eilia

So, you want to create a new pattern but just don’t have a clue what or how. Whether you are sewing, knitting, crocheting, tatting-or whatever other form of medium-there are several simple steps to putting together some ideas for your new project. One of the easiest ‘no-brainer’ things that I do is to pull out craft magazines, books, or internet web sites and start flipping through them to see various pattern stitches that I like.

Once I’ve decided what type of object I want to design (dress, baby item, afghan, etc) and I have a nice selection to chose from, I can can either mentally or physically decide wehre I’d like to use these pattern stitches on my chosen item. For example: If I’ve decided to make a cashmere sweater and I’ve chosen crochet cables, popcorn stitches, shells and crab stitches, I might like the idea of putting small cable stitches down both sides of the sweater, near the buttons and button holes. Or maybe I’ll just use them to run down the sleeves and around the cuffs. Maybe I’ll do popcorn stitches scattered along those cables and around the cuffs (above the cable stitches). Or I might like the idea of putting a soft popcorn stitch around the collar. And, I could use the shell stitchas the main stitch for the body of the sweater and do the edging with a crab stitch. As you can imagine, the possibilities are bountiful.

Some questions I might want to ask myself in the procedure of deciding where to put these nice stitches can include:

1) Are all these pattern stitches adding to the look of the sweater or might they be taking away from what I want to accomplish? Remember, too much of a good thing is still too much!

2) Do I really want to accent with more than one type of stitch in my item? Or, is simple and yet elegant more of what I want to go for in my creating process?

3) Is this item big enough to handle multiple stitch patterns? Or, will the multiple stitch patterns make this a busy but fun finished project?

Now that I’ve decided on what item to make and what pattern stitches that I will use, I have another area of questions to ask. Do I want to put a hood on this sweater? Do I use buttons or a zipper-or maybe just a drawstring type of tie closure? What type of yarn? I’ve seen patterns done with various types of yarn and each one gives the sweater a new look. Then, we can talk about color, stitch size (size of needle/hook/etc).

Now, we have what we need to design a baby men’s sweater. All we have to do now is to start making it. Many baby sweaters can be derived from just one pattern by only changing a few stitches.

As I’ve said in various articles, I’ve been doing fiber arts since the early age of eight. I’ve had an absolute obsession for fiber arts throughout all my years of various careers and numerous dwelling places across the country. For the twenty years that I spent as an over the road semi truck driver (mostly as a solo driver) I carried a large stash of yarn and thread with me. I rarely had a partner as I had to have all extra available space to store my craft supplies.

When people ask me why I have so much yarn and other craft supplies, I tell them that I have to have it on hand. I don’t do fiber arts just because I want to. I do them because I have to. I have to do fiber arts because it is the crafting/creating skills that keep my mind busy (like some people are obsessed with puzzles). It’s because of these skills that I feel alive and capable.

And, it’s in teaching these arts to others that I feel I can pass along that joy, capability and creativity that comes when a person can say, "Look what I made!"

I have various blogs, journals and personal web sites online but, will not list them here. Instead, please enjoy some of my groups.