ADVICE FOR DESIGNERS
Ready to take your crochet passion to the next level? Our favourite designers share their advice on how to make it happen.
The saying goes, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” For many, being a crochet designer is the dream profession. But there’s more to making it than choosing your favourite yarns. Whether you want to get noticed online, see your work in print or make sure your technical skills are on point, we’ve gathered some top tips from those designers who do it every day.
LET’SGETDIGITAL
Growing your online presence is a good place to start. With blogging and Instagram, you can show off your skills, learn from experienced designers, and connect with the crochet community.
Perhaps you have been inspired by the Instagram feeds of Lucy from Attic 24 (@attic24) or crochet artist Sharna Moore (@sweet_sharna)? Sharna, who has 67k followers, says, “Make sure your feed looks good as a whole by varying the types of images you place next to each other in your feed. If you want to go into more depth with a piece, the multi-image posting function is really useful.” Visual storytelling made easy. For individual photos, “Make sure they are bright, clear and use the correct hashtags.” Photoshop and Lightroom are great for bigger photo projects but editing social media snaps can be done in Instagram’s ‘edit’ section, where you can tweak the brightness, contrast, sharpness and more. Pay attention to which hashtags are popular or check out specialist accounts like Our Maker Life (@ourmakerlife). Recently, Sharna helped launch CrochetZine (@crochetzine), where crafters can be inspired and share designs, articles and tutorials.
The quality and type of imagery is key. Designers Joanne Scrace and Kat Goldin (thecrochetproject.com) have curated a distinctive style that spans all of their work. “Use beautiful photos to create a clear aesthetic. Mix finished objects with comments about the design process to help followers feel connected, and always answer queries from the public. It can be timeconsuming, but it’s part of the business.”
It's clear from the experts that engagement can be just as important as having lots of followers. Ilaria Caliri (airalidesign.com) says, “At the moment, I mostly use Instagram, but social media changes really fast. When I started in 2009, I only used my blog. People were used to reading very long blog posts and chatting in comments. Now we scroll our Instagram feed, often just reading the first line under the photo.” Social media is constantly evolving, so don’t expect everything to be perfect – just keep posting your makes and have fun.
For her online shop, Ilaria focuses on presenting her work as beautifully and accurately as possible. Good pics are the first step, “I know it’s obvious, but it’s really important. You may have the most amazing
“For Instagram, vary the types of images you place next to each other in a feed.”
product but if your photos are not appropriate your product won’t be successful.” Accompany product photos with accurate descriptions too; “Imagine what people would ask if you were selling that item in a real shop.”
TECHNICALSUPPORT
Good, clear pattern designs are crucial. Joanne, who oversees the technical aspects of The Crochet Project, says, “Read and make as many patterns as possible before you start designing, this way you will learn how they work and what information is useful.”
“When writing a pattern, it should be clear, concise, consistent and correct,” says technical editor and crochet designer Cara Medus (caramedus.com). “The best designers consider that their pattern is going to be made by someone else and make it as accessible as possible. Get a friend who crochets to read your patterns and ask for their comments and advice.”
While test crocheters give you an idea of whether a pattern is easy to follow, technical editors can help improve your accuracy and support you through early self-publishing experiences. “You’re only as good as your tech editor!” says Joanne. In terms of producing your patterns, try things out so you can decide what works for you. “Get to know how to use illustration software,” says Cara. “I use my iPad Pro for everything. Apple Pencil is fantastic for sketching and drawing.” For desktop, Adobe Illustrator may be the market leader, but more affordable programs like Affinity
Designer are great too.
WRITE THISWAY
Working with newsstand magazines is great for improving your pattern writing and building your network. Our commissioning editor, Sara Huntington, says, “I’m always excited to receive new pattern ideas and I’m thrilled with the talent out there.”
When submitting designs, always tailor your enquiries to the specific publication and try to pitch ideas that will help fill the magazine’s regular slots. Give an overview of your sources of inspiration and include good sketches of the finished piece. Completed samples aren’t necessary, but a stitch pattern is really helpful. “It’s important to be original,” says Sara. If you’re really great at blankets or garments, show this when you introduce yourself. Don’t forget to include links to your social media, your website or your Ravelry page too.
New designers can check out Simply Crochet ’s regular designer challenge, Hook2Hook, where two designers go head-to-head creating to a brief assigned by the magazine – perhaps a bag for life or a plant hanger (see page 57). “We also hold two submission calls per year,” says Sara. “Anyone can apply to be on the call list for designers, simply introduce yourself by email* and
“The best designers consider that a pattern will be made by someone else.”
demonstrate what you can do.” And if you have the dream to write a book of crochet patterns or inspiration, you’ll have to make sure you have the time to make it happen – publishing contracts can be a full-time job. When approaching publishers, they’ll want to know why your idea will sell and why you are the person to write it.
Cara, who is working towards her first book, says, “Develop your online presence and your published work before approaching publishers. This way, you’ll learn on the job about what’s commercially successful and how to be adaptable.”
Ilaria’s first book was a useful technical learning curve too. “It involved trying to design patterns using a variety of techniques, making them suitable for beginners but also interesting projects for experienced crocheters. And I learnt how to make step-by-step photos, which is a lot more difficult than making a video, as you need to explain a technique in just a few pictures.”
Above all, Cara says, “You’ve got to do it for love and you need to be creatively excited about the project.” Wise words indeed. Written by Melissa Burfitt