clothing – Page 4 – Cowtown Knits

Featured Indie Designer of the Day: Bonnie Sennott

November 14, 20133 Comments

I just finished up my first project from the Indie Design Gift-A-Long, a Shallows infinity scarf designed by Bonnie Sennott of Blue Peninsula Knits. I knit it with Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the Well Water colourway and using Miyuki seed beads.

Bonnie’s designs are just gorgeous. They are elegant and stylish, the kind of timeless pieces that anyone could wear and keep in their wardrobe for a very long time.

She has 8 patterns available for the Gift-A-Long, 4 cowls (Birchleaf, Biscuit, Deephaven and Shallows) and 4 mitts (Shallows, Rockywold, Fiery Searcher and Leaves of Three).

Again, you should go check her out, you will not be disappointed! Also, there is just over a day left in the Gift-A-Long sale so hurry over to Ravelry quick so you can still get the 25% discount. And although the sale is almost over, we will still be knitting and crocheting along together until Dec. 31st so there’s lots of fun and prizes left to be had.

Introducing: They’re Paisley!

November 7, 2013Leave a comment

I know, I can’t believe it either, two patterns released in one week! I never thought I’d see that happen.

So let’s get to it. I’m pleased to introduce you to the latest Cowtownknits creation: They’re Paisley!

Paisley is so hot right now. Really. I kept seeing all these beautiful paisley prints in shop windows and on fashionable bodies and I thought – “Why couldn’t I knit me some paisley somethings?” And then I thought – “Mittens, those somethings should be mittens!” And that’s that. I designed some paisley mittens.

The pattern has four charts: one paisley chart for each hand (the chart is reversed on the other hand), one for the palm, and one for the thumb gusset.

Size: Medium – 8″ / 20.5 cm palm circumference

You can purchase the pattern by clicking the “buy now” button above. Until November 15 you can receive a 25% discount when you checkout using the coupon code giftalong. Then you should come and join the Gift-A-Long fun on Ravelry and have a chance at some of the hundreds of prizes. That’s right, I said hundreds.

This time both technical editing and test knitting were brought to you by the lovely Alana Marchetto.

Introducing: Cedar Shakes Hat

November 4, 2013Leave a comment

Just in time for the Indie Design Gift-A-Long, I’m pleased to introduce you to my newest pattern, the Cedar Shakes Hat.

I grew up in an old house with cedar shakes. When I was a teenager those shakes needed to be replaced. My dad, being a carpenter, took on the job himself, and enlisted the rest of the family to help. Imagine what the people driving by thought when they saw my sister, mom and me up on scaffolding, plane and hammer in hand, re-shingling our two-story house. It created quite a stir! But what a sense of accomplishment we felt when it was done, and I had a family memory that will last a lifetime.

The stitch pattern in this hat reminds me of those old cedar shakes and makes me smile. It is a very simple pattern that’s easy to memorize and repeat mindlessly while you think back on good days. The hat can be made as a snug-fitted toque or to be stylishly slouchy. Instructions are given for both fingering and aran weight yarn in sizes from Baby to Adult.

You can buy the pattern in my pattern store. Until November 15 you can receive a 25% discount when you use the coupon code giftalong. Then, of course, you should join in the the fun at the Indie Design Gift-A-Long!

Thank you again to Eleanor Dixon for technical editing, and to all 18 of my testers.

The Helen Pencil Skirt

September 19, 20135 Comments

At long last my latest (and most favorite) pattern has finally been released!

It feels like this one was a long time coming. I believe the idea came to me way back in early spring but the process of bringing the idea to fruition, which you can read about in the Design Series, takes a long time. And now it’s finally here, just in time for fall!

Which is great since the skirt was designed with fall and winter in mind.

The inspiration for this piece is my friend Helen. She is a very stylish woman who always wears skirts and heels, even if it’s to take her two dogs and 3 year-old son to the park. Helen the lady is classy, sexy and curvy. Helen the skirt is, too. It’s the kind of skirt that would look great worn in the office with a fitted blouse, or to the farmers’ market with a simple t-shirt. It’s for the woman who does it all and wants to look good doing it.

You can find the skirt on Ravelry, or on the Knit Picks website where you can make a kit and buy the yarn and pattern at the same time. Couldn’t be easier!

I must again thank Eleanor Dixon for technical editing. And an enormous thank you to Helen Walls for being my muse and model. I asked her if she could bring some coordinating clothes and accessories to the shoot with her and she showed up with the most perfect outfit without having ever seen the skirt in person. And of course she looked amazing! Thanks lady!

Design Process Series, Installment Three – Submissions

August 21, 2013Leave a comment

Vacation (and summer almost) over, back to the blog. Time for the third installment of the design series, in which I’ll cover the submission process.

I’m certainly not an expert when it comes to this aspect of the business. I have had success and failure, both with the pattern featured in this series in fact. But I’ve answered calls for submission a few times now so I can pass on what I do know.

Typically a company will put out a “Call for Submissions,” in which they detail what they are looking for in terms of color, yarns, themes, etc. If I have something in my “little book of ideas” that seems like it would be a good fit for the Call, I put together a submission.

A submission is basically a one to two page showcase of your idea and how it would come to be. It should include, at minimum, a sketch of the idea, a swatch, suggested yarn(s) and a little blurb about the pertinent details of the design. It’s also helpful to include a schematic showing the dimensions of the piece, a bit about the construction, and short bio of the designer with some examples of previous work.

So what are you hoping to gain by submitting a proposal to a yarn company, magazine, publisher, etc? Almost always you’ll get yarn support, that is, yarn provided to you at no cost, to knit the sample. Sometimes the company will provide editing, photography, layout and promotion, or any/all of the above. In return for your design and written pattern you may get paid a flat fee, royalties, or sometimes nothing at all, just the promise of “exposure”. Some deals are better than others and you must really weigh all your options and consider just what it is you’re looking for from the arrangement.

Here is an example of a successful submission (with a few details removed.) One very similar to this was submitted to and rejected by Knit Now magazine. But, not accepting defeat, I modified it slightly to fit the format requested by Knit Picks and resubmitted the idea to them. This time I had success, and you should be seeing the new pattern within the next few weeks.

That’s about it for this phase of the process, next up – Math and Grading!