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Location: Wild West, United States

Friday, April 07, 2006

Sock Designing


Here's some recent knitting - it's the May sock-of-the-month for Judy at theknitter.com. Designing socks for Judy is always interesting - she picks the yarn and the color, so you can't rely on being inspired by the materials. It's kind of a test - you take the yarn you're assigned, and the season it's for, and any guidance on things to avoid, like "no more lace for a while" or somesuch, and you come up with something.

It has to be pretty, it has to function well as a sock (i.e.: be stretchy and comfortable and adaptable for different sizes), it can't be too difficult or the beginners will complain, but it can't be too simple or the experts will complain (after all, people are paying good money for this pattern!)

So you come up with something, and you show it to your knitting group and Judy and they say, "Oh. We just did one like that last month."

Shit. Start over.

Finally come up with another pattern that meets all the criteria, then you have to write it up. Ideally, you have been making detailed notes all along, which merely need to be collated. Riiiiight. In reality, you now have to madly try to remember what the hell you did, and what those scribbles on that napkin mean, and which needles you ended up using after all, and, and, and...

So you write it up, you take a picture, PhotoShop it a little to pretty it up, and send the pattern to Judy to be test-knit. At least, that's what you're supposed to do. However, if you are me, you then test-knit it yourself (gotta make a second one anyway, right?) and completely re-write the pattern. Then you send it on to be tested. There are deadlines to be dealt with, as well.

The test knitter gives feedback, you make changes, the sock kit gets shipped to 350 strangers and you desperately hope that they like it and that no one complains, because that would be so embarassing and you'd feel terrible if Judy lost customers because of you, and besides you're afraid someone might find out you're really just a hack. *shudder* Did I say that out loud?

Anyway, the best part is when Judy delivers the pound of luscious silk yarn which is your payment, and the whole reason why you did this in the first place. *sigh* Then you see the great pattern book and fun sock yarns she's brought along and you want but can't afford them, so you ask:

"Need any more sock designs?"

:-)

1 Comments:

Blogger ssas said...

That's one pretty sock. And the colors go with everything!

Ok, I got a Word Ver too great not to share: dadwumav! Doesn't that sound like a granddaddy swearword?

8:22 PM  

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