Inspiration for your patterns?

[AidanM]

Where do you guys and gels get your inspiration for your own patterns?

 

Right now I want to make what I'm calling a Delta Dawn hat, because Bette's version of that song has got this image running around inside my head and I'm dyin' to make it! Alas, I haven't got the colours I'd like to use. But I do have a new 20 in my wallet, hmm...

 

So far, several songs have inspired various ideas in my head. Music seems to be my greatest source of inspiration. How about you lovely people?

[Sabra]

Odd, I'm listening to Tanya Tucker's version of the song while I type this.

 

My inspiration tends to be my children. I've got a tall, skinny three-year-old who just doesn't fit right in ready-to-wear clothing (lengthwise she's a bit tall for 3T stuff, width-wise she still fits a lot of 12 mos stuff), and a roly-poly sixteen-month-old. And I'm pregnant again.

 

My other inspiration is an honest frustration with most of the published patterns out there. Sometimes I could swear that most of the designers go out of their way to make their patterns as complicated and difficult as possible. So I redo theirs or design my own in an effort to simplify.

[RachelG]

I'm more tempted to design patterns that are in short supply and in demand. If I had the skill, that would be tight-fitting, cute shrugs right now. I did an original poncho design in thread--there were very few thread poncho patterns online at the time.

 

Also, unusual things that you don't see every day (for the fun of it)...I have a pattern like that I'll be posting before too awfully long.

[Holiday]

The same place I get my ideas for my writing and the drawings I can't draw (not skilled enough, yet): everywhere and nowhere. I'm not being snarky, btw. Sometimes I'll be listening to music-and it seems like I never actually