Saying Goodbye to Miette and Introducing Crumb

Miette is retiring! This may come as a surprise, but I’ve been planning it for a few years. At the end of this year, December 31, 2018, Miette will no longer be available for download. I’m sure that will be disappointing for some of you, and that’s why I wanted to provide plenty of notice and more importantly, a replacement. More on that later.

There are two large reasons that I’m retiring Miette. The first is fit. Miette comes in an extremely limited size range, which I wasn’t happy about even at the time that I released it! Raglans are trickier to grade than you might think, and a large gauge with big motifs adds even more of a challenge. Making Miette available in a full range of sizes was harder than making Agatha work for a full range of sizes, and one sweater is a lot more complicated looking than the other! Not only did Miette come in a limited range, but the fit was based more on my own 20-year-old body type than standard/average body types, so it had quirks like extremely high “darts” that didn’t fit well on many people who knit it without modifications.

The second reason is pattern support. Miette is my primary source of pattern support work, through no fault of the pattern, and it’s also my primary source of hostility and rudeness from knitters. You’ll have to take my word for it because every time I write more detail here, I sound as bitter as I was feeling before I decided to start working on Miette’s retirement, so I’ll just say that after December 31, 2018, I will no longer be answering questions, comments, or emails about Miette, and we can move on to a nicer topic.

I’d never want to deprive you of a sweet, scalloped, cropped cardigan, so at the same time that I’m announcing Miette’s retirement, I’m introducing its replacement, Crumb! Crumb has the same look as Miette, with eyelet scallops, a fitted cropped body, and ¾-length sleeves, but it’s vastly improved. You get a full range of sizes, from XS to 3X! That weird uneven scallop at the neckline is gone! There’s side shaping that begins at a more standard point! The sleeves are seamless set-in sleeves! The stitch patterns include both charted and written version! It’s just a better pattern.

Crumb is knit in Hazel Knits Cadence on US 8 / 5 mm needles, but other worsted weight wools are easily substitutable. To ease your sadness over losing Miette and to give petite and plus-sized knitters the same delight I was able to offer Miette knitters, I’m making Crumb free to Untangling Knots newsletter subscribers through December 31, 2018. Current newsletter subscribers will have received a download code already, and new subscribers will get a PDF download within 24 hours of subscribing. Please be aware that new subscribers will not have the pattern available in their Ravelry library unless they purchase it. Regardless of how you get the pattern, don’t forget to add Crumb to your Ravelry queue!

My hope is that Crumb will provide as much happiness as I know that Miette did. Miette was a wonderful way to kickstart my knitting career, but it’s time for it to retire, and I’m glad to be able to give it a fond farewell this year.


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Comments

31 responses to “Saying Goodbye to Miette and Introducing Crumb”

  1. Thanks Andi! Just subscribed and look forward to receiving Crumb. The Miette is one of the patterns of yours I haven’t yet done. I like to alter the patterns to fit my shape and I could not figure out how to alter the Raglan neckline. I look forward to making Crumb with a set in sleeve.

    1. It’s probably obvious that seamless set-in sleeves are my favorite, but the ease with which you can modify them without having to recalculate a ton is one of many reasons why I love them.

  2. What a joy to know about this new standard! Andi, Miette was the first pattern I knit after a long time without knitting anything. After him I fell in love with knitting again. Thank you so much for making Crumb available. I look forward to starting to do so. I love all your standards, but Miette will always have a special place in my heart.

  3. Sandra Mailing

    I have it saved but does that mean I should print it out?

    1. It’s up to you! If physical backups work better for you than digital backups, go for it.

  4. Good for you! I love to see makers/dyers/designers take things in the direction that they see fits them best. This is a lovely sweater! I’ve been on the fence about Miette, so now Crumb is right up there on my queue 🙂

  5. Sue

    Thank you! I have had Miette in my queue for a long time whilst I tried to decide if I could adapt it to fit. Now, I don’t have to. This is so generous of you and I am really looking forward to receiving Crumb. I’m off yarn shopping now

    1. Yay! I’m so happy that more people will be able to knit their own size.

  6. Patricia Bentley

    I love the Miette, have about 8 in various colours. I’m looking forward to knitting crumb. I’m a subscriber but don’t see any code anywhere. How can I get Crumb?

    1. If you used the same email address as you used for this comment, you’re not subscribed to the newsletter. You are set up to receive blog posts via email to that email address, but that’s separate from the newsletters.

      You can sign up in through the newsletter link in this blog post or through the form on the homepage of this site.

  7. Karen Bond

    I loved Miette. And I know that I will love Crumb. What I don’t love is the unnecessary rudeness of some people. Thankfully the majority of the knitters I know are truly lovely people. Thanks for the subscription freebie, and I look forward to downloading and knitting many a Crumb in my future. I have recently bought a beautiful navy dress with huge cream and coral flowers on it – so now I need to search for the perfect coral coloured yarn <3

    1. The number of kind people certainly outweigh the rude ones, but most people only take the time to email the designer if they have a problem or complaint, so widely available free patterns can be a bit demoralizing.

