A few weeks ago one of the ladies at Knit Night asked how I got started as a knitwear designer. So here are some pieces of advice that I found really helpful and some things I wish I would have known when I started.
- Knit. A lot. Learn new skills and ask questions. Read as many knitting books as you can and take knitting classes. Spend time at your local yarn store and with other knitters.
- Start small. Tweek existing patterns to get a knit just how you want it. Try your hand at writing patterns for your own projects. Once you feel comfortable doing that, consider writing a simple pattern to eventually self-publish.
- Get other eyes to look at your patterns. Look for test knitters and listen closely to their questions, suggestions and comments as they work through your pattern. Some good places to find possible test knitters are on Ravelry threads or at knit nights. Never forget that your testers are spending their time and effort and yarn on your designs and you need to be certain to value that.
- Find a tech editor to help you with your patterns. Hiring a good tech editor can be a costly but necessary step. Or you may be surprised to find that a trusted friend or family member might have just the skills you need for this in the beginning. Again remember to value the time of anyone who is helping you.
- Be resilient. If something fails, take the time to find out why and how to fix it.
- Publish. If you decide this is the right fit for you, at some point you are going to have to be brave enough to actually click “publish” on your first pattern. It is very easy to get into the trap of thinking you need to do more or learn more before you can actually begin. Being prepared and learning your craft is very important, but you can’t let learning about the thing keep you from actually doing the thing. To sort of quote the inspirational memes we’ve all seen – “If you wait until you are ready, you’ll be waiting forever.” Sometimes that first step is the hardest.
- If you want someone to buy a design from you, they have to trust you. For me this meant self-publishing many, many designs from 2011 to 2017. I thought of my early patterns as starting a foundation of built up trust in me and my pattern writing so I offered many of them for free or at discounts in the beginning.
- Once you are ready to start submitting in response to Calls for Submissions, don’t take it personally if a submission is rejected. It doesn’t mean you are not cut out to be designer; it just means that this submission didn’t work. I generally set a goal for myself to submit a minimum of two design ideas a month with the understanding that many of them will not be accepted. In fact, if all of my design submissions were accepted I would really scramble to meet the deadlines.
You’ll definitely learn more as you go! Below is a look at some of my designs changing and growing between 2011 and 2017. Top left corner starts in 2011 and follow through like reading lines of a book to 2017 at the bottom. Currently I have more than 60 designs out in the wild through Ravelry, LoveKnitting, Knit Picks, Cascade, WEBS, Love of Knitting magazine, Knit Now magazine and others. All grown from being brave enough to click “publish” on my first pattern.
