An Interview with...Clarice Gomes

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amanhecer

Once a week I post interviews with interesting people about their insights on their experience of working in the Knitting industry. I’ve noticed that every one of these individuals makes their living in a slightly different manner bringing their own unique presence to the knitting world.

You can find Clarice here on Facebook on Instagram as claricegomes.k. and here on Ravelry.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/despertares

Where do you find inspiration?

That depends: a new yarn, a new stitch, a different shape. Pretty much everywhere!

What is your favourite knitting technique?

I don’t have a favourite; but I don’t like bobbles.

Do you look at other designers’ work or are you afraid that you will be influenced by their designs?

I like to look at others designers work, there are so many and so good I always learn something or find a new detail I may explore later.

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/juras

How many sample/test knitters do you have working for you or do you do it all yourself?

Usually one sample (for now I design only accessories so it is enough) and, depending on the complexity, 4 to 8 testers.

Did you do a formal business plan?

No

Do you have a mentor?

No

Do you have a business model that you have emulated?

No

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/luna-19

Do you use a tech editor?

No. I rely on my test knitters’ feedback to improve the pattern and find eventual mistakes. I am really lucky because they are so good!

How do you maintain your life/work balance?

As a part-time designer “the other” work and family life take most of my time. I use most of my free moments for knitting/designing related activities.

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/travessia

How do you deal with criticism?

Try to learn from it.

How long did it take for you to be able to support yourself?

That isn’t even an objective for now. But it pays my knitting expenses.

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mares

What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a career in knitting?

Be patient, it takes time.

What’s next for you?

That’s one of the wonderful things about being an indie designer: I'll design what I feel like designing (although I guess it will be a shawl)!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/viajante-2

 

On Pattern Support

I've been publishing patterns a little over nine years now and I've learned so much about knitters along the way.

Lately I've been paying attention to the pattern support I give. Generally it seems that I answer questions on about 1 - 3 % of my pattern sales on my best selling patterns. I'm happy to do this as I feel it helps me to improve my pattern writing skills. Oddly, if I go by the email address's I only get questions from North American knitters, even though I sell patterns all over the world.

I found it maddening when I was first designing to hear from established designers how much they hated to do pattern support. I suspect my corporate background in customer service was the source of my perspective. I was told early on that real errors in patterns were often easily identified by knitters and the balance of the questions were related to skill sets and experience.

My tech editor Mary Pat and I work hard to eliminate any errors in my patterns. My record so far is that I have only received two reports of true errors from knitters. One was an incorrect number in the text of a stitch pattern (the chart was correct) and the other was an errant pm abbreviation in the middle of a row. I suspect there may be some other errata of that nature where the knitter figured it out and didn't bother to let me know. I love the fact that with online PDFs I can fix those errors and update the knitters who bought the pattern.

The balance of most of the questions I get do seem to fall into the skill sets and experience area. Some of the knitters will tell me something is wrong but the question is so vague I can't resolve the problem without a back and forth of information. In a few cases I didn't get an answer back so I never know if the knitter was able to complete the project. The other problem I come across is with stitch patterns and the note always tells me the instructions are wrong. If the pattern is recent I sit down and knit a swatch to recheck my instructions. In the case of a popular pattern that's been out for a while I'm more skeptical. Having worked with those knitters and resolved their problem I've noticed that some haven't yet developed the skill of reading their knitting and others don't take the time to do a swatch and use that swatch to learn the stitch pattern. 

There is nothing more frustrating to a knitter than running into a problem when knitting from a pattern. Having assisted many knitters, one thing I've noticed is that some of them assume that they are at fault and others assume that the pattern is at fault. Which one are you? Be honest! 

Now that you figured out which group you belong to, remember this and the next time you are frustrated with a pattern, I want you to flip to the other group while assessing what is going wrong. Just make the opposite assumption and see where that leads you. I can't tell you how often I have discovered that one of these assumptions is what is standing in the way of a knitter resolving the problem. Once you commit to a paradigm it can block your thinking by closing doors to alternative pathways of thought and therefore solutions. Challenge your assumptions and see where that takes you.

An Interview with...Elizabeth Felgate

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/far-roaming

Once a week I post interviews with interesting people about their insights on their experience of working in the Knitting industry. I’ve noticed that every one of these individuals makes their living in a slightly different manner bringing their own unique presence to the knitting world. 

