Well, I have been a busy little bee… worked on about 5 swatches as proposals this weekend for a company. I just love it when I am swatching and I come up with something entirely new.. Actually, swatching is one of my most favorite things to do..

Sometimes, I already have the idea in my head.. and then other times, I just take hook and yarn and swatch. Usually something transpires that can be turned into something grand.. It just all depends on the yarn. The drape (though that can be somewhat changed by hook size), the fill factor, as I call it. I could take 2 yarns, and obtain the same number of sts per inch. But they can look totally different.. like thread, lacks the fill factor.. a mohair, lots of fill factor.. a plush will have more of a fill factor than your regular acrylic yarn.

With my designs, at least, the fill factor, drape, colors available, etc. play important roles that will affect what the finished project will be. Then from there I swatch different stitches, suitable to what I think the project will end up being. Sometimes, I dive straight into swatching, as sometimes a surprise may come up, which ends with something unique I would not have thought of before hand. I guess in a way sometimes I have a backwards way of designing??

I am still so excited, waiting for the Interweave issue this winter to come out! I am sure Interweave will do a fantastic job with the photography. I had never thought about it before, as this will be my first publication, but I now think, wow I can’t wait to see what it looks like on the model!! This publication time in my career has opened a whole new world of thinking, and writing, amongst other things.

Each publication company has their own style of writing, own way of condensing. I now think, before designing, will this be something for the website, or something for submission. Of course, something for the website can always be “translated” into something for submission. But I now take that into account, as to save me time later when editing my patterns. I can always add information, and I can always cut information, it is the time factor that I think about. So I have to sort of “balance” in my initial writing, in case I may change my mind and add something to the website or decide I would like to submit it somewhere.

Well, time for me to get back to swatching! So much to do, and alas, so little time!