Designs by KN blog

Sometimes life is a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, joys, sorrows, and surprises … yet through it all, for some of us, knitting & crocheting are always there to turn to when we need to unwind, relax, think, ponder, plan or just enjoy a bit of quiet time alone.

Because my quiet time alone is limited, by necessity I focus on designing only accessories and small projects, which can be produced quickly yet are fun-to-work, useful and wearable. For many years I knit or crocheted sweaters for family, friends and customers, but now sweater projects have been replaced with quantities of smaller projects (hats, scarves, mitts, shawls, dishcloths). My designer page may be lacking in sweater patterns written in 6 sizes, but there are over 200 other projects to choose from if you enjoy the satisfaction of finishing a do-able small project quickly.

A few years ago when I was assisting at our LYS (sadly, no longer in business) I was given new yarns to sample and asked to create accompanying patterns for the shop to display with the featured yarn.  After awhile my confidence increased enough to submit a few ideas to magazine publishers. When my very first submission ended up on the cover of Knit Simple, Fall 2007 (now sold out) I was shocked.  The #13 Tasseled Earflap Hat (available as a download purchase on the VK site) was a hit and continues to be very popular today.

Photo by Paul Amato, copyright Soho Publishing

Following that first successfully published design, a number of other DBKN accessory patterns appeared in Knit Simple as well as Knit.1 magazine.  Two popular DBKN patterns previously published in Knit.1 are now available as free downloads:

#34 Wristlets from Knit.1 Magazine Winter 2007

#27 Kerchief from Knit.1 Magazine Spring/Summer 2008

All photos copyright Soho Publishing

If your time is limited, you might enjoy one of these easy projects that can help calm you on the roller coaster of life.

DBKN designs

If you have suggestions for small projects you’d like to see in the future, please let me know. I’m happy to attempt new ideas or work with any yarn during the pleasant hours spent as a weekend designer (just don’t ask me to design a sweater in 6 sizes!)

Hello and welcome to my new blog, where I hope to share news about Designs by KN:  patterns, newly published designs, ideas, tips, a little history, a little humor, a little life stoy, and a lot of talk about knitting & crocheting!

It may have started with the first coloring books and paper doll sets I loved as a child, or that jumbo 750-color paintbox given to me by an aunt when I was 7. Those were followed by frequent visits to the library, an interesting jr. high class in creative writing, sewing my own wardrobe in high school, teaching myself to crochet in college, and doing the same with cross-stitch and knitting in married life. It’s easy to see how my natural inclination to spend as much time as possible in crafty endeavors has developed over time, but little did I know these interests would culminate in a 20-year career in a library and a sideline business as a knit/crochet designer!

And then, just yesterday, a little nagging voice in my head said “You should write a blog.”  So here it is.

I hope to share in future posts how past experiences shaped the path to Designs by KN.  My website byline “Practical, Wearable, Charitable” accurately describes my style and intent for DBKN.

For my first post, I’ll share a charitable cause that coworkers and I are contributing to again this year: the  Crochet & Knit-a-Thon Snugs Hugs for Kids clothing drive sponsored by Merlin Corporation. This year we created over 60 hats & scarves to donate to this worthy project.

Since everyone who knows me automatically thinks “knitter/crocheter” whenever they see my face, I often receive donated yarn from friends and strangers, as they know it will be put to good use. In this case I was able to provide yarn and my free patterns to coworkers, and we were excited to provide for children in need at the holidays.

Some of these hats were made from DBKN’s most popular hat patterns:

Double-Double Crochet Hat

Knit Hat (for anyone!)

Lacy Baby Hat

and for fun Chunky Bucket Hat

Fall knit & crochet season is here. The leaves are turning, the air is crisper, and there are so many projects to get started on.  I hope you enjoy this time of year as much as I do. For inspiration, here’s one of our cats, Bill, modeling his own style of wearing the Knit Hat (for anyone!) ….