Book Review: Kate Atherley's Pattern Writing for Knit Designers

I get a lot of emails. Some deal with my own work, but a surprising amount of messages comes from people wanting to write patterns. Maybe my epic Twitter rants about poorly written patterns are to blame; maybe it is because when I teach I go on about things like gauge and chart symbols. Who knows? What do you do if you didn't fluke a background in technical writing? Up to now you had to rely upon your knowledge of others' pattern writing skills and try to imitate their way of writing instructions. I understand why people do this, but it does not allow for reflection upon your own style and you may fall into adopting other people's bad habits without realising there are other options. Or you asked people like me who does have a background in technical writing (and who is horrifically busy) or you ask in Ravelry fora with somewhat mixed results.

Anyway, it's been really frustrating for me that I have had nowhere to send all these lovely people. There are some great pattern design books in the world (like Maggie Righetti's Sweater Design in Plain English) but no pattern writing books out there. With Kate Atherley's book, Pattern Writing for Knit Designers, that drought is now at an end. It is not a knitting book filled with patterns; it is a book telling designers how to write patterns that are clear, concise and easy to follow. Kate Atherley is one of the most highly regarded technical editors in the business and her wealth of experience shows.

The book is a master-class in how to think about pattern writing. She discusses everything from how to structure a pattern (and provides a pattern template), which abbreviations to use, how to think about communicating cables and deciding upon formatting to why a designer's relationship with their technical editor is so important, working with and defining style sheets, how to self-publish, how to work with publications (and what they expect of you as a designer) and how to making easy-to-follow charts.  It is an incredibly comprehensive book.

Kate's voice is authoritative, but never condescending. She assumes the reader is clever, resourceful and able to think for themselves. Look at the excerpt above: the three examples of a repeat within a row have an identical outcome (in terms of how many stitches you have at the end) but Kate goes through the examples one by one, and lets the reader work out why some formats are more effective than others.

And she makes you think about how writing patterns means communicating to someone who is not you. I find this is a pitfall for many designers who assume knitters work in the same way as themselves and find it hard to write for others. Writing for an audience is a real skill - and writing technical instructions for others to follow is even harder. I really like the way Kate makes you consider your audience before you begin writing.

In short, this book is a marvel. It is a technical and dry in places (which I obviously love), but after a dense paragraph about the taxonomy of cable stitches, Kate shows why you need to wrap your head about how to classify and name cable stitches - and she does so in a wonderfully down-to-earth manner. More importantly, she makes sure you will enjoy writing that cabled hat pattern of yours. Most importantly, Kate makes sure that your cabled hat pattern will make an enjoyable knit for knitters who will talk about your well-written pattern to others and keep coming back for more. Huzzah!

I should point out (in the name of full disclosure) that I am cited in the book and that I was asked to read an early draft of this book, but that does not alter my praise of this book. Whether you are an aspiring designer or an experienced designer/tech editor, this book will instruct and help you. I keep a copy next to me on my desk as it comes in handy on a daily basis. The book is full of great advice from other designers and technical editors - and has a great deal of links to useful resources. As Kate says, the book won't help you come up with designs but it will teach you how to write great patterns people will want to make again and again.

And happy knitters make for a happy knitting world.

You can buy the book here and it costs CAD$25. A real bargain for what you'll learn.

Test-Driving A Few Knitting Needles

Quite often I get asked which are the best needles out there. It's never a straightforward answer because different types of needles do different kinds of jobs. Some knitting needles are versatile workhorses, whilst others excel at taming temperamental yarns. I'm a big believer in keeping my toolbox well-stocked, but I cannot always keep up with what's on the market. So, when the lovely folks at KnitPro asked if I wanted to test-drive any of their needles, I asked if I could trial three of their more recent types of needles: the Karbonz, the Symphonie Cubics, and the Nova Cubics.

I tested the needles on a) lace knitting, b) magic loop, c) garment knitting (to see how the cables reacted to weight), d) very fine yarn, e) slippery yarn, and f) sticky double-knitting yarn. It was interesting to see how the needles behaved.

