New! Improved! Redesigned!

Lookee lookee! David, the web design wizard and layout guru half of Family Trunk Project, has been working his tail off for the past few weeks, and we're both super-excited to reveal the results: a subtle, yet lovely site redesign! Take a look around. Things are tidier, prettier, and generally more agreeable. Features include:

• A new All Patterns page!
  

  This is what kicked off the redesign; since we're about to release a series of patterns that aren't based on my family members, we needed a place where a person can browse through them all with ease. Plus, there are getting to be enough designs now that a place where they're all displayed and organized by category (tops, socks, and accessories) is a huge benefit. The All Patterns page also features our new scale of difficulty, an idea to which I've been bullheadedly resistant, but one whose time has come. David came up with the three tiers (relaxing, engaging, and engrossing), which I loved for being less intimidating than the traditional easy/intermediate/advanced. You can see that there's more of an explanation up there on the right, and each design is displayed with a level of difficulty, along with an image, name, and price.

• A fancy new front page!
  

  The new front page design features a little quirk I think is just about the coolest thing: see those family photos making up the top banner? Refresh the page, and you'll get a different, randomly-selected assortment. Do not ask how much time I've spent refreshing the page in order to see the different combinations. (This same randomized mechanism is also at work on the banners displayed on the All Patterns page - more refreshing fun!) The new front page also has a generally cleaner look and feel, with easier navigation, which is more consistent throughout the site.

• New designs and addresses on individual pattern pages!
  

  In addition to a cleaner look on the individual pattern pages, there are a number of practical improvements. We're back to having a shopping cart, so you can do either one-click buying (with the "Buy Now" button), or add patterns to your cart and continue shopping. I know this feature is especially convenient for international customers; we're happy to have it back up and working properly. (Technical note: if you have disabled JavaScript on your browser, the Ravelry Store will not work. If you don't know what this means, and you are having trouble buying our patterns - or any other trouble with the site - please email david@familytrunkproject.com.) Also, both vintage and modern photographs on all pattern pages are now clickable for a larger popup version, and the "Pattern Info" sections have all been expanded to include a new Necessary Techniques heading, so you'll have a good idea what's involved in making a given pattern before you buy. Each pattern page also features that pattern's level of difficulty, with a link to an explanation. Finally, we took this opportunity to update or create pattern pages for the free (Knitty-published) designs: check out the new Marjorie and Garden Gate Socks pages!

  You may notice that the link structure has been simplified as well: typing "familytrunkproject.com/patternname" should now get you to the pattern you're looking for. Don't worry, though; all the old links and bookmarks should still work.
  

There's even more to come, including an update of the blog design that will match the new front page, and perhaps even some Mr. Bingley-related easter eggs. We will also, in the near future, be featuring a heartfelt plea from David to on a subject very near his heart. We both hope you like the new improvements, and find them helpful in getting around and appreciating the patterns!