Brand new to Knitvent? Not totally sure how it works or what it’s all about? This will help.
There are many members of the Curious Crew who have been participating in Knitvent for years, and every year seems to be more special than the last.
But we’ve got a lot of shiny new knitters, too, and I want to make sure you feel ready to jump in with both needles.
Diving into something brand new and mysterious takes some courage, so (without spoiling any of the surprises) I thought I’d demystify Kntivent just a little bit.
Since we launched the first Knitvent collection back in 2013, I’ve gotten lots of questions about the secret nature of the patterns, how to take part, and what to expect. (you can check out previous Knitvents in this post)
And every year brings a new question or two! So, I’ve collected answers to the most common questions for you here:
Q. How do I join Knitvent?
A. There’s no sign up: just purchase the Knitvent 2022 Collection on Ravelry or on Gumroad, and you’re officially in!
Q. How much does Knitvent cost?
A. Until October 27th when the first pattern drops, the Early Bird price for Knitvent 2022 is £10.75, which is more than 40% off the regular price. After the Early Bird closes, the price goes up to £18.00. You don’t need a code for the special, the discount is already applied. NOTE: Prices do not include any VAT applicable in your country, so the price you see displayed on Ravelry or Gumroad may be different)
Q. Is the price for the whole collection or for each pattern?
A. The price includes the whole collection!
Q. How many patterns are included?
A. There are six patterns in the collection, all designed to use your yarn Advent Calendar set or scrappy stash.
Q. I only see one pattern in the collection, though?
A. Right now there is one placeholder pattern for the presale period. Each week from Oct 27th, a new pattern (or two!) will appear on Ravelry or Gumroad as the designs are released.
Q. When will the first pattern be available?
A. The first pattern comes out Thursday, October 27th. I’ll release either one or two new patterns each week until Thursday, November 24th.
Q. Once I purchase the collection, how will I get access to the new patterns?
A. Every week, on Thursday, the newly released pattern or patterns will be automatically sent to you.
If you purchase the collection on Ravelry, check your Ravelry library or messages for your updates! NOTE: Make sure you are logged into Ravelry when you purchase the collection to get the updates in your Ravelry library.
If you purchase the collection on Gumroad, you will get an email notification of each update.
Q. If the patterns are a mystery, how will I know what yarn I’ll need?
A. I’ve designed many of the patterns as stash-busters, so there’s a chance you already have something that will work!
But this year, things are very simple. All the patterns will use fingering weight yarn (also known as 4ply or sock yarn) although there are some where you can easily substitute a DK weight. You can use mini skeins of different colours or parts of full skeins, whatever works best for you.
Q. I’ve heard your Knitvent patterns use a yarn advent calendar. I don’t have one…what should I do?
A. Advent or holiday countdown yarn calendars, which are collections of 25 surprise mini skeins from indie dyers, have become very popular in recent years, and many knitters love to treat themselves or a friend to one for the holiday season. These calendars tend to sell out early, usually before Knitvent even begins.
Don’t worry if you didn’t snag one! I’ve designed these patterns to work with scraps from your stash, or with a couple of single skeins, or even all in one colour. We’ve had plenty of members do just that for previous “advent calendar” patterns, with lovely results.
You can also consider making your own calendar mini sets from stash yarn or exchanging with a friend or two: I’ve done both, and it’s a lovely excuse to play with lots of yarn! I put together a PDF guide to help you make your own, which you can download here. I also made a video a little while back where I share some tips on making your yarn advent calendar. You can find the video here on my YouTube Channel and links to items mentioned can be found in the accompanying blog post
Q. If I don’t have a curated set of minis, how should I choose colours?
A. Go with what you love: I think anything will work for all these designs. They would work equally well as scrappy or even one colour. There’s no need to think about contrasts or anything like that. Just follow your heart and/or your stash!
Q. This is such a busy time of year and I don’t know if I can fit in a KAL. Are we supposed to keep up with knitting a new pattern every week?
A. Knitvent is strictly a NO PRESSURE zone. I know we’re all juggling a lot of competing priorities, especially at this time of year.
While most of the patterns are designed to be quick gifty knits, Knitvent is really more about giving yourself a little surprise each week to nurture your creativity and finding a little quiet time for yourself to knit whenever you can.
It’s all about relaxing, having fun, and not taking the process of gift knitting too seriously.
Yes, we’ll have a KAL with prizes at the end (extending into the New Year), but it’s more than okay to go at your own pace.
I’ll be announcing a Knitvent Giveaway on Instagram and Ravelry soon. If you’ve joined the Curious Crew keep an eye on your inbox. If not then head to the the Curious Handmade Ravelry group and @curioushandmade to learn how to enter!
I hope this post has answered some of your questions and if you have any other questions, please get in touch! You can send me an email to support@curioushandmade.com or just post in the Ravelry group and one of the Curious Crew is sure to respond with help.
Knitvent 2022 Presale on Ravelry
Knitvent 2022 Presale on Gumroad
