A Couple of Patterns and Some Blurb about why I designed them...

Cable and Lace Wristwarmers and Beanie

Cable and Lace Wristwarmers and Beanie modelled by Moi!

I made this pattern up a year or so ago, after searching for a nice beanie that had an easy pattern and wasn't too hard to decrease.  After wasting many metres of wool, I came up with a decent fitting hat that I liked.  The wristwarmers were added because I like matching sets :-)

Fast forward to 2011 and my online wool shop has been up and running for a few months.  I'm thinking of ways I can engage with my customers and provide something for them that is easy to make and also showcases my products. I'm still learning how to design my own patterns, based on getting an idea for something that I can't find elsewhere, or think would be useful.

When I took out advertising in several knitting magazines, I was asked if I wanted to provide original patterns as part of the overall cost.  At first I said NOOOOO I'm not ready for that!  But when I looked at some of the things I'd made over the previous year I realised that, yes I can submit some designs!

Lacy Bamboo Scarfette

Lacy Bamboo Scarfette modelled by Scary Head Lady!

So, armed with my (hand-knitted) thinking cap, I came up with a couple more designs that I wanted to fill a gap in my needs.  One was a lightweight shortish scarf, as even winter weather here in Perth Australia is mild at worst.  Couple that with my absolute hatred of long repetitve projects and the Lacy Bamboo Scarfette was born!  It was also a grand way to test and advertise the yarn that I used, firstly Heirloom Bamboo, then, for the magazine version, Heirloom Bamboo Wool.  The result is a super nice scarf that I will get loads of use out of, 2 yarns tested for yarn reviews and customer assistance, and a pretty pattern that fits the intended magazine demographic (or so I've been told by the magazine man!)

Of course, the added bonus is that I get to publish my patterns here on my blog for all to see and use if they wish.  I just hope the instructions aren't littered with mistakes or are too confusing.  One thing that I am pretty passionate about is producing easy to understand patterns, as my designs are targeted at ordinary knitters like myself, who don't have the time or patience to struggle with 36 row lace repeats using thread-like yarns.   I used to write process and training documents in a former life and am very aware of the need to make sure all instructions are relevant and concise...I'm a bit rusty at this so if you find anything baffling in my instructions do let me know!

Anyhoo, it's time to upload this post, pick up my knitting again and catch up on some TV before my eyes get the better of me and close despite my best efforts to keep them open!

Happy Knitting and Crocheting!