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Pattern Design
27 Plays3 months ago
The fiber arts shenanigans continue in this second episode of 2 CCs of Fiber Arts! Join hosts Andrew (Caliri Creations) and Kelly (Cocky Crocheter) as they unravel their adventures in designing knit and crochet patterns - complete with all the triumphs and tangled messes they've both encountered!
Music Credit: Break by Moavii | https://www.youtube.com/@MoaviiMusic Free To Use | https://freetouse.com/music Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Thank you.
Introduction to '2CCs of Fiber Arts'
00:00:13
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back to episode two of 2CCs of Fiber Arts. I'm Andrew and this is Kelly and we're here to talk to you all about fiber arts and all the things that we love and sometimes the things that we hate about fiber arts, but fiber arts in general. So um today we're go talk about pattern design.
00:00:33
Speaker
So I'm pretty excited to talk to Kelly because Kelly is a true designer and has lots of patterns and lots of experience.
Kelly's Journey into Pattern Design
00:00:42
Speaker
So tell us some about your designs. what ah what How did you get started in ah design?
00:00:50
Speaker
Oh my God, love this question. um so kind least So back in like 2021, I was going to a local yarn shop and it was um just like really fun. Like I went there for knit night and stuff like that. And eventually I was asked by the owner if I would be interested in making a sample for the shop because she really liked, you know, my crochet and all that stuff. And I was like, okay, yeah, that would be really great. And I kind of got, you know, I was really getting back into like doing crochet really, really a lot because of this. And I was like, you know what? Would it be okay if i tried my hand at designing like a scarf? And she was like, yeah, absolutely. That sounds great. um So I decided, I was like, okay, I'm going to make a scarf out of this yarn. And I got really, really excited. And it was actually um ah the Roots of Yggdrasil scarf, which is still available by the way, little shameless pattern plug there. um yeah exactly So if you're interested in getting my very first pattern, i mean, yeah, it's out there still. um And I loved it so much. Yeah. Thank you. And i immediately made another one to go with it. And it's the bows of Idrisil scarf. And then after that, I started designing like a couple more scarves. And then I eventually designed my first sweater after making a couple of sweaters and being like, oh my gosh, I really love this. And since then it's just been amazing. just this now become lifelong adventure that I've decided to embark on. So I've been doing it for like four years. Yeah.
Andrew's Design Experience and Collaboration
00:02:16
Speaker
So mean, that's my story as far as design. um
00:02:19
Speaker
But I know that you also like started designing actually way more recently. So yeah tell me about that. Well, I've first... Well, I already know that. Tell our audience about it.
00:02:31
Speaker
Well, before moving on, I wanted to say, like, you have a lot of patterns for having only been in the game for four years. Like, you... I would have assumed a lot longer. Especially the sweaters. Like, those are big projects. So, I mean, props to you for having so many patterns out.
00:02:49
Speaker
Thank you. Yeah. It helps that one, I love crocheting just like all the time. Like a lot of my free time now is spent just doing crochet. So that's how I'm able to kind of get things out. I love that you say that because I don't feel like I have very many. I feel like I need way more. Really?
00:03:07
Speaker
Yes, I really do. I only have three
00:03:14
Speaker
out. But you also have three late you have small products. I don't know. um For me, i was like i just I feel because I was doing sweaters and they they are a lot more involved, they do take a while. But um I've been recently, and we can talk more in detail about this later too um in the episode, but like in more recently been doing some like shorter or smaller projects that work up a little bit more quickly. So that has helped me feel like, okay, I'm getting a few more patterns out than I used to. yeah, no, at first I was like, I'm not producing patterns nearly as fast as I would like to.
00:03:47
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it it takes definitely a lot of work to to go into a pattern. And i I've only, I mean, like you said, I kind of got into design myself this year. um Well, I have some designs that are older, but they're like, I feel like my real first foray into pattern design was this year when I made the worsted weight hat that you're wearing.
00:04:10
Speaker
Yes, yes. Yes. Oh, yeah. um Oh, yeah. So those of you are able to watch, can see like we're wearing things. Yes, yes. So Kelly is wearing my first um crochet hat pattern. I'm wearing my second one. So his is a worsted weight and mine is a fingering weight.
