Taking Making to a Whole New Level

I'm one of those people who just isn't happy unless she's learning something new, preferably in the crafts field. Fortunately for me the time I live in-- AKA the Technology Age, is really making it easy for me.

A Sample Hat in Progress

I had heard people mention Craftsy a time or two in passing but had never really given it much thought. Then a few weeks ago I saw something on Ravelry about a free short-row class taught by Carol Feller. Short-rows have always mystified me, and I have always greatly admired Carol's designs, so I thought it was worth checking out.

That one free class was such an amazing experience (I now not only know how to execute three different versions of short-rows but also how to apply them to shoulder slope shaping and top-down set-in sleeve construction) I had a look to see what else was available in the paid classes.

What I found was pretty mind-blowing. I have always been interested in knitwear design but thought there was no way for my math-challenged brain to ever figure the process out without going to an expensive class. This is where the modern miracle of technology really shines. Craftsy has a class specifically about pattern writing, and another about grading patterns. They cost me far less than they would have if I had traveled to an in-person class, and I can access them over and over again, whenever I want.

All of this has given me the boost I needed to finally start sketching my ideas, knowing that I do have a chance of getting them out in a way that will make sense to other knitters.

Today, I put the finishing touches on my first knitting pattern. It's a hat with a unique cable pattern (at least I've never seen anything like it, and can't find anything similar in any of my stitch dictionaries) including a chart (that I created in StitchMastery) and graded in sizes from toddler to large adult. Truly, a week ago I never could have dreamed of putting together a pattern with this amount of technical work involved.

I have no idea where all of this new-found knowledge will take me, but I'm guaranteed to have a good time getting there.