DREAMS OF DESIGNS DANCING IN MY HEAD........

I’ve always had an inner desire to create something beautiful. I made quilts, applique wall hangings, counted cross stitch and knitted items that were beautiful and people raved about. I like the fact that people appreciated my finished work but it wasn’t my design. I want to design. I want to create. I’ve made several attempts at design but they didn’t work out. I’m not giving up.

I decided to take a new approach and look up different stitches and try them. I wanted to find stitches that were interesting and had a rhythm to them. I was able to find several stitches and this idea seemed to work out. This method was confirmed as a good one when I had an amazing opportunity last week to be on an Instagram Live that my good friend Laverne, @BzyPeach Yarn & Crochet, hosted. I was on with my favorite designer Casapinka. If you don’t know her and all of the beautiful patterns, she has designed please check her out. She also has an employee, Sharon form Security, who has designed some awesome patterns too. I asked her how she came up with some of her designs. She said one thing she did was consult the knitting dictionary for stitches that she found appealing. She tries the stitches to see if she likes the rhythm and ease of the stitches. If she doesn’t like those two things she would continue to look. So I continued this method of deciding on stitches but what is the next step? Unfortunately I didn’t ask Casapinka that question. Duh!!!!!

I decided my next step would be to knit off the top of my head to come up with a design. I made two hats but ran into problems because I didn’t write the steps down as I went along. I decided to stop and write down what I was doing after every row. This was time consuming. I decided maybe it would be better to write a pattern out first. I wrote out a pattern and let the work begin. That also had its pitfalls because it may look one way on paper but the real test came when the knitting began. I found that what’s on paper doesn’t always come out like it’s planned. I put the dream on hold until a couple of weeks ago.

I was doing an Instagram Live a couple of weeks ago and was joined by Laverne @BZYPEACH, Willie @Willienillieknits and Shana @creative_stitching_n_diva. It was great fun. Laverne and Shana are crochet and Willie and I knit. I started the fun about which is better, knitting or crocheting. That fun led to us coming together to design an item. It would combine knitting and crocheting. I started. I created a design and sent it to Laverne. She will add her own design to it using crotchet and whatever yarn she wants to. Laverne will send it to Willie who will add his knitted design. Shana will add the last piece to the puzzle. This is going to be fun. They get no advance notices about what the item looks like. They have to wait to they receive it. We have to wait until Shanna is done to see the final design. I can’t wait

I did it. I designed something. It was only a small part but it’s a start I wrote down what I did and hope to expand on it. I like the rhythm of the stitch. I loved the yarn. I wrote down my idea first. I’m on my way.

Have you designed an item? Share your techniques in the comment space below.

UPDATE: I had this set to publish on Monday, but during a live on Instagram with @BzyPeach I had a revelation. Laverne always wears a hat so I decided to wear one too. I pulled out two hats and remember I had made them. I had received my first skeins of Laverne's Pima Cotton and wanted to try it. I sat down and knit these two hats off the top of my head. I DESIGNED them. Yes, my first completed designs. The downside, I didn't write the pattern down. I am going to look at the bright side, I can design.