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gaugeless-sweater

You can find Elizabeth here on Ravelry.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/artisan

Where do you find inspiration?

Often for me, it is a knitting technique that inspires me. I'll come across a new way to do something and think: what can I do with that? Sometimes it is working with a yarn in partnership with independent dyers and sellers: then I have to listen to the yarn for what it wants to be.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sweetly-hat

What is your favourite knitting technique?.  
I'm very fickle because it is always the newest one I have discovered. Currently, it is the k1 long stitch, because it creates wonderful textures, rather like cables, but without needing a cable needle. I have hat and mitts patterns (The Sweetly Hat and fingerless mitts) just released featuring a rib pattern that I adapted from a traditional stitch using a k1 long maneuver; and I have a pair of house socks (Rills socks) close to release with a custom designed stitch pattern. Last autumn I became enamoured of the contiguous method for top down sweaters and designed a mini collection of sweaters with hybrid constructions that explored what you could do with the basic recipe. This included Long Walks in the Grass, which is a raglan crossed with a contiguous sweater and and Far Roaming a contiguous/saddle shoulder with really interesting short row shaping to drop the middle of the back neck (which can sometimes get a bit high on contiguous sweaters) whilst simultaneously raising it above the front neck and shaping the shoulders. 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stopping-out

Do you look at other designers’ work or are you afraid that you will be influenced by their designs? 
I look at them all the time. I don't want to copy other people's work, but there's no harm in absorbing current trends. Also, I find it intriguing to see how things have been done and that can lead to inspiration in a totally different direction. My Artisan sweater for example, which is knit flat, but has no sewn seams, was inspired by a pair of Elizabeth Zimmermann slippers. My gauge less sweaters and cardigans (which really can be knit without achieving a set gauge) were inspired by a shawl construction.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rills-socks

How many sample/test knitters do you have working for you or do you do it all yourself?   
I work with a pool of test knitters, Some of them worked on my first ever test and still come back for more. I feel honoured by that. I do knit at least one sample of every design myself. Sometimes more.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/caroline-helstone-shawl

How do you maintain your life/work balance?
Knitting is my second job (I'm a freelance marketing manager and mother of two school age girls in my other lives), so it is sometimes difficult not to feel a bit torn. I don't look at my computer after about 8:30 at night (and only then if I have testers from other time-zones to cross over with). And I don't check stuff on my phone, full stop. Really, the issue of maintaining work/life balance is why a lot of my work is self-published. With self publication I can knit-work when I have time and put it aside when I don't, because the deadlines are all self-driven. 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/verdant-shawl-2

How do you deal with criticism?
I like to receive constructive criticism - especially when I have opened the conversation about something. You don't do a test knit, for example, to ignore the suggestions people make! With angry or uninvited criticism I take a deep breath and try to examine the validity of the complaint. I don't always feel the need to change the way I am working, but I think that you always have to accept that perception is reality, and if someone is upset about something it doesn't help to deny that they have cause. You can't always change something to make them happy, but you can be sympathetic and polite and even make suggestions that might help. Sometimes of course mature reflection shows you that you are indeed in the wrong here, and it is far better to acknowledge that like a grown up and put it right.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-daughter-hat

What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a career in knitting?
You'll never know until you try!  Like other creative ventures you have to be realistic that it won't owe you a living. But my experience is that with hard work you can at the very least maximize the amount of time you get to spend doing what you love. 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/long-walks-in-the-grass

What’s next for you?
Right now I'm writing a book on shawls  - how to knit them and shape them - for Knotions magazine. That is slated for release in late March/April and I'm really excited about that as there is just a wealth of information to share that I don't think you'll find in one place anywhere else (you can email editor@knotions.com to be put on the notification list when it becomes available). We released one on hats together this autumn and its been a great experience. I've also got a raft of hats due out (I have a big love of gorgeous hat crowns and there a few corkers here) and a big cozy shawl called Braving the Elements. You can keep up to date with my new releases by following me on Instagram - I'm @elizabethfelgate there.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-daughter-hat

An Interview with...Susanne Visch

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stellaria-cowl

Once a week I post interviews with interesting people about their insights on their experience of working in the Knitting industry. I’ve noticed that every one of these individuals makes their living in a slightly different manner bringing their own unique presence to the knitting world.

