After 30 something years of knitting I thought it would be time to share some of my designs. Just write what I did and post it on Ravelry, right? Oh, little I knew of the business. There's a reason why some people get paid to write patterns! Naturally, I wish I did, but let's try to learn how to do this first. (And let's forget that those people who get paid to do this probably also had many years of education to learn how to do it...) Where to start from? Well, why start with something simple if you can pick the most complicated cable pattern you've ever designed?

Photo: Mikko Kultanen

It might also be a good idea to write as you knit, but hey, it's not that difficult to count the stiches afterwards. From the complicated cable pattern. Then all you need to do is to draw the knitting chart, and there are plenty of tools for that. Takes some time to try them out, and with the demo versions you don't get to save or export your charts. I like Knit Visualizer, but I think I'd like to get paid for writing the patterns to pay for the software.


After spending maybe five nights with this project it's done! I have written my first pattern! Now all I hope is that someone will like it enough to try it, and maybe even give some feedback...

Photo: Mikko Kultanen

This is a cable slipover for a young gentleman knitted using the finest silk-alpaca yarns. I used Drops Baby Alpaca Silk, 70% Baby Alpaca 30% Mulberry Silk. The yarn might be expensive, but you only need two balls, so it's not that bad. This pattern requires some concentration to keep up with three kinds of cables, but you'll love the result.

Find the pattern on Ravelry: Kivitasku - Cable vest for a little boy. Available in Finnish. English translation coming up. After maybe five more nights of hard work...