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An Update on the Stitches/XRX Story

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Recently I shared the news that XRX, the company behind the Stitches live and virtual events, had announced it would be filing for bankruptcy and was canceling all events. So far the actual filing doesn’t seem to have happened, and a search of the South Dakota Secretary of State’s website shows that XRX, Inc. is still in good standing, with its next annual filing due in June (the last one was filed June 17, 2022). The statement on their website says the company is “in the process of being dissolved” and that they are working with an as-yet unnamed bankruptcy attorney who should be contacted by creditors.

A virtual Stitches event wrapped up the day before the announcement that future Stitches events would not move forward and  teachers were not paid for those classes. There was also a virtual event happening in June that students have already paid for and teachers will not be paid for.

The next in-person event was slated for Minneapolis in August, so there are lots of victims here, including:

  • teachers who were planning classes, bought supplies, paid for travel and were expecting to be paid for the event
  • yarn companies big and small and other vendors planning to attend who might have paid for travel and who now have excess inventory without a place they were counting on to sell
  • students and others planning to attend who are out registration fees and travel expenses

While some travel expenses can be cancelled this far in advance without too much of a penalty, the main issue for students and others who wanted to attend the event is the registration fee, which likely would never be repaid by XRX.

There have been reports in the Screwed by Stitches Facebook group of people successfully getting chargebacks on their credit cards for these expenses. Even if the purchase was made outside the regular window for claims, it’s worth giving it a try because some credit card companies have been willing to consider the transaction date as being the date of the event rather than when the charge was made.

In that same group you will find lists of teachers and vendors who were scheduled to attend Stitches Midwest if you want to support them. I mentioned this in the first post, but if you are a vendor or teacher who has lost income from planned Stitches events that now aren’t happening, Knitty is offering free ads, and that’s another place the rest of us can go to support these members of our community.

LessonFace is offering reduced fees for teachers through August for those who would have been teaching at Stitches events and would like to use their platform. The offer is good on up to three three-hour sessions per teacher.

Jill Wolcott also has some great general advice on what to do when things go topsy turvy in the industry.

I’ll continue to update this story as there is more to tell.

Comments

  1. I am wondering if I should worry about my personal data, on the online account I had with Stitches.

Have you read?

Book Review: Knitted Safari Friends – 20 Adorable Animals to Make

If you have a weakness for knitted animals wearing tiny clothes, Knitted Safari Friends by Sarah Keen is going to be very difficult to resist.

This colourful collection includes 20 safari and savannah animals to knit, including a lion, tiger, elephant, flamingo, hippo, crocodile, rhinoceros, zebra and giraffe.

And yes, many of them have their own little outfits.

The lion in purple overalls is probably enough to sell me on the whole book.

Cute Animals With Plenty of Personality

What I like about this collection is that the animals are clearly designed as characters rather than realistic wildlife models.

They are bright, friendly and a little quirky, which makes them particularly appealing as handmade gifts for children or animal-loving adults.

Looking at the sample pages, the hippo and flamingo patterns have a cheerful illustrated layout, with the finished animals shown in little safari scenes alongside the practical pattern information.

There is also plenty of variety in the shapes, which means you aren’t simply knitting the same basic body 20 times and changing the ears.

If knitted animals with interchangeable clothes are already your thing, have a look at our Knitted Wild Animal Friends book review. That collection includes elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras and other animals with an entire wardrobe of tiny knitted clothing.

Is Knitted Safari Friends Beginner Friendly?

The publisher describes the patterns as easy to follow, and the book includes a techniques section, abbreviations and knitting conversions to help you through the projects.

I would still put this more in the confident beginner to intermediate category rather than recommending it as someone’s very first knitting project.

Toy knitting usually involves shaping, joining pieces, stuffing and finishing neatly, and that finishing stage can sometimes take almost as long as the knitting itself.

Ask anyone who has ever had a finished knitted animal sitting in pieces on the craft table for three weeks waiting for its legs to be sewn on.

For knitters who are still learning the basics of toy making, our Knitted Amigurumi Animal Friends review is another useful option, with smaller animals and simple clothing pieces.

A Great Gift Knitting Book

These would make lovely handmade gifts for children, particularly if you matched the animal to their favourite safari creature.

You could also knit several of them together as a nursery display or create your own little safari collection.

The clothes and accessories add another level of fun, too. Once you’ve knitted an elephant, there is something wonderfully satisfying about then deciding what that elephant ought to wear.

Apparently this is where my crafting priorities are now.

My Take

I think Knitted Safari Friends is one of those books that you buy intending to make one project and then immediately start planning an entire knitted zoo.

The bright colours, cute facial expressions and tiny outfits give the animals loads of personality, while the variety of creatures should keep the knitting interesting.

Sarah Keen has been designing knitted toys for years, and that experience shows in the way these animals have been turned into characters rather than simply miniature versions of real wildlife.

If you enjoy toy knitting, handmade gifts or anything involving animals in overalls, this one is definitely worth a look.

Knitted Safari Friends: 20 Adorable Animals to Make is written by Sarah Keen and published by GMC Publications. It was released on April 21, 2026, with a listed RRP of $26.99.