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| A portion of my projects wish list |
When it comes to my fiber pursuits, there are so many patterns I’d like to make, and so many skills yet to explore (especially knitting skills), that I wonder whether I'll get to them all!
I have created very little knit lace, and virtually nothing with knitted cables. I have a project with each on the needles right now, so hopefully I’m on my way.
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| The beginnings of my Falling Birth Leaves, a Linda Choo knitted lace shawl pattern |
However, it’s a far more systematic, wardrobe-like approach based on several sessions last year in which I tried to identify what style elements I was drawn to. For instance, the Vogue KnitBook I created has 20 projects – cardigans, hoodies and pullovers, skirts, a bag and some mittens – that I would truly love to work through. I don’t know how long it will take, but it’s filled not only with lace and cables, but many classic lines and shapes.
Of course, that’s only the knit side. There is still hairpin lace, broomstick lace and sweaters I have yet to explore on the crochet side. I feel much more confident about my crochet skills and abilities, though, so this just doesn’t seem like such a huge mountain to climb.
The big hurdle will be issuing my first pattern – which I am working on right now. You'll find below a sneak peak at a portion of my hand-drawn idea. As I wrote on someone else’s blog yesterday, it’s a lot of work and a very involved process, to get from an idea in one’s head through to a completed FO. Nothing like this pattern process has shown me more that Plato was onto something with his theory that perfection can only be in the mind. The real world is a mere, imperfect imitation of what we can come up with in our heads.
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| A sneak peek of my very first design, in the drawing and art stages |
No more perfect ideas were ever thought.
I’d love to hear your take on this or any other design dilemma you’d like to share with me in the comments below.
I hope each of you are surviving and enjoying your participation in the imperfectly real, yet oh-so-fun second annual Knitting and Crochet Blogging Week.
I would love to design, I bet it is a ton of fun. XD
ReplyDeleteThe problem I run into is remember to write steps down in the pattern process. It's also one of my own goals (eventually when I feel more confident to share with others). Hairpin lace is gorgeous as is most lace work.
ReplyDeleteI think everything you've listed are wonderful things for aspiration. <3
I like how you want to knit through the Vogue Knitbook; reminds me of the movie, Julie and Julia. You should do it.
ReplyDeleteHooray for your first design. Keep forging ahead because your idea matters.
The teaser has me interested. What's the pattern for? :) Exciting.
ReplyDeleteYour wish list is daunting. I would disappoint myself if I ever did that.
ReplyDeletePublishing patterns is somewhat of a learning experience. My first, and most simple, came from a quick gift I needed and I decided to write it down. I just winged it along. Ironically, it's the most popular of all of them.
The past two were definitely the most daunting. I don't do sketches, I get an idea, pitch it and then go from there. I write as I go along, frog, cross out and rewrite. The last one, I agonized over the edging for two days and must have changed it four times before I was happy with the outcome. When it was completed, I had another step I wanted to take, but had two days to block and ship it and couldn't wrap my brain around how to make it work. Ironically, a few days later, I read on a friend's blog, she was considering trying an idea she thought of and it was the same idea I had thought of. I have always realized that at one time or another, the basic pattern has been done-either by someone who just winged it or who wrote it down and just made them for whatever. Stitch patterns cannot be copyrighted and probably most ideas come from something you have seen and you just update it to what style is now. Everything is cyclical.
I have three ideas brewing and they all came at one time. Two, I may wing and do the writing, crocheting, frogging and rewriting process. The last is based on a gift I received that was mass produced using fabric and I wore it last week and kept thinking "how can I recreate this using crochet and what stitch pattern, etc?". I may have to break out a sketch pad and actually sketch it out first and that intimidates me a little.
Best of luck with your pattern. One piece of advice; get someone you are close to who knits or crochets (whichever the pattern is) and ask him/her to be an editor for you, and if you are worried, test it for you. I have had patterns tested and have tested for people, but my last few, I knew were error free because I wrote each step down and double-checked. After I type it out, I check for to make sure it is written uniformly and I haven't left out something simple like "ch 2, turn", which could jam someone up and send it out to my "editor" and she reads through it to make sure it is uniformly written, stitch counts come out correctly and that it's fully understandable and all abbreviations are the same, etc. She's been great and fingers crossed, all my patterns have been error free.
My comment is longer than my blog post from today, sorry, I can be rather verbose most times :).
I am sure your pattern will be fabulous. Your photography is impressive and your posts are so well thought out and well written, I would expect nothing less.
I am aspiring to create a pattern but now it is only in the roll ideas around in my head phase. I want more blog posts about your inner process and how you channel inspiration into a "make-able" object! Nice post. And the hint at your current pattern in progress is enticing. More please!
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