How I Became a Crochet Designer
Posted by vicki brown on
It's been over 10 years since I had my first crochet pattern published. How I got into crochet design is a question I get asked a fair amount so I thought it would be good to write up a blog post explaining how I did!
I will be completely honest with you, I have zero training or education in this field, I am just an avid crocheter.
I did do a theatre design A-Level that involved an element of costume design (though this was back in 2000!). I considered various degrees that included fashion and set design, but in the end did English and Creative writing.
After that I worked in retail until my son was born in 2009, when I devoted a lot of time to my etsy shop, I made enough money selling my handmade items that I didn't go back to a 'regular' job.
Then in 2011, entirely on a whim (this is how most of my ideas begin) I decided I wanted to be a crochet designer, I had made up patterns for myself in a very basic way before then and I had put a couple of free patterns up on ravelry and my blog, but that was it.
Inspired by ravelry forums, I decided to submit some ideas to magazines. I was able to gather a little information about what I needed to do from said forums and I just got stuck in.
I emailed a few crochet magazines asking for their submission guidlines and editorial calendars and then submitted using the guidlines they sent back to me.
I've just trawled back through my emails to find the original conversation I had with Claire Montgomerie at Inside Crochet, who comissioned my first designs back in 2011. I must admit I'm a little embarrased by my first submission! This is not how I would submit now, but back then, I sent over and email with a paragraph outlining my design and a little sketch and a swatch attached as photos.
This was the paragraph :
Long Sleeve Lacy Sweater
Loose fitting, long, lacy sweater, worked in the round. A comfortable, smart/casual sweater made in cotton for a light yet cosy springtime garment. Crocheted in the round this is a seamless sweater with thick ribbed cuffs, waist and neck. I imagine this for a young woman/teenager, this is such a versatile item, easy to dress up or down.
For the swatches attached, I used Twillys Freedom Sincere double knit organic cotton yarn.
and my photos
Anyway - by some miracle Claire commissioned this sweater and I had to teach myself how to write a crochet pattern following a style sheet and how to grade for multiple sizes. It was a steep learning curve, but with a lot of googling and book reading I got there.
The next year I invested in Shannon Okey’s Tech Editing course - which was wonderful and improved my grading skills no end, but unfortunately I don’t think she does it anymore.
As I got more experience, my pattern writing and designing skills improved and so did my submission pages! These are from a fair few years ago now but this is how I would probably do a magazine submission today - one sheet with all the information on it, sent as a PDF attachment via email (unless the magazine has specified a particular way of submitting).
As a side note - neither of these particular designs were ever commissioned, so if you're interested in getting into desgining - know that sometimes your designs just won't fit with the themes or style of the magazine and try not to get too disheartened (I'm particuarly proud of that tunisian swatch - it would have made an excellent sweater in my opinion!).
If you want to get into crochet design then I think magazines are the perfect place to start - I won't lie, generally the pay is not great verus time put in, but the benefit of working with magazines are pretty good especially for a newbie. They will generally arrange yarn support for you and though you are expected to produce a well written pattern, they will have it tech edited for you, plus you know from the outset how much money you will earn from your work as this will be agreed before you begin. If you're self publishing this is much more of a gamble and you'll need to front all the costs of publishing yourself (tech editor, yarn, photography etc). There are definely benefits to self publishing too - but personally I think magazines are great for getting started.
Another side note - if you are an indie designer in need of yarn support - please feel free to shoot me a message - I know I used to find asking for yarn support terrifying - as someone who has been there I'm always open to enquiries as a dyer now - contact me
If you've got this far then you're probably pretty keen on the idea of getting into crochet design yourself and if so then I can highly recommend The Crochet Project's new course.
Joanne got into designing the same time as me and has been an incredible inspiration in this industry, carving out her own place and changing the face of crochet design. I'm very proud to call her a friend and collegue (of sorts) and know how passionate and particular she is about crochet and therefore know this course will be incredibly useful for anyone who wants to up their crochet game.
