6 Tips On Writing Your First Crochet Pattern
“Creativity is a Combination of Discipline & a Childlike Spirit”
If you’re new to designing crochet items and you would like more insight into the steps that we took to start our designing process, we have compiled a list of a six things that you can do to dive into this journey. Yes, designing is quite a journey! There is always something new to learn, and every designer has their own style and process.
It is important to us that we commit to life-long learning in all aspects of life. We would definitely still consider ourselves to be beginners, and everything outlined in this post is our own experience on what was the most helpful action steps we took when we started learning crochet design. It is our hope that these tips can help you forge your own path into starting your designing journey.
Now lets get into it!
1. LEARN HOW TO READ DIFFERENT TYPES OF PATTERNS
This is one of the most important steps that you can take to learning what is needed to communicate your ideas to another person. It is definitely recommended to learn how to read written patterns, diagrams and tables. You will come to find that we often communicate and interpret instructions in different ways, so it’s always helpful to get a good feel of how well you understand another designer’s instructions.
To gain some experience in reading patterns, there are thousands of free patterns available. You can search for free patterns on Pinterest, Ravelry and also on many websites like Lovecrafts, Yarnspirations, LionBrand and WeCrochet. We also have a free plant hanger written pattern on our blog if you’d like to try it out here.
Boho Plant Hanger Crochet Pattern
Here is a free written pattern available right here on our blog!
After you learn to read different types of patterns and you would like a more interactive experience with other crocheters to ask them questions, make friends, share helpful tips and to help with a designing process, you can find many crochet artists online who regularly need help to figure out sizing for their designs. I found that by testing a few crochet patterns prior to designing my first pattern, it helped me to better understand the process of designing and to make great friendships!
To find any crochet designers who need help with testing, you can follow the #testercall or #crochettestercall hashtags on Instagram to be updated when a designer is looking for persons to help them test their new pattern!
Be mindful that when you offer your help to a designer, there are usually rules set by the designer that should be followed to ensure a smooth designing and learning process. Some of these may be:
Your social media feed should be open and crochet-related.
The project should be completed within the given time frame. Otherwise, communicate openly with the designer in advance if more time is needed.
Try not to take up multiple projects that need to be completed in a similar time-frame. This can be a stressful experience and may cause you to feel over-worked. Be gentle with your hands!
Feedback is usually requested to help to improve the sizing of a pattern and to point out any parts that can be improved to be more understandable.
High quality photos of the project will most likely be asked for.
These are just some guidelines that may be outlined. Keep in mind that a designer’s pattern is their intellectual property. Most of the time you are free to sell finished pieces and use the pattern to make items for your family and friends. However, never copy or distribute someone else’s pattern that they have worked tremendously hard on! It is a matter of moral.
“Recognise that every interaction you have is an opportunity to make a positive impact on others.”
Organize Your Crochet Tools
Get a design journal and storage for your tools and yarn. Also find a relaxing space to create!
2. FIND YOUR NICHE
In the beginning of our crochet journey, we opted to make custom orders or ready made items that we thought people will love! For us, customers mostly asked us to create things out of our comfort zone or something that we may not necessarily know how to make as yet. This can be good to challenge yourself to try something new and you may even begin to love creating those items!
We have created lots of different items for customers like beanies, earrings, handbags, book bags, intricate garments, and the list goes on! I basically made whatever the customer desired and i found that this lead me to feel very unmotivated and uninspired as i was creating many things that I didn’t really love to make. However, this also allowed me to identify exactly what I enjoyed creating the most!
This may not be the case for everyone, as I do know some makers who love to create what their clients want specifically. That is amazing if you are passionate about this and if it gives you even more motivation to create for your customers!
However, if you would like to shift into designing instead of making custom orders, it is important to do what you enjoy! And create what YOU would love to make, wear and use! This will keep your creative juices flowing!
Once you figure out your niche which is what you will genuinely will enjoy creating, you can start with the design process!
For my first design, I really wanted to create a unique bikini top as I live near to the beach and I love swimming in the sea!
Here is my first crochet pattern I created. I named it after the beautiful island where I was born, Trinidad!
The Trini Tribal Top
I used some of the simplest crochet stitches to create this as it was my first crochet design!
3. START WRITING YOUR DESIGN & TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES ALONG THE WAY!
For me, the visual aspect is something that continues to help me learn & understand the design process. This is the reason I LOVE making my patterns with lots of photos for reference! I also make drawings, tables and charts to try to better communicate my instructions to the reader. I also prefer to start writing my designs with pencil and paper. You can also start right away on the computer if that works best for you!