KnitPro Karbonz - as the name suggests, they are made from carbon fibre and have nickle-plated brass tips. They are very lightweight and while some people might need to adjust to the relative weightlessness, I enjoyed working with them. The carbon makes the needles feel warm and smooth in my hands, but the surface has a good amount of stickiness.

When working with them, I liked the long, pointy tip and the carbon's intriguing mix of smoothness & grip. They did not perform as well as the other needles when I tried very fine yarn on them - the yarn kept catching on the transition between the carbon and the metal tips - but they worked a treat with regular yarns.

Verdict: The Karbonz are very good workhorse needles that will serve knitters well for most jobs (except working with cob web or laceweight). If you are not a specialised knitter, you can do much worse than invest in these.

KnitPro Symphonie Cubics - these needles are a variant upon the wooden, multi-coloured needles that made KnitPro so famous among knitters.  I was happy to see KnitPro had improved the cable as that was always the weakest point of the earliest Symphonie needles (I am hard on my needles, it should be said).  However, the most intriguing thing was the shape of the needles. They reminded me of the triangular pencils I used in school when I first learned to write - and yes, the needles were designed to aid a more ergonomic grip. I enjoyed working with them and quickly forgot all about shapes. They just felt good in my hands.

Verdict: The Symphonie Cubics were my favourites of the three needles, simply because I enjoy working with wooden needles. I am not sure I'd buy the Cubics over the regular Symphonies but I really appreciate KnitPro trying to deliver a product for people with arthritics.

KnitPro Nova Cubics: these are made from hollow brass pipes that have been coated with nickel. Out of the three needles, these took me the longest to adjust to using simply because of the disconnect between their solid appearance and their very light weight.

Again, great long tip that worked really well for lace knitting (these needles performed best at lace knitting out of all three) and a very smooth surface that worked equally well with fine/slippery yarns and rustic double-knitting yarn.The square shape seems more noticeable with these metal needles than with the wooden ones.

Verdict: I tested a 5mm needle, but will be buying a few smaller sizes as they are good alternatives to other metal needles in my toolbox. Definitely a 'try before you buy' needle but while not my favourite in this test, I'll probably use these more than the Symphonie ones.

I do think it's important to note what kind of knitter you are and realise that what works for one person isn't necessarily what works for others. I like to have a wide range of needles in my own toolbox because I knit a lot of different things with different fibres. You may find that you are best off just buying one set of interchangeable needles or straight needles. I urge you to try friends' needles (maybe set up a knit night with needle tasting?) to see what you enjoy.

PS. Photos? You try to photograph things in the middle of a Scottish winter!

Noblesse Oblige - Pattern & Brief Thoughts on Language

I have been collaborating with my good friend, the marvellous Susan Crawford, and Noblesse Oblige is my contribution to her "Knits in a Cold Climate" collection.

When I was given the design brief by Susan, I knew I wanted to use the wonderful colour range in Susan Crawford Fenella. Inspired by my recent forays into knitting archives, I began sketching Fair Isle bands but it was not until I uncovered a photo of a 1930s knitting pattern that I decided upon the colour scheme. The jumper is charming, but I fell in love with the red/green/yellow motif. Could I use these colours in a more traditional setting?

After several attempts, I hit upon a 1930s inspired hat and scarf using that red/green/yellow combination, but also tempered by a soft porcelain blue and a delightful creamy white. The jaunty beret features two Fair Isle bands that counteract each other to create a sense of dynamism.

The scarf comes in three sizes - you can make it a neckerchief, a small scarf or a full-sized shawl. To optimise knitting pleasure, the scarf does not use Fair Isle bands but features narrow stripes in a colour sequence that calls back to the beret. After much discussion, Susan and I agreed that small, felted pompoms would add a delightful finishing touch.

