Free Crochet Pattern: Anthropologie Inspired Braided Headband

I was first inspired to create this headband when I came across this (Rav link here) headband pattern. It's basically the same exact idea, just knitted. I wanted to make a ton of them for Christmas presents, but knitting took too long in this case, so I decided to crochet them. I just want to be clear: ALL of the credit for this ingenious idea goes to Melynda Bernardi who created the original knitted version! But for all you crocheters out there, I hope this helps :)

Also, if you're a knitter who's been wanting to get into crochet, I'd highly recommend starting here. It's seriously SO simple, and by the time you get to the end, you'll have perfected your tension. Plus, you'll have a beautiful headband to show for it!

Ok, I've photographed a tutorial for the beginner crocheter, but if you've already mastered all this, I'll type the condensed pattern at the end of the post.

Also, if you just don't want to crochet or knit one, I have the crocheted ones available for sale in my Etsy shop. I have a few of my favorite colors listed on there, but if you want one in a different color, I'd love to help you out. ;)

Materials:

1 skein of worsted weight yarn (100 grams)

Size G (4mm) crochet hook
Darning needle for weaving in ends

Let's start out with a slip knot:

Arrange your yarn tail so that you have a loop, then lay that loop over the tail end. It should look like the above picture.

Then, pick up your tail end with your hook, like so.

Then pull on both ends so that your knot tightens against your hook. If it's a bit loose, tug on the tail end and slide the knot up snug to your hook.

Now we'll learn to chain:

Wrap your yarn once around your left pinky finger and hold your hook in your right hand like above.

Now place the hook part of your hook under the yarn and then behind it, so it catches in the notch of your hook.

Then gently rotate your hook so the "hook" part faces down and slides through the loop on your hook easily (boom! you just made 1 chain!). That rotation is key. If you don't do that, the hook won't glide through your slip knot smoothly, instead, it'll catch.

Ok, now you're going to make 14 more chains. If you lose count, look at those little v's. Each one is a chain. 

Next, we're going to learn the Half Double Crochet stitch. The rest of your headband will be made up of these things :)

Ok, first, wrap the yarn around your hook as if you were going to make another chain, but don't pull it through! Instead...

 ...insert your hook in the 3rd chain from the hook. So out of your 15 chains, you'll be putting your hook in the 13th one you made. With your hook inserted, grab the yarn with your hook and pull it back up out of that chain.

 You should now have 3 loops on your hook.

Now yarn over (as if you were going to chain), and pull this yarn through all three loops on your hook. Ta-da! One Half Double Crochet created! (Just a note: Half Double Crochet is normally abbreviated as HDC in most crochet patterns) Ok. Now do another one of those in the next chain.

Now this part can be confusing: How do you know where to insert your hook next? Where exactly is the next chain?

Lemme show ya:

That orange bit is NOT where you're inserting your hook next. A lot of people make that mistake when just starting out. It's perfectly understandable! But if you look closer, you'll notice that's the chain you just put your HDC into. Rather, you're going into that pink chain.

Now you're going to do 1 Half Double Crochet in each chain across (you'll have 13 HDCs total).

OK. Now we're going to join your little strip so that we're working "in the round." You're going to do 1 HDC in the very first HDC you made. Basically just bend your strip backwards so your first HDC faces you. Wrap your hook, insert your hook into the "v" on top of that first stitch, draw up a loop, and complete your HDC as normal.

HDC finished!

Okie dokie! Now you're just going to do an HDC in the next stitch (the pink stitch in the picture above shows you where to put your hook next) and the next stitch and the next stitch.... And so on until you have a tube 72 inches long. (182 centimeters)

Once you have your loooooong tube: snip your yarn leaving an 8 inch tail, pass this tail through the final loop on your hook, tighten, and continue on:

Wrap the end of your loop around your head and use a locking stitch marker to "pin" at that point (this should be about 1/3 of your tube).

Now you're going to criss-cross the next 3rd of your tube across the circle you just made, pinning as you go.

Just keep criss-crossing all the way around, until it looks like this:

Now we'll take the last 3rd of your tube and weave it through so this thing starts looking more like a braid!

Take the end of your tube and pull it up through the first hole created by criss-crossing. Oooh! I see a baby braid forming!

Ok, now do the same thing again with the next space.

Continue weaving in this manner. It may take a couple tries to get this right, but keep persevering! You'll get it. :) When finished weaving, the ends of your tube should meet up. Use your tail yarn ends to seam the tube together.

Also, if you're having serious trouble, I'd recommend looking at the original version's construction instructions, or check out this video: HOW TO KNIT ANTHROPOLOGIE HEADBAND (construction starts at 14:12)

And voila! All done!

All right. For all those crochet experts out there, here's the condensed pattern:

Ch 15

Row 1: HDC in 3rd ch from hook and each chain across (13 HDCs)

Now bend your row backwards (so the right side is facing you) and HDC in the very first HDC you made. Now you're working in the round. HDC around until you have a tube 72 inches (182 cm) long.

Now scroll up until you see the yarn color change from blue to yellow and follow the construction instructions from there.

