Designing Crochet

I have been trying for some time to figure out how to write this post on designing. It is a subject I am asked about again and again; "how do I know how many stitches to add on my next row?" "How do I get my shawl to be more pointed in the center?" "How do I keep my doily from rippling around the edges?" These are questions that are hard to answer, because there are so many possible answers. And the truth is, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to designing a crocheted item. That is why designers spend so much time ripping out and starting over.
But the good news is that the more you crochet, the more you will develop a feel for how crochet works. With each item you crochet, you will gain experience and knowledge that can be applied to future items. And there are a few tips I can share that might help.
Unless you are very ambitious, I would suggest you start out with simple items with little or no shaping for your first designs. I wrote a post a few years ago about designing a wash cloth:
http://bellacrochet.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-be-crochet-designer-part-ii-okay.html
This might be a good project for first time designers.
If you are going to design an item which has shaping, take the time to learn how to make  both increases and decreases in the stitch pattern you will be using before you begin. It will save a lot of frustration once you get started.
Round items are a bit more challenging because they must lay flat (usually.) This means you must add just the right amount of stitches to each round. Here is the pattern for a basic circle in dc that I often use:

I used the basic circle pattern to start this Watermelon Potholder design.

Basic Circle
Rnd 1: Ch 4, 11 dc in 4th ch from hook, join with sl st in top of ch-4. (First 3 chs count as first dc; 12 dc made)
Rnd 2: (Ch 3, dc) in first st, 2 dc in each st around, join with sl st in top of ch-3. (24)
Rnd 3: (Ch 3, dc) in first st, dc in next st, (2 dc in next st, dc in next st) around, join. (36)
Rnd 4: (Ch 3, dc) in first st, dc in each of next 2 sts, (2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 2 sts) around, join. (48)
Rnd 5: (Ch 3, dc) in first st, dc in each of next 3 sts, (2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 3 sts) around, join. (60)
Rnd 6: (Ch 3, dc) in first st, dc in each of next 4 sts, (2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 4 sts) around, join. Fasten off. (72)
If you look at the pattern, you will see that the first round has 12 stitches, and each of the following rounds increases by 12 stitches. This circle will lay flat, and it can be made as large as you would like, just by continuing to work rounds which increase by 12 stitches each time.
When working in a pattern stitch, it is up to the designer to figure out how many repeats are needed to make a circle work the way they want it to. Pineapple designs have been my major challenge.  It is sometimes hard to know when the next pineapple should begin, and it is often just a case of trial and error.
As far as coming up with ideas for designs, I pretty much get them everywhere. I have a collection of vintage children's books that I have been going through lately, looking for inspiration for some Lovely Ladies Doilies which will feature little girls. You might try combining some of your favorite stitches to create your first designs. For example, you could work a square out of shell stitches, then add a lacy border of  love knots to create a lovely shawl. You can also make items based on your lifestyle or personal likes. It can be a great learning experience to design a shopping bag made out of plarn or recycled yarn, or  dinosaur hat for a favorite little boy.
One thing I want to point out if you are designing clothing, is that you should always keep up with current trends. No matter how cute your shrug or poncho design might be, the pattern is probably not going to sell very well right now because both of those items have faded in popularity. It is a good idea to browse Ravelry and Etsy to keep up with developing trends. And remember, any time a celebrity is seen wearing a crocheted item, there is a pretty good chance that type of item is going to become popular (remember Martha Stewart's poncho?) Of course you can stick to the basics, like scarves and hats, but even those basics can change in style from year to year.

I hope this series of articles has helped a little, it has been something I have wanted to do for a while. I would like to encourage everyone to try designing. It can be a challenge, but it is worth the effort.