Naming the pattern was harder. I wanted to use one of Nancy Mitford's book titles, but neither Christmas Pudding nor Pigeon Pie seemed appropriate! Finally, Noblesse Oblige seemed to suggest itself - it is a collection of essays and I rather enjoyed Nancy Mitford's essay on the English language. So, Noblesse Oblige. A lovely hat and scarf set. I hope you will enjoy knitting it.

But let's talk about Nancy Mitford's essay briefly.

Found in Noblesse Oblige, "The English Aristocracy" is her most famous essay. Nancy Mitford had recently read an academic article by a British linguist and was inspired to write her own examination of how the British upper class ("U") and the middle class ("non-U") spoke. The essay is very much of its time - apparently only non-U people would speak of telephones! - but that is also part of its appeal. It is a snapshot of a world in transition where old notions of class and importance are slowly eroding. It is particularly interesting to compare Mitford's essay to Grayson Perry's TV documentaries about Class in Britain. The economic barriers between the classes may have eroded, but cultural markers such as language and taste have not.

"The English Aristocracy" is an early example of what we know today as sociolinguistics. A "sociolect" is a type of language associated with one socioeconomic class, age group or gender. The British 1990s sit-com Keeping Up Appearances uses Mitford's little U vs non-U markers and sociolects to great comic effect. The main protagonist, Hyacinth Bucket, insists her surname is pronounced Bouquet, and she keeps grasping at big, fancy words in her attempt to sound more refined (something Mitford notes is the true mark of a social climber - why use the word "lavatory" when "loo" is perfectly adequate?). The underlying class anxiety so evident in Mitford's 1950s essay is very much visible even forty and fifty years on.

If you have half an hour to spare, I suggest you read Mitford's little essay in Noblesse Oblige - I assure you that you will notice amusing little things about how you and the people around you speak.

Now for the important pattern details: you can buy the pattern from Ravelry here. It is £4 and the pattern uses five shades of Fenella. Susan is planning on offering a kit which you will be able to buy from her shop.

It has been marvellous working with Susan on this pattern - she understands my shorthand descriptions so very, very well and has an incredible eye for details, style, and colour. I also really enjoyed working with Fenella which has a such lovely bounce in its step.

The Spirit of the Stairs

This is a non-knitting post, so if you are here for the knits & purls, feel free to skip this! I live in the UK, but I was born in Denmark. This makes me an immigrant - an EU immigrant, to be precise. I settled permanently in the UK because I fell in love with a Scotsman. Luckily, I also fell in love with Scotland and this is my home now. My Bella Caledonia. However, I was racially abused yesterday in a manner that left me shaking and upset.

Nine years ago Dave & I were talking about wanting to live together and we had to decide where that should be. We decided the UK would be the best option because Denmark has huge problems with racism and xenophobia. The Danish People's Party is a right-wing anti-immigration party which is considered mainstream in Denmark (it has just polled as the biggest party in Denmark, incidentally) and it sets the media agenda in Denmark. Did we want to live somewhere where Dave's accent would always set him apart and he'd never really be considered welcome? No. Did we want to live somewhere where his name and lack of Danish language skills would affect his job opportunities severely? No.

I've now lived in Glasgow eight years now and I cannot imagine living anywhere else. I was worried about racism before I moved across, but it has been manageable so far. I've had a few drunks shouting things about foreigners, but that's easy to shrug off. The drunks also recant as soon as I point out I'm a foreigner: Eh, I didnae mean you, hen! I have one kind individual occasionally forwarding me anti-immigration articles (you know who you are) but I find that somewhat amusing.

In recent years the UK has seen the rise of anti-immigration rhetoric. From British Jobs For British People slogans to blaming foreigners for a National Health System struggling to cope with budget cuts. Britain even has its own anti-immigration party now which enjoys disproportional media coverage. I have a strong feeling of deja-vu as sentiments I recognise from Denmark have spread to the UK.  Encouraged by certain corners of UK media, it has become more and more acceptable to say things that are overtly racist. Being one of those pesky EU immigrants blamed for everything from how sandwiches are made to pot holes in the roads, it is rather disconcerting.