I hope you all liked this pattern! Again, go check out Melynda Bernardi at French Press Knits. She's an awesome designer and I give her full credit for the original idea. ♥

And also, as I said earlier, if you're not about the crochet life, check my Etsy Shop to buy a physical headband. I also have some of my knitting patterns up there for purchase. :)

Have a fantastic day! And I'll see you all on Friday!

Grace

Weekly Goal Recap 1: Tulip Bag Re-Design and "Launch"

Last week I posted here about my goal for the week. Well, I accomplished it! I redesigned the Tulip PDF and I think it looks lovely. But instead of just updating the PDF, I experimented with something...

When a designer updates a PDF, Ravelry allows messages (either by the paypal e-mail used to purchase the pattern OR by Rav message) to be sent to all the people who bought that pattern in order to let them know about the update. So, I did this, but I included something else... a coupon code!

I gave all my previous Tulip-purchasers a code to get any other pattern in my store for one dollar. I did this because I was curious about two things:

1) Do people even read these update messages?
2) If people were given the chance to get a pattern (or patterns) for a very small fee, which one(s) would they choose?


Here are the answers I found:
1) Yes! The message was sent to 293 people. Eight of those people used the coupon code (some more than once). That works out to about a 2.7% purchase rate of those e-mailed, which is actually pretty good! And that may not be entirely accurate because you never know--some people I messaged might not be on Ravelry anymore, or maybe they're not into knitting anymore, or they don't remember buying Tulip and just dismissed the message, or they just didn't have the dollar to spend.

2) Ok, here's the breakdown:
Honeypot - 3
Pretty in Pleats - 3
Wavelength - 3
Gradient - 2
Patches - 1
Basketwoven - 1


We have a three-way tie between The Honeypot Bag, the Pretty in Pleats bag, and Wavelength. Interesting to note - two of these are bags. All of these people originally bought a bag pattern. Hmm.



Anyway, that's my recap of the Tulip re-design. Since it didn't take but a couple days to re-design Tulip, I'll probably do a few of those each week as a part of my routine until all of my PDFs are up to par.


Ok, now for this coming week's goal:
 

My Goal: Week 2

You know that crochet pattern I mentioned in my last post? Well, I came up with the idea to offer the physical headbands for sale in my Etsy shop. I've had my Etsy waiting in the wings for a while, but I really want to start using it. So, this week, I want to get my Etsy back up and running. This includes:

1) Re-designing my header

2) Typing up a new shop description

3) Photographing products

4) Typing a product description

5) Posting the product

I'll do one of these things each day, and by next week, there will be lovely headbands ready for purchase. I've decided to post the tutorial after I've created my shop so I can use the traffic generated by posting my tutorial/pattern to Ravelry to boost my Etsy shop.

My apologies for the delay of that pattern; it'll be worth the wait, I promise!

Talk to you all next week,
Grace

How to Write & Photograph Beautiful Technique How-Tos + How to Make a $2 Lightbox

Today I'm going to be talking about how to put together an instructional pictorial guide to a knitting technique. A fantastic example of this is the lovely Lucy from Attic24, one of my very favorite blogs. She takes fantastic, up-close pictures for her patterns (like this one here). I've always admired this. She could very easily just type out the steps, but she takes the time to photograph her patterns, making it easy for the very beginner to comprehend and execute them.

In my upcoming knitting patterns, I'm going to have to do a lot of photography. Not because the techniques are tough, but because I want beginners to be able to make them too. Today I'm going to share some steps to help you take awesome step-by-step pictures using your iPhone!

Please note: I realize that you'll need a better camera than an iPhone if you want to take pictures for a book, but these tips are great to apply to your blog tutorials or PDF patterns on Ravelry if you don't have a better camera.

Here's how to set up your space:

1. Find a window (preferably facing west)
We're going to make use of natural light and milk it for all it's worth. Find a nice big window in your house, throw back the curtains and snap away.
Also, if your window is facing west, you can take pictures using morning light. You don't want your light to be really harsh and direct. In the morning, a westward facing window will provide the very best light.
If you don't have a westward facing window, you'll want to wait for a time of day that the sun isn't directly blazing down through the glass.

2. Make a lightbox.
Ooooh that sounds really expensive. Well, I've got news for you - it costs like 2 bucks. Go to the dollar store and buy two things: A piece of foam core and a roll of duck tape (some dollar stores don't have foam core... if your's doesn't, check a craft store). Then, cut three pieces out of the foam core:
8 1/2 x 11 inches X2
8 1/2 x 8 1/12 inches X1
Then, tape them together so they look something like this (that patterned duck tape though!):

Now, slip a piece of cardstock or computer paper underneath your light box, place it so the open side faces the window, and boom! Lightbox created! You'll be taking your pictures from up above the lightbox.
The great part about this lightbox is that you can insert whatever background you want! You can use patterned paper or set it outside on top of concrete or wood.
Here's an example of a picture taken with my iphone using this lightbox:

Pretty nice, right?

3. If you're using your iPhone, take your pictures in square mode (or in Instagram)
If you take your pictures in square mode, you'll be able to tell if your subject in centered in the picture. Plus, this just makes editing a ton easier!