00:04:26
Speaker
And then the tank tops we're wearing were both designed by Kelly. Yeah. So, yeah. so the two hats are Andrew, they're Kalliri Creations designs, and then the tanks are cocky crochet designs. So, yeah. So he is wearing, um, since since you explained yours, I can go and explain mine. Like he's wearing my first mesh tank top design, which I did um earlier this year during the summer. Cause I was like, you know, I want to design some like actual summer wear, um, and some stuff for like, you know, pride and like, you know,
00:04:57
Speaker
The gays, they love their slutty little meshware. So I was like, okay, I will give you what you want. Yes. And totally I originally started with just the one and I was like, you know what, let's make a full collection with this. So I then designed the wave strider to go along with it. And then there's also the cloud leaper that's also out. Um, so yeah, so anyway, so just shameless product plugs all over the place. If you want any of these patterns, you know, find them on our websites, our Etsy's our Ravelry's all that. yeah
00:05:28
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, definitely. Well, i have to say, you know, ah for me being new in pattern design, it was like really nice getting to chat with you because I was able to kind of like show you my rough draft and be like, does it make sense? Like, would you be able to follow this? Like, it makes sense to me. But, you know, I have a full understanding of how the hat is made. And so, of course, it makes sense. Like, i need to give it to somebody who's never made one like
Importance of Feedback and Support
00:05:55
Speaker
you at the time.
00:05:56
Speaker
um and just see if it works for you. um and so like getting the feedback was like super helpful. Oh, and and that was actually like a lot of fun for me because I know that having been designing for four years at this point, um a lot of it felt like I was kind of by myself. um I definitely had a couple of people um who I was able to reach with to and got some feedback from. Shout out Brianna of Brianna K Designs. She was like my mentor throughout the beginnings of my career.
00:06:31
Speaker
design journey. um But she's also just like, she's, she's does this full time. So like, she doesn't have the time to be able to like sit down and like really banter back and forth on ideas. She's got her own stuff to do. She's got her success to deal with. So yeah. I was like, you know, if i ran into any kind of issues, I was always like, okay, well, I'm i'm not quite sure who I can necessarily turn to for that. So the fact that like you and I have been able to even bounce ideas, I know you said you got a lot from me just like looking over your pattern because, if you know, you were brand new to it. You just wanted to make sure it was good, which by the way, everyone, it looked really good. Even in a rough draft form, I was really impressed by it. yeah Yeah, yeah, of course. Yes, absolutely. um But then i was like, you got to be a good source for me to then bounce ideas off of as well. Because I was like, okay, I'm designing things I've not designed before. and I want to know your feedback on like, okay, is this even going to be, is this going to look good? do Would you wear this? And when you said, oh, that tank top, I would definitely wear that. I would love to. And you were like, you even wanted to test it. I was like, Yes. Okay, perfect. So, you know, it wasn't just one way. Like, it became really nice yeah having you yeah able to help me improve my own designing.
00:07:48
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I agree. The back and forth part was, like, super nice. And, you know, we're both, like, creative types. So it's, ah we both have, like, so many ideas and ideas.
00:08:00
Speaker
ah Sometimes I just need a sounding board for, you know, like, what do you think about this? Or do you think this would be possible? Or like, um you know, you were just talking about your lace tank tops, but you also have lace shorts now to match them.
00:08:15
Speaker
At least two so far. Yeah. um So I have one that was something where you're another one that's in development. Oh, one is published and one's in
Pattern Formatting and Branding
00:08:25
Speaker
development. Okay. um But yeah, you ah you were going to make one for each of your tank tops. um And I remember back before you made them, you were like, do you think it would be possible? And I was like, yeah, you should definitely try. Like, go for it. and you never know what ah what you could come up with. And then you were able to come up with them. So I was like super proud of that.
00:08:49
Speaker
Yay. Thank you very much. Oh, yeah. Basically, it sounds like, I mean, a lot of we're talking pattern design and I know we're just sitting here and just doing a lot of praising of each other. um But I think well yeah that is something.
00:09:02
Speaker
ah Yeah. ah But I think also like what's great about that and what this illustrates is that, um, when you're doing pattern designing, like I know from my experience, you do draw a lot of inspiration from other designers as well. um Yeah, for sure. and you get it like you're obviously coming up with your own ideas, but also you find love and respect in how other designers do theirs. So,
00:09:26
Speaker
For example, um I know that for you, you included in your pattern a lot of photo tutorials. Like a lot of it is like visual aids to really help people get an understanding of how to work through your hat pattern.
