Knitwear Design: why, and how, I develop my own patterns

Sarah shows one of her latest designs
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In the past few years, I’ve noticed that I began modifying the patterns I was knitting more and more. Then I wrote out a pattern from scratch because I couldn’t find one that fit my needs at the time.

Though I still consider myself a novice designer (I’ve had no formal training), I have noticed some attributes of the knitting process and knitted fabric that inform both how I select patterns from other designers, and how I develop my own ideas.

Gage Hill Crafts patterns on Ravelry

Sarah’s personal projects page on Ravelry

Resources for aspiring designers:

Alterknit Stitch Dictionary by Andrea Rangel

Charts for Color Knitting by Alice Starmore

Creative Quest by Ahmir Questlove Thompson

Knitsonik Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook by Felicity Ford

Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd

Knitting Outside the Box by Bristol Ivy

Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Standard Body Measurements from The Craft Yarn Council

Treasury of Knitting Patterns series by Barbara Walker

Workshops and design consulting from Aroha Knits, aka Francoise Danoy

Published by Sarah Scully

Sarah is a librarian as well as an avid knitter and occasional knitwear designer. She also enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, reading, painting, and writing with fountain pens.