All right, now that you have your set-up created, it's time to focus on how to photograph and explain most effectively:

1. Write the steps.
Before you begin, write down all the steps, movement by movement. Scribble all over your notebook page with little tips you've discovered while working this technique. Everything you've learned will be able to help someone else, so make note of all these things!
Then, group them into sets of what can be explained using one picture. Once you've rambled all over your page about everything someone could possibly need to know about this technique, strip it down to single, simple, concise steps, each step being represented by one picture.

2. Photograph these steps and put them in a collage.
Using your lightbox, snap pictures of the steps your wrote about. I would suggest using larger yarn & needles than the pattern calls for so your readers can really see clearly what you're doing.
Once you have all of your square pictures, head over to Pic Monkey to put all of them into a collage. You can skip this step if you want, but for document designing, I find it's very helpful to combine all of these pictures into one file (so your PDF isn't like 50 pages long). If you're using this tutorial for a blog post, I'd keep the pictures separate.
If you choose to make a collage, I'd also recommend editing numbers onto each one of the pictures. This way, you can number the steps below the picture and people will be able to connect each step to it's coordinating picture easily.

3. Add words to guide people through.
On that note, you're going to want to add words for each one of your steps. Use all of that content you wrote earlier to explain each step using as few words as possible. Write as if you're speaking to someone across the table from you.
If your pattern is do-able for a beginner, I'd suggest having a beginner friend give it a shot before publishing! Pay attention to where they get stuck, and go back and clarify those sections.

This week, I'm going to be writing an extra blog post on a free a crochet pattern for a braided headband/earwarmer. I'll be utilizing these tips to help explain the crochet & braiding steps. My goal is to get all of you knitters out there to be able to make it! Be on the lookout for that!

Until then,
Grace

How to Set Weekly Goals in Order to Drive Your Fiber Arts Career Forward

Lately, I've been considering what I'm doing here. I have my book planned out and outlined, and all of the products will be finished by the end of the year for photography. But I want to work on something, book related or not, before then. I want to build my "brand" tons before my book releases (which, by the way, I've decided to keep it to an e-book format for my first try at book-writing). I just need something to get me going. So I came up with the idea of setting weekly goals or weekly actions for myself; giving myself one little thing each week that will move me forward. 

So what are weekly goals exactly? Well, it's pretty self-explanatory, but basically I'm going to devote all of my attention to one major thing each week. Each Friday's post will cover my weekly goals from here on out.

Maybe you have something in mind that you want to work on, but you just can't seem to decide of a first step. You should join me!

Here's how I'm going to be picking and setting my weekly actionable goals:

1. Each weekly goal should have a consistent time requirement.
Here's what I mean: Each goal should take about the same amount of time. Don't spend 15 minutes on one goal one week, and 8 hours the next week. Set aside a specific amount of time each day, and when selecting your goal for the week, make sure it fits within that time constraint. If it doesn't, you should break down that goal further.
Why? The very best way to accomplish something long-term is to make it a habit. Taking few minutes every day will make this a routine, and goal setting should always be a routine!

1. Each weekly goal should have a specific number tied to it.
Goals that never get accomplished usually don't have specific numbers tied to them. "I want to work out more" won't happen long-term. "I will work out 30 minutes 4 times per week" is far more likely to actually happen. So set a number and tie it to your goal.

3. Each weekly goal should have a "why" behind it.
Remember this post? It's incredibly important that all of your goals have a deeper reason behind them. It'll be your driver when you don't feel like completing what you've set out to do.

My Goal: Week 1

My goal for this coming week is to re-design one of the PDFs currently in my Ravelry store. I've learned a TON over the few weeks I've been writing this blog and I want to apply this knowledge to the patterns I'm currently selling. I'm going to start out with my most popular pattern, The Tulip Bag. 

I'll get to my other patterns in future weeks, but for now I'm just starting with 1. This shouldn't take more than 15 minutes everyday.
Also, if you're not familiar with Ravelry, I should mention that all of the people who have previously purchased Tulip will receive the update. Everyone benefits from the re-design, not just the people who buy it going forward.

So how about you? Do you want to join in?

Head over to my Ravelry Group  to tell me what you're working on this week. I'm going to set up a new thread every week for all of us to engage under and discuss our goals for the week.

I hope you guys can join me in progressing your fiber arts career!

Until Tuesday,

Grace

How to Write Knitting Patterns

Over the past few posts, I've been covering how to design your pattern PDFs and release them. I realized I had forgotten something very important! How to write those very patterns!

So maybe you've been experimenting with your own designs for a while and just scribbling down vague instructions that only you can understand. But hey, you can take those patterns and make money off of them! Seriously! It's really not that hard at. all.
Whether you're writing an entire book or just a single pattern for Ravelry, you'll need to know how to properly write your pattern. You have to make sure people can follow your steps and recreate exactly what you made.