You can find Susanne  here and here on Ravelry.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/luule

Where do you find inspiration?
As with most things in the fiber world, it depends… Sometimes it’s a specific skein or color of yarn that triggers my creativity. But it can also be a stitch pattern that I encounter, a shape, a new untried technique or desires from family members. My mom has a fondness for the types of lace originating from Estonia. So when she claimed a particular gorgeous blue skein of fingering weight yarn as hers, it wasn’t a big leap to design something just for her, using traditional Estonian stitch patterns with nupps galore.

What is your favorite knitting technique?
While I pride myself for always including at least one new thing (for me) in each of my designs, I think it’s safe to say that lace is an element that can often be found in my work. Perhaps in another 10 years, I will have shifted my focus on, say, knitting cables. But for now lace in all it’s flavors, types and gradations of difficulty continue to excite me.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pink-monarda

Do you look at other designers’ work or are you afraid that you will be influenced by their designs?
Influence from others can’t be completely avoided. Nobody operates in a vacuum after all. That said, I don’t go searching for design ideas on Ravelry or Pinterest for example. For me, inspiration doesn’t come from the designs of others. When I get stuck on how to solve a particular difficulty in a design or how to write something down in my pattern efficiently and understandably though, I may look into other patterns to see how things are tackled there. Enabling someone to replicate a design through instructions on paper is really an art on its own.

How many sample/test knitters do you have working for you or do you do it all yourself?
There is one lady who has assisted me by knitting the sample a couple of times. Other than that I usually knit my own samples. When we’re talking about testers: I’ve got a spreadsheet full of names from people who have expressed interest in testing for me. Whenever a new test comes up, I post the test information in my Ravelry group and earburn all people whose test preferences match that particular test. There is, however, a “core team of testers” consisting of people who quite regularly test my patterns. They are very important in the process because they often give feedback on making the pattern even better and easier to understand. I feel very blessed that they want to help me like that. 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mustard-and-slate

Did you do a formal business plan?
No, I didn’t. Designing crochet and knitwear started out as a hobby for me. And although I formalized being a business after awhile, I won’t be able to pay the bills with it for decades to come. Business plan or not.

Do you have a mentor?
No, I don’t. Though I would appreciate someone from within the fiber world to discuss things with and bounce ideas off each other. I am quite proficient in finding things out and looking for and finding answers, but I guess it’s not the same.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elena-half-hap

Do you have a business model that you have emulated?
Sort of... I have seen with the people that are successful in the fiber arts, that they usually have multiple income streams. In other words, that they don’t depend solely on what the patterns bring in. And I do try to follow that example. I’m not that good with people so teaching and giving workshops is off the table for me. I have found, however, that technical editing is a good match for my particular skill set. I’m still researching other types of related activities to add to my business.

Do you use a tech editor?

Absolutely! In my opinion, the review and feedback from a technical editor is really a necessary step in making sure the numbers are correct and crafters can replicate the sample you made for a particular design. For submissions for magazines I may choose not to test the pattern, but technical editing is a step I would never forgo.

How do you maintain your life/work balance?
With some trouble! What it makes challenging for me, is that I have another profession than designing for 4 days in the week. That means that in the evenings and the 3 remaining days everything, ranging from family, friends to designing, fights for attention. I somehow make it work, which is a large part only possible because the act of knitting or crochet itself is very relaxing for me.

It does mean, that I only make my own designs. There simply is no time left for making anything else. I do try to make one exception: during the yearly Indie Designer Gift Along in November and December I make a couple of things from other designers. It relaxes the mind not having to think about making the numbers work because someone else already did it for you. Also, I really think it is important to see how other designers deal with certain intricacies in their patterns. Making the pattern as opposed to merely reading it, gives a much deeper understanding of why it’s written down the way it is. It’s a good way to ensure continued growth as a designer.

