Are you afraid to knit and crochet with lace wieght yarn?

Ok, so I wont lie to you because I can trust you with this. Lace weight yarn freak me out, A LOT. Or at least it use.

In the past, lace was a dirty four letter word. If there was lace weight yarn in a room, I would run the other way as fast I can. Why did I feel so strongly against lace weight yarn?  Simple. For me, skinny yarn equal taking too long to complete a project. I want instant gratification with my knitting and crochet as much as the next gal.  You might be feeling the same way. I get it. High five.

So if I felt that way about lace weight yarn, why the heck would I intentionally proposal a design idea using the yarn? You know what? It came to the point where I needed to overcome that fear. Besides being momentarily insane, I was intrigued by the challenge. I was ready to get out of my own head and out of my own way to try something new.

Sometimes, the inspiration just comes out of nowhere and you just have to go where it leads, even if it's with lace weight yarn, and Crisanta was no different. For this design I wrote about my start with designing and my inspiration for shawl design. Here is a bit about what I wrote on Webs Yarn Store Blog about working with the yarn for the Crisanta Shawl.

Give us a glimpse into your design process, where/how do you find inspiration?

Design inspirations come to me in many different forms and from many sources. I get inspirations on walks with my dog, Charlie, through the snow. It could be the texture of a tree bark or the canopy of trees over head in the woods. Or sometimes, inspiration strikes at weird times such as during Downward Dog at Pilates class while staring at the pattern on the map. Usually the idea comes first, inspired by my surrounding, then I search for the yarn that will best compliment the texture and drape of the design.

What did you love about the Valley Yarn you worked with?
I'm not a huge fan of lace weight yarns, or so I thought. When I proposed this design to Webs, I had resigned myself to the idea and to just grit my teeth as I work through the sample because I loved the design idea so much. After winding the yarn, slowly and carefully, I set off to cast-on for the Crisanta Shawl and immediately fell in love with the yarn, Hatfield. I thought I wouldn't like the lace weight yarn because I don’t work with that weight of yarn often. And I don’t work with that weight of yarn often because I am an impatient knitter. But working up this thin yarn on bigger needles was a match made in heaven. The stitches simple flew off the needles. The yarn now has a special place in my heart. I can see so many more projects in the future.

Read the full post at Webs Yarn Store blog here.

Until next time...Stitch on!

Tian
*A rising tide lifts all boats*

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Publishing knit and crochet patterns _ Print vs Online Mediums

Mudblood Cardigan

Fayston Cardigan

In last week's post I wrote, "As of late, my focus is less on print and more on online mediums (if you want to know why in more details, shoot me an email or leave a comment)." If you missed that post, click to catch up here. This seems to have resonated with many you by the emails and messages I've received since the post went live. I started to respond to queries and found I couldn't do my reasons for choosing online medium over print publication justice in just a couple quick sentences.

So, here is a my take on the matter with some of my own true to life examples and comparison. As you read, if there is anything that is unclear or you just need a bit more detail, please do not hesitate to contact me. Just hit reply to this message.

As you read, please note that I have been deliberate in not naming names because I don't want to disparage any publication. That is not the point of this post. Also, it's been some time since I've worked with some of these publications and their policies very likely could have changed; I doubt it but is possible. Please note, however that I am conscious of naming Knit Picks because this online medium has a solid reputation of being a strong supporter of designers and paying high rates. In addition, this information can most likely be found on their website and in their call for submissions.

So, if you are an designer wanting to know which route is best for you, check out the article below where I walk through specific points to consider to help you decide on the medium to use to publish your knit and crochet patterns.

Click here to get the download the PRINT vs ONLINE MEDIUM article here

Until next time...Stitch on!

Tian
*A rising tide lifts all boats*

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How I knitted 2 samples in 2 days like a crazy pant

I would never recommend this, even to my very worst-est enemy, but this week was a bit crazy.

As a designer (as in, this is what I do for my full-time job, in addition to tech editing, and pattern writing), I work a lot on deadlines. I have to get my work done and to someone (i.e. the designer, the magazine, publisher, etc.) so that they can get the next part of the process of getting a pattern published. For me, deadlines are fun because they are motivating. They make me get stuff done, fast, instead of just twiddling your thumbs second guessing everything. You just have to get it done, right?!

When I self-publish, I have a lot of flexibility with my schedule of when I will release the pattern based on how much time I have available to devote to creating the sample and writing up the pattern. As a full-time designer, self-publishing alone is not enough. There is a pretty solid mix of patterns published with online and print magazines in order to make this all work. As of late, my focus is less on print and more on online mediums (if you want to know why in more details, shoot me an email or leave a comment).