Here are some general tips to start us off:
1. Be good at your craft. In order to design a pattern you'll need a fairly long history of other people's patterns that you've read and knit. This will give you a feel for how knitting patterns are structured and what they include. Don't expect to learn to knit one day and then write a lucrative pattern the next day. Also, you need to have a quality finished project to photograph. So the first step is: Get some experience under your belt.
2. Take it seriously. You are going to be costing people their hard-earned money to buy your pattern. Please for the love of all that is good in the world, make it nice.
3. Literally write down every movement your fingers make. Preferably on pen and paper so you can scribble things out and write in the margins and I don't know, I just personally love pen and paper. When writing down instructions, even if it's a "rough draft," DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING OUT. I'm telling you this from experience! I've been in the process of designing a pattern and told myself "Oh, I don't have to write this step down! I'll remember it when I type up the final version."
Well guess what.
I never do.
And then I have to go back and either rip back or read my knitting to figure it out and it's just such a struggle.
So don't make my mistakes!
Likewise, don't assume your readers know what to do next. Don't leave anything out when writing the final version either.
4. Anticipate the roadblocks your readers will find, and help them through.
For the pattern I just released, I had it tested. This was absolutely SO very valuable for me because it demonstrated to me that other people aren't as close to my pattern as I am. As my pattern's creator, I know everything about how to make it. I've worked all the kinks out in my own head. These kinks don't work themselves out for my readers, however. If there's a "sticky" area in your pattern, pay extra close attention to explaining it well.
5. If your pattern includes a chart, use Microsoft Excel to make one. Excel is a knitter's best friend and, quite honestly, it's a designer's as well.



All right, now that we have those things out of the way, let's dive deeper into each section of a well-written pattern.
If you want an example of what each of these sections look like in a real pattern, I have a free beanie pattern here! I made use of all these tips, so head on over to get and idea of how I applied them.


Introduction (optional):
You may choose to add a little intro in the beginning of your pattern. This is similar to a product description on a clothing website. This could include your inspiration, why someone would want to make your pattern, design elements, and finished size(s). Basically get your readers so excited that they can't wait to cast on.

Materials:
Pretty self explanatory, but in this section you'll want to list out everything you used for your project. Include the exact yarn you used including yarn weight, the brand, the colorway, and the grams/ounces in one skein of said yarn. Also, include the needles you used. Add the size in both numerical American value and in millimeters. If you need stitch markers, add that, and how many. Also mention handles, buttons, zippers, fabric lining, or any other add-on you will need to finish the project.
A mistake I made in my newest pattern was using my hand-dyed colorway for the finished piece. I couldn't tell people what yarn I used exactly, and I got questions about it. So in the future I'll keep that in mind.

Notes:
Here, you add anything else someone would need to know before starting. Discuss any unusual stitches, gauge, or necessary yarn put-up (if a center-pull ball is needed like for two-at-a-time socks). If there are any new techniques you've developed, you should mention that here. If you've taken pictures to guide people through the steps for this technique, place those at the end of the PDF after the pattern. Simply make people aware that there is an unusual stitch needed, and let them know about the picture tutorial at the end. If you add the picture tutorial here, it can scare people away before they even start! So just inform people of it, and move on.

Pattern:
The main event. Here, you write out your pattern. Start out with "Cast on X" and write out all your notes in a simple and clean, row or round format. When you're finished, give your pattern to an expert knitter friend to try out. I say expert simply because you want someone who will be able to pick out flaws and inconsistencies. A beginner may just follow the pattern blindly and give you the A-OK regardless of what you wrote. It does not matter whether or not you are going to be charging for this pattern; it is crucial that you double triple quadruple check that the pattern is correct before releasing it. Errors are annoying and confusing. If you've ever come across one you know this, and the last thing you want is for your audience to feel these things while working through your pattern. If you'll be charging for your pattern, I'd highly recommend getting it tested by some lovely peeps over on the The Testing Pool group on Ravelry. Sometimes even the best knitter friends can be a bit soft in their critiques, so get it tested by some people without a major emotional connection to you.

Here are some other things to keep in mind when writing your pattern:
     -Make note of what kind of cast on you used. Long tail? German? Does it matter?
     -Don't just say "increase" or "decrease". Choose a type of increase that works best for the project visually, and stick with it. (knit front back, yarn over, make 1, etc) Same with decreases... Always use knit 2 together when it would look good for the stitch to lean right, and slip slip knit when you need the stitch to lean left. If it doesn't matter, use knit 2 together since it's more familiar.
     -If you used short rows, make it clear. Tell people to turn their work, and make it blatantly obvious.
     -When explaining techniques (which you should always always do--never assume people know a technique), make it as clear as possible. Imagine you're talking to a friend who's sitting right in front of you. Think back to when you were a beginner, and what words would have made this technique click in your head. If the technique is very unheard of, or you developed it, you must, in addition to step-by-step actions, add pictures. Make them simple and small. Perhaps put them into a collage in chronological order.
     -It can be helpful to add a note to each row telling if it's a right or wrong side row (rs for right side, ws for wrong side). Adding something like "Row 27 (rs):" can be super great in guiding a person through your pattern and helping them to know they're on the right track. Also, adding a total stitch number to the end of each row is a great thing to do. That way, people can count their stitches and immediately recognize whether or not they made an error.

Editing and Perfecting:
Once you've finished writing your pattern and think it's ready for release, give it a day or two and then go back and read through it again. This will make your little page design errors stand out.


