Should designers stay in their own lane?
Should designers stay in their own lane?
I'm not known for my colourwork sweaters, but here's a colourwork sweater
Recent highs: Winter WIPs; cosy cooking, unexpectedly realising I can do more yoga poses than I thought.
Recent lows: woodchip wallpaper; plumbing problems; rainy roof.
In summary.
However! Today is the On the Dot Sweater pattern release and that can only be a positive (I hope). The pattern is now available in the usual places (Ravelry, Payhip, Etsy) and I am very excited to see it out there in the world.
Use code RIGHTONTHEDOT for 10% off via Ravelry & Payhip - expires midnight BST on Friday 18th October.
As a designer, one of my (many) dilemmas is whether or not I should ‘stay in my own lane’ so to speak. Once a niche is established, is that where one should remain?
Some designers are known for socks, others for shawls, some for life sized and oddly realistic knitted animals. On the most simplistic of levels, that is. Of course we can narrow things down further; some are known for their textured stitch choices, some for unusual construction methods, others for colourwork yokes.
Business-wise there is an argument for choosing a niche and sticking with it, of course there is. Every brand has its USP, after all. Even if knitwear design started as a hobby (as is often the case), as soon as you turn it into a business these things must be considered. Hence the reason I have this debate with myself on a regular basis. It pays to have a recognisable style. But does it also pay to branch out every now and then? To apply your style to a different type of item? Should you try to cover all bases (within reason), or do one kind of item over and over again, with slight variations?
I am not particularly one who is known for colourwork yokes, so here I am with a colourwork yoke. I do have a couple in my repertoire (Circumference Sweater, Hey Now sweater - 2024 update coming soon) but not an extensive range. I would like to think I am known for elevated basics / neat finishing details / well fitting garments though, whatever form that may take.
Sidenote: I feel absolutely insufferable referring to myself as someone who is ‘known for’ anything, so please be assured my ego is not that big and I simply can’t think of a more suitable phrase. No delusions of grandeur here, fear not.
On this occasion, the fit (and therefore the maths) led the design. The yoke was graded across all nine sizes before I’d even considered what the actual colourwork pattern may be. It would be blue and white and it may somewhat resemble a dinner plate, but that’s about as far as I’d got. Numbers were worked out though!
There is method in my seemingly backwards madness - I started with what I don’t like about the fit of many round yokes. This included:
wide necklines
shallow yokes / pinchy underarms
strained fabric across the shoulders
So I set about calculating a yoke with none of the above. Personally I think the best solution lies in variable increase rates, with the switch point from Rate A to Rate B varying between the sizes. Meaning a classic ‘wedge shaped’ colourwork design would not work. For those interested, I waffled about this far more in this podcast episode filmed whilst the sweater was still a WIP.
The maths meant that my yoke shaping allowed for one large motif, followed by several smaller ones, with each smaller round of motifs independent from its neighbour. The dots don’t line up, which may sound like it would produce an ugly result, but I’d like to think is actually quite visually pleasing.
On my sample, for example, the dots begin completely offset at the centre back.
As you work around the yoke, this sequence becomes increasingly out of sync, until the dots are stacked on top of each other across the upper arm.
By the time you reach the centre front, the dots are completely offset again.
Due to the aforementioned variable increase rate across the sizes, the way the dots line up is slightly different from one size to another. In every size they form a symmetrical pattern at the centre front and centre back (this was important to me).
It reminded me of pendulum experiments in A-level physics which is perhaps an odd parallel to draw with a fluffy dotty jumper, but it makes sense in my head.
In writing this I have just realised my niche is ‘maths inspired designs where the link between inspo & FO is somewhat tenuous’. Catchy.
Onwards to the knitting details, which may interest you far more than the mathematical ones:
Worsted weight yarn - I used Onion Yarns Mohair & Wool which is labelled as a DK, but definitely knits up closer to a worsted weight due to the fluff
Short rows worked after the yoke to lower the front neck and create a nice curve to the yoke
Relaxed fit in the body and sleeves
19 sts / 23 row gauge - speedy knit if you don’t have to rip it back 4 times like I did
On The Dot, on the people
Enough of me, onto the test knitters! Interesting to see we have quite a neutral vibe this time, with a few joining me in the primary colours club. I love them all! Everyone suits a bunch of circles / petals / whatever you want to call them framing their face. I am very grateful, as always. Thank you all for your help and support!
Life outside of knitting
I come to you this Tuesday afternoon from my desk / dining table, next to my inflatable bed, in my dining room that is currently moonlighting as a living room / storage unit / office / bedroom. Cosy.
I shared this space in my recent House Tour YouTube video and asked for advice on how to lay out the long skinny room, however little did I know that it would need to be multifunctional to the Nth degree a few weeks later.
It’s filled with all the necessary daily trappings plus a few potentially unnecessary ones, such as the old (vintage? antique?) banjo I found buried in the attic last week. The otherwise empty space contained insulation, beams, and a banjo. I haven’t quite decided what to do with it yet, but am open to suggestions.
My brain feels about as scattered as this living arrangement and it seems there is no limit to the number of things that can go wrong this month. It’s almost become comical at this point though so I’m ploughing on and hoping that the day I can sit and knit on an actual sofa, with actual flooring, between 4 dry walls and a dry ceiling isn’t too far away.
Until then, happy knitting!
Lily Kate x
Well if there’s one thing I know about house renovations it’s that things always get worse before they get better! But you have the bare bones of a lovely home there. I went through a similar experience with my first home. The endless wood chip and water pouring through the roof took me right back. At least you don’t have to contend with dodgy wiring put in by your great grandfather ( no we didn’t know he had lived there, it’s a long story).
As for the design, I think your description of the yoke on this wearer sums you up, meticulously worked out details, beautiful fit and a pleasure to knit. Another one for my queue.
I love the dots! And thanks for including all the colorful examples. I’m definitely saving this on Ravelry for a near future project.
Definitely do new things in your designing!