Ep 8: What not to forget when you make your design sample, how a professional crochet designer creates her samples

In this episode, I share my own process for making crochet design samples. This process is the result of years of crochet design experience (and a lot of mistakes, haha)

A few of the things you will learn in this episode:

• What to focus on before you even start your sample
• How to make sure you keep track of your actual pattern 
• The thing about gauge and why your gauge swatch may be lying to you

And much more...

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Transcript

Microfoon (YXC usb audio): 0:50

Welcome creative and beautiful soul at the mind of the crochet designer podcast. I am your host, Christina holidaying, let's get your whip and crochet hook ready because I have a new episode lineup for you. This episode is all about sample making and what you don't want to forget because I've been a Crusader signer for a long time. I started designing since 2014. And I've made so many mistakes. Regarding my simple making and things I kept forgetting and I wasn't making it easy for myself because I kept forgetting some of the things that I will discuss during this episode. So you don't have to make the same mistakes as I did, and things will flow more freely for you and you can. They sign. In a more effective, efficient way. So let's get into my favorites, tips, things you don't want to miss when you are starting on your design sample. So the sample, your design sample is what the final design should look like when a crochet or follow shore pattern. So it should be one on one. And you are. Probably making the sample yourself. And so I have some tips lined up for you so you can work on your sample. And at the same time, no down some very important stuff. For when you are creating your final pattern. So the first thing you want to do is measure your yarn. So you have chosen. Your yarn, the final yarn, you are going to make your sample in and you have chosen your hook size and you've done the sweatshirts and all debts. So now we are at. Creating the sample, but before we even begin. We really want to measure our yarn. We want to weigh our yarn. Because oftentimes balls and skeins are usually a bit over their weight indication. So when a bowl says like 50 grams, it can even amount up to 54 grams, you really want to make sure how many yards or how many meters your balls contain. Because when you are saying like, oh, you need to use five balls for the show. But when all of your bowls are measuring up to. 55 grams instead of 50, then that's 25 extra grams. Dead, you actually did use. And so we really want to make sure that when our balls are really over dead, we correct this in our final pattern. Another thing that really got me tripped up is when I first started crochet design and crocheting is so much fun, you know, and you get so caught up in just having fun and crushing or simple. That I often times for God to take notes and I had to work backwards in depth. The sample was already finished. But I had no pattern whatsoever. And this can be really tricky, especially when you work with overlay crochet or your work with lace and you can't. Clearly see the number of chains or maybe you've worked with all of these complicated, stitches or bubbles. And you don't know if you've made a bubble with four double crochets or five double crochet, you know, all these little details you really want to. Take note of them. So, you know exactly what you did and the person that's going to create. From your pattern actually gets the same result S from your sample. And I tend to make just a word document. And I will jug down every elementary piece. Like what yarn am I going to use? The number of balls I've bought and the weight of the actual balls. Without the label mine too. The hook size I'm using or hook sizes when I'm using different ones in the same pattern. How much yarn I'm using. And also sometimes I do this just in like a little. Notebook other times I'm just working on my iPad. I just opened a word document on my iPad and I just type up the pattern as I go along. And sometimes I just ride down this really elementary instructions, like five DC chain, two to. DC. You know, just really elementary and other times. I'm already writing the final pattern. If I'm sure that how the sample is working up will be the same as the final pattern because. I've had times where I was like, oh, I'm going to write up the whole pattern in advance. And then I will create the sample and this can work, but when you are creating the sample and then notice that it isn't at all working, like you fought it. And this happens to me quite a lot. So there's no shame in it not working like your sketch or your swatch. But then I've spent all this time on writing the final pattern. When I'm not going to use it. So. I only ride down the full pattern on my iPad. If I know for sure that this will be the final result, when this is how the final sample will look. So it's up to your own preference, but really note-taking is something you really should consider doing. If you were not doing it yet. You also don't