Vintage Knitting, Retro Dressmaking, Make do and Mend, Original and Vintage Inspired Knitting Patterns, Vintage Inspired books

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Exciting news and how to help A Stitch in Time Vol1 stay on the book shelves!

Five years ago Gavin and I took the decision to self publish A Stitch in Time, Volume 1.  This knitting treasury and vintage pattern archive with 59 patterns and over 300 pages is not a book that a traditional publisher would take on. Self publishing always takes a lot of hard work, dedication, endurance and funds. With a book of the scale of A Stitch in Time it takes even more of all of these things. This is a book that hasn’t been constrained by a publisher's need for high profits, but is a collection that has been created with passion and sincerity, to be treasured and loved. The two Favourite Things blog posts have reminded me just how incredible the designs are in the book and how much A Stitch in Time means to me. 




What makes A Stitch in Time so special?

Contains 59 original patterns from 1920-1949 reproduced, digitally enhanced & saved 
Rewritten and updated versions of every pattern 
Sympathetically multi-sized to retain the true vintage look
Beautifully photographed with authentic vintage styling
Up-dated yarn requirements for each pattern
Includes sizes from 30 to 60 inches
Chronologically arranged 
A wealth of information about the changing styles
Top tips for vintage knitting


A Stitch in Time Volume 1 is now completely out of stock, however I'm delighted to announce the availability of an e-book version of this modern classic. The e-book is available for only £20 and full details of how to purchase it are available below. 

Whilst the print version is unavailable to purchase, work is already in progress to make the following improvements and enhancements: 

Extended size ranges on some of the most popular patterns
Up-dated yarn requirements including newly available yarns
Pattern errata corrected throughout
Improved garment schematics 
Additional charted instructions
Extensive re-editing
Improved layout
Additional technical know how pages
Bonus Pattern

If you buy the e-book now you will automatically receive the updated e-book on its completion. 

I have continued to self publish and self fund this book along with A Stitch in Time Volume 2 and two other knitting books for the last four years but now find that the harsh realities of the economy at present are making it particularly difficult to re-print Volume 1 for what would be its fourth print run. To make the print book affordable to potential purchasers it is necessary to print a sizeable quantity of books at once. Print on demand providers such as Createspace do not unfortunately work for a book of this size. 

I have also decided to no longer supply Amazon with our books due to the heavy discounts that they demand. Although this decision helps independent retailers by stabilizing the book’s price, it does have implications for me as a business. But with your assistance I can break away from this restrictive business model.

In order to get the book back into print I need to be sure of enough sales before I can commit to a print run. I need to reach a target of 500 pre-orders, in order to arrange for an updated edition of the book to be printed. In addition to the improvements already mentioned, the new version of the book will have a hard back cover, as requested by many of you (and by me!). Also included in the print version of the book will be a thank you page listing the names of all pre-order customers of the print book.

So how can you help?

After months of discussions, sleepless nights and days hunched over a calculator, I have put together three purchasing options available for Volume 1, which are: 

1: E-book only

You can now purchase the e-book version of Volume 1. Complete with live links and a new yarn substitution guide the e-book contains all 59 patterns and historical information that is included in the current version of the print book. You will also receive the updated version of the e-book as soon as it becomes available.

You can receive the e-book immediately for only £20

Buy now

This link will take you directly to my ravelry page to make your purchase. You do not need to be a member of ravelry to do so. You will receive your download link immediately after your purchase and your work is done. This is a very large e-book and is divided into three separate files of approximately 45MB each. 

2: Print Pre-order plus e-book discounted package

However, to ensure A Stitch in Time Volume 1 is back on book shelves where it belongs you can instead opt for the print pre-order and e-book package. 

In addition to the e-book purchase as described above you will also receive a signed and numbered copy of the revised and updated printed edition once our pre-order target has been met (see terms and conditions below). Most exciting of all, the book will have a hardback cover, making it the perfect companion to Volume 2. You will also receive the updated version of the e-book as soon as it becomes available.

You can purchase the print pre-order plus e-book package for only £40 (+ postage & packing).*

Please note that you will receive a download link to the current e-book within 24 hours.


3: Print Book only 

If you prefer, you can also pre-order the hardback copy of the revised version of A Stitch in Time Volume 1 without the digital package for only £30 (+ postage & packing).* 

Your book will also be signed and numbered but please note that it is not possible to upgrade to the print and e-book package at a later date. 


If you a retailer interested in pre-ordering A Stitch in Time Volume 1 for your store please contact me at wholesale@susancrawfordvintage.com for details.

Finally there are some terms and conditions listed below to help make the purchasing process as transparent as possible:

You will receive an order confirmation of your purchase. It is important to keep this in a safe place as your order number is required for any potential query.

It is your responsibility to advise us of any address or email changes by contacting us on sales@susancrawfordvintage.com 

* Full details of our postage costs can be seen on our website - see www.knitonthenet-shop.com

If pre-order sales have not reached our target by 1st March 2014 you will receive a refund of the print book part of your order + postage and packing costs (For print and e-book combination print book cost is £20). Please note this is our target date for receiving sufficient orders to go to print. This is not the anticipated publication date. This could be either earlier or later than this date depending on sales progress. You will be kept up to date of developments as and when they occur.

The enhanced and updated e-book version will be released on completion regardless of print pre-order progress.

I hope the options are all clear. Its been a pretty lengthy process trying to sort out the best way to explain the choices available but hopefully it all makes sense! I know many of you love volume 1 as much as I do and I hope that this slightly unusual approach to re-publication will ensure that it stays on our bookshelves for years to come.

for now 
Ruby xx

4 comments :

Jennie said...

I have a (paper) copy of both Stitch in Time books and I love them both. I was wondering though, I'm sure I saw mention online somewhere of a vintage Shetland knitting book, is there truth in this? Also, not to sound too cheeky, but will there be a Stitch in Time 3? Just thinking about what I can pop onto my Christmas present wish list :)

Just call me Ruby said...

Hi Jennie, yes there is a Vintage Shetland book project coming around October - this will be a smaller book than the Stitch in Time books -which I'm working on at the moment. I'll be sharing more about that in thd next few months. Also I won't say there won't be a Stitch in Time 3 but it won't be for some time yet!

Anonymous said...

I have the eBook version of Stitch in Time Volume 2 and just love it! The patterns are fantastic and your passion for knitting comes shining through :) I'm currently knitting the Jan Sweater in pretty lavender wool. It's because of your book that I decided to try working with fingering weight yarns - something that always intimidated me.

Keep up the great work!!

Deborah Robson said...

While supporting this isn't really in my budget right now, I'm doing it anyway. Part of it's for the book, yes.

And a lot of it's for your clear-sighted and creative way out of what is a harsh corner created by current publishing realities. You've come up with an excellent idea, explained it thoroughly, and all I can say is BRAVO and throw my hat in your ring, both for your sake and for all of us who are determined to do good, independent work with integrity.

Again, BRAVO!