Ok, so this is one post. You probably read it in a few minutes. But pattern designing, on the contrary, is a time-consuming, extensive process (if you want to do it well, that is). You guys all know that I'm taking you along with me on my journey and there is p l e n t y more I'll learn about pattern writing. No doubt I'll have plenty more posts that relate to this topic and in the future I will link them here:
[Future Grace, insert links here]


All right, that's my introductory guide to designing patterns! I hope this was helpful.
Until next time,
Grace

PS. It's the last day to make use of my buy-one-get-one-free coupon code in my Ravelry Store! Use the coupon code HTWAKB to get any pattern free when you buy my new pattern Basketwoven.

10 Steps to Successfully Launch a Pattern on Ravelry

Ok, so after my last post, you have your PDF all ready to go (and it looks totally fabulous). If you're planning on selling your newly created pattern and you want it to do well, you have to create a game plan. If you simply launch your pattern out into the Ravelsphere without any form of marketing, you can only expect your pattern to do so well. You may be happy with the results executing like that, but here are 10 steps to making the most out of your new pattern:

1. It's gotta be a good pattern.
The very first thing is the pattern itself. This is the basis upon which everything else grows. Make sure your pattern is two things:
     -Unique
     -Well written
Every single time I'm working on the idea for a pattern I try to make sure it "reinvents the wheel" in some way shape or form. Try combining two very different techniques and make something totally new. I've heard this is called the "Hummingbird" technique. You take something from one world and flutter it over into another dimension. This could be, like in my Tulip Bag, taking the knit log cabin and the crochet granny square bag and mushing the two together. Basically, just make sure your pattern is new and fresh and interesting.
Then, you must execute this thing well. Obviously, if your pattern is going to gain long term success, it must be written very, very clearly. People need to understand it! I would highly suggest using The Testing Pool group on Ravelry. I took advantage of this wonderful resource for the first time with my new pattern (details and a coupon code for that below) and it was an awesome experience. Basically, you post a little ditty about your pattern in the group and people will volunteer to test the pattern for you for free. It's fantastic. They offer wonderful advice even right down to bolding certain stitches in places where people could slip up. Little things like that make all the difference, so get your pattern tested!

2. Take nice pictures.
When I say "take nice pictures" I certainly don't mean you must go out and buy the most expensive camera or hire a photographer. Sure, these things are definitely necessary later, but for now, it's perfectly ok to simply use your phone. Here are a couple tips I've discovered on how to take good iPhone pictures:
     -Get your piece out in natural light. I'm talking legitimately o u t s i d e. Ultimately, it should be a bit of an overcast day so that the sun isn't too direct. This will provide the ultimate clarity and color correctness.
     -Take your picture using Instagram. Call me crazy, but I seriously think pictures look better when taken with the camera within Instagram.
     -Upload them to your computer and use a photo editor to help out a bit. Here's an example using my new shawl design, Basketwoven.
This is the original picture taken with my iPhone 5s:

It's nice, but it's kind of dull. It looks like it's had a bit of the life sucked out of it. To remedy this, I popped onto Pic Monkey and did a few things (all of which are found under the "Colors" and "Exposure" tabs). 1) I boosted the saturation 2) I boosted the temperature 3) I boosted the clarity just the tiniest bit. And voila! Take a peek:

3. Type up a nice (but not long-winded) description.
The next thing to focus on is your description. Ravelry will ask for a description of your pattern and it's important you nail this. Include everything people must know about your pattern like yarn, yardage (in meters too), needle size, gauge, if it can be made in different yarn weights, size, time it takes to complete, skill level, all that jazz. You can also add a couple sentences about how the pattern came to be. Keep it brief though, let the pattern info take up the bulk of your description. Basically, after reading your description, people shouldn't have any other remaining questions about your pattern.

4. Post when people are online
If you don't have any sort of existing audience you'll want to post your pattern when a lot of people are online. You only get a limited amount of time on the homepage of the patterns section, when your pattern is in the "Recently Posted" section, so make the most of it! Get as many eyes on your pattern as possible in that short amount of time. You can see how many people are online on Ravelry's homepage in the top right corner. I've found anything over 4,000 is awesome.
Another thing I'll mention is that, unless you have a large audience on your blog or group, DO NOT POST ON MONDAY MORNING. There are always a ton of people online Monday morning, and big publishers know this. They'll post big collections of patterns all at once, and you're unfortunately likely to get lost in the shuffle. But, if you have a large audience that's able to push your pattern up into the popular section, go for it!

5. Self-promote in appropriate threads.
If you look around in the forums section, you'll find a few groups with threads specifically for self-promotion. Take advantage of this! I personally love looking at these threads to find the latest and greatest patterns, and I'm not alone. These threads usually gain large audiences, so post away!

6. Offer an introductory coupon code.
This is a fantastic way to get more people to actually purchase your pattern. Right in the description, offer a coupon code for an introductory discount. People love getting good deals. Also, I would suggest mentioning that there's a deadline to make use of this coupon. This will promote a sense of urgency, and push people over the edge into buying.

7. Throw an extra creative element into your PDF.
Free stuff! It's awesome! Do some brainstorming and come up with something extra you could add to your PDF. Maybe your pattern is for a bag, so you include instructions on how to line it. Little things like that really add value to your purchase price. Also, make sure you make people aware that this extra is in there!

