And it was not as hard as expected, but getting it tested was rough. The end result is worth it though.
Crochet has been a love and hobby of mine since I was 7, which means I've been making things from yarn for 14 years of my life. I've always had these visions of what I wanted to make and I had a rough time finding patterns with the stitches I wanted. I never really thought about designing patterns for hats, garments, what-have-you, but I've grown tired of not being able to find exactly what I'm looking for.
December 23rd, I decided it was time to change that. The first thing I did was decide what stitches I wanted to use in a hat and the overall idea of what I wanted it to look like. After that I just made a hat. I did not write anything down. I did unravel work a few times as I went until I was happy. It resulted in a decent looking, ill-fitting, but wearable hat. This attempt is pictured below.
I learned some useful things in this experience. First, measurements are super important (like I didn't know this) but I forgot to really consult the countless charts I have saved to Pinterest. Second, it was wearable and that's great, but it wasn't perfect and that's okay. Third, count your stitches constantly or your work will be a tad lopsided.
The next thing I did was immediately start a second beanie after making notes of what needed to be fixed. First I had to address the fact that the fit was too big. This was easily remedied as I needed to adjust the number of rows I did for my band. After that it was pretty easy going as all I needed to do was replicate what I made the first time and actually put it down on paper this time around. The second time around I had a hat that fit, had the amount of slouch I was looking for, and the basics of it were down on paper. Below is the end result.
I proceeded to edit my typed pattern for clarity and having all the details and selected six other crocheters to test my pattern. This is the real test for designers because a pattern can make sense to you, but not to others. The sizing could be off, but this has many factors such as tension, brand of yarn, hook, etc. The stitch count could be off. The way a pattern is worded may not make sense overall. So many things could pop up during a testing phase of a pattern, but it needs to be done if you want to be able to sell patterns.
Overall, I am excited to venture more into pattern design and seeing where it takes me. I love making items, but sometimes it's nice to have patterns out there and seeing others create something you designed.