Being A Creative Knitter

ok ...you have gone out and bought all the knitting magazines you can think of and now own stacks of those. Even have on hand tons of knitting patterns that have caught your eye over the years. Tried out all the latest in knitting needles and even invested in a good knitting machine.
Now what?
Are you still knitting the same things over and over with somone elses twist to it all?
By that I mean sweaters, socks, hats, gloves, mittens and the like?

I actually got to the point of saturation when it came to patterns, I think.I began to notice that most socks were going to ask you to cast on so many for any given size and then working the sock was basicly the same except for of course... the... stitch pattern .... that made that particular sock unique.......

Noticed the same thing for sweaters and scarfs and mittens and gloves .......

Espeically when I bought my frist sweater wheel a device that allowed you to calulate any sweater pattern for any size in raglan or set in sleeve minus of course the stitch pattern

I think that is when I began to journey into designing my own items doing it my way is what I called it
and it began simply enough .
with sweaters it became one of

Ok here is the pattern. what can i change on this to make it totally mine.
the first thing most people do is change the color of what is being knit instead of green they move over to purple and venture into blues or two colors or boldy go running for there own charts

But to begin with here are a few things to ask yourself when looking at the next sweater pattern you have in hand

1. Can I change the collar?
Maybe go for a three inch instead of the normal two inch one?
Or maybe go for a rouned edge one instead of the ususual square pointed one?
Use a pattern on it instead of ribbing
Use a different rib pattern on it instead of knit one purl one?
Use a cable stictch instead of the usual ribbing?


2. Maybe lets get bolder and change the sleeves ?
Instead of the full length the pattern at hand calls for do a three quarter one ?
Or maybe use a pattern stitch on it instead of what is called for.
Be bold and do each sleeve in a different color
Make a bell bottom sleeve instead
Use the same ideas as you would for a collar on the ribbing area then normally
would
Set a pocket in the sleeve someplace
Or leave the sleeve out totally and dont knit it at all instead do a fancy edging where the sleeve would have been


3. And then ask your self is this going to be a cardigan or a pull over?
either way ask youself also
1. A hood ?
2. Pockets
3. Pouch
4.Length of sweater? Mid length? Regular hitting hips? Or should I go totally
long down to the knees ? Or beyoud to the ankles ?

You may even come up with a bunch of other questions to ask yourself before you cast on one stitch of any given item your going to knit but those are a few good ones to get you going.
Jot down your answers anywhere note book or paper where ever but not on your pattern nothing like notes on a pattern and then years later someone picks it up and the notes you made mean nothing to them. So keep a note book handy scan your pattern print it off and keep it with your notes. Add in the yarn with a two inch clipping and even a yarn label if handy. you never know when that information will come in handy later on.
Do all your calculations including your knit gauge include all that into your notes.
and then have fun