After the Sale is Made

I heard from a buyer last week who wanted to buy a project from a proposal I had submitted.

What's next?  What happens after the sale is made?

I received the yarn for the project on Friday, and this morning I started to work.  I pulled out my swatch and the notes I made.  First, I reviewed those notes for gauge, stitch pattern, hook size, etc, as it has been a while since I worked up the proposal. The buyer didn't ask for any changes to the basic design, just changes in colors.

Next, I began a draft of the pattern. I started at the "top" with the skill level, the Materials section, the Pattern Notes, Special Stitches and the Stitch Pattern. This gives me a head start on all those little details.

Then, I took out graph paper and created a symbol chart of the stitch pattern.  The buyer didn't ask for this, but it helps me visualize--as I mentioned, it's been a little while since I've worked on this--and makes sure I've got the pattern down before I begin calculations for actual stitch counts.

After the symbol chart, I wrote out the words for each row of the pattern.  I will go back and add the actual stitch counts, but for now, this gives me a good basis to test the technical part of the pattern while I'm stitching the model.

Next, I calculated the dimensions using the gauge, and came up with actual stitch and row counts. This is not a garment, so sizing will not be a factor.  I had certain dimensions in mind, but the stitch pattern and the number of colors involved dictates the number of rows.  I needed to think about whether the finished size would be appropriate for the project--little decisions here and there need to be made!

The next part is not as technical in nature.  I made the original swatch in 3 colors, but the buyer wants to add a 4th color. Now there are possibilites for color arrangement (oh what fun!).  Color changes are the norm; most of the time the buyer will give instructions for substituting colors for the original colors, or if not, I go by light/dark. In the case of the Red Twig Socks, I swatched in purple and black, so I followed the light/dark plan for the butter yellow and burgundy that the editor wanted.

In this case, I could arrange the colors in an ABC sequence, or ABC, then CBA, or maybe I could arrange them as ABCBABC, or even ABCCBAABC.

The choices I make will affect the pattern writing; the ABC sequence would make the easiest pattern to write (and to follow), but would that make the project POP? 

I'm swatching color sequences now . . .

Happy Stitching!

Bringing a Design into Focus

If you ask 10 different designers how a design comes to life, you would probably get 10 different answers. Each designer may also have more than one answer for that question.

Recently, I was working on proposals and an image popped into my mind. I grabbed my sketchbook, but the design didn't translate well to a sketch; yet it remained firmly attached to my mind's eye.

Next, I reached for hook and yarns and rushed headlong into the swatch. I experimented with different methods, and swatch #3 finally yielded what I was looking for stitch-wise.

But something was wrong. It was more of a feeling. The swatch didn't quite match the image stuck in my head. I kept staring at it, but no enlightenment came, just that niggling feeling that something was "off".

I put it aside and worked on other projects. The design waited patiently, never leaving me.

Then one night as I lay down to sleep, I had it! I knew what was wrong! My mind started running through ideas for correcting that pesky problem. The next day, the swatching started all over. This time, I nailed the "look" on the 2nd swatch.

Sometimes, designs don't come to me in full focus, like this one did, and there is more reliance with being true to the "feeling" that the idea is giving off. Only as I work on swatches does it come into focus, gradually, like a picture being developed in a dark room.

No matter how it comes, the satisfaction I get from bringing something from nothing gives me a buzz and keeps me designing!

Breathing Easier

No, I'm not having respiratory problems. I've been wrestling with a design and it's finally coming together. For me, the design process is unpredictable. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and an idea is ready to pop out of the oven, fully baked, needing nothing but to cool down before I can cut into it. Other times, I have a glimmer, sometimes a feeling of the design, lurking in the shadows, just out of reach. It's these designs that cause me to lie awake at night.

They hover and when I reach for them, thinking that I've finally got a good vantage point to capture them, they jump back into the shadows (and I swear I can hear them laugh at times.) Like the Gingerbread Boy, they keep running and I keep chasing. "Catch me if you can."

Last night, I caught the essence of a design that has been running for awhile now. It's not done by any means, but it's on paper and ready to be tweaked.

While the chase can be frustrating, the capture is oh so sweet!