Anyway, with designing for publications, the turnaround time can be pretty tight. A designer can expect 4-6 weeks, 8 weeks if you are lucky, from the time of receiving notification that your pattern(s) were selected for inclusion in the issue, to requesting and receiving yarn support to create the sample, to creating and mailing off the sample, and writing up the pattern.

So, typically 4-6 weeks is plenty of time for me. Just select a series on Netflix to binge watch and I am golden. But somehow, I put it in my mind that a deadline for 2 samples were weeks away, which turned out to be due in less than a 7 days. It happens. You look at the contract. You make notes. In my case I have a spreadsheet that I use, The Submission Tracker, but somehow in my mind had misremembered the due dates.

I don't even know what prompted me to even double-check the due dates on these sample. I had just taken a sweater sample off the blocking mats and was just putting the buttons on when my mind started to drift to when to start the next project. The yarn support had come in and I was thinking about getting the yarn ready to be caked. After sewing on the final button on the sample sweater, I jumped onto my computer to The Submission Tracker and that's when it hit. My dates were way off. I had samples due in less than a week that I had to make the samples, write up the patterns, and get in the mail. Yikes! 

After taking a minute or two to be overcome with panic, like you do, I made dinner for my boys, like you do. Because, even though I was in crisis mode and had to come up with a plan to meet the deadline and NOT come off as a flake to the publishers, first and utmost, I am a wife and a mother. Just because I am pulling my hair out on the inside, my husband and son does not need to see me being a crazy pant.

On the inside, I am frazzled. I am thinking of all the worst case scenarios of never, ever, getting another design proposal accepted for publication because I failed to meet this deadline. All the publishers of all my favorite magazines will tell my horrific story. And so I go down that rabbit hole of… I will never get to work with this magazine again. I will be blacklisted by ALL magazines and never get my designs published again. Knitters and crocheters across the internet will hear of my shame, of how flaky I was and never trust my designs, thus never buying another one of my patterns. I will have to try to find a job. I won't find a corporate job that paid well. I will have to work at McDonald and make minimum wage, if I am lucky. My son will go hungry. We will loose our house. And so it goes. Do you see how easy it is to spiral from a simple thought?

The truth is, none of that will happen, because I have been doing this for long enough to know what I can do, and even if I missed a deadline, those scenarios wouldn't happen. But do you see how we often, we, women, can quickly jump to THE very worst case scenarios of things we know won't happen, especially with one incident? Sure, if I miss like 5 or 10 deadlines, fall off the edge of the earth without communication, then maybe. But that was a big stretch.

Isn't it funny how one setback, one negative, can lead us down this dark and dangerous path of doom and despair, where if you just think about it, really think of what might truly happen, we find that that place of doom and gloom isn't as bad as we imagine it to be.

So, through making dinner, which is quite relaxing for me, I had the patterns written in my head and ready to start knitting. I had the patterns practically written in my head because I was using yarns and at a gauge I was familiar working with - bonus. <Pro-Tip: Get familiar with a lot of yarns, brands, fiber content, and weight. This will make designing and writing proposals so much easier to execute.> And by the time my son was off to take his shower before bed (because yeah, it's above 90 degrees), I was ready to find a cool spot in my living on the couch (which was really hard to do with wool yarn on my lap) with a good ole' British murder mystery Netflix to keep me company through the long hours.

In an upcoming post, I will share my list of movies, podcast, series, etc., I watch while knitting and crocheting, especially on a tight deadline. <Pro-Tip 2: The more dramatic the movie, podcast, et, the greater the adrenaline driving the story line is, the faster I knit and crochet, which you can't beat on a tight deadline.>

As you might have guessed, I made the deadline. All is well. I am still designing for publications and my son will not go hungry. In less than 24-hours, both accessory samples were knitted and blocked. Thanks to the warm weather we are having, the pieces dried quickly and got in the mail. Of course they were not pinned out in my office and quarantined from the furry babies, but instead placed outside with fingers crossed that the wrens living at the edge of our woods wouldn't find it a good place to perch and hang out.

So, now it's your turn. What crazy pant knitting and crocheting adventures have you been on this summer?

Until next time...Stitch on!

Tian
*A rising tide lifts all boats*

Crisanta Shawl

Photo by Valley Yarns

P.S. Thank you so much everyone who checked out my new shawl, Crisanta Shawl, available from Webs, Valley Yarns. Your support and kind words of encouragement is so greatly appreciated.