00:09:41
Speaker
yeah I do not include a lot of visuals. Like mine is mostly just instructions, maybe some charts. um yeah But I always pair it with a video on my YouTube. So to me, that's where the visual comes in is I like to do that aspect of it. So the fact that like we're both providing some kind of visual help, but in two completely different ways, I'm like, they're both valid. And like, I love seeing those two different the ways of doing like designing the formatting itself. Like that's always fascinating to me is seeing like how other designers format their stuff.
00:10:16
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. and actually going off of the formatting thing, I think in general, most patterns are kind of set up the same way. And so like you always at the beginning have like the abbreviations, like you have to have that ah so people can know what everything is.
00:10:33
Speaker
um But then it's like usually there's a description and then there's like the setup and then it's like, I don't know, I guess it's kind of unspoken that everyone designs their patterns kind of in the same order.
00:10:45
Speaker
you know what i mean? yeah and I think... That definitely, I think comes from just people's experience with reading patterns because we've all read so many patterns when we try to go and write one that when I first wrote a pattern, I
Challenges in Tutorials and Design Process
00:11:02
Speaker
was going off entirely of, okay, well, how have I seen other patterns written and what were the ones I liked and the ones that seemed to do really well.
00:11:10
Speaker
And i just bam, bam, bam, went in that same order. And I've changed a couple of things since like my first patterns. I hope so. Because if you see any of my first drafts, they're a little on rough side. You can tell that those are my first patterns. They were my, right for my earlier work, if you will. Oh yeah. But yeah. i But I think like that is like when you've read a bunch of patterns, that definitely helps with you with the structure. And then the rest is just like personal choice. Yeah.
00:11:39
Speaker
what kind of style are you wanting? Do you want it to be really clean and empty and just like as minimalist as possible? Or do you want all the pages completely filled with like notes and pictures and diagrams and like even little like decorative embellishments? Like what kind of style are you wanting to go into? Yeah.
00:11:58
Speaker
Yeah. And I think that that's like, that's definitely comes down to like personal choice and it comes down to branding. So I know for you, well at least for me, my brand is like, I am a very detail oriented person. I've got a lot of info. I do very complex things. So I need a lot of notes. I'm like, fill up that page, fill it all up with of explanations to make it as clear as possible.
00:12:20
Speaker
But I know for you, ah you didn't need that, it seemed. like You needed much more space for like your pictures and your diagrams, and you let those kind of speak to the abbreviations. So I mean, want to expand on that? like i mean Yeah, sure. I definitely i love having the pictures in there. In my mind, I want the pattern to be totally standalone. um And so I want people to just be able to buy the PDF and then like make it straight off from there without any help.
00:12:49
Speaker
Of course, if you need help and like if you're working on one of my patterns right now and you need help, definitely contact me. I'm so happy to help because i really just love these hats so much. And that's why I'm like, i I want the pattern out there. I want people to be able to follow through.
00:13:05
Speaker
And I don't like when you know people aren't able to get it. you know I want to take the time and help you understand because that's the whole magic of patterns is that you can make the same thing that I make.
00:13:17
Speaker
And ah you know you can make adjustments to like hook size or yarn size or whatever. But you can eventually make it the same way. um so I don't know. It's kind of like a universal, and not language, but you know what I mean. like The pattern should be universal.
00:13:32
Speaker
No, i I get that. And I love that that's the approach that you take with it. And I love designers that do that as well, where they're like, they really do want it to be standalone. um i know, I mean, as my best attempts to make mine as standalone as possible, um i just, but I just know the types of techniques that I'm including in a lot of my patterns. I'm like, you're going to need some visual help with this. And for me, the video is just the easier way to do it. So to me, it's like,
00:13:59
Speaker
If you want it, like if you can understand it without the video, that's excellent. And I'm also available, by the way, for any kind of pattern support. Yeah, all right. Yes, yes. um But like if you need it, the video is also there as a help. And I know that like I've also gotten video help before that was really very good for like certain patterns, especially really complicated ones. So, you know, that's.
00:14:22
Speaker
the Those types of decisions that people put into making a good pattern in general, I'm just always like so impressed by the amount of work that goes into it. And I think that that's something that people, even when I first started, i knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I didn't really know how much work it was going to be like, yeah.
