[ Modern ]

Jamie is back – WIJ update

There have been many questions in the Clan about how Season 1 will commence and the plan for Season 2 of Wrapped in Jamie.

If you are interested in these questions too, you will find some answers below.

Thank you...

I felt very blessed when a number of people raised their hands to become part of the new team, including two very experienced editors, and to have the support of people who tested my patterns and gave editing a go. My first and second main editors have encouraged and helped to introduce the new ‘Petranese’ and have worked tirelessly – even over the holidays – to help with the updates of the old squares to the new terminology. We tried to simplify the terms while including important placement information. I hope you find the terminology easy to adjust to.

...and good-bye

Heidrun and Iman have gone back to work on their own projects this year. I am grateful for everything I have learned during our time together and wish them all the best for their next endeavours. If you have not checked out their designs yet you certainly should.

Thank you for taking me under your wings and sharing your experience with me. I felt like standing on the shoulders of giants. 

Why the long break

The team spent most of the break last year with the update of the old patterns. In the process, we noticed a few real errors and some inconsistencies. Part of the updating process was to eliminate those. We also discovered a better way of explaining some of the special stitches, which we took into consideration for the ‘New Petranese’.

We were discussing whether it would make more sense to

  • update, translate and re-release the old patterns, then work on the new ones
  • keep the old ones as they are (for now) and write the next patterns in new Petranese
  • continue on writing the patterns in the old Petranese

While working as a team, it made sense to update and translate the old documents and patterns first and then continue with the new ones. This however took much more time than we first anticipated. The time difference between Europe / the US (the majority of the team) and Australia (me) was not always working in our favour either.

As the team got eventually smaller due to health, family, life or work load challenges, the chance of getting the patterns updated and translated within the desired time frame got more and more unlikely. 

When the break had already continued for longer than we had planned and than I was comfortable with, I was even more compelled to revert to my preferred option: continuing the CAL by way of releasing the next patterns, updating the old ones later or in between.

After people in the facebook group started to ‘suspect second agendas’ or were getting worried that the CAL would not continue at all, it was obvious that this had to be the way forward. 

Not continuing with or cancelling the rest of the CAL was never really an option for me. Though I will admit that I had my moments when the bullying, name calling, accusations and offensive pm’s began.

But I am not a quitter. Those who mind (without even knowing the ‘behind-the scenes’ challenges) don’t matter. Those who matter (my much loved flock, my valued clan, my treasured subscribers) don’t mind (and/or know the effort that is involved in such a project).

The plan for the rest of Season 1

Because the preparation of the patterns including editing is now mainly up to me and a few cherished testers, I can’t keep up the weekly releases. I had even considered to not call Wrapped in Jamie a ‘CAL’ anymore.

However, after a lot of consideration, I think it will be possible for me – with the support of my testers – to keep a 4-weekly schedule and therefore continue Wrapped in Jamie as a CAL. 

Season 1 Schedule

Square 7 – The Duel was released on the 2nd of February.
A (roughly) monthly release means we will finish the patterns in July with an outer border pattern for a 12-square project in August. 
The old patterns will be updated and released in ‘New Petranese’ in between the new patterns.

WIJ Season 2

Now that I have a better understanding of what it means to prepare a CAL, what people expect and what is involved, I will properly prepare everything of Season 2 – Claire, the other eight squares and the border for a 20-square project with or without Claire – before any of them are released.

This will give people the option to get a complete ‘Season 2 Pattern Bundle’ OR just single patterns. 

Emails

Some of you have not received any email updates, others received them twice. 

I have changed to a new provider now. They are offering great new features and I hope to be able to incorporate them soon. 

You will be able to choose whether you want to hear about ALL Black Sheep Crochet News or only selected ones. I hope will have it set up shortly.

I hope this answers the most frequently asked questions in regards to the continuation of Wrapped in Jamie. Feel free to send a message if anything is still unclear.