the pattern notes on the front and the pattern itself on the back (where you’d normally write something).

Well, we had issues with the postcard version of the pattern. The post office’s processing stamps ended up on top of the pattern and obscured it. So, it wasn’t a very good postcard. As a pattern, it’s fine. But as a postcard, it was not working, and I pulled it out of the store after the first customer complaint.

Enter, the re-designed postcard, featuring artwork by Marc Olivent!

Marc’s taken the pattern ideas and drawn some fun characters to inspire your secret identity mask-making. Additionally, the entire pattern now fits on the front of the postcard. That means you can buy these postcards in packs of 6, write a note on the back to a friend, and mail them off like a real postcard! Or, if you have a swap buddy or secret pal (like a Secret Santa), you can buy a single postcard, add a Gift Message and address, and your postcard will arrive with a Santa Cruz, California postmark, and whatever message you’ve chosen to send! Remember, adding a gift message to any order in our shop is completely free– gift subscriptions arrive at your recipient’s house with a card and your message.

We remaindered the postcards and donated them to the Phat Fiber box this month, so some happy Phat Fiber recipients should be getting a great little pattern that uses just enough yarn to use up some of the samples in their boxes! If you Phatties want to send a little love on to a friend, stop by the shop!

By the way, if you’re thinking about entering the design contest, the Secret Identity Mask pattern is a great way to learn how to make a superhero mask that you can adapt into your own pattern. The pattern is licensed under the Creative Commons license and you are free to use it as a template for your mask in the contest.

Shout Outs

All of our shout-outs today fall into the Cool, but Unrelated category, but I still want to share them with you all, because they are, well, COOL:

Comics and knitting instruction. Actually, a lot of Fun and Fancy Knitting Stitches is dedicated to knit-related comics and cartoons.

A knit-heavy dance show in New Zealand.

John Glover, who played Lionel Luther in Smallville, is a knitter.

Introducing the Mask Kits!

I designed these superhero mask kits and the free freeform mask pattern because it’s my not-so-secret plan to dominate the world by making superhero masks into the new sock. I think they’re as fun and addictive as socks, and with less chance of Second Sock Syndrome.

At the Knit and Crochet Show in Portland last week, I launched these adorable masks, to great applause and appreciation (and, I’ll admit, more than a few weird looks). One of my friends is a photographer and brought his camera along to take snapshots of knitters posing as superheroes. Those pictures are available on Flickr for your enjoyment.

The mask kits cost $12 in the Handknit Heroes store, and they come with the yarn, pattern, and red lenses to make the masks. These are really fun masks to make and wear, and they’re also a terrific gift for the superhero-loving knitter or cosplayer in your life. They’re an intermediate knitting pattern; if you know how to pick up stitches, do some basic increases, and knit an icord, you’ll be able to make this mask.

Meanwhile, I’m sad to report that the free Secret Identity Mask pattern as a postcard has been removed from our web store. We discovered that, despite my best efforts in designing it, the post office mangles it so you can’t actually read the pattern. Not to worry, though– Marc and I are working on a redesign for the card that will be available shortly. In the meantime, you can still download the pattern through Ravelry or in the online store.

We’ll be at Maker Faire 09!

Next weekend (May 30-31), I’ll be at Maker Faire, moving one step closer to that world domination plan! I’m presenting a crochet demo on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM in the TNNA booth. My demo teaches how to create a superhero mask in freeform crochet. If you’re in the San Francisco area, come by the San Mateo County Expo Center to learn more. Even if you don’t knit or crochet, come to the fair– it’s fun and you can learn right there on the spot!

T-Shirts: Back in Stock!

The good news is, the T-Shirts are back in stock! I returned from the show with plenty left for you all!

The bad news is, we’re sold out of the plus sizes and almost all of the youth sizes! This is good news for us, but not so great if you’re a little kid or a big grown-up! The XL size is still available– it fits me, and I wear a size 18 top. We’re out of the Youth Small sizes and Youth Large– I recommend going one size up on those and have the kid grow into them. The Youth Large wasn’t much smaller in size than an Adult Small, so you’ll be OK going up a size with those.

New Stores!

While I was in Portland, I signed up a bunch of new shops who now carry Handknit Heroes, including Powell’s Books for Home and Garden! As always, check the Shop Locator page for the store nearest you!

Shout Outs!

