Saturday, February 02, 2008

A bit about designing

I'm designing another sock pattern and I decided that instead of leaving it a total mystery/surprise I'd blog about the designing process.

Here's how it goes, at least for me:

I get an idea for a pattern and kick it around in my head for a period of time. Weeks, months, whatever. Occasionally I'll knit something relatively on the fly, but most of the time there's a lot of planning even if it's only in my head. The problem is that it's easy to get stuck in the thought stage. That's where MJ comes in.

In chemistry there is something called activation energy (yes, I'm always a dorky scientist). Basically it's the energetic "push" that a reaction needs to start... reacting. For me that's MJ. I can have a great idea but reality always interferes. Like this idea I had for a pattern for Valentine's Day - but that's so soon, and do I really have time to get it done? I was deciding not to do it but then last night MJ IMed me and the combination of the late hour and the MJ-effect caused me to decide that yes, this would work. So I started writing and approximately an hour later I had the first draft of the pattern that had been invading my brain.

(I should also note that she was the catalyst that led to me posting the PDF of Diamondy and she also was IMing with me while I wrote up another pattern late one night. But more about that later.)

The pattern was also inspired by a yarn idea that I had in my head. I tried a few times to find this yarn and had a couple ones that came close. When deciding which one to use I decided I'd multi task by picking a type of yarn I hadn't tried yet. That way it will also count towards my goal of using more of the new yarns from my stash.



There's the Cider Moon Flurry in Midnight Special all wound up. It looks a little more blue in the picture than it actually is.

Now off to cast on...

Labels:

4 Comments:

Blogger Nichole D. said...

Ooooh, exciting! I can hardly wait to see what you come up with.

I've taken a step towards more sock knitting, and orders the Harmony sock needle set from KnitPicks. Hopefully I can get a few pairs done this year!

6:20 AM  
Blogger Jennifer said...

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

7:10 AM  
Blogger weebug said...

i am delighted that you are posting your process, and i love your scientific dorkiness!

7:37 PM  
Blogger Knitting Bandit said...

Gorgeous yarn...
Thanks for sharing your design process. Here I thought you just started knitting and see what showed up on the needles.

10:52 PM  

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Sock Yarn

    A quest to use sock yarns:

    Yarns I've had:
    * means I really liked it

    4-ply Soft
    A Piece of Vermont*
    Alpafina
    Artsygal*
    Artyarns Supermerino*
    Austermann Step
    BMFA Sock Candy*
    Black Bunny Fibers*
    Brown Sheep Naturespun Sport
    Chinese Mystery sock yarn
    Claudia's Handpaints
    Conjoined Creations Flat Feet
    Crystal Palace Maizy
    CTH Supersock
    Dicentra Designs
    Dorchester Farms
    Fabel
    Fearless Fibers
    Fixation*
    Gloss (KP)
    handspun
    Inspinknity*
    Interlacements Beibi Seda
    Interlacements Tiny Toes
    Interlacements Toasty Toes
    Jarbo Raggi
    JKnits*
    Jojoland Melody
    Koigu*
    Kona Superwash
    KP Essential
    KP Merino
    KP Palette
    Limbo
    Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock*
    Macek Designs
    Madelinetosh
    Magic Stripes
    Mega Boots Stretch
    Microspun
    Nature's Palette
    Noro Kureyon Sock
    Opal
    Panda Cotton
    Paton's Kroy*
    Peru DK
    Peruvian Quechua
    Regia Bamboo*
    Regia Cotton
    Regia Strato*
    Ruby Sapphire
    Sockotta
    Socks That Rock*
    Star (Classic Elite)
    Stitch Jones
    Sunshine Yarns*
    Three Fates Cauldron Sock*
    TOFUtsies
    Trekking*
    Wick
    Wildfoote*
    Wollmeise*
    Wool Ease
    Yarn Pirate*

    In Progress:

    Perchance to Knit
    Regia
    Vesper
    Yarns in the stash:

    All Things Heather
    Ancient Threads
    Apple Laine
    Araucania Ranco
    Artyarns Ultramerino
    Autumn House Farm
    Baby Ull
    Ball and Skein
    Baywood Yarns
    Bearfoot (Mountain Colors)
    Briar Rose Fibers
    Brooklyn Handspun
    Cavyshops Handpaint
    C*eye*ber Fiber
    Cervinia Calzetteria
    CTH Superglitz
    Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks
    Chewy Spaghetti
    Classic Elite Alpaca Sox
    Colinette Cadenza
    Colinette Jitterbug
    Country Classic Yarn for Sox
    Crash Into Ewe
    Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop
    Curious Yarns
    Done Roving
    Dream in Color
    Duet (A Swell Yarn Shop)
    Dye Dreams
    Ellen's Half Pint Farm
    End of the World Farm
    Fashion Trend Sportivo
    The Fiber Denn
    Fleece Artist
    The Flock Bransonas
    Fortissima
    French Hill Farm
    Froehlich Blauband
    Fyberspates
    geeyouknit!
    Gjestal Silja
    Great Adirondack Soxie
    Greenwood Fiberworks
    Jaeger Matchmaker
    Jarbo Mini Raggi
    Jawoll
    Jawoll Cotton
    Just Our Yarn
    Knit Purl Natural Collection
    Kona Superwash
    KP Dancing
    KP Essential Tweed
    Lime & Violet
    Lisa Souza
    Louet Gems Pearl
    Luxe
    Mama Llama
    Merlin the Cat
    Meilenweit Cotton
    Meilenweit Trend
    Mind's Eye Merino/Tencel
    Mirasol Hacho
    Misty Mountain Farm
    The Natural Dye Studio
    Neighborhood Fiber Company
    Over the Rainbow Twinkletoes
    Peterle
    Pigeon Roof Studios
    Pine Woods
    Posh Yarn Lucia
    Prism Saki
    Pucker Brush Farm
    Regia Surf
    Reynolds Swizzle
    Reynolds Soft Sea Wool
    Rio De La Plata
    Royale Hare
    Roz Houseknecht
    Schaefer Anne
    Scout's Swag
    Sheep Shop Wensleydale
    Shelridge Farm
    ShibuiKnits
    Sockenwolle Unipo
    Spirit Trail Fiberworks
    Spunky Eclectic
    Steinbach Wolle Sockenwolle
    Sundara Yarn
    Sweetgeorgia
    Tess Designer Yarns
    Twisted
    The Unique Sheep
    Universal Ditto
    Valley Yarns Franklin
    vanCalcar Acres
    White Oak Studio tvyarn
    Wisdom Yarns Marathon
    Wool in the Woods
    The Woolen Rabbit
    Yarn Botanika Radiance
    Yarntini
    Ysolda Yarn
    Zen Yarn Garden


    To check out:

    Pippikneesocks
    Sophie's Toes
    The Spinning Bunny Yarns BFL

WIPs and FOs