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Monday, May 26, 2008

Writing a Pattern!


So many people have suggested that I write and sell patterns for my work that I've been giving it some thought. Initially, I felt it would be impossible, since much of my work is freeform and randomly executed. Eventually, I decided to try! My first attempt is a cachecol - my series of neck warmers, neck muffs, neckwraps, scarflets, scarflettes. They are called many things but are essentially a short scarves that hide the neck and fasten with a funky and often vintage button, providing lightweight warmth and versatility.

I abhor working from a pattern! That's how Cachecol (which means "hide the neck" in French) was conceived. I was looking to develop something new (in keeping with the boredom I periodically feel from creating and producing the same old, same old things). I started to play with yarn, and voila! Here is the very first one I created!

It sold almost instantly! Cachecol was a hit! Since then, I've continued to experiment with different types of fiber - from wools to cottons and found so many variations that I still thought a pattern would be impossible. But so many have sold, and each is a one-of-a-kind piece.

My next step - finally - was to try to put it down on paper (no small feat!) and to ask some of my favorite knitter friends to test it. So far, Carol has tried it, and after initially reacting with "W H A T?", she very quickly managed to produce two of them from my written instructions! I'm currently waiting for two other friends to test it. Once done, I will attempt to sell them on Etsy - my own experiment in pattern sales. Here is the latest, using yarn from Laura in our fiber swap.


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2 comments:

DreamWoven said...

what i use to tell people was this..."anything that you can knit into a rectangle, you can make into anything you want". whatever stitch you decide on , whatever yarn you decide on, whatever needles you decide on..... just think 'scarf'... then shorten it, elongate it, widen it, slim it down, add fringe, add buttons, add trimmings.... whatever.... you cant go wrong...

Kirsten said...

I prefer freeform too, so I can't imagine turning anything into a pattern - for fiber or metal. I admire you for repeating a design and working through the steps to make a pattern.

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