00:14:42
Speaker
When I started even making a tutorial video,
Design Process: Trials, Errors, and Rewards
00:14:45
Speaker
I ran into so many issues and I was just like, I didn't know there was so much involved in just making this simple tutorial video.
00:14:54
Speaker
And now I'm like, I'm all set up I know exactly how I need to make a tutorial video, but it took a lot of learning to do that. And it made me respect yeah even more so the people who take the time to make really good Pattern support videos or heck even a photo tutorial to go into your pattern. Like there's a lot of work that goes into a photo tutorial.
00:15:13
Speaker
Like, yeah, there is lots of pictures. I mean, definitely less than definitely less than a video. I, cause I also, i have videos too. And like, I know the work that goes into video editing, but I,
00:15:25
Speaker
A lot of my videos are kind of like single take, like for the Whip Wednesday series that I have on YouTube. It's mostly just me, one solid take talking, and I don't have to do that much editing for it, which is nice.
00:15:39
Speaker
um But I did just recently make that blocking tutorial, the wet blocking one, and that one was like a bunch of clips um stitched together, and it took a long time to edit, which I imagine is like the tutorial videos are kind of the same, where it's like, multiple clips going um together.
00:15:57
Speaker
So yeah, I can't imagine how long it takes. Yeah, it definitely is. Yeah. Oh yeah. And yeah the thing about it also is I'm like, When I'm going through and doing the video part, like and I think that that's the thing is like when you think of design, it's more than just writing the pattern and making the sample. It's all the other things you have to decide. Like when I'm making a tutorial video, I have to think what are some issues that I know people are going to run into? Like I have to predict what kinds of problems people are going to have.
00:16:27
Speaker
And then I have to figure out how to show that clearly. So my choice of yarn, my time of day that I can record the amount of storage on my phone. Cause I don't have any fancy equipment or a bunch of storage. I'm just like, yeah I run out of storage. So I have to figure out how to get the videos off. have to have an external storage. It's like all of this equipment, like, or software stuff i have to do And then my microphone has to be charged. It's just all this stuff. Like ah the number of times I'll be like doing clips and,
00:16:56
Speaker
Oh, it's just, it's so much work. Yeah. Oh goodness. A lot goes into it. And like, even um if thinking about like the the pattern as a PDF, like you have to think of like what cover photo is going to look good for this. Like I need it to like showcase the the actual pattern really well. Like you have to i actually do like photo shoots and stuff. um So, yeah, you're right. It's not just like making a pattern. It's actually like there's so much else that goes into pattern design that, you know, you don't even scratch the surface of just by making a prototype.
00:17:30
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. And the yeah, and it's it's so. ah Yeah. mean i I can't really say much more than what you already said about that because it's it's true. There's just so much. But I will say like it is definitely a very rewarding experience. Like I but yeah i freaking love doing it Like it is so much fun. Like it is a labor of love.
00:17:52
Speaker
But yeah, so I mean, so, okay, so i'm I'm wondering, okay, so kind of like a thing that I always like to kind of find out from designers is, um what is your favorite part of designing a pattern?
00:18:03
Speaker
And then what is your most hated part of designing a pattern? yeah I was thinking to ask you the same thing. um but okay, ah my favorite part...
00:18:14
Speaker
um I don't know, I guess my favorite part overall about pattern design is seeing my pattern be successfully reproduced by someone else.
00:18:27
Speaker
And like having someone else tell me, like I love it. I love it so much. like I haven't seen a pattern like this. like I've been getting a bunch of messages about the hat patterns because you know there aren't really many patterns like this out there. And so it's like really cool to hear from people that you know it really meant something to them. And they like they've made not just one, but like yeah two or three or more.
00:18:51
Speaker
ah One guy sent me a picture of like nine hats that he made. And I was like... That's amazing. That's so amazing. i My heart is so warmed by that. so I feel like that's got to be my favorite. be Yeah, the the brims that you have to buy for this hat pattern come in packs of 10. So it's like you kind of have to make. I mean, I know I made it. so Yeah, but see, you can make four actually. Yeah.
00:19:19
Speaker
Oh, four. Really? Oh, yeah. No, I'm going to Caleb. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I made one as a gift. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So yes, that's your favorite part. That's beautiful. like i love that. Yeah.
00:19:32
Speaker
What's your favorite part?
