Creative Journey: Something For The Weekend
The story behind my Something For The Weekend Pattern
It’s been just over two years since I launched one of my best selling patterns: Something For The Weekend and I wanted to share with you not only something about this pattern, but also a glimpse into my life as a designer.
Now I am very much an accessories kind of girl. I have boxes and drawers full of them. I probably should have a clear out, but the power of an accessory cannot be underestimated. They can make or break an outfit and as I’ve been designing accessories for over 20 years, I know this to be very true. The trouble with anything fashion related though is that sometimes you can visualise the perfect item, but no matter how hard you look you just can't find it.
And this was no different for me. I had been looking for a smallish, earthy green coloured woolly scarf that I could wear in a bandana style with my jackets for some time. The problem with some earthy colours though is they can be a bit murky and it doesn’t matter why I’m choosing a colour, I don’t like murky! And when it comes to fabrics, I’m also a big fan of texture so this accessory had to tick both these boxes.
Of course, us crafting folk can usually find ways to get over such things, but even if I found the right pattern (bear in mind this was just before I’d made the decision to become a knitwear designer), I still couldn't find the right yarn.
That suddenly changed though when the Yarn Whisperer brought out their Tarot Collection on a 100% Highland Zebra 4 ply base. I'd been plotting and planning what to knit with the existing colourways when Knave of Wands was released and that was it! This was the yarn I'd been looking for and that should have been that!
But whilst I knew what I wanted to knit, there was a danger that the yarn would end up consigned to my stash because I couldn't find a pattern that I either liked or felt confident to knit. Many of the patterns I looked at incorporated large sections of lace stitches, and at the time I was a long term, but not very skilled knitter. Plus they just weren't what I had in my head.
And then I thought, “well you've been playing around with designing lately, design something!” It was a good thought, but I had no idea how to knit, let alone design a triangle!
First things first, I researched how to knit a triangle. Then I started looking at stitch patterns. I wasn't opposed to adding some basic lace detail, after all I did need to start practicing them, but what became clear once I started swatching the yarn, was that I didn't need to do anything fancy. And even if I'd used a plainer yarn, I still wouldn't have had to do anything fancy.
You see, I’d been looking at patterns from the perspective of someone who can knit, but isn’t the world’s greatest and I kept thinking, “I can’t knit that, it’s too hard!” or on the flip side, “I know I’m not great, but that’s a bit basic!” And if I was thinking that, how would others feel?
GoneAwool’s mission has always been to encourage as many people as possible to pick up a set of needles, cast on some yarn and explore the many benefits of knitting and yarn crafts. And by extension, I wanted to ensure that anyone who buys a pattern from Suzanne Ellsmore Designs can make something that they can be proud of making no matter whether they are a beginner or a seasoned knitter. And a good way of doing that is to create a pattern that looks harder than it is for those starting out on their knitting adventures, but is also a fun and engaging knit for those who have been knitting away for years.
So after working out the maths and a few false starts, I embarked on knitting up the first version of what was to become my Something For The Weekend design in Knave of Wands.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this first version because I love the yarn and also because it’s a milestone in my journey as a designer, but I knew it needed tweaking. There were a few technique issues to sort out and I wasn't that happy with the mix of stocking stitch and lace sections. And I knew that if I was ever going to release the pattern, I needed to be 100% happy with it rather than 90%. But after 7 versions and various Tarot collection colourways, I finally released the pattern for Something For The Weekend.
But why is it called Something For The Weekend?
Well quite simply because not only is it a one skein project that you can knit in a weekend, this knitting pattern captures the feeling of a weekend perfectly!
The cast on feels like a Friday night where Monday morning (the end of the pattern) seems such a long way off. Saturday feels the same as you work your way happily through the rows. By Sunday morning, you know the end is near, but again you still feel like time is on your side. But then Sunday evening sneaks up on you and with it that dreaded sinking feeling. You know it’s the end of the weekend/the project. But there is hope! Because you can’t wait for next weekend or to cast on another version of this very addictive scarf!
So that is a brief insight into how this design, which led to a whole collection of patterns, came to be and I’ll be back soon with another pattern and another creative journey.
Until next time…
It's lovely. :) The designing process always fascinates me. The description of how you came to the naming of the shawl is such fun.
That's fantastic, I love hearing about the background to a design and the thought process that went into it. And it's a fabulous looking shawl 🩷