Kephren Pritchett

Tag: Blog

  • Welcome!

    Welcome!

    In 2014 I launched kephrenknittingstudio.com. I was just beginning to write my knit designs into patterns and I needed a home on the web to promote my work. Later, I added my tech editing services page to connect with my tech editing clients as that side of my business grew. Over the years I blogged about my design work and knitting techniques for both knitters and designers, but for the last few years I have felt constrained by my old website. I want my new website to encompass more of my creative interests, including knitting and sewing my clothes, writing, and photography, but I also want it to reflect my values in sustainable fashion and mental health.

    In 2022 I published my last knitting pattern, the Dappled Sky pullover. The knitting pattern publishing business is always changing, and in the last few years many knitting magazines and print publishers have shut down. When I started designing it was always with the goal of learning the industry from the knit designer’s perspective in order to become a better tech editor. With the current changes in the industry I have decided to focus on tech editing and leave designing to my clients.

    In 2022 I started renting my studio space at The Art Garage in Green Bay. Kephren Knitting Studio had always been a virtual space, but with my new interest in sewing I needed more room to work and to store my supplies. Renting my space also supports a local nonprofit that gives artists a way to display their work and makes art classes available to the community. For the first year I was there I focused on learning to sew clothes for myself using simple patterns and discounted fabric. Then in 2023 I started experimenting with upcycling–salvaging fabric from thrifted clothes and altering patterns to get the exact shape and fit that I want. I am excited to share my creations on this new blog!

    In 2023 I went back to college. In the early 2000s I had started a BA in Linguistics, but because of my mental health I had to drop out before I finishing it. I started thinking about college again in 2021 when I was diagnosed with PTSD and finally started to get the mental healthcare I needed. When the local university added a technical and professional writing emphasis to their BFA program in writing I was sold. I started taking classes in Summer of 2023 and I expect to graduate with a BFA in Writing and Applied Arts, with an emphasis in Professional and Technical Writing in Spring of 2025.

    I am excited to share all my new adventures in photography, writing, knitting, and sewing on this blog, and to hear about yours as well!

    Thank you for reading.

  • So Long 2020, Better Luck Next Year

    So Long 2020, Better Luck Next Year

    Hello Again! It has been a long time since I posted anything on the blog. I have a dozen draft posts that I would like to finish and share with you, but it has been such a difficult year, I feel like I need to acknowledge everything that has happened before I go back to knitting as usual.

    Three hand-knit dolls stand next to a small garden.

    I lost two very important people this year. The first was my Aunt, she died on January 1st 2020 after a long illness. Of course I miss her terribly. She was always the first person I would call with good news, or if I just needed to talk. She collected all of the magazines I had designs published in, even though she didn’t knit, and she always read new posts on the blog. She was the photographer of the picture above and the recipient of many hand-knits. I have been getting used to not having her in my life anymore, but I’m glad she was.

    A close up of a tabby cat looking directly at the camera.

    In November my cat Roy died. He was an old man and had been suffering from the effects of old age most of this year.

    A tabby cat sitting on a wool cowl in shades of brown and white.

    He loved to sit on my lap while I was knitting, and he always inspected my wooly creations while they were blocking.

    A tabby cat with green eyes lying in green grass.

    When I was learning to improve my photography skills he was often a patient and photogenic model.

    A tabby cat wearing a knitted lace shawl lying a tile floor.

    Then, of course, there is the pandemic. In the US the lack of empathy and understanding during a difficult and divisive time has exposed and exasperated a disregard for science, government failure, wealth inequality, systemic racism, and environmental destruction. Under the weight of all these issues, I didn’t really feel like talking about knitting this year. I know that things won’t magically change with the start of a new year, but I am still looking forward to the end of 2020, and the changes I plan to make in 2021. I hope you’ll stick around for more knitting.

    Side view of a tabby cat lying on a bed with a blurred background.