00:19:37
Speaker
um weirdly enough i think it's the math um oh my god i mean i love it i should have known yeah know okay so i know i'm a freaking nerd it's a proudly gifted and talented and i'm not ashamed of it um well i also taught math like in like middle school math for like 13 years So I'm pretty comfortable with it. And I know that that's actually a big thing that drives some people away from design.
00:20:06
Speaker
I mean, even you, you're like, I designed a hat because I didn't want to mess with a lot of the math um of like grading, but like grading a sweater is actually like a huge fun thing for me. Like I love...
00:20:18
Speaker
the math and like the the numbers and when things work out and like sometimes even not thinking through things, I just experiment and then the math, like the numbers pop out and they're beautiful and perfect. And I'm just like, I wasn't even planning that. It just worked out that way. um Wow.
00:20:34
Speaker
And even when they don't, it's like, it's a fun puzzle for me to figure out because I'm like, yeah I mean, the reason I call myself the cocky crocheter is because I'm very full of myself and I believe I can do anything if I set my mind to it. um And I think I'm going to be immediately good at it without having to try. Yeah.
00:20:50
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. So, I think that too. And then when I'm not immediately good at something, I'm like, I hate it. Yes. Yes. I, and I get that, but I know that I am good at math and I've had experience with grading to the point where I'm like, I'm familiar enough with it that I'm like, even when I run into an issue, i know I have the ability and the confidence to figure it out. Like, like you said, I had no idea how to even start making a pair of shorts. Yeah.
00:21:19
Speaker
And then I studied and figured it out and was like, this is way easier than I thought once I kind of figured out all the math behind it. So, yeah, that's my favorite part. yeah The math, the grading, the sheets, the calculating, like all of that stuff and seeing it transform from just numbers and pictures into a physical item that works out. Like I'm like, oh, my God, like this actually works. Yeah. Yeah, wow.
00:21:42
Speaker
Well, that's definitely an an interesting favorite part because I i haven't done any grading before. but So I can't say that grading is my least favorite part because I've never done that, but I'm avoiding it altogether. So you could argue it's my least favorite because I'm just putting it all off and not doing it.
00:22:02
Speaker
um I would say for me, my least favorite part is... um Probably like the trial and error because I hate like when I'm trying to make a prototype and then I get all the way to the end, especially like with the hats, the brims have to be like a specific size to fit over the insert and they can't be too loose because then the insert will like flop up and down.
00:22:26
Speaker
But if it's too tight, you won't be able to close it. So it's kind of like you have to be precise in the design. And you have to account for like lots of people have different tensions. So even if it works for me, it might not work for you because you have tighter tension. So like yeah having to figure all of that out and um maybe there's a way to do it, but I just did it by trial and error. So I would make both the top and bottom brim and then just see if it worked.
00:22:54
Speaker
And then if it didn't, I'd have to rip all of it out. And
Design Challenges: Yarn and Decision-making
00:22:58
Speaker
it's like, you know, that's hours of work I put into it basically for nothing. I mean, you still learn from the process, but it's like, it feels like nothing. feels like a waste, you know?
00:23:08
Speaker
Oh, i completely 100% get that. And yeah even I would say like the way you had to do the brim, the way you just described that, I'm like, no, literally the only way you could have done that was through trial and error.
00:23:21
Speaker
um Right. Because you could have math, like, like for me, like I could have mathed my way through that as best I could, but physically executing it. And I mean, yarn, yarn we know does not behave Like it does its own thing. So like, you're right. Like the tension you have to have, like the type of fiber you use, the weight of fiber. Um, and you're like, you have this vision in your head of like how it should behave, but then you put it on. I'm like,
00:23:48
Speaker
So I get that. I mean, even with like the tank tops, I was like shoulder strap placement. And you remember like during the testing, like the gauge was so different because I was like, well, the yarn label was basically telling me it's this weight.
00:24:02
Speaker
But then when we were trying to find it, it was like, no, it's not that same weight. Universally speaking, we're like, what is going on here? So right out the gate, we had issues before we finally figured out all of that. So I totally get that. The trial and error.
00:24:17
Speaker
is an a necessary evil for that. Well, yeah, it is. It really is. And you hit a really good point there with like yarn, which I mean, we won't have time to really get into on this episode.