How do you deal with criticism?
I try to focus on the good intentions that must lay behind any expression of criticism and react to it in that spirit. If someone has taken the time and effort to approach me about something in one of my patterns, I better listen and take any suggestions in consideration. If errors are found in my work I, of course, correct them as soon as possible. It becomes a different cup of tea if there is criticism not on my work but on me as a person. Fortunately, I haven’t really had to deal with that kind of criticism yet.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heuvel-en-dal

How long did it take for you to be able to support yourself?
I’m not there yet, nor do I expect to be able to pay the bills with my designing and related activities sometime in the next ten years. It’s really disheartening to work so hard for so little monetary compensation. For that reason I have decided quite early on, to consider creative satisfaction as the main reward until I can actually support myself with my design and editing activities.

What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a career in knitting?
Start as you aim to continue: have your patterns tech edited and tested and pay attention to your photography, make it as good and consistent in style as you can deliver. Also, don’t expect to get rich: work in the fiber world is truly a labor of love, not a get-rich-quick scheme.

What’s next for you?

Finishing this lace design for my mom and then on to the next one. My daughter wants a textured cowl, so I guess that will my next focus!

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/paris-pillbox-hat--cowl

An Interview with...Jody Long

Once a week I post interviews with interesting people about their insights on their experience of working in the Knitting industry. I’ve noticed that every one of these individuals makes their living in a slightly different manner bringing their own unique presence to the knitting world.

You can find Jody here and here on Ravelry.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/contemporary-cables

Where do you find inspiration?

Living high up in the mountains of Málaga in sunny Spain. I take long inspirational walks along the goat track with my dog ‘Chico’, while looking down on the white washed village and sea views. The ideas just pop in my head and I sketch them as soon as I arrive home. Sometimes I look at fashion forecasting websites along with colour trends.

What is your favourite knitting technique?

There are so many, but my most favourite has to be cables! I love the way they can be traveled and twisted to make a sophisticated sweater to a delicate motif. 

Available Soon

Do you look at other designers’ work or are you afraid that you will be influenced by their designs?

I always keep an eye on what other designers are doing. Not to copy, simply just to check that after a collection nothing is too similar to theirs. 

Available Soon

How many sample/test knitters do you have working for you or do you do it all yourself?

It would be impossible for me to do all my sample knitting with the workload I have right now. I have just over 20 sample knitters that work to extremely tight deadlines. I have released 7 books alone this year with a publisher with most of the books having 25-30 designs. I have also just been given the chance to design the entire Louisa Harding Spring Summer 2018 collection with Knitting Fever.

Do you use a tech editor?

I always use a tech editor I think this is very important to have the patterns number crunched one last time before a sample is knitted up, this also speeds up the knitting and illuminates any mistakes. Although I have been extremely lucky, I have an amazing pattern writer that works from my drawings, swatches and design specs. She also writes for all the Rowan team of designers, patterns very rarely have mistakes.

Available Soon

How do you maintain your life/work balance?

Life? Can someone please tell me what that word means? I love my job and being single and living alone, I tend to work every hour of everyday creating designs.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fairisle-hot-water-bottle-cover

How do you deal with criticism?

Criticism is a positive thing. I always had a positive attitude towards this as it makes you stronger. Simply take it on the chin then evaluate the design, if it really is OK then ignore it and carry on with your day. I think if you put something out in the public domain you should expect criticism.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flower-wrap-3

How long did it take for you to be able to support yourself?

I started when I was 14 years old designing and selling my makes at craft fairs. I went full-time when I was 18 and started submitting to magazines. Then at the age of 20 I had a long list of celebrity clients and from that day onward money was good enough to leave the nest and start life in my own house away from nagging parents. Today I have feel I’ve had a very successful career so far, with writing over 10 books, 2000 plus published designs and the chance to design shooting socks for HRH the Prince of Wales. 

Available Soon

What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a career in knitting?

I would say go for it, start submitting designs to magazines, that is one of the easiest ways into the market. Magazines do not pay that well so don’t think you can give up your day job that fast. The publicity is amazing and can lead onto more things like it has done for myself. Never use computer software as this tends to lead to more mistakes, learn the old school way of swatching, measuring and number crunching the sizes.

What’s next for you?

I have a very busy schedule right now with flights, meetings and photo shoots. I’m also developing over 160 designs for Diamond Yarns, 20 designs for the Louisa Harding yarn brand, plus a further 6 books are in progress with Tuva Publishing.

Available Soon