Focus

These last few weeks I've rally felt like Dug from the movie UP. So many pretty things to look at and be distracted by, especially on Ravelry. 

Just yesterday I found a really cute mini sweater pattern by Emily5446. Ravelry user lownes has turned it into an adorable garland.

© lownes

And then there was this Mini Christmas Stocking Ornament by Julie Williams turned into another garland by Miyayo.

© miyayo

Never mind what I already have going on the needles .... and half written patterns, samples that need photographing, and too many new ideas swirling around in my head!

How to cope ....

Short of adding more hours to a day (wouldn't it be nice to have 30 or 40 hours in a day rather than the 24 we currently have), or not sleeping (my family wouldn't be happy with a grumpy Mom) there must be a solution.

I like lists ... they do help me keep somewhat focused. And lots of chicken scratch on paper that ends up tattered and torn with coffee stains :)

I make lists of goals I have, both short term (like the end of the month) and long term (end of 2015). Currently I'm working on a list of goals for 2015. How do you solve the focus problem?

Happy Knitting!

DESIGNING - Marketing (Part 5)

Honestly, this is the part of the designing process I know least about. Once you have a pattern written out, tech edited, possibly tested, marketing is the last step. I've learned a lot about this process and by know means think that this is the "only" way to sell you patterns.

First I have my patterns listed on Ravelry, Patternfish, and Craftsy. All at the same price point and each site seems to have their own specific market of knitters. What sells well on Ravelry doesn't really sell on the other two. Also, I know designers who sell on Etsy, Kollabora, and Amazon too.

Next, have a blog, facebook, twitter, and/or other social media sites where you can announce what you are working on, what you've published, and chat with your customers. I'm finding it takes a while to build up an audience on these social media sites. Some designers have held give-aways or hosted knit-a-longs on their sites to attract visitors. I haven't done this as of yet.

Lastly, I have purchased advertising through Ravelry. Ravelry is by far the most lucrative of the 3 sites I sell my patterns on and their advertising is very reasonable. I've only used the forum banner ads and think it has been good at getting my name seen by possible customers.

Bottom line ... it takes time (from what I've seen) to build up a customer base and pattern sales but it also takes my time. The more I'm on these social media sites the less time I have for designing and knitting, which are the parts of the business I love most. Start small ... nothing says you have to jump in to everything all at once!

Happy Knitting!

 

Matomoko

It has been a very busy month so far ... 3 designs released in 3 weeks is a first for me (and one more will be published at the end of October). 

Matomoko is a pretty, top-down raglan cardigan worked in one piece with no seaming. Just how I like to knit ... once I'm done knitting I'm pretty much done!

The cuffs and hem feature a simple lace and cable design. One knitter said it reminded her of certain flowers, the lace part being their petals.

 

 

 Fingering weight yarn yields a light weight cardigan that can be worn in
any season.

Happy Knitting!

DESIGNING - Pattern Writing (Part 4)

For many, this may be the most daunting part of the whole designing process. How do I get my ideas into a form that someone else can not only read, but successfully make the garment.

My first suggestion, start small! Don't take on a cardigan pattern as your first pattern, maybe a hat or baby item. Something that is a page or two of written instructions without too many places to go wrong.

My very first pattern was Basket Weave Baby Blanket. It is a very easy project with no shaping. You cast on a certain number of stitches, work a pattern for a certain length, and cast off.

Second, use a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet is an invaluable tool to help with working out the math. Here's a sample for a simple hat.

Using simple calculations in the spreadsheet allows you to see the information you need for your pattern. For instance, calculating how many stitches to cast on for your hat. This would be Desired Circumference * stitches per inch. If I use a formula, I can then change my gauge and the numbers will automatically change based on the gauge I am using.

Third, use a document program. I use Word but you can use any document writing program you are comfortable with. Using your own style, write out your pattern in knitting terms. For example ...

Using US5 16" circular needle, cast on 56 (70, 84, 98, 112) sts. Join for working in the round being careful not to twist. Place marker.

Rnd 1: *K1, P1; Repeat from * around. 
Repeat this rnd until ribbing measures 2 inches from cast on edge.

Next Rnd: Work chart 4 (5, 6, 7, 8) times around
Repeat this rnd until hat measures 5 (6, 7, 8, 9) inches from cast on edge.
......


Fourth, use formating. Format your document to make it pretty. It is very helpful to look at lots of other free patterns on Ravelry (and the web) to find a style you like. Which font, layout, pictures, boxes, etc. will you use.

Fifth, create a pdf.  If you plan to publish your pattern to Ravelry then you will need to convert your document to a .pdf file. This is easy ... search the web for a free pdf converter (there are many to choose from) and submit your document. The will either email you the .pdf or you can download it from their website. Don't forget to look at the pdf to make sure all your formatting looks good.

Finally, publish your pattern. Put your pattern on the web so others can share in your victory!!

Next week, what about Marketing ....

Happy Knitting!

 

SUNAPEE Cardigan

SUNAPEE - Inspired by the cool crisp days of fall, this cozy cardigan is perfect for curling up in front of the fire with a good book or cup of coffee. Available through Harrisville Designs or Ravelry.

Sunapee Cardigan © Harrisville Designs/Caro Sheridan

This heavy weight cardigan has ribbing and wrapped stitches that transition seamlessly into a delicate leaf pattern at the hem and sleeve cuffs. The remainder of the cardigan is knit in stockinette stitch.

Sunapee Cardigan © Harrisville Designs/Caro Sheridan

Find a tutorial on working the wrapped stitches on my blog - WRAPPING

Sunapee Cardigan © Harrisville Designs/Caro Sheridan

 

DESIGNING - Putting It Together (Part 3)

For me, this is the hardest part. I've decided on which yarn to use, picked out a stitch pattern and now what?? There are so many decisions to make at this point ....

