My recent focus as regards working with yarn has been on knitting – both producing designs using the wool produced by Mandy at Faithmead and enjoying working my way through the yarn in my stash. I’m pleased to say that I have had success in both respects.
I’ve created a hat, specifically designed with beginner knitters in mind for Mandy to include in a kit. The next task is to get the pattern typed up. In the past, producing patterns has been a bit ad hoc, but since I’d like to do this more regularly, I though I ought to start being more strategic and organised about it and, with this in mind, I’ve bought myself a guide book:
Although the book is entitled The beginner’s guide…’ and I’m not entirely a beginner, it’s really useful and helping me to ensure that, from now on, my patterns will include all the elements that a user is looking for. Much more often than writing patterns, I work from a pattern written by someone else. This has proved useful in illustrating to me what a user doesn’t want in a pattern and the latest one I have been working from is a case in point, which a number of sections that have had me scratching my head, reaching for a pencil and writing down what I think needs to be done.
Issues with the pattern aside, I have completed the knitting and sewing up:
The finishing is simply supposed to involve crocheting a single row of crab stitch around the neck. I knew that I was not going to do just this right from the outset – the neck opening is too low for my taste and I have always planned to crochet a triangular panel to fill the lower part. I just have to decide exactly how I want this to look. I could knit a lace panel to match the sides, but I really want this garment to show off both knitting and crochet, so crochet it is going to be.
I have been doing some crochet on one of my UFOs, but that’s all from scrap yarn, so you’ll have to wait until this month’s ScrapHappy post to see that.
The Snail of Happiness 
nanacathy2
/ February 11, 2018Your jumper is such a lovely colour! I have been playing with the leftover yarn from the Attic 24 bag, there is such a lot left! See you for Scrap Happy Day!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 11, 2018The scraps I am using are mainly from a Colinette blanket kit – it is astonishing how many ‘scraps’ we end up with from such projects… good job we are thrifty and make use of them for other things!
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Ann Pole
/ February 11, 2018You are so clever.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 11, 2018I don’t know about that, but I am very persistent!
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thecontentedcrafter
/ February 11, 2018I agree about the head scratching aspects of some patterns. I stopped buying off Ravelry because many of them just didn’t make sense to me and I think life is too short for me to be spending my crafting time trying to decode someone’s incoherent directions. The colour of your knitting is rather nice and you are very clever to be both decoding and amending patterns! I’m impressed 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 11, 2018It’s so difficult to know whether patterns will be well written, wherever they are published – books, magazines, online – and it does annoy me when the designer is too lazy to explain what they actually mean. I’m really pernickety, so I’m hoping my patterns will be understandable for everyone… and will be thoroughly tested.
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katechiconi
/ February 11, 2018I can’t even follow a pattern, let alone write one! But I can write a patchwork quilt pattern, so I suppose we each have our skills. That’s a very pretty jumper, and I love the speckled yarn. I’m so pleased you and Cathy are both joining us for ScrapHappy this month 🙂
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arlingwoman
/ February 12, 2018Wow, good luck with this. The sweater is lovely looking and one way to create a good tool is to figure out what isn’t helpful in others. I bet your patterns will be accessible and clear!
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Born To Organize
/ February 12, 2018Your sweater/jumper is gorgeous. Such neat stitches and a beautiful color, too. I’m so impressed by all your skills.
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Nice Piece of Work
/ February 12, 2018I’m looking forward to seeing your hat pattern, and maybe just maybe even finding the time to attempt it myself….. I’m sure it’s going to be a winner 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2018It’s a nice easy pattern designed for a beginner, but with a stitch pattern that looks quite fancy… I’m just hoping I’ve judged the level correctly. I’d better get on and write it up, hadn’t I? 😉
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Nice Piece of Work
/ February 12, 2018tapping fingers…..
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2018no pressure, then!
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tialys
/ February 12, 2018Well done on getting the pattern writing sorted . I look forward to seeing ‘the’ hat.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 12, 2018soon… I promise…
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thecraftersapprentice
/ February 14, 2018that looks lovely! What a gorgeous colour and I love the design of the side panels
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 14, 2018The wool is spun at New Lanark, which is a World Heritage site, and I really enjoy knowing this about it. I’m still pondering the neckline!
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quietwatercraft
/ March 3, 2018What a lovely top, and such a gorgeous colour.
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Miriam Sagan
/ March 5, 2018Enjoyed this! Thank you.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ March 6, 2018it’s a pleasure
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Jacqueline
/ March 30, 2018Agree with You pattern writing is not as easy as it looks…I have written pattern for a magazine for the past 2 years and I tell you it has been a learning lesson for sure… I know what I want to write and know my knitting…but not everyone knows it to my our Your level so I hat to say “dumb it down to a beginner knitter” sorry no offence please !( …but that is what my publisher told me) …Truly a learning lesson and lots of work…so I get it when some pattern have errors in them ….keep in mind no one is perfect make those errors your special adjustments …any of us can help you out at any time…I am sure Just ask us ….Happy knitting
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The Snail of Happiness
/ March 30, 2018I agree about how hard it is to write patterns – I have tested several for friends and always find a few things that need to be put right. Currently one of my own patterns is being tested… I’m waiting to hear all the mistakes I have made!
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