How I got into Designing Patterns

The Start

Pattern designing isn’t easy, if it was we probably wouldn’t have paid patterns and the like. Around the time I was in high school I started just making things without looking at patterns, not because I didn’t have access to them, but because I didn’t want to. I had all these ideas in my head and I had to get them out, but I never wrote them down. I’d figure out how to size things but only for myself and I made quite a few things. Then I got into my final years of high school and went back to following patterns because I didn’t have as much time because of my classes, work, and extra curricular activities. I had a small business selling hair bows, tutus, and some crochet things but didn’t go far with it. I started college and stopped with those things because I didn’t wanna take it all with me.

College years

Cue my sophomore year of college. I decided I wanted to start my business back up. I was crocheting all the time and of course buying yarn all the time. In fact, I still have some of that yarn today in small amounts. At first I figured I’d just sell finished items and could list a mix of ready to ship and made to order things. Then I designed my first beanie. It was interesting to say the least with the input I had from my sisters. The first make of it was huge! I’m talking falling down into your eyes huge. So I frogged it and restarted. I worked less stitches and did my color changes differently. The second time worked up perfectly, so I added a pom pom and made my sister model it. That first pattern is my Twisted Slouch Beanie. From there I also designed a matching headband pattern and a matching fingerless gloves pattern. Over the next 2 years I designed roughly twelve patterns that are published. Today, I have around twenty published patterns that can be accessed through my Ravelry store or my Etsy store.

Now

Now I’m working full time as an elementary art teacher teaching Kindergarten through 6th grade. I love my job, but have also continued designing new patterns and working up new things to add to my shop. Not all patterns are mine because I firmly believe in supporting other designers. I love what I do in both realms and have a great passion for both. Fibre arts has been a major part of my life and will continue to be. I use it to make art, but I also use it to make functional items. Today I’m working on another pattern series because I love making a series of patterns. This series includes a hat, headband, cowl, and fingerless gloves. I even have worked to try to grade one of my own patterns. Grading is a part of designing where you size the pattern and this is my next goal to improve on. After this series I plan to work on some crop tops again for summer because they are some of my favorite things to make and wear.

The process of pattern designing
I will say now that every pattern designer has a different process, but many still look similar. This is my process and how I go about designing new patterns. When I start I usually am looking around the web and just seeing what’s out there for the category of item I’m looking to make. I do this so I don’t make something that’s already out there. I also want to make sure I don’t accidentally copy someone. Unique patterns are what I strive to design so I take a quick glance around Pinterest and Ravelry. After that I start to decide on what stitch or stitches I want to use. Do I want it to be basic stitches or something more advanced? Do I want to use a special stitch? How do I envision this stitch and that stitch working together? Does this special stitch have a recognized name? These are all things I ask myself when I start because the stitch or stitches used are the foundation of the item. The next step for me is to make the item. Sometimes I have a particular yarn in mind, other times I don’t. During this part I typically write down how many stitches I’ve used and the hook and type of yarn, but that’s about it. I always make my item twice. The first time is to make it, the second time is to write down the steps, stitches, and take pictures. After all of this, I proof read for spelling errors and for flow of the instructions. I then send it off to pattern testers. Testers are essential because they work the item up as well and typically catch stitch count errors or point out areas that don’t read well. They also help to make sure that the item can be made from the instructions and that it fits. During the test period I hype up my pattern. I’m posting to Instagram and Facebook almost every day. I’m taking pictures of the item(s) and really just talking it up. After tester notes come back I make any changes and it gets published! I am always super excited to publish a new pattern. So much so that I tend to make that pattern many more times before I move onto something new. I tend to get obsessed if I’m being honest.

So that’s my story of how I started designing crochet patterns for all to enjoy!