00:24:30
Speaker
But looking at what the company labels the yarn size as, like for example, when I started making my fingering weight hats, I just grabbed a yarn off of my yarn wall that I have and it said fingering weight. So I was like, great, let's start making it.
00:24:45
Speaker
Well, it turns out it's more likely it's closer to a sport weight. And I figured that out by looking at the overall yardage. So it only had like 350 yards versus like fingering weight should be over 400.
00:25:00
Speaker
But it was labeled fingering weight. So I'm like, I didn't even check before I started. And so then I ran into problems. And then that's kind of like, that's the whole trial and error business, you know?
00:25:12
Speaker
So it can be super annoying. get that. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. what about you? Do you have a least favorite part? um That definitely is a part that I'm not a huge fan of, all the frogging that it takes to go into it. But at this point, I've just become so accustomed to that that I'm just like, I mean, that's just part of the process. So I've just accepted it.
00:25:35
Speaker
But I will say, i think actually my least favorite part is... try like I get decision paralysis really badly sometimes. So sometimes I'm like, if I'm at a crossroads on making a decision for my design, like, okay,
00:25:54
Speaker
Do I like this more or this more? I can't tell. i have no idea. I'm like, yeah which one do I like more? Which one will other people like more? Which one is gonna be easier? Which one's gonna be harder? Which one, like, is this gonna be too clunky? I can't tell anymore. I've been staring at this pattern and this design too close to it I need a fresh set of eyes to look at this. Um, so like yeah any kind of decision making in the process, like I, yeah, now there are some things where I'm like, okay, well, this is pretty easy for me. Like, you know, I test out, like, Oh, I don't really like that. I can tell clearly this isn't going to work. I'm like, you know, those aren't hard, but it's things like, you know, what style of sleeve should I do?
00:26:33
Speaker
Should I do like, you know, well, maybe not style. Um, that's not it. Uh, cause I usually, i like tapered sleeves. That's pretty much what all of mine are going to be, but it's like, do I do like a waist shaping? How do I, how much ease do I want to put into this? How much ease do I need to put into like, you know, this part is this going to fit somebody who's wearing a four X or a five X or, you know, and is this going to fit the same way as somebody wearing an extra small and,
00:27:02
Speaker
having to make like those kinds of decisions can get really difficult for me because I'm also like, I wanna make sure that people are gonna like my pattern. And so if I feel like any part of it is gonna make somebody feel like, oh, I hate this, like that's a lot of pressure. I'll get put a lot of pressure on myself. Like you said, you want you you get excited about people liking it. I'm like, I just don't want people to hate my stuff. So I mean, same. Yeah. i Remember, i had like I was totally paralyzed after I finished writing the worsted weight hat.
00:27:33
Speaker
And I was like, I don't know. I don't think it's ready to release. It's like I'm scared, you know, like it's my first real release of a
Growth and Continuous Improvement in Design
00:27:40
Speaker
pattern. And I mean, you you have to worry about public feedback.
00:27:44
Speaker
You know, it's like that's your whole brand. And if people don't like it, they're not going to come back and. keep buying patterns from you. And we, both of us have like a big focus on like customer retention, I guess, or like customer satisfaction. like we both really want our buyers to take our patterns home and be like, oh, this is such a cool pattern. I love it.
00:28:07
Speaker
And it's not just about making the sale. It's also about like, really providing something and like giving something to the community. And I don't know, it's like, it feels really nice to contribute and have people respect that and enjoy it Oh, i exactly. Like you hit the nail on the head with that. Like, I remember your paralysis. Like you were so afraid. And I was just like, at some point in time, you just have to publish it.
00:28:33
Speaker
Like you just have to publish your pattern. And I think once you did that though, you then saw kind of like, you know, okay, it's out there. It's not for the public. And you did, you got so much positive feedback from that, that I think that that helped you yeah with more readily being able to publish your other ones that you have. Like, The fact that you even went back and redid your, what was it? Like your marled ribbed scarf?
00:28:56
Speaker
Like, yeah, that's that one. Like that one you technically already had published. I guess you count that as not your first real pattern. Um, but you reworked it. That pattern needed help. yeah That was, yeah, that one was, we don't talk about that.
00:29:14
Speaker
I saw the original. It wasn't as bad as you're you're saying, but I mean, I will say your new one is way improved. But, It was wrong. oh like The original pattern that I put out, like ah it was not correct. And so when I was like, so I had an old pattern for a knit scarf that I just like threw up onto Etsy like years ago.
