A little birthday celebration, just for us 🎂

My birthday is coming up on June 4th, and I'd love to celebrate it with you.

From June 2nd through June 5th, enjoy 40% off all my patterns (guess how old I am 🤗). You can use it on my website or on Ravelry. Treat yourself to something you have been eyeing.

Use code: (only for Esenotes subscribers) 

🙏 I also have a tiny favour to ask. Can you save a few of my patterns to your Ravelry favourites? ♥️

Because when a pattern gets more favourites, Ravelry is more likely to recommend it to other knitters. That means more adventurous beginners can discover it, knit their first garments, and hopefully gain the confidence to keep going.

If you are not on Ravelry yet, registration is free and takes a minute or two. It is the biggest knitting platform in the world. Come join us!

*****

Every comment, every like, every YouTube view, and every recommendation to a friend means more than you probably realise.

And recently I found out that some of you are organising KALs around my patterns. Honestly, I still can't quite believe it.

When I started designing, I thought I was simply making knitting patterns. I never imagined I would become part of such a wonderful community.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ♥️

As you might know, for the last three months I have been working on a new summer top. I want it to be our first true lace project for adventurous beginners. And it keeps fighting me.

I have restarted it more times than I can count. But I do not want us to knit something just for the sake of knitting it. I want you to finish it, put it on, look in the mirror, and feel proud. And then actually want to wear it.

That is why I keep tweaking the armholes, adjusting proportions, and rethinking details most people would never notice.

*****

Somewhere along the way, designing stopped feeling like creating products and started feeling like making something for a friend.

I am no longer just thinking about the finished garment. I am thinking about your knitting experience. Where you might get stuck, what mistakes I can help you avoid, how the garment will fit, whether it will be comfortable to wear, and even where you might find the yarn.

Your emails, your photos, your kindness, and your enthusiasm for learning new things make me want to do better every single time.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for trusting me with your knitting journey. And thank you for making these last few years far more meaningful than I ever expected. ☺️

One more thing before I go.

A few days ago I published my very first conversational vlog. English is not my native language, and for years I hid behind tutorials and carefully prepared scripts.

This was the first time I simply sat down in a botanical garden, turned on the camera, and started talking.

Just five minutes. Still plenty of mistakes. But for the first time, I felt free from that sticky fear of speaking in front of a camera.

If you haven't seen it yet, I would love for you to watch it and leave a comment about what you think about summer knits.

 

Warmly,

Julia Piro

Knitwear Designer & Esenotes Curator