Chronicling the Design Process

I've decided to chronicle my design process, partly to keep myself moving forward with my design work, as well as a way to share how my creative process works for me. I don't know how it is for others, but for me, it's never straightforward from concept to finished design. I can be working on a design and launch in on the needles, be excited about it the whole way. And then I take the blocking pins off or take it off its form, and flop. It doesn't work at all! I have found, though, that pattern-writing strongly influences my designs in what I think is a very good way. It forces me to use repetitive sequences rather than "quick fixes" or fudges and I appreciate that tremendously, especially when I want to replicate a project or part of one.

This happened the other day with a hat. I had finished it months ago (March, to be more specific), and it was okay, but it wasn't something I was going to write a pattern for -- which means it wasn't good enough. (It was part of my Chemowear Series, but I don't think I ever wore it during chemo.)



So, after making a successful beret recently, I decided that I'd make this a beret, and use an element from the Groovellous shawl I'm knitting for fun. (I sorely needed a break from knitting up my own stuff, as it felt like all I was doing was working! It's nice to knit up someone else's work.)

I love all these things about this hat, but it just doesn't work. It doesn't sit properly on my head, the hat band is too long, and this lovely element doesn't work, mostly because it doesn't bend very well. So now what? I like the stitch pattern in the hat band and I really like the combination of the two different striped elements.

  

Maybe it becomes a cowl? Maybe I take it down and make the hat band shorter and make it all stripes? One thing that does work is the section of garter ridges, so potentially I can keep that. Another option is to make it a cowl, and keep the hat band knit so far and finish the rest, inverting the color pattern.

In the meantime, this will go on the back burner. That usually works well for me, and I don't want it to take away from other planned designs I've been working on -- or rather neglecting -- because of what sometimes seem more "urgent" brain requests.

Fizzy Water Cowl

I've been doing a ton of design work recently, mostly based on my fizzy water stitch, and I've been seriously avoiding writing the pattern for the sweater. It's a big project, and I need to just start. I've done a miniature mockup, and I've made a lot of notes, so there's no excuse. There, I've said it, and now I have to move forward on it! For reference, here's the fizzy water cowl, for which I used this stitch the first time.

So, I will work on writing the pattern while the hooded version of this cowl is being tested.

Note: I am specifically limiting my attention to the design of this page so that I can focus on the projects I already have in mind, and not using this space to procrastinate. I am already an expert!