What am I making? Cardigan, pullover, hat, cowl, scarf, shawl, ....

What design elements does it have? Collar, buttons, long sleeves, ribbed brim, v-neck, short, long, triangle, rectangle, ....

How do I knit it? In the round, back and forth, top-down, bottom-up, in pieces, ....

Where to place the stitch pattern?  At the hem, all over, up the front, on the back, in a triangle shape, ...

One thing that I find helps with the decision making is to draw out a few ideas on a piece of paper. For example, here's an idea for vest pattern I had. Drawing it on a body helps me decide how long to make it, the neck shaping I want, and if the stranded colorwork pattern looks ok (or not as the case may be).

The Tracing Real Body Models website has some great body shapes to use. Print out a couple and draw your ideas on the model. The visual usually inspires other ideas for me ...

Next week I'll talk about writing out the pattern. 

Happy Knitting!

Climbing Ivy Vest

Climbing Ivy Vest is now available for purchase.

© Solitude Wool/Caro Sheridan

Inspired by the ivy climbing on an old stone church, lacy leaves trail up our charming and timeless vest. Solitude’s botanically-dyed or sheep-grown colors with the subtleties and beauty that only nature can produce add to the quiet magic.

© Solitude Wool/Caro Sheridan

Knit in the beautiful Solitude Wool Border Leicester Sport yarn; 100% wool nature dyed in gorgeous rich colors. Sample is knit using color Asage Orange A-1

©Cheryl Chow

Happy Knitting!

DESIGNING - Choosing a Stitch Pattern (Part 2)

Now that you've decided on the type of yarn you will use (or have a good idea) it is on to deciding on a stitch pattern or multiple patterns to use on your design. 

Stitch Dictionaries are your friend .... I have multiple (read many) stitch dictionaries that I browse through when I'm starting a new design. A stitch dictionary is a book with many different stitch pattern instructions and pictures. 

If you are designing for a publisher or magazine they will often have mood boards so you have an idea of what they are looking for in a design. Maybe it's cables or lace or a combination of both. Maybe texture or simple lines. Whatever the "mood "is I'm going for I will flip through my stitch dictionaries until a pattern says "yes" to me.


A few things to consider when choosing a stitch pattern ...

1. Cables are great for texture and interest but they pull the fabric in. I typically won't choose a design with lots of cables if I'm using fingering weight yarn. The number of stitches needed to get the size of garment I'm making can become huge. For instance, for a 36" circumference (on a cardigan for example) I may need 216 stitches if I'm working in stockinette stitch but if using cables I may need 300 sts to achieve the same 36" circumference. The time it takes to finish a heavily cabled garment goes up too. So choose cable patterns with sport or heavier weight yarns.

2. Lace and intricate patterns are beautiful but I find they don't look as good in heavier weight yarns. I tend to choose lace and twisted stitch patterns when I'm using DK, sport, or fingering weight yarns. Here's an example of an intricate lace and cable design worked in fingering weight yarn. 

3. Texture (knit and purl combinations) look great in any weight yarn.

Once I've decided on a stitch pattern I will make a sample or swatch in my chosen yarn. Here's a swatch of a lace pattern worked in Quince & Co. Chickadee, a sport weight yarn.

Yarn and stitch pattern have been chosen ... next week I'll talk about where to position the pattern and other features of the garment or accessory you may be designing.

DESIGNING - Choosing Yarn (Part 1)

Now that it's been a little more than a year since I published my first "pay for" pattern I thought you may be interested in how I go about creating a knitting/crochet pattern. There are multiple steps and they may happen in a different order depending on whether I'm designing for a publisher/magazine or for myself, but all the steps must be incorporated into the final design.

Step 1: YARN

Choosing which yarn to use depends on a few factors. 

What season am I designing this pattern for? Spring/Summer garments tend to use finer yarns DK, Sport, Fingering, Lace and may have some cotton/linen content. Fall/Winter designs will use heavier weight yarns like Worsted/Aran and also can include DK and sport weight. Wool, alpaca, cashmere, angora, and mohair yarns can all be used in the winter. Sometimes the publisher/magazine has a specific yarn they need used. In this case there really is no decision to make.

Yarn choice can also depend on the cable/lace/texture pattern I plan to use on the garment. If I'm doing cables I want a smooth yarn which will show the cables nicely, probably wool or wool/blend. For lace, I like to use finer yarns and nothing too fuzzy.

What about colour? If I'm designing for a magazine/publisher, they often have "mood boards" with lots of things to show colours they would like to see. For instance, this picture below shows a mood board for Harrisville Designs. 

To me, this board says "cool", "wintery" colours. I would choose a cream/natural, grey, or maybe an ice-blue colour. Since this mood board is for a fall/winter garment I would use a wool DK/Worsted/Aran yarn.

With all these choices it can be hard to choose a yarn for a design.

Next week I will talk about stitch patterns ... sometimes I choose the stitch pattern first if I can't decide on a yarn.


Happy Knitting!

Beach

It was such a beautiful weekend at the beach! I really enjoy the pounding of the waves and the beautiful sand. It's so peaceful! And it's a great place to take pictures of my latest cardigan. My husband took some gorgeous pictures and it has been very hard to choose which ones to use for my latest design ... Grey Willow.

I have a few people testing this cardigan but am looking for a few more. If you're interested, head over to the Free Pattern Testers group on Ravelry to find out more.

And one last photo.
 

Happy Knitting!