8. Put up a quality blog post a few days later and mention your coupon code expiring.
Remember that coupon deadline I mentioned earlier? When it comes time to take down the coupon, put up a blog post telling people it's about to expire. This will get all those last-minute purchases to actually happen. Also, if you can make this blog post really, really, really good that's even better. Write about something that your audience is really struggling with, and solve their problem well.

9. Price higher.
Sometimes, all you need is a higher price. If you're releasing a pattern for a sweater in 10 different sizes, put up a price that makes sense. Don't lower your price because you think more people will buy it. Raise it so people know it's a quality pattern! Obviously, with this comes the expectation of quality that you must deliver upon. But if you've followed all the previous steps, you'll be good.


10. Send copies of your pattern to podcasters for them give away.
If you're unfamiliar with the world of knitting podcasts, you must familiarize yourself with it. Basically, there are some awesome people who post either video or audio regularly to update their audience on what they're working on, lead knit-alongs or crochet-alongs, and provide giveaways. Often, you can PM these people on Ravelry offering your pattern up as a giveaway prize. It's great for the podcasters, great for their audiences, and great for YOU because you get free promo on their podcast. If you want a few podcasters to check out, I'd recommend A Homespun House with Molly, The Dyer's Notebook with Laura, and The Bakery Bears with Kay and Dan.

All of these tips conclude with one more bonus tip, which is: Don't get discouraged if your pattern doesn't do as well as you imagined. It's ok! That just means you're one pattern closer to releasing your big hit. :)

All right, now onto the details of my new pattern (just released this morning), Basketwoven! I mentioned it earlier, but if you're interested in taking a peek, here are a couple more pics.

 I'm offering a special coupon code for my lovely blog readers. Use the code HTWAKB (How to Write a Knitting Book abbreviated) at checkout to get any of my other patterns free when you buy Basketwoven. This code will last through next Tuesday. I hope you guys love it!

Hopefully you found this post helpful! Best of luck in your pattern designing endeavors!
See you next time,
Grace

How to Design a Knitting Pattern in Microsoft Word

So maybe you have a pattern ready to go. It's all ready to sell but the problem is, you don't know where to go from there. Or perhaps you have a lovely hat or scarf pattern that you've been using for years jotted down in a notebook. Well guess what? Sit down, spend 30 minutes at your computer, and BOOM. You're a designer!

Ravelry requires patterns-for-sale to be in PDF format. When I first started designing, I had no idea how to make a pretty PDF. I would just type it out, choose a nice font, insert my picture and upload. But something about that just didn't suit my very type-A personality. I wanted it to be fancier and more polished and professional-looking especially if I was going to be charging for the pattern. So, I went on youtube and researched how exactly to design in Microsoft Word. Basically, I learned how to use Word as a desktop publisher of sorts.
I have a pattern coming out on Friday. It's a lovely basketweave pattern shawl and I'm going to show you my design process using that pattern as an example. Here's everything I've learned:

1. Open notepad and type it all out.
Yep, notepad. Not Word. Type out your intro, materials, special notes, and, of course, your pattern in a simple notepad document before you even open Word. Make sure it's edited and ready to go.

2. Open a new document in Word.
When you open your document, before you do anything else, go to the insert tab. Then click "shapes" and then "new drawing canvas." Creating a canvas on your document will make Word act a bit more like a desktop publisher. You'll gain complete control over where you place your pictures and text boxes, rather than being confined to the margins Word defaults to.
Ok, once you have your drawing canvas, go up to "position" on the toolbar and then "more layout options." Then go to "text wrapping" and then "In front of text."
Now you can stretch your canvas out to fit your page. If you want to leave a margin, go for it.
At this point your document should look like this:

3. Add more shapes.
Now, you can add another drawing canvas for your header or for your various text boxes. Simply follow the same steps: Insert > Shapes > New drawing canvas > Position > More layout options > Text wrapping > In front of text. You can use these additional shapes for the notes, stitch abbreviations, gauge, title, and anything else that you typed up earlier in notepad. Learn how to add text in the next step, which is:

4. Jazz it up!
You can do 4 basic things to any of your shapes or canvasses. These four things are adding an outline, filling your shape with color, adding text within a box, and adding a picture.
Here's how to do each one:

Add an Outline

Right click on your canvas or shape > Format Drawing Canvas > Line Color > either Solid Line or Gradient Line (select your preferred color) > Line Style (select your preferred style)

Add Fill Color

Right click on your canvas or shape > Format Drawing Canvas > Fill > either Solid Fill, Gradient Fill, Pattern Fill, or Picture/Texture Fill > Select your preferred fill

Add Text

Select your shape and go the Format tab at the top of the toolbar > Draw Text Box > Draw it within your shape > Type or Paste your text into the newly created text box > To get rid of the white background, go up to shape fill and select no fill > To get rid of the black border, go up to Shape Outline and select No Outline

Then, format your text just how you would normally in Word. Highlight it, and choose fonts, colors sizes, boldness, italics, all that jazz.