00:29:36
Speaker
um But then i I didn't really like do anything fancy with it. And I was like very inexperienced. So after I did my hat, the worsted weight one, I decided to revisit that pattern and the kind of like make it better and more professional, like on the same level as the hat one. And when I looked at the Word document, I was like, this pattern is not even accurate.
00:29:56
Speaker
Like, I don't know what I was thinking. Like, I wasn't paying attention to detail like I was in the hat pattern. And like, both of the hat patterns have gone through like a testing round to, you know, make sure that they work. The scarf I never did a testing round for. And yeah, anyway, it's fixed now. All that to say, i went back and I fixed it. um Good.
00:30:19
Speaker
it's It's true. And it is definitely better than the original. I will say with that. And yes, so much better. I mean, okay. On that, in that same vein, like my very first sweater pattern that I ever did, it is absolutely so different from literally any of the other ones after that, because it was me just figuring out how to write a sweater pattern.
00:30:40
Speaker
And of course I decided I want to go complicated with it. And I did like, you know, waist shaping and I did a cable pattern in it. And I did like, a shawl collar with a decorative button and like all this stuff. I knew nothing about ease. So I can't even wear the sweater anymore. Well, physically i am anymore, but like, it's also like I made it to just fit my chest.
00:31:02
Speaker
With no ease. And I was like, why is this so tight? um It does not fit the same way as most sweaters should. And then I was like, oh, that's right. And then I also had like, I wrote out separate instructions for all nine sizes.
00:31:18
Speaker
Because wow there's too many in my mind, I was like, I didn't know how to deal with the differences. I was like, I knew about, you know, doing the parentheses with like, you know, different stitch counts and things like that. You could do that in one document for different sizes.
00:31:32
Speaker
But the cabling and the cable bordering had to be different because of the width of how it covered the shoulder side. And I didn't know how to write that in the same document for all the different sizes without it being confusing. So I was like, now I would know how. But like at the time I was like, well, I'm just going to separate them all out.
00:31:51
Speaker
And oh my God, that was, it's so, it's, I don't even know how many pages long that is total, but like, As a result, it's a free download. I was like, I'm not making anybody pay for this. Like, this is just a free pattern for anybody who wants it. Have fun figuring it out. Hopefully it comes out right for this size.
00:32:09
Speaker
Definitely size up so that you can get some positive ease. But I yeah but i think that that's the thing about like, yeah. Yeah, well, with designers, I think in general, like we all have that first pattern, like you with your scarf, me with that sweater. That's like not our best work, but that's okay. It's not meant to be. Your first pattern shouldn't be your best work. It should be much later um after you've learned and improved and everything. So, you know, your hat, like your fingering weight hat has ah has been better as a result of you having worked on the worst to do it one. And having reworked your scarf. And now the fingering weight one is like so good. Like it's such a good pattern.
00:32:50
Speaker
yeah i Yeah, I love it. And you're right. it does It's like a stepwise thing. Like you have to start from somewhere and then you'll just learn by doing. I mean, we were just talking about that the other day. Like the more you do of something, the better you'll eventually get because you learn on the way versus like trying to put out something that's totally perfect on day one, which is like, of course, we want our patterns to be perfect, but.
00:33:15
Speaker
You know, we'll never have that chance if we don't like try and keep pushing out new ideas and we'll discover things along the way that maybe we wouldn't have thought of unless we had already done one, you know?
00:33:29
Speaker
Exactly. Exactly. Yes. ah hu We could... Okay, honestly, i know we could talk about this for hours, but we have hit about our half hour mark, and we really are trying to be very good about sticking to that, because we know who we are. so Well, we already past the half hour mark like a long time ago. So it's been a couple minutes since the half hour mark. but yeah But yeah, this was really great. I've loved chatting with you about pattern design, not just today, but also like, you know, while we're both like in the trenches of our own pattern design, it's been really helpful, like talking to you and bouncing ideas back and forth. So yeah, it's been really great.
00:34:15
Speaker
Well, that's episode two. ah Thank you guys for watching. And, you know, definitely come back and check out episode three. We've got lots more topics to cover. So we're really excited to keep ah talking to you guys about all of our fiber arts loves and dislikes and all of that.
00:34:31
Speaker
Thank you.