How do you design your own pattern

#1

i have had an idea for a pettern for a wrap top, and have yet to see anything exactly like it.
i would love to design and make it but am not realy sure how to go about designing it since im fairly new to knitting.

do you cast on and make up as you go along, do i make a mock up in paper or cheap fabric first then consider how i would make that shape using my selected yarn (assuming i have swatched and guaged first) do i look at existing paterns and think how i could alter them to match what i want or all of the above?:think:
how have other people done this?

#2

I usually take a basic pattern for what I’m making, then add ideas from others, like different shaping or stitch patterns, and knit a bit of it in leftover yarn to see how it’s going to work up.

#3

I know exactly what you are talking about. I started a design last fall (that I have hibernating as it needs some rework done to the design for me to “love” it) being a newbie knitter myself.

I found some basic patterns that were along the lines of what I was wanting to do so I would know approximately how many sts to CO and how long to knit certain pieces for different sizes. I then sat down with pencil and pad of paper and started writing out what I THOUGHT the start of the pattern would be. Once written, I started knitting it (since, IF it ever turns out dreamy like in my mind I might want to share the pattern and heaven knows I won’t remember what I did without having it written down). If I didn’t like something, I’d frog it out and scratch out those lines on my written “directions”. Knit what I thought would look better and then write that down. So, long story short, I did a combo of knitting as it came and writing down and then knitting and just went back and forth.

MAYBE I’ll get back to it and try and correct the problem with the pattern and finish my test piece (currently being knit in a hideous stash yarn of the same guage as my “dream” yarn for the project) and knit it for real.

Best wishes on your designing endeavor. I’ll admit, it isn’t easy (or at least hasn’t been for me) but it is fun!

#4

Yes, as you knit what you think you’d like, other ideas or variations occur to you. So you need to reknit it or change the written outline. I don’t often write it out though I may make some scratchings to work out where stitches should go.

#5

I found this program online that will let you create a pattern
http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro.htm

#6

I will do a sketch and refer to another pattern that might have aspects I want to incorporate. Starting out with good measurements is key. Bear in mind that a facsimile done in woven material, or paper, won’t ‘fit’ like the knit. (Read ‘Sweater Design in Plain English’ by Righetti if you’re interested in how a seamstress became sweater designer and how much the two crafts differ.) Once you understand how the stitches stretch, drape, etc you need to incorporate that into your work. Your respective st pattern will effect your results as well. If cabled, sts will draw in horizontally. Certain st patterns will be stiff and have little stretch, others will be very loose. You could do something like linen stitch and get close to how a woven fabric would behave. How much ease are you allowing? Some fibers either shrink or stretch vertically…plan for this. Most likely, as noted, until you’ve started and frogged a lot of projects, no way to know exactly how something will come out until you actually work on it. How you perceive it in your head, or on paper, may not be what happens with the ‘sticks and string.’ But that’s all part of the fun…and learning process.

I’ve designed and discovered more than once, as Righetti discusses, finding the marriage between design and fiber is crucial. When the two don’t click, it’s back to the drawing board. But when it happens…yeah!

Good luck!

cam