Add Pictures

Right click on your canvas or shape > Fill > Picture or Texture Fill > File > Select picture file

5. Make use of pro hacks.

As I was designing, I found that there were a few things that were super duper helpful.

1. With a shape or canvas selected, use the arrows on your keyboard to nudge it down, up, or over incrementally. This is super helpful in getting accuracy that you may not be able to with your mouse.

2. Hold down the Control key on your keyboard to select multiple elements, group them, and be able to move them as one unit. This is helpful when you notice that all of your page elements could really be moved to the right by like 1 pixel. Select them all, and then use your arrows to move them all.

3. Unless your pattern is really short, you'll probably need more that one page. In order to add another page, go to the Insert tab and click "Blank Page."

4. Down in the bottom right corner, you'll see a little toggle button with a zoom percentage next to it. Bring this way down to 50% so you can see the whole page at once.
5. You're not confined the the preset Word color options. Whenever you're looking to select a color for something, you can click on "More color options" and customize it. Then, the next time you want to select a color for a different element, this custom color will pop up for ya.

6. Save as a PDF.
Once you have your document looking fabulous, you're going to go up to File > Save As > Type in your document name > Select "PDF" from the drown down menu.

Voila! You did it!

Here's my PDF in progress:

That big blank section will be for the picture, but we'll keep that a surprise until Friday ;)

And that's about it! Pretty cool, huh? I never knew this was possible with Word. It's awesome!

Go experiment with this! It's a fantastic tool and, for most of us with PCs, it's also a free one!

I hope you learned something from this post!

I'll see you Friday with tips on how to successfully launch a pattern.

Until then,

Grace

How to Start a Ravelry Group

Ravelry groups are SO MUCH FUN. I've always loved them--they're great for finding information, making friends with similar interests, and discovering new resources. But, did you know you can very easily make your own? Yeah, you can!
A Rav group is an excellent way to gain an audience. And, like I've been harping on over the past few posts, an audience is so helpful when launching a book or pattern. Plus, leading a Rav group is just plain old fun!
So, let's do it!

I want to mention really quick that I talk about creating a group in the context of having a blog to link to. A blog isn't necessary at all! I personally have a blog (hello, you're reading it) and my Rav group is based around that blog. But these tips can totally be applied to a stand-alone group as well.

1. Group name & short description
When you go onto Ravelry and click on "start a group now," the very first two things it will ask you for are your group name and description.
Your group name is going to be super simple. Just type in the name of your blog and you're good to go. Haven't started a blog? Go to my post here to find out how I started my blog.If you're doing a stand-alone group, come up with an easy-to-spell, catchy, and unique title. If you put thought into this, you can easily start a blog at a later time with the same name.
Your short description can be a bit tougher. Here's what you need to do: The PERFECT description for both your blog and your Rav group is your "why." Right off the bat, this tells potential group members who your group is for specifically. This will give you an audience who is truly interested in you and what you're about. Don't try to make your short description "all-inclusive" just to get a ton of members. A smaller, devoted audience is so much better than a large group of people who don't really care. If you don't currently have your "why," I wrote a post here on 3 simple steps to finding your why. When you have your why, feel free to tweak it to get it in description form.

2. Design your button & banner
Rav will also ask for a button and a banner. There are SOOOO many great groups out there that aren't getting the attention they deserve simply because they don't have an eye-catching button. Grabbing people's attention with a poppin' button and banner is the first step.
In the post I wrote Tuesday, I taught you how to create a custom header for your blog using Pic Monkey. We're going to do the exact same thing here with your button and banner. Now, I want you to pay attention to a few little numbers.
Your "badge" or button will need to be 100 pixels x 60 pixels.
Your banner will need to be 468 pixels x 60 pixels.
If you don't pay attention to these measurements, your icons will be stretched and distorted and look kind off. So, when you go into Pic Monkey, hover over "design" and then click "custom". Then, simply type in those numbers.
I would suggest designing your icons to look pretty similar to your blog. This gives a "face" to your internet presence. Keep it simple and clean.

3. Long description
Now, there are a few things you want to cover in your long description:
-Restate your short description. Elaborate upon it and welcome your possible audience. Include what your posts are about, and who precisely would be interested.
-Make it inclusive. I know I said earlier to really niche down so you can have a devoted audience. This is still true! By "inclusive" I mean make all crafters feel welcome. My blog is titled "How to Write a Knitting Book" because that's what I'm doing. But I LOVE to crochet, I LOVE to weave, and I LOVE to tat! All the posts I write can easily be translated to a different craft, and I personally want people to know that.
-Link your blog. In addition to being a fantastic place to engage with audience members, a Rav group is basically free advertising. Just sayin'! Link over to your blog, telling people where to find all of your content and how often you post.

Here's my personal long description over on my Ravelry group for you to use for reference:

Do you have an idea for a knitting book?

This is the place to be!

This group is for anyone interested in joining in on (or simply following) my journey to writing, designing, editing, and self-publishing my very own knitting book. I’ve challenged myself to do it right and do it all myself. And you can too! Every post will be packed with the little things I learn along the way.

Not a knitter? No worries. The tips, tricks, and trials I’ll discuss can be applied to any craft. Also, all the content I put out can be applied to writing single PDF patterns for Ravelry.

