Hey all! Just a quick update post real quick to get a few things out there.
First of all, welcome to the new version of 99% Coffee! Same website, but quite a bit has changed - there's a few reasons why..
I wasn't particularly happy with how the old website looked - while I loved the theme initially, I wasn't quite as thrilled with how cluttered it ended up. While the header area looked quote nice, I wasn't a fan of how it looked once you started to scroll. Unfortunately, ads didn't help with the clutter, but are necessary for me to help front costs the server is hosted on.
One thing I did like that I have decided to do away with - the light/dark mode. While I love having the option available to those who prefer dark mode, it took a major toll on load time. This, coupled with a sub-par hosting server, was just too much for comfort regarding load times. I wish I had paid more attention to it before, but I only recently started to notice how poorly the website has run in the past few months.
New Features
The new website has some exciting features - from some of the backend things to some of the user-facing features, I'm super excited to see how these features work out in the long run, and hope that you are as well!
Some of the less exciting website stuff:
Implemented a new, cleaner web layout. The previous layout had a ton of features - but with that, came plenty of bloat. Most of these features weren't even used! This time around, I've chosen a cleaner base layout to add my own features to that I really wanted. This should cause the website to load much quicker for visitors.
Moved the website to a new server. The new server should also help reduce load time - making patterns and posts easier to find for you!
Some of the more exciting stuff:
Patterns are clearer! Thanks to the new theme, patterns should be clearer to follow and easy to read. The previous theme had a color scheme that caused some parts of the pattern to be hard to read linearly. This theme should have easy-to-read text and I've made sure that text is in line with how it should be on all patterns.
Patterns will soon be available for sale on the website! Previously, the ad-free printer-friendly patterns were only available for purchase on my Etsy or Ravelry shops. These options will still be available, as I know some are not comfortable to purchase from creator websites. Patterns will be available for the same pricing at all sources and will also have coinciding sales, so you will always receive the same deals as the other platforms. Downloads will then be available from your account screen for download anytime after purchase.
Specific date on this is currently TBD but is in the works :) Patterns will remain free with ads on the blog, as usual.
Newsletters are coming! With the new setup, I've decided to start picking up newsletters - newsletters will be sent out on a monthly basis with updates on new blog posts, new yarn reviews (also returning!) and new patterns. You will also be the first to know about future patterns, events, or anything else in store!
Upcoming Projects
Updating old patterns to keep them in line with newer patterns. Some of my old patterns need a huge revamp - from adding additional information and making sure they have accurate measurements, yardages, and instructions. I hope to have these done by the end of the summer!
Completing Ad-Free PDF and Printer-Friendly versions of all patterns. Sort of in-line with the above project, I want to have these done by the end of the year - I want to make sure all current patterns are easily readable before I compile them together in a PDF for the Etsy/Ravelry and Website shops!
Bi-Weekly Yarn Reviews. Those of you that were around in the past year or so - you know I love doing yarn reviews. These had to be put on hold for a while, but they will be returning! Wash tests will be returning with these yarn reviews, and perhaps a wash durability test as well to better be able to show off how yarn looks after a few washes to try and simulate normal use.
Return of Tutorials. Tutorials will be returning as well! I would like to have these on a bi-weekly schedule as well between yarn review weeks!
Hopefully you all find the new layout is less cluttered and easier to navigate and find that the website overall is faster to load than before!
Is there something you'd like to see from this blog or something you'd like to suggest? Leave a comment below! I'd love to know what you'd like to see! In the meantime, follow me on social media!
See ya next time!