A locked and restricted crypto account but that did not stop me from the recovery of my crypto assets. I was locked out of my wallet, and restricted for reasons they couldn’t explain to me properly. I thought I had lost everything but a friend of mine recommended MorphoHack to me. A team of cyber security experts, crypto recovery specialists and ethical hackers who helped my case. In my situation, I was about to swindled by the crypto holding company, but MorphoHack helped me recover my crypto assets, gained access to my wallet and helped me regained my confidence. I’m truly thankful for their service and I highly recommend them to everyone out there. Contact them directly at Morphohack@cyberservices.com
Many people are afraid to pursue it further once they lose access to their crypto wallet and assets, but I put it to you that the longer you wait, the more complicated it becomes. Morphohack can help you act faster and more efficiently, you will be glad that you stumbled upon their services.
When the Bible states we are gods of the earth, I felt this truth during my encounter with Lord Meduza, the spell master. I’m Denzel Chau and I’m here to present the individual who transformed my life from poverty to becoming a multimillionaire Jackpot victor. I reached out to Lord Meduza for assistance with winning numbers and he successfully helped me after casting a lottery spell for me. I utilized the numbers to enter the Jackpot lottery and I was announced as the winner of $368,000,000. Acquiring the numbers from Lord Meduza took 72 hours and I want to express my gratitude publicly to him for his remarkable service to humanity and for deciding to assist me during my life’s lowest moment. Not everyone is meant to win the lottery, but with the assistance of Lord Meduza, you can achieve it. To reach him today, drop a message to his email: lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com or WhatsApp +1 807 798 3042. To learn more go to his webpage: lordmeduzaspelltemple.com
HOW TO HIRE A HACKER TO RECOVER LOST BITCOIN / ALPHA RECOVERY EXPERTS
Alpha Recovery Experts provides recovery solutions for those who have fallen victim to investment scams to get back their lost money. I recently found myself in a tough situation after losing $426,000 of my cryptocurrency investments. After doing some research, I came across ALPHA RECOVERY EXPERTS and decided to reach out for their help. I was hesitant at first, but the positive reviews and their expertise gave me some confidence.
The team was professional and reassuring throughout the entire process. They explained each step clearly and kept me updated on their progress. In the end, they successfully recovered my funds, which felt like a huge relief. I would recommend Alpha Recovery Experts to anyone facing a similar issue. It’s great to know there are professionals out there who can help in these challenging situations.
Reach out to them via email; Info@alpharecoveryexpert.com
WhatsApp +44 7457 424681
You can also visit his Website. Alpharecoveryexpert.com
I’ve been attempting to expand my wine business in my hometown in White Plains. For the past 7 years, I do play the lottery in my spare time, but on this blessed day I came across an article about Lord Meduza’s spell to win the lottery. I contacted Lord Meduza to see if it would work and after I agreed to his terms and conditions for completing the task for me, he performed his magical powers for me and within 48 hours, he provided me with the numbers I needed to play the lottery, and I followed his directions. I found out at the store that I was the winner of a $105 million jackpot. For a moment I felt uncertain but I looked again and I saw it was real. As I speak to you, My level has been elevated from grass to grace and I’ve come to know that life is more spiritual and with the Lord Meduza spell, you can actually win the lottery. Lord Meduza contacts are listed as follows..
Website: lordmeduzaspelltemple.com
Email: lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com
Whats App: +1 807 798 3042..
I’ve been attempting to expand my wine business in my hometown in White Plains. For the past 7 years, I do play the lottery in my spare time, but on this blessed day I came across an article about Lord Meduza’s spell to win the lottery. I contacted Lord Meduza to see if it would work and after I agreed to his terms and conditions for completing the task for me, he performed his magical powers for me and within 48 hours, he provided me with the numbers I needed to play the lottery, and I followed his directions. I found out at the store that I was the winner of a $105 million jackpot. For a moment I felt uncertain but I looked again and I saw it was real. As I speak to you, My level has been elevated from grass to grace and I’ve come to know that life is more spiritual and with the Lord Meduza spell, you can actually win the lottery. Lord Meduza contacts are listed as follows..
Website: lordmeduzaspelltemple.com
Email: lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com
Whats App: +1 807 798 3042.