testing, testing

This blog has been sleeping for a loooong time. So long that I wonder - do people even read blogs anymore…?

I realize my absence has probably been quite a mystery. KIDDING!!! But would you believe I was abducted by aliens? No? Did I give up knitting for quilting? Well that’s just crazy talk. The truth is, I’ve been hard at work on a knitting project that I wasn’t quite ready to share. Even now, it’s still mostly under wraps, except to my test knitters whose needles are clicking away.

When I started knitting - and couldn’t stop, I made a few baby things. Several years ago, a good friend of mine opened up a kids store in my town and asked me to knit some things for her to sell. That started the engine running - one thing led to another and the ideas just kept coming. My own children are fully grown. They’re B-I-G. I look UP into my son’s eyes. My daughter thinks she’s taller than me (I’m not so sure - but she’s definitely cuter). And here I am - still making baby things. Why?

When my children were babies it was the most magical time of my life. I took a break from my 9-to-5 (more like 5 am-to-midnight) job as a line producer of film shoots. I bought a bottle of bubbles at the toy store and I sat in my little neighborhood Brooklyn park blowing through the wand for my son who would toddle around the park chasing after them while my daughter was kicking the inside of my belly. I sang silly songs out loud. I got to play with dolls all over again. I began to make meals for a healthy life and for my family with intention. I had a lot of snuggle time. And giggles. Yes, there were plenty of poopy diapers to change, lots of crying and I didn’t exactly understand what my son was saying for about a year, but it was the simplest and most joyful time of my life. I could not have been happier.

Knitting for babies and little ones brings me back to those days. Hence - my project 10 Tiny Knits - a collection of knits for the littles. Above is a sneak peek of a few of the patterns on their way. There are knits for boys and girls, with pieces to wear from the playground to Fancytown and blankets for sleepyheads who need naps in between.. The collection is graphic and bold with a mix of classic and modern silhouettes worked in fun textures for some cozy, joyous knitting.

To be perfectly honest, this project is taking a lot longer to produce than I ever imagined. If you happened to catch the Wimbledon Men’s Championship Final yesterday - it’s been a little like that. (0; Seriously, my hat is off to every single hand knit designer out there who has published their own patterns. It’s all about focus and perseverance. There are a LOT of steps to self publishing even a single pattern! For me, coming up with designs is the easy part - and the most fun. But that’s truly just the beginning. Working out every little detail of a garment, endless swatching, knitting, writing patterns, grading them for different sizes, graphic design, photography and testing - this is no easy feat! It requires so many parts of one’s brain. All of that algebra and geometry I thought I left behind in high school has come in particularly handy. As has Adobe InDesign (for graphic design), Illustrator (for schematics & charts), Photoshop (for photography, naturally), and Excel (for grading worksheets!). I have learned a LOT of along the way.

About a month ago I joined my local knitting circle as I was finishing one of my last designs. What a relief to have people who knit to talk to! I have been spending far too much time alone in my little studio surrounded by piles of yarn, rulers, and calculators with knits and patterns piling up and up. A couple of days later, I shoved a few of the patterns out of the nest to see if they could fly. A few fearless knitters from my local knitting group and several from the Testing Pool on Ravelry have volunteered for the task. Now, my little knits are on needles in the UK, Australia, Turkey, Germany and all over the US. This absolutely blows my mind. It really shows how Ravelry has brought the global knitting community together - and means that need to make sure my patterns are able to be worked by knitters around the world!

Being a test knitter is not easy. You have to have enough experience to know when you are encountering an error and the diligence to report in. I am fortunate that my little group ask a lot of questions. The more testers the better. It’s important to me that my patterns are able to be knit by a wide swath of the knitterverse - I take very seriously each and every comment. If you feel you are up to the task, and you have time and interest, please join my 10 Tiny Knits group on Ravelry. I will be posting more test knits in the coming days.

If you ever find yourself wanting to have patterns of your own test knit, be prepared.. I spent a LOT of time going over my patterns before they ever saw the light of day, let alone another knitters’ needles. I have worked these babies over and over and over, checked, rechecked, and reknit. And yet, my courageous test knitters still find errors and inconsistencies. I bow down before them all. Test knitting one’s own patterns is a definitely a lesson in humility. The good news is that people seem to be enjoying making these little knits and that is the greatest reward of all.