Vogue Knitting and Knit.1 both feature Handknit Heroes this month! Wow! I had completely forgotten the Vogue interview until my friend had me look at some patterns in her copy and I fllipped through the pages and said “Wait– I recognize that image!” Thanks a bunch for the media, to both Vogue Knitting and Knit.1!

Babbling Brook posted about attending the show and picking up her copy of Handknit Heroes.

And Joyarna’s boyfriend guest-blogged about Handknit Heroes from a comic book fan’s perspective.

Today in the US, it’s Free Comic Book Day, when comic book shops all over the country give out free comics to anyone coming into the store. It’s fun and exciting, and a great way to introduce yourself to something new.

Here at Handknit Heroes Central, we take it a step further– we have a super-awesome comic book knitting pattern for you!

The pattern is available in knit and crochet. It’s completely free– you can download it through Ravelry (crochet or knit) or from the Handknit Heroes online store, where it’s available in PDF as well as Mobipocket ebook formats. If you want us to mail you a hard copy, you can buy one to be mailed to you for $1.00 in the store.

This is a freeform mask for superheroes and subversive crafters everywhere! It’s a quick project that uses up a small amount of yarn to make a really nifty and fun accessory. Planning a late-night crochet or knitting adventure? Hide your identity with a one-of-a-kind creation of your own!

The pattern is adaptable for any weight of yarn in any gauge– information in the pattern uses standard measurements and math to lay out a basic construction for you to follow in creating your own designs and inventions.

The Secret Identity Mask mask is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. You can use the pattern, including making modifications and using it for commercial use, provided attribution (credit) is given. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.comicknits.com/contact/.

Shops are invited to use the pattern in classes– it’s a good way to teach working in the round, working flat, increases, and icords (in knitting), as well as the role gauge can play in fitting a garment.

Issue #2!!!

Issue #2 is at the printer! Marc and I are very excited about this issue, and I think you’ll all be very happy with the continuing storyline, the artwork, and of course, the neat pattern for a cool bag that every superhero knitter needs.

So when can you expect to get it in your hot little hands? Well, we will have some advance copies at the KnitWitz meet and greet and signing on May 1 in Stockton. About 6 days later, our stock copies will arrive and immediately go into archive bags to mail out to our subscribers.

So…. What’s the Delay?

We’re a little late delivering Issue #2, I know, but we have a really good reason. Marc had a new addition to his family in March (cute little Edith), and he rightfully took about 2 weeks off to enjoy the new baby and take care of his lovely girlfriend. Everyone is doing well, and I’m thrilled and send many happy congratulations.

But it’s not all Marc’s fault! I was about halfway through writing Issue #2 when I realized that I was having a really hard time with a major story component. Creating quality story, art, and patterns are our priority here, so I gave myself extra time to write it right. The up side of that is I now have some great story momentum carrying me into the script for Issue #3.

The other up side is that if you were planning to design a mask for Issue #3, you have a little more time. The deadline has been extended by a month, to July 15, since the comics don’t get into your hands until May.

Special Kit: Available at TKGA Portland: May 14-17

As you know by now, I’m going to be at the TKGA show in Portland from May 14 to 17. I’ll have t-shirts and postcards, comic books, and a special, completely awesome kit that you’re going to just love (but which I’m keeping secret… for now!)

If you’re going to Portland, please stop by– we’re in booth #60, right next to the entrance of the marketplace. And if you’re looking to get into the marketplace on the cheap, go here to get a $2 off coupon.

We’re on Facebook: X2

In addition to the Facebook group, we now have a Facebook page. You can become a fan to show your Handknit Heroes love. I’m figuring out how to coordinate Facebook with all the tools I currently use (you know, the ones using open standards, like iCal and RSS?) to share the HKH love there.

Shout Outs!

Misfit Yarn, a knitting feminist blog gave us some love last week!

This is Awesome and slightly related; the knitter being kinneared on the subway is one of our readers! Isn’t that scarf just full of awesome?

This is cool but not related, a knitting webcomic called Pearl Too.

KnitLuck has a really thoughtful review of comic books from a knitter/feminist perspective. The article prompted me to send an email to Marc thanking him for remembering our heroes are 16 years old– they have the bodies of 16 year old girls, not cover models for Super Juggs. I will definitely check out Fables, too!