The Most Important Thing To Do When Writing a Crochet Pattern

Okay, what I am about to tell you may not come as a surprise. It is not a secret. You will probably even  think "Well, duh, Ann, everyone knows that!" But even though it seems so obvious,  you would be amazed at how many designers (even professionals) do not do it. It is so simple, yet it can make the difference between a pattern that works and is easy to follow and one that will have any poor crocheter that tries to make it pulling out their hair in frustration.
Are you ready? Okay, here it is:
The most important thing to do when you are writing a pattern for a crocheted item you are designing is-
Write down everything you do at the time you are actually making the item.
That's it.
Don't be tempted to think "Oh, this is so simple, I know will remember what I did," and think you will be able to go back later and write the pattern. You would be surprised at how hard it is to remember if you used "ch-3" or "ch-4" sps on Rnd 4 after you have worked 20 more rounds of different lengths of ch sps.
I know it is more fun to just crochet without taking the time to write down the instructions, (especially if you are not  exactly sure how to word what you are doing at the time,)  but do it anyway. You will thank yourself later on. And if you plan on submitting your design to a publisher, your editor will thank you as well.
If you are really on a crocheting roll, and it is a fairly small project, go ahead and make your item without writing the pattern. Just be sure that you then make a second one, and this time write the pattern down. This is also a good time to make small adjustments to the design; say the stitches a certain round look a little stretched. When remaking it, you can add a few more increases. Just be sure to write down how many you are adding  and where they are placed.
 Even if it is just notes, quick scratches on a scrap of napkin or a used envelope, the  important thing is to document how many of what stitch you did where. For each and every row or round.
This is the best advice I can give any budding designer. After all, it doesn't matter how gorgeous your designs are if no one can follow your patterns to make them. And believe me, one bad pattern can ruin a designer's career before it even gets started.
I have a few more designing and pattern writing tips that I will share in future posts, and if you have any specific questions, just let me know and I will try my best to answer them. I think the world needs more crochet designers!

How to be a Crochet Designer: Designing Your Own Wash or Dish Cloth

Okay, now for the fun part! The first things I designed were baby blankets and afghans. I never had any of these designs published, and I never bothered to write patterns for them, but I loved making them, and everyone I gave them to appreciated the fact that they were original, one of a kind designs, made especially for them. I believe that anyone who has a good working knowledge of crochet can create their own designs, too.

The easiest items to design are either square or rectangular in shape. This does not have to be limiting; just think of the possibilities of these two simple shapes! In addition to afghans and baby blankets, you can make table runners, placemats, dishcloths, hot pads, pot holders, coasters. rugs, shawls, scarves, lapghans, curtains, even full size bedspreads or tableclothes if you want. Some designers make clothing by joining rectangles together to form the sleeves, back and fronts of a garment. By folding squares or sewing two or more together you can form purses, bags, slippers and hats. I know of at least two designers who had fairly successful careers back in the early 90's by simply making afghans from stitch patterns found in the Harmony stitch guides. Sometimes they added a simple border, most times they did not.

Today, we are going to make a washcloth. Maybe two or three. They are quick and easy to make, pretty, and they make great gifts. You will need a ball of worsted weight cotton yarn in a color you love, and a crochet hook in the appropriate size (I am going to use a H hook.) You will also need to know how to make a favorite stitch pattern, or a book of crochet stitches, such as one of the Harmony guides. For this project, we want a pattern that repeats in as few rows as possible; look for one that says "repeat row 2 for desired length" or something like that. The more rows you have to repeat for the pattern, the more complicated it will be, and that is not what we want today. I am going to use a slanted shell stitch for my washcloth. It has a pretty texture, cool scalloped edges (especially if you use an eyelet chain-free foundation, but we will save that for another day) and is super easy to memorize. A pattern for this stitch would read:

Row 1: Ch a multiple of 3 plus 4, (2 dc, ch 2, sc) in fourth ch from hook, *skip next 2 chs, (2 dc, ch 2, sc) in next ch; repeat from * across, turn.

Row 2: Ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, sc) in each ch-2 sp across, turn.

Repeat Row 2 for desired length.

Now, decide how wide you want your washcloth to be. I think 8" square is a good size. So I make a chain about 12" long, because I know when I work the stitches it will draw up some. I am not going to worry if I have any chains left over. If I do, I will just cut them off.

If you want to write a pattern for your design (so you can make multiple identical items, or so you can share your design with friends), you can either figure out how many chains you will need based on the number of chains needed for each repeat of the pattern times how many repeats you use. Or, you can just count the number of chains you use to make your starting chain, then subtract the number you have left over after working the first row. Say you chain 100 to make a chain 10" long, and after you finish the first row you have 18 chains left over. That means you needed 82 chains to start your washcloth.

To cut away the excess chain, leave the 4 chains closest to the washcloth, and cut away the rest. Now carefully unravel the remaining 4 chains, and hide the end as you normally do.

It took me a little over an hour to make this washcloth. Small items like this are perfect for learning new stitches, and deciding if you like working with them before committing to a larger item.

There you have it; the basic idea is the same no matter what you are making. Experiment with your favorite stitches; you will find that some work better for certain items than others.

If you have finished your washcloth, congratulations, you are a designer! Happy crocheting!