  8. Christine

    Hi Andi,
    I am one of your newsletter subscribers and have received the newsletter with title “New Untangling Knots Post – Saying Goodbye to Miette and Introducing Crumb” today, but have not received a download code as you describe in your review of Crumb. Could you kindly check on that please?
    Thank you, Christine

    1. It sounds like you’re not a newsletter subscriber and are simply receiving blog posts via email. The newsletter is separate from that feature.

      1. Christine

        Thank you, Andi! It worked now and the download arrived immediately after subscribing. I loved knitting the “Miette” and will certainly enjoy knitting “Crumb”.

  9. Linda

    I have to laugh because I unknowingly took on a lot when I altered Miette’s raglan sleeves! Ignorance is bliss. I loved knitting Miette and I will love knitting Crumb. Thank you very much for your generosity!

  10. Inger Carina

    I want to thank you a thousand times for your wonderful work with Miette! The cardigan have a perfect fit for me in size 38! I have knitted 8 Miettes and use them all the time 🙂 Love the new Crumb! So beautiful! Maybe I’ll knit eight more 😀

  11. Cheryl Stern

    YIppee Skippee!!! I have to say that I really like the look of Miette, but raglans are not my friend. My first sweater was a raglan, which lived only for a short period of time before becoming a capelette that serves my needs much better. I have looked longingly at Miette, realizing that I have stash yarn that will work very well, and knowing that it would not work for me. I look forward to making the new version called Crumb. Very sorry that you have had to experience negative vibes from folks using your designs. Keeping things positive is better for everyone. Good decision.

  12. Kjozsa

    Bravo Andi! How cool is it to be at a point where you’re going back & fine tuning things! I’m really excited to sign up for your newsletter and check it out! And yeah I totally don’t know why I wasn’t already signed up…? Major oversight on my part.

  13. Crumb grabbed my Heart sat first sight.

    I have just the right yarn for Crumb – a gorgeous Glazed Carrot color.

    Can’t wait to get my needles into this ! ! ! ! ! !

  14. Pam Speak

    I love the Miette pattern but I’m not good enough at altering patterns to fit my giant bosom to get it to fit, the small is too small the medium fits my waist but not my boobs and large was too large. I loved knitting it but yeah it was sad to make it and then it not fit.

    Look forward to creating the Crumb.

  15. Margot Robartes

    I’m looking forward to receiving Crumb. It’s very pretty and I plan to knit it for myself.
    Thank you so much.
    Warmest Regards
    Margot

  16. Hi Andi, what a great idea to launch Crumb.
    But what’s more important for me to let you know: Miette had a place in my heart for years because that design and your blog turned me to restart knitting after a long time. It taught me to try my first top/down knitting ever( we Germans more did the method to knit front and back and sleeves and then sew them together). I knitted several Miettes like beeing in an intoxication. None of them fitted perfectly, but I loved them all and wore them a lot with joy!
    And I’m so sorry you experienced rudeness and bad vibes from knitters. You didn’t deserve such bad behaviour!
    Now I’m looking forward knitting Crumb!
    Please, don’t stop blogging and designing.
    Warmest regards Dodo

  17. Susan Allison

    Thankyou so much for my free Crumb pattern. I love the cropped cardis as I am small in height.Keep up your wonderful work and don’t be disheartened by the few who criticised.It is they that have the problem not you.Sad really.Thanyou again.Susan.xxx

    1. The pattern wasn’t really criticized. Most of the unpleasantness came from knitters who needed help because they were unfamiliar with the techniques in the pattern who were unhappy about admitting that they needed help or who were unhappy with my unwillingness to rewrite the pattern to their taste.

  18. Judy Phillips

    It’s very generous of you to share your new and improved pattern with us. I am sorry that you received so much grief over Miette, though! I’m sure the new pattern will reflect your growth as a designer and willingness to listen to your audience. Positive feedback is one thing, but bile is completely unnecessary!

  19. My version of your Miette pattern was the first post on my blog 5 years ago! It was my first top-down and seamless knit and it re-ignited my passion for knitting. So thank you for making it available for free. I have also made a chuck sweater, a Hortencia and a Myrna! Thank you for

  20. What a wonderful way to free yourself (and us) from cumbersumness (this is not a word, I’m not English, hopefully you know what I mean to say) because nobody needs that. I LOVE quality in design and I LOVE that you made this decision and why and how you go about this. It made me subscribe to your newslettre and join the seamless-cardi-KAL. Thank you and hello. Anna

  21. barb

    I did not realize the problems you had with Miette but, I’d like you to know that it was a pleasure for me to knit. I am a new follower (although I found Miette a long time ago) and I love all of your designs. I am subscribing to your newsletter and thank you for your hard work!
    barb

  22. meredith

    wow, I definitely knit a Miette almost 10 years ago before I learned that raglans aren’t my fav. It was never my best fitting sweater, but it was one of the first sweaters I ever knit and I loved it anyway! Thanks for being there in my early years of knitting, and I’m so glad to see you’re still designing! (I fell out of knitting for awhile, but I’m getting back in again.) My Miette is long gone, but I might have to knit a Crumb this time around!

  23. Hannah

    I loved the Miette cardigan I’m onto my second one now!

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