have to be exact with your notes as long as you yourself. Understand what the notes are. I mean, I've had instances where I was so short with my notes. So short handed, I was like, I don't even know what. What I mean by this. And so it doesn't help you at all. So make sure that you understand what you are writing or typing down. What I also really like to take notes on because my patterns and designs are more often intermediate to an advanced level. I really like to take notes for. Things that can trip up the crochet or while they make your design. Like sometimes it might cup or curl, but this will be a resolved. Later on, then I will make a note on that. Or maybe some stitches are hidden or harder to see. Then I make a note on that as well, and I will use that in my final pattern. Because as Chris shady, signers and patter writers, we want to make sure that there's as little confusion for the cruise share. As possible. So I really like to use notes. To gift a cruise, share confidence that they are on the right track. And when it's curling or cupping, that it's all okay. And it will work out in the end. And for me, this is working wonderful because I almost never get emails about my patterns. It's also clear. And so I don't have to waste time on doing customer service. Emails and explaining to them what I actually mean, because my patterns are clear. And this notes. Really help you make your Petter and clearer as well. Another thing I want to make sure if I have finished the sample. To trick my gauge before blocking. And see if it's still matches my gauge from my gauge watch. That I did beforehand. And sometimes these do not match because oftentimes tension. The tightness of how you hold your yarn when you crochet can change. When I'm crushing really fast, my tension loosens. And even when I'm stressed or when I feel like I need to control how the texture will look, how does sample will look? I crochet tighter and I hold my yard tighter. So, if there's any difference between your gauge swatch and the gauge off your sample, you really want to use the gauge from the sample and not from your swatch. And this, you will obviously also know down in your notes. Another thing I do is I have my camera or phone or iPad, ready to snap up photos for heart sections. Sometimes I have patterns that do not require a lot of tutorial photos. So I just use the original sample and I just take photos S I go, some other designs of mine are rather complicated. And they do require a full tutorial. Picture series. So I just make a separate sample just to get those tutorial photos This is also very handy if your original sample is very dark and color or it's made with fussy yarn, then the tutorial photos won't be as clear. So you really want to make a second sample then. And what I really like to do is I have a set up. Which I will share separately on social media is I have this really small. Whiteboard and I just put it on my lap. And whenever I need to take a picture, I just take this really light whiteboard. And it functions as a white backgrounds for my tutorial photos. And I just snap a picture with my iPad because somehow. The iPad can take photos that are way more up close than my iPhone. So I really like to use that S a D five. You could also just use a separate digital camera or just your phone. As long as the pictures are clear. And. Last temple about taking tutorial photos. Maybe I need to do a separate podcast episode just for taking tutorial photos. But anyway, when it's winter and it's low light, because you really want to have sufficient light. I like to use a light box, so I have a separate light box I can set up and it has lamps. With a daylight setting. So I have clear photos, even in winter. The last tip I have for you is block your sample, obviously. Because it makes it look way more, even way nicer, a dress better. I mean, all of these reasons everyone should just block their samples. Even if it's just giving it a wash and laying it flat to dry. Make sure it's spread out evenly on the surface. You want to have a dry on. But in some capacity really block your sample. It makes it look so much nicer. Anyway. What I do is I take measurements before and after blocking. So you really want to make sure you take those measurements before blocking and then after blocking and when you are creating your final pattern. You will. State the final measurements from the sample after blocking, because that's the final measurements of your project. The last thing you want to take note off is weighing in your yard, leftovers and calculate the yarn usage. So that's just the yarn. You wait at the beginning and the yarn, you wait at the end and then subtracting debts, your yarn usage. And I think I will do a separate episode just for choosing the perfect yarn and how to calculate. How many balls to get before your project, but that's for another episode. So these are my tips for. What I do whenever I make a new design sample and I hope they are really useful for you as well. I will let you get back to your amazing design, your whip and talk to you later on the mind of the crochet dishonor podcasts. Bye-bye.