Knitting design

This month, I’ve talked a lot about the test knitter experience and how a test knitter is different from a tech editor. To round things …

Hey designers: your test knit requirements may be throwing up all sorts of red flags. If you’re thinking about how to structure a good test …

UPDATE: As of August 2022, this pattern has been retired and is no longer available for sale. If you see it offered on any platform, …

I’ve got a test knit opportunity for you! You see, I have three socks coming out this summer in collaboration with Camellia Fiber Company, and …

Test knitting is a fixture in the online knitting community. It’s is a great way for knitters to try out new designs before they’re released …

You don’t need to spend tons of money on your software to design effective, elegant knitting patterns. Here are three inexpensive alternatives to a pricey Adobe suite.

But lately, I’ve seen some patterns try to take a shortcut on sizing by just advising knitters to increase or decrease their gauge to make a larger or smaller size. I’m not talking about patterns where there is an entire carefully plotted grid of different stitch and row counts to allow people to knit the same design in several different gauges and do it well. I’m talking about sock patterns that say things like, “to make a larger size, just go up one needle size.”

I think that’s a bad idea. Here’s why.

For today’s design feature, I wanted to focus on something that matters a lot to me: details that improve the fit and function of a garment.

The Good Things Collection is a small gathering of coordinating patterns (a hat, cowl, and mitts) that are named for particularly good things. Here you’ll find links to buy the collection online, more information about each pattern, and lots of photos.

I read a blog post a while ago from the amazing Karie Westermann, where she described in detail her design process. I was so impressed by the love and care she poured into each design.