One of our shops, Hill Country Weavers, posted a shout-out for the comic this week. They’re in Austin, Texas, if you’re looking for a local shop!

I’ll call the review “lukewarm” from Lifetimes Short Now, but I really liked it for the rather in-depth nature of exploring the feminist side of geek crafts.

And one of my favorite magazines, Bust, gave a really nice, detailed overview of the comic.

Craftnectar gave a quick shout-out this week. While visiting, I also found her really great pictorial on the Oak Park, IL tree sweaters.

I want to give a shout-out to The Royal Empress, but the blog is protected, so I’ll just have to say “hello, and thanks for the shout out!”

Finally, I stopped by the Yolo County Knitter’s Guild yesterday in Davis, California for their bi-monthly meeting and sit-n-knit, which was lovely and fun. Afterward, I had coffee and lunch in downtown Davis, where I spotted this nifty little bit of knitted graffiti. Mad props to the anonymous bike-rack-cosy knitters of Davis!

T-Shirts!

I mentioned previously that the t-shirts were being ordered. They are at the printers right now, in Iowa, busily being turned into awesome t-shirts, but you can pre-order them in our brand new online store!

Please note: the store is brand spanking new, so if you stumble on a bug or have trouble checking out or anything, please don’t scream! Just hop over to our Contact form and let us know so we can get the virtual Raid can out!

We had to play with the color quite a bit to get them to be printable, but they’re definitely on their way. They won’t be here in time for you to get one for Easter. But they will be here in time for you to wear one to Stitches South or Maryland Sheep and Wool.

Here’s what the t-shirt artwork looks like:

That’s on a white t-shirt, centered on the front, and in a pretty big size. There’s nothing on the back of the shirts. Get a sharpie and have your friends and knitterly pals sign it or write their superhero names on it!

And here’s what the post cards, which we’re going to offer in the store in packs of 6, look like:

The differences are subtle, but there. Personally, i think they both work well for their mediums– the brighter colors for the t-shirts, and the more varied colors on the cards.

Eco-Choices: Saving the World a Little Bit at a Time

At the Handknit Heroes shipping office, we have, from day 1, wrapped everything in plastic. The shop orders are shrink wrapped. The subscriber copies are in plastic archive-quality comic book bags. See, the shipping team– they’re not knitters, but they care a lot about the products that go out the door. Dave is an awesome comic book fan who has all his Marvel Zombie comics displayed on the walls of the office, so he steered the “how would a comic book fan want their copy to arrive” discussion. We put them in archive bags to keep them clean and preserve the quality of your comic books.

In the shop orders, we shrink wrap because doing so prevents the comics from sliding around and getting damaged, so that’s a no-brainer.

But all that plastic… I had to think long and hard about whether or not it was necessary when we sell t-shirts, or kits, or post cards, either through the mail or when we do shows. And when I take them to a show, I want people to be able to touch them and see them in their glory. And what about when I’m at a show and someone buys a bunch of t-shirts and kits and says “do you have a bag?” I mean, some people don’t carry cloth bags– or they already filled theirs with yarn and needles and spindles and stuff!

I worry about all those plastic bags, too. How much plastic can we really tolerate on this planet? As a consumer, I use plastic all the time, and my plastic grocery bags are my garbage bags for all our household trash, so at least I’m re-using them. But as a vendor, the impact of that has the potential to be much greater.

I did some searching (both soul and Internet) and made some choices. Our kits (coming soon!) and postcards will be packaged in see-through biodegradable plastic bags. We won’t wrap t-shirts in plastic unless it becomes necessary for delivery reasons. And when I go to knitting shows, I’m going to hope everyone brings their own bag, but if they don’t, I have biodegradable corn-based shopping bags for those who need one. These bags are probably 2 to 3 times more expensive than their planet-destroying alternatives, but I genuinely believe that, if I want to write “Knitters Save the World” on every comic book that I sign, I better stand by those words.

Kits? Did you say Kits?

Yes, it’s always been my intention that the non-beginner patterns should be available as separate bonus patterns or kits, and boy, do we have a great one for our first kit, let me tell you. Well, don’t let me tell you. I can’t tell you– not yet. But soon, my friends. Very soon, you will be able to buy a really awesome, incredibly fun kit from our shop. In fact, it should be ready just before Issue #2 ships out the door!

Shout out

Lion Brand gave us a great little shout out on their blog this week. Hooray!