Knit. Frog. Knit. Frog. Scrawl something down on a notepad. And repeat.
That is how the design of my first pair of mittens has been going.
I am now on my fifth mitten. No, not fifth pair of mittens. Fifth mitten. I can’t afford to use any more of my precious and dwindling baby alpaca yarn stash until I have got my pattern down pat. Until then, I’ll be knitting single mittens in all shapes and sizes, no matter how ‘useless’ that may seem.
Despite the inability to use or wear much of what I am currently knitting, I am enjoying the process. I’m finally starting to understand some of the ‘whys’ of certain decreases and other shaping techniques. Also, by forcing myself to take notes (something I normally never do while knitting), I’m able to keep better track of what works and what doesn’t work.
Although I am far from becoming a knit designer extraordinaire, by designing my own patterns I am pushing myself further than ever before (previously it would be more apt to describe myself as a ‘knitflixer’, than an actual knitter).
I’m also learning that, as good as it is to push myself, it’s also important to not over do it. So I’ll likely stick to the design of smaller and simpler items such as mittens, toques and scarves, at least for my first few patterns. Eventually maybe I’ll move on to socks, and afterwards, who knows? Sweaters, jackets, leggings, the sky’s the limit! Inspiration is everywhere. Just check out this beautiful knitted red jacket by Alisa Knitting. To be able to knit something as lovely and wearable as this would be a dream!
But back to the mittens.
Yes, I think they’re pretty, but I have a bit of a ways to go before being satisfied enough to release a pattern. Even still, I couldn’t help doing a mini photoshoot while at the beach last week with the first version of my mittens.
Here are a few of the modifications I would like to make to the first version of my mitten pattern:
- Increase the width of the main body
- Soften the decrease at the fingertips (make it more round and less straight)
- Ensure the SKYP pattern remains consistent at the decrease
Have you ever designed or modified your own pattern? What’s your process?
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