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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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Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.