Fantasy Art Scarves, Road Construction, New Prints, and Patreon!

Sorry this blog is so late! The last two weeks got a bit crazy, what with Memorial Day and the Winged Wolf pattern release.

Speaking of, here is the monster in all it's glory! This thing is huge, and took nearly twice the amount of time it was supposed to because of slippery yarn, but it was totally worth it.

Winged Wolf is the first pattern of the Fantasy Art Knits eBook, with new patterns releasing every 1-2 months. So far, these are the planned releases (subject to change upon the creator's whim ;) ~

• Winged Wolf
• Dragon Koi
• Kitsune
• Yggdrasil
• Ouroboros
• Winged Snow Leopard
• Snow Lion
• Peryton

I've been working on a few other projects, especially around the house now that we're out of freezing territory (yes, it did actually take until the end of May for that to happen. Now we're happily sitting in the 80's). First, I had two Artist Trading Card Illustrations to create for Patreon backers James and Michael. I got my first set of honest to goodness art markers, and they are amazing. These cards go out to all of my Patreon backers who pledge $15 or more each month, so if you want one of your own drop over to my Patreon Page! 

Don't they look like troublemakers?

Detail shot of dragon 1

Detail shot of dragon 2

Speaking of Patreon, we officially hit Milestone Goal #1, and all my basic monthly supplies are now covered! Thanks much to my wonderful backers :D We're only $8 away from hitting goal #2, which will cover the creation of a new scarf each month along with basic art supplies. 

I just got in a batch of new prints, including a run of A Dream of Flame and Fury prints. I finally got my 12" x 18" print. I'll be posting pictures after I mat it, but it looks amazing. I also got new prints of Vicious Sun and Suntouched. They didn't photograph well, but they look awesome. I may be addicted to metallic photo paper...

Shiny new pictures!

I may also be addicted to Coleus. I went out yesterday and ended up buying 8 small plants for a giant pot. Black Dragon Coleus is just too pretty. I can't wait to see this pot fill out!

Aren't they so pretty?

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. I promised on my Ravelry Group Epic Knits that I would post a sneak peek of my secret project. So, here it is (still not saying what it is, though ;) ).

Don't forget, if you back my Patreon you'll get full insider access to more secret projects like this! This includes additional photos of WIPs and screenshots of charts, plus the chance to win copies of patterns (and lots more stuff, like prints and finished knit pieces). I'll even tell you what this project is going to become ;)

I've also got the next of the Uncommon Dragons scarves going, that should release early next week, and I'm in the process of charting out the Dragon Koi (which is going to take a while. This is one very complex chart!).

Oh, and we have lots of road construction going on in our neighborhood. Here's a picture of a guy in a really big piece of machinery rolling down our hill while looking at something on his cell phone. Enjoy!

Patreon, New Moderator Status, and a whole lotta seedlings!

We're finally starting to see a little bit of spring in the air. The trees are budding, all my seedlings are sprouting, and construction has already on our road. It's going to be an interesting summer with the roads around our house getting completely ripped up and redone.

At least I have pretty green things growing inside!

I've been hard at work on the first of the Fantasy Art Scarves series, the Winged Wolf. I ended up pinching a nerve in my hand, so I had to take a few days off to rest up and dive back in! About 1/5th the way done, I'm hoping I'll have it finished by the end of next week (barring any other hand failures).

Now for something a bit different. If you've followed me on any of my blogs or social media sources, you know that I've been trying to do a Kickstarter for a while. I've wanted to Kickstart a few different projects, mainly books or illustration series. However, a new crowdfunding platform called Patreon recently opened up. Patreon is a bit different in that it is not a lump donation towards a single project, but instead allows for month donations to give the creator ongoing funds for smaller projects. This is perfect for me, as I'm doing a lot of knitting patterns and illustrations while still working on the 15 or so books I've laid out. The funds I raise through Patreon will go towards supplies, mainly yarn and art supplies such as pencils, markers, and paper.

You can sign up to give as little as a $2 monthly donation to get behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at what I'm creating, including progress on work in progress charts. Higher tiers equal more rewards, including dragon illustrations, art prints, the chance to vote on upcoming projects, and raffles for free patterns and finished knitted pieces.

Check out my Patreon page here - http://www.patreon.com/TaniaRichter 

Phoenixes, phoenixes everywhere!

The rainy days continue here. We've had a few times where it has looked like the sun might peek through, but for the last week we've had rain, sleet, and even some snow. Oh spring, you were good while you lasted...

In other news, as thanks for the Daily Deviation my Rise from the Ashes shawl received, I made up a little pattern that works well as a wall hanging! This guy is free through the weekend using coupon code MayPhoenix!

Mini Phoenix!

Isn't he cute?

Still working on the secret project, I may have some more updates on that in the coming weeks. I do have the first of the Fantasy Art Scarf series underway, I'm hoping to have that knit sometime in the next couple of weeks. Here's a sneak peak of the Winged Wolf scarf and my second Rise from the Ashes shawl.

So much knitting to do...

The Skoll MKAL will have its second clue released tomorrow. Pointillism in knitting is a pain in the bum, but so worth it.