Day 2: Focus

Knitting is a very big subject, a passion of mine and I'm assuming, yours. Today in the 21-day writer challenge, we were urged to define our focus.
My Focus is the Knitting Design Process. I love the whole process: working on an idea, ripping back, redoing it, writing it out on the back of an envelope, ripping it out again, writing it up, test knitting it and publishing the finished garment. I know it may not seem like fun but it really is exciting.

 I also want to help you, the knitter, get into this process too so you can add design elements to the patterns you buy and knit a garment that you can call your own creation. Even small additions to the pattern make it yours.

This has been a long journey. I started writing patterns for sale in the usual manner, one design at a time, working my way through different ideas I had and expecting them to be followed to the letter. Why else would anyone buy a pattern?

But I continued to be facinated by what some knitters did with our patterns or more often, wanted to do with them. Could I write a pattern that had a cable down the front, a lace pattern, with a collar or hood? I love these requests. Keep them coming. They tell me what you want to do and what you might be bumping up against in trying to get there yourself.

Today I am developing a toe-up sock pattern for our Cabin Fever Retreat on November 14-16. I want to put a design on the top of the foot where the knitters will be able to add a stitch pattern to my basic pattern.

Each knitter will work the toe and then add a 4-stitch pattern to the design which fits between the lines. Maybe a nice little 2x2 cable or a twist stitch, or a small lace pattern perhaps?

The basic concept is worked out, great. But now I have to think of my knitters. The toe is done and I want to give them some fun by adding in a stitch pattern of their choice but this design has 2 different increases and 2 different decreases working in the same round. I find I have to double check myself which increase to use when I knit this and I made it up! Too much to keep track of.

Simplify, simplify. This Does Not mean dummy it down. It means make a simpler version which can then be made more complex for those knitters who wish to take on the challenge. 

I'm going to take it back and have one line going across the top of the foot, from right to left for a wider zigzag pattern. Yes, I think I like that. What do you think?

Deb
P.S.  t_a thanks for reminding me: the yarn is Riverside Studio in Wakefield, Quebec.
P.P.S.  Yes Sharon (from the EZ post), I agree. Any system, including the EZ Percent System, is only a basic guideline. It gives you a starting point to work out your own particular adjustments for your own figure. Sounds like you did just that.