Some tips on writing your first design & taking great photos for your patterns:
Make a gauge for your design (very important). This will help you to scale your design to be made in different sizes.
Use the Craft Yarns Council Size charts to help you get an average idea for the sizing of garments.
Make sure to write down each step in your designated designing journal or word document while taking pictures simultaneously.
Make sure you have good, natural lighting when taking pictures.
Make sure you are able to get close up detailed photos of the stitches.
Try to use either portrait or landscape mode throughout all your photos to make your pattern consistent
“Dream Big, Start Small”
Take small steps for your first crochet pattern, once you get comfortable with this first one, you can then see how you can improve for the next!
Here are some pictures of my first crochet pattern to give you an idea!
4: DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT AND UNRAVEL YOUR WORK!
In the past, I used to get really frustrated when my work didn’t go the way I planned and sometimes I’d think that I’ve waisted a big chunk of my time by unravelling a big piece of work.
HOWEVER, I’ve changed the way I think about this because I realised that there are so many lessons to be learnt when we take the time to try something new. Feel free to experiment! If it works, then fantastic! However, if it doesn’t work the first time, take this as a learning opportunity to develop your skills and find a solution to make it work!
Trial and error is all part of the designing process. Learn to trust yourself that you will find a solution and embrace this part of the process. Try not to stress yourself if something doesn’t go as planned! Take a break, and come back to the drawing board when you feel better!
“Make Happiness a PRIORITY & be Gentle with Yourself in the Process”
5. TRANSFER YOUR WORK INTO A WORD DOCUMENT AND EDIT YOUR FIRST DRAFT:
Once you have finished your design and wrote down each and every step in your designated designing book and double checked it over, you can now transfer it all into a worded document! If you have already done this, this is a great time to edit and make sure that your steps are clear and understandable.
Some tips when editing your document:
Add your personal touch and make it pretty if that’s what you would like!
Always remember to make the first draft in a way that YOU would find most understandable!
You can add so many different effects once you experiment with the different things WORD (or any other document editing app) has to offer. Experiment and find your style!
Once you are happy with the final draft worded document, turn your WORD document into a PDF file. Now we can move on to the next step!
“Believe you can, & you’re already halfway there.”
6. MAKE A TESTER CALL POST!
This is very similar to the first step but this time YOU ARE THE DESIGNER! And you write the rules! You can use the outlined rules in step one to curate your tester group. However, this is just a guide. Do what works for you!
Also make sure to choose testers of diversity. You will need at least 2 persons in each size to help grade the design for different body types and sizes.
I know it can be daunting and scary to put your first pattern out there into the world for others to see & critique. I’ve been there, but you’ve got to GO BRAVE! YOU GOT THIS!
Be mindful & remember that all criticism is constructive criticism! Don’t take it personally because this can help you tremendously in order to improve your pattern & make it more understandable for others who would like to buy your pattern in the future!
“There is always light, if we are brave enough to SEE it. If only we are brave enough to BE it.”
When you are making a tester call post on Instagram, remember to use these Hashtags: #testercall #crochettestercall so that pattern testers will be able to find you! You can even ask your crochet friends to share the post to help as well.
Write what you would like from your testers and state your rules in the post.
Tips on writing a tester call post on Instagram:
Let the main picture be a photo of the finished design.
State the rules for your pattern test
Give a time frame for the testing period
State the sizes you need to be tested. Its always best to try to find testers in sizes XS to 5XL to create a size inclusive pattern. If it is really not possible, do your best to use your gauge to grade your work to the standard sizing that can be found on the Craft Yarns Council sizing charts.
Make an application form using google questionnaires and add this to your link in bio. Ask questions to get to know each person who wants to apply. Make sure that you ask for their name, email address and social media handles so that you can find them easily if you choose them to test! This is an easy and free way to compile information of each applicant!
Once you have chosen your testers, you can message them and let them know that they’ve been chosen and you would like to send them the draft PDF so that they can get started! Also make another questionnaire for the chosen testers to fill out when they are testing the pattern so that they can give helpful notes and suggestions.
When the testing period is completed, use the notes and constructive criticism from your group to clear up any communication issues, sizing errors, or grammar issues with your draft. Once you feel as though you’ve covered everything, your pattern can now be released! You can use Etsy, Ravelry, LoveCrafts or your own website to put your pattern up for sale!
You can also ask the team if they can share photos to their feed when the pattern in released. Also ask permission to post any of their photos on your feed so that you can promote your pattern! This allows for other crocheters to find you and some of them might be interested in purchasing your pattern!
If you still have questions, feel free to leave a comment below!
“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.”
