What is Payhip anyway?

Wishing and Hoping Baby blanket

As more designers are chosing to explore platforms other than Ravelry you might have noticed Payhip being mentioned more and more. It is certainly a popular platform among those designers taking part in this years FastenOff Yarnalong. It’s become my top choice for selling digital downloads as it’s so quick and easy to set up - plus it takes care of the EU VAT issue which is an absolute must for me. The platform is extremely user friendly but as with anything new, it can seem a little unfamiliar at first so I thought I would jot down a few helpful pointers to help you find your way around.

What is Payhip anyway?

First and foremost, it's a place you can buy digital products (also physical ones, should I ever have any). 

It works exactly the same as Ravelry from the purchasing perspective. You add a pattern to your cart, you enter your email address and then pay using PayPal with either a credit/debit card or a PayPal account. A download link to the pattern is then emailed to you.

A few things to note:

1. Payhip is not a marketplace like, say Etsy. You can't search it for knitting patterns. You'll need to know the URL for the designer you want to buy from - or search Google for the designer name plus Payhip.

2. Check out yarndatabase.com for an A to Z listing of designers who are selling using Payhip (and other non Rav platforms)

3. Payhip doesn't require you to sign in and doesn't hold your details. If you want to follow a particular designer tap the blue follow button in their profile. Then, when they upload a new pattern you'll get a notification. This single feature is probably my favourite - and is a distinct advantage over Ravelry.

4. As with Ravelry, you don't need a PayPal account to buy a pattern. You can use your credit or debit card through the PayPal site.

5. Payhip doesn't have a library function. The PDF is sent to you to store as you wish, which is generally good practice with any digital download. Even before the Ravelry issue I always donwloaded the file to my own storage rather than relying on the library function of another platform. I use Evernote to store mine as it's search function will find text even in images or PDFs so I don't need to worry about tagging

6. If you do want a copy of a pattern for your Ravelry library, please email me at the support address on the bottom of your pattern and I'll gift you a copy

I hope this helps answer your Payhip questions but please let me know if there's anything I've missed

Hats for humans - again

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

It’s that time of year when a certain smoothie brand (owned by Coca Cola) likes to indulge in a bit of PR fluff and invite people to knit tiny hats for plastic bottles that neither want or need a hat.

I’ve written about this before and why I generally prefer to knit hats for humans who need actual warmth, as opposed to plastic bottles that don’t - indeed the other year we had a Hats for Humans KAL which was great fun.

This year, time is a bit more limited but if the recent adverts for said knitted hats have got you thinking along the charity lines please do think about knitting for the fabulous Big Issue North who are asking for knitted items - hats, scarves etc - to distribute to people they are working with this winter. All items are gratefully received although they prefer natural/neutral colours if possible.

And if you are looking for a good basic beanie pattern you might like to know that I’ve recently added a free download to my ‘free patterns’ section here. It’s a basic hat knit in mistake rib and uses sock yarn held double - it knits up quickly and is ideal for using up some of those single skeins of sock yarn in your stash.

If you are looking for more suggestions on charity knitting you can find a comprehensive (and frequently updated) list over at The Knitting Goddess blog page.

Barn Door Cowl

Barn Door Cowl

Heavens, the last few weeks have been a bit full-on haven’t they?

I have to confess that I have been off line a little more than usual, trying to dissolve my anxieties with hot drinks, warm baths and my knitting. I’ve also been reading at a pace I don’t think I’ve managed since my teenage years. There’s something therapeutic about losing yourself in a good book - I’d quite forgotten how it can take you out of yourself and your worries and put you in a whole different mindset.

This cowl has been patiently awaiting publication for a few weeks now - it flew off the needles back in October and I’ve been wearing it pretty much constantly ever since.

It’s knit in DK yarn (the sample is Eden Cottage Yarns, Hayton DK) and 1 x 100g skein is sufficient for a single loop cowl.

It is knit in the round using a fun textured stitch - which is surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. I have included links to two short videos in the pattern though just so you can see where the yarn is supposed to go, when you get to the tricky bit.

In line with my policy of transitioning all pattern sales away from Ravelry, this pattern is available for purchase on Payhip. There is a pattern page up on Ravelry for this design but the purchasing link will take you across to Payhip. If you buy the pattern and would like a copy for your Ravelry library please do let me know and I can gift a copy to you.

What is Payhip anyway?

So what is Payhip anyway? I've had a few questions about what Payhip is and I realised that I probably haven't explained it very well.

So here's a few things that might help. First and foremost, it's a place you can buy digital products (also physical ones, should I ever have any).

It works exactly the same as Ravelry from the purchasing perspective. You add a pattern to your cart, you enter your email address and then pay using PayPal with either a credit/debit card or a PayPal account. A download link to the pattern is then emailed to you.

A few things to note:

1. Payhip is not a marketplace like, say Etsy. You can't search it for knitting patterns. You'll need to know the URL for the designer you want to buy from.

2. Check out yarndatabase.com for an A to Z listing of designers who are selling using Payhip (and other non Rav platforms)

3. Payhip doesn't require you to sign in and doesn't hold your details. If you want to follow a particular designer tap the blue follow button in their profile. Then, when they upload a new pattern you'll get a notification

4. As with Ravelry, you don't need a PayPal account to buy a pattern. You can use your credit or debit card through the PayPal site.

5. Payhip doesn't have a library function. The PDF is sent to you to store as you wish. I use Evernote to store mine as it's search function will find text even in images or PDFs so I don't need to worry about tagging

6. If you do want a copy of a pattern for your Ravelry library, please email me at the support address on the bottom of your pattern and I'll gift you a copy.

I hope this helps but please let me know if there's anything I've missed

You can find my Payhip store here

Time for a Socktober Sale

It seems like as good a time as any to have a Socktober sock sale. I haven’t managed to transfer all of my sock designs over onto Payhip yet, but all of those that are there are available with a 25% discount from now until the end of the month.

Just use code SOCKTOBER (don’t laugh, I don’t have the energy to come up with a cunning code today) and it applies to as many designs as you would like.

Thank you and happy sock knitting

xx

Tips for perfectly matched stripy socks

#SocktoberTips #2
Top tips for perfectly matching stripy socks - without the hassle of knitting 2 at a time

1. Wind yarn into 2 X 45g balls before you start - with 10g left for heels/toes. Or use 10g of contrast yarn.

2. I prefer to work toe-up as I find it easier to get a good match.

3. Work a short row heel to avoid longer rows (and thinner colour bands) over the heel. The Fish Lips Kiss heel works well.

4. If you like your socks to match perfectly look for indie dyers who sell matched 50g skeins - @muststashyarn is a favourite. And here in the UK Needle and Fred also offers this type of yarn as does Ripplescrafts, although they always teens to sell out very quickly