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Bluprint to Close Doors “Over the Next Few Months”

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The crafty class platform Bluprint, formerly known as Craftsy, has announced it will be shutting down soon.

In a blog post titled “Letter to Our Bluprint Customers,” John Levisay, the CEO of Bluprint, said that he is “devastated” by the news of the closing, which will happen “over the next few months.”

He noted that details are still being worked out as to when the site will close and how people who have purchased classes will be able to access them in the future.

For now, I wanted to let you know that we are looking at various options to allow those of you who have purchased individual classes to receive a copy of your classes. This includes individual classes purchased with own forever credits. We are also planning to issue prorated refunds for paid subscribers based on the last day our service will be available, which will be communicated when that date is finalized in the near future.

Craftsy launched in 2010 as a website devoted to craft classes, which over time came to encompass many different crafts, from knitting to cake decorating, sewing to photography. A majority stake in the company was purchased by NBCUniversal in 2017, at which time the name was changed to Bluprint.

The company’s model also changed from selling individual classes to a monthly membership and shorter, more project-based classes.

In a letter sent to instructors earlier in the week, Levisay said the company’s model was not sustainable in the current economic environment, as reported by the Craft Industry Alliance.

We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about how to access classes you might have purchased in the past (I know I have a lot!) or if individual instructors will be able to retain copyright of their classes to publish elsewhere.

Comments

  1. Amazing that I am reading this on this website as I am subscriber to Bluprint. I guessed something was going when they sent a messing in early April stating that “own forever” coupons were being discontinued as an annual member perk. I just now logged onto Bluprint and see the letter from the CEO. I think they have upset their annual members many of whom just enrolled in May. I believe they will find a way to provide to those members who have FOREVER CLASSES to download or other way to keep their purchases either by paying for individual classes or part of the ANNUAL fee. I loved Craftsy but have struggled with Bluprint. Like several quilting related businesses purchased by financial conglomerates, they have failed to understand that you can’t be everything to all. Well off to choose my classes in hopes they hold to their commitment that I have FOREVER classes. And download all my patterns!!!

  2. I haven’t seen an email come through about it yet but I am not an annual subscriber, I just bought individual classes back in the day. I saw something about it on Instagram first from an instructor, is why I went looking. I am definitely going to download all the patterns I can, but I also have instructional courses I would definitely not like to lose (photography and cooking, for instance).

  3. No big surprise. They took a good thing and “improved” it right out of business. Many of us are still looking for things that used to appear on Craftsy.

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Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.