On my blog, I post content every Tuesday and Friday. Every time I post, I’ll include a little summary here on the boards for you guys to engage under. Find my blog at: How to Write a Knitting Book

4. Post a few threads.
Now that you've created your blog and it looks per-fect, it'll be put up on the "recently started groups" section of Rav. This is like a billboard that you get a chance to be on for a few days. A ton of people will see your group and click on it if they're interested. They'll get really excited but, if you don't have any threads posted, people will be kind of disappointed and most likely leave because it appears that there's no fun to be had there. So, right when you post your group, create a few threads.
These threads could maybe be an introduction thread, a thread for people to share their favorite blogs and resources, or a chatter thread. Another awesome thing you can do is create a thread for each post you put up on your blog and add a call-to-action question so people can discuss the post in the thread.
This will create a sense of community.

Ok! Boom! You just created your very own Ravelry group!
I hope this post was helpful for you!
Until next time,
Grace

How to Start Your Knitting Blog

So on Friday I discussed starting a blog as a way to gain a following to launch your book to. Today I'll teach you how I designed my blog--hopefully it'll help you guys out! Even if you have a blog already, maybe you'll learn something. Let's go!

First of all, you'll need a Blogger account. You don't have to use blogger, but if you use something else my tutorial won't apply to it. No worries though, there are plenty of tutorials out there for other blogging platforms. Just give it a google.
In order to set this up, you'll need a few things:
-A blog name
     A lot of people get stuck here. DON'T. It honestly doesn't matter what your blog's name is. Hey, two of the most influential companies out there are named Apple and Nike for crying out loud. Don't sweat this. Just make sure it's easy to type and remember.
-An e-mail
     I'd highly suggest setting up a separate e-mail to use for everything BLOG. If possible, it should be the same as your blog name (mainly because it looks like totally cool and professional). So if your blog's name is Susan's Stitches, ideally your e-mail should be susansstitches@emailprovider.com.
-A profile picture
     I'll admit, I don't have this yet. I'm still working out what mine should be! But from everything I've read it should be a nice, quality picture of you. I'm not talking a lowlight selfie. Get yourself a friend and have him or her snap a fabulous picture of you outside or in really nice lighting.

All right, once you have that set up (it's a pretty self explanatory process), we get to the good stuff.
Before you do anything, go to your blogger dashboard, drop down the triangle next to the page icon and click on "Template."
If it's not already selected, apply the WHITE "Simple Blog" template to your blog. I believe blogger defaults to the orange one, which makes it semi-difficult to design around.

Creating your header:
All right, now that you have your blog created, head over to Pic Monkey. This place is DA BOMB and I would highly recommend paying for the premium version. You get more fonts and features. But, no worries, it's still DA BOMB if you choose not to.
We have a few steps here:
1. Hover over "Design"
2. Click on "Custom"
3. Input 1100 pixels in the first box and 400 in the second
4. Go crazy with text and accents!

Actually no, don't go crazy. There's a ton of stuff you can do with Pic Monkey, and it's very easy to get overwhelmed by it all and USE ALL THE STICKERS but I'd discourage that. Just keep it simple with a few fonts and a couple colors. For me, I used Ultra for "how to write a book", RNS Camelia for "knitting", and League Gothic for the description in my header.
Another lovely feature of Pic Monkey is the ability to use HEX codes. If you select a word you inserted to your design, it'll bring up a box. At the top of this box you'll see a "#" with a number behind it. If you find a color you like, write down this number. Don't skip doing this step! If you do this, when you come back to blogger, you can match various blog components to this color. This will give your blog a cohesive-ness about it.
When you finish your masterpiece, save it.

Head back over to your blogger dashboard and instead of going to the "Template" tab, go to "Layout." Find the long rectangle that says "Header" and click edit. This will bring up a window that allows you to browse for your image. Once you've uploaded your design. there's a VERY IMPORTANT THING YOU HAVE TO DO. This thing is: click "Instead of title and description." Now save that!
Boom! Custom header made!


While you're on your layout page, head over to the rectangle that says "Navbar." Then click "off." I personally think this really cleans up the look of your blog.


Ok, now we're going to fine tune some things:
Go back to your "Template" page and click the big "Customize" button. Now, I work in Internet Explorer and this customize feature doesn't work for me. I have to switch over to Firefox to be able to use it. Give it a try though, it works for a lot of people in Internet Explorer.
Once this customize page opens, you'll see a live preview of your blog. You may notice that your header has been cut off on the right side. To fix this, go over to the left hand side and click "Adjust Widths." Drag the toggles until your entire header appears. Boom!


Now click over to "Advanced" instead of "Adjust Widths" and go crazy designing your blog. The advanced tab has a bunch of things you can choose colors and fonts and font sizes for. I would suggest focusing on Page Text, Post Title, Date Header, and Links. Remember those HEX codes you wrote down while designing your header? Use those when customizing these things. It'll tie it all together and make your blog look fantabulous.

All right! That's how I created my blog. I plan to add more features in the future, and you can bet I'll let you know when and how I implement those things.
On Friday I'll teach you how to create your Ravelry group and grow it!
See you then,
Grace