Yesterday I was travelling from Glasgow to Edinburgh when I found myself next to a nice 50-something lady with nice hair, sensible shoes, a jolly yellow rain jacket and a posh accent. Without any prompting she began to inform everyone around us that Polish drivers were to blame for British road accidents, that Europeans had a different driving culture ("if you can call it culture"), that she once went to Germany and was shocked by how drivers did not stop for her when she crossed the street, and how foreigners coming to Britain needed to sit a driving exam before being allowed to drive on good British roads filled with decent Britons (although when challenged, she allowed that tourists may have a fortnightly exemption if they pledged to be law-abiding). This was the start of an hour-long monologue directed at different people around her. EU immigrants were welfare benefit cheats, killing people on the streets, stealing jobs from honest Britons, invading Britain under the cover of EU laws, intent on destroying Britain &c. The solution was clear, according to the nice lady. All foreigners should be thrown out of Britain! "What we need is a revolution!"

At the beginning I was tempted to interject. I wanted to challenge her on what she was saying but I didn't. Instead I started shaking. She noticed - oh, she noticed - as did a nice gentleman across from me who started talking to me about the sock I was knitting. Eventually I began laughing every time she said something particularly outrageous. It was a choice between laughter and tears - and I did not want to show her any tears. My laughter shut her up, finally, and she spent the rest of the journey reading a certain right-wing newspaper.

Today I have made plenty of speeches in my head. I've worked out all the things I could have said to her - "I am one of those EU immigrants you fear so much. Look at me. I hold two university degrees. I've never claimed any benefits. I run my own business. In my own country, people are saying all those things about my Scottish partner. What do you want us to do?" - but that is the spirit of the stairs talking. I have had racial abuse hurled at me before but it has always been by people I could dismiss as either drunk or incredibly stupid* - it is less easy to dismiss a a nice 50-something lady with a posh accent. It is scary because she is the type of woman who is recognisably, reassuringly an upstanding member of society.

(* a nod to the guy who shouted "go back to your pervert country, you terrorist" at me on the day after 7/7. I was biking through Copenhagen wearing a tank-top and shorts - both items of clothing not usually associated with Islamist terrorists, but I guess my dark hair & my light tan confused him.)

See you there?

Thinking About The Future

For the past eight years or so, we've enjoyed a surge in quality indie designers offering amazing patterns for us to download. A digital revolution has changed crafting completely: knitters (and crocheters) came out as the winners because we suddenly had all these fantastic designers at our disposal with just one click of a button. From Ysolda Teague & Stephen West to Kate Davies & Gudrun Johnston, many designers started with a single pattern and gradually started growing as designers and businesses. I don't know if you know, but the knitting & crochet community is going through a bit of a sea-change at the minute. Making that same journey is going to be awfully hard in years to come and the real losers are the knitters and crocheters.

It's a dull and technical thing, really. The EU is changing laws about digital sales (in an attempt to stop Big Business from dodging taxes) but the UK is implementing the laws in a way that's very damaging to small sole traders (if you want to learn more, Woolly Wormhead has written extensively about it).

Digital downloads have changed the knitting industry forever but incoming legislation will complicate things immensely. The knitting community I love and treasure so much will now become an bit of a gated community for many aspiring designers. It worries me and saddens me because I am a firm believer in diversity and innovation.

On a tangentially related note,  I found this essay by an American indie rock band interesting. They talk about the realities of going on tour and how they are "making it" rather than "having made it". Sometimes it really hits you hard when you realise how much daily grinding is involved in creatives trying to make a reality of their dreams and talents.

Me? I wrote an article for Wovember about the relationship between sheep, wool and designer. Because that is where I am at and that is what I do.

ETA: I write this from a UK perspective because that is where I live. However, these law changes affect anyone who sells digitally online to EU customers - even designers living in Australia, the US or Easter Island.