My Creative Chaos

I thought it would be fun to have a record of my creative chaos to look back on in a few years. So, here it goes, My creative process:

I usually get inspired first by the yarn. If I can see the garment in my head, then I start to work out its construction on paper with a sketch.

After sketching I usually knit a swatch. 4 inches by 4 inches is the standard size, but sometimes I go a little bit larger just to get the feel of the fabric. On this one, I actually took the time to make note of what size needle I was using by making the same number of eyelet holes as the US size of the needle. Four holes for size US 4, five holes for size US 5 and so on. Some experts say to take the time to wash the swatch and block it at this point. A nice idea, but... I don't really have the patience. Usually at this point, I can hardly wait to get started. I get really excited and impatient!

Time to cast on. I like to have a sample piece, and then I go from there to figure out the changes for each size. For this piece, I had decided I wanted a little skirt with pockets.

I did all the work, and then tried it on my little model, Capitola. I was pretty much instantly disappointed. The baby is adorable, but the skirt was too long but somehow too tight! I went directly home and ripped the entire thing out. I reclaimed the yarn and wound it back into balls. A few days later I started again. New sketch. Same idea, but a dress instead of a skirt:
And here's the finished product! I am very happy with it.

Now here's hoping I won't end up back at the drawing board again!