P.P.S. One last thing. I just got my digital subscription copy of I Like Crochet magazine, August 2016 issue and was so shocked to see my cowl, Adventure Cowl, made it to the cover of the magazine. I am without words. (I know, likely, right!) I'm still processing all of this and will write a blog post soon. But wanted to share with you this thrilling and unexpected news. Thank you for letting me share.
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Simple tools to write and self-publish your patterns

What software to use to write and self-publish knit and crochet patterns? I see this question being asked on Ravelry and Facebook a lot from newbie designers.

This is a great question and when starting out can be very scary. Sure it’s scary but you should not be embarrassed to ask. However, I hate it when experience designers, especially those with tech and graphic design background give advice that makes it seem like the process to create a pattern template is much harder than it really is. They don’t realize that they might be creating a greater barrier to entry into the design world than there really is by listing complicated programs with steep learning curves like InDesign and Photoshop.  

Keora Shawl

When I started out, I read these threads with advice from more established designers listing the tools they used. For a long time, I felt I needed those tool in order to be a success. I was so ashamed of the simple tools I had access to and used that I even seriously considered going back to school, seeking out courses available at the local colleges to in the end run up a huge debt. And for what?

Don't get me wrong, I have seen these programs in action and they are phenomenal. Heck, I wish I had the knowledge to use them effectively. But since I don’t have the skills to use those tools, I use what I have available and good at. I use the tools I have the greatest experience with to create the look I want and that is my advice to you.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe many designers do the same but are too embarrassed to voice their less than fancy tech tools of choice when this question comes up. They don’t share that they use simple tools. I did not share my less than techy tools in these forums and conversations because I too was a bit embarrassed that I am not using the high tech programs those other designers are using.

So, back to the original question, does a newbie designer with no experience with these expensive programs need to go out and get them? Do they need to go out and spend a bunch of money to acquire these tools and spend countless hours to learn how they work? The simple answer is NO! The bottom-line is, use the tool that you have and that you are proficient with using.

So, to combat some of those well intended, but one-sided advice, I am showing you the handful of simple tools I use to get from design ideas, to finished pattern, to publish.

Simple Tools_DOWNLOAD

 SIMPLE TOOLS TO WRITE AND SELF-PUBLISH YOUR PATTERNS

1) MS Word: A way to write the pattern

This word processing software is used to write the pattern I will offer for sale. The main reason I use this too is that it is easy to use and easy to learn if you're new, but most of us have use this or a very similar program, so there is little to no learning curve.

A bonus to this program is that it converts the word document file to a PDF format that your pattern can be uploaded on many sites for sale or for free.

2) MS EXCEL: A way to grade your pattern and even create knit charts.

This tool is my go-to for working out the pattern repeats and sizing patterns. No more paper, pencil, and calculator for this girl. Use to grade patterns in order to increase accuracy and confusion. Not sure how to do this, I show you how in How to Grade a Knit and Crochet Pattern using MS Excel e-Course. (http://knitdesignsbytian.blogspot.com/2016/06/how-to-grade-a-knit-and-crochet-pattern-using-MS-Excel.html)

3) iPad Mini or phone: A way to take high quality photos of your finish design.

My iPad Mini has replaced my fancy expensive camera because it takes fantastic photos, probably even better than my camera. I don’t know anything about retina blah blah or anything. I just know it takes fabulous photos, every time.

4) Photo Editor-: A free app by Axiem Systems I found in the App Store.

This app provides all the great features I use to edit my photos. This allows for a consistent look across my pattern line. If you look at my patterns, you might be able to see when I started using this app to edit my photos, because I began to create a consistent look and feel that makes my pattern store more cohesive.

The truth is, in the end it doesn't matter how you get there or what tools you use. With this whole designing thing, there are no right or wrong way, just your way. So, if you have a more effective way to get from idea to publish, then go for it.

DOWNLOAD the Simple Tools guide here

Ooh, and share with us those tools you use so we have a whole library of tools for newbie designers to choose from.

So, what simple tools do you use in your pattern writing? Leave a comment on the blog or send me an email to share. 

Until next time...Stitch on!

Tian
*A rising tide lifts all boats*

Crisanta Shawl

Photo by Valley Yarns

P.S. Thank you so much everyone who checked out my new shawl, Crisanta Shawl, available from Webs, Valley Yarns. Your support and kind words of encouragement is so greatly appreciated.

P.P.S. One last thing. I just got my digital subscription copy of I Like Crochet magazine, August 2016 issue and was so shocked to see my cowl, Adventure Cowl, made it to the cover of the magazine. I am without words. (I know, likely, right!) I'm still processing all of this and will write a blog post soon. But wanted to share with you this thrilling and unexpected news. Thank you for letting me share.

Want a 20% OFF COUPON to my Ravelry Shop 

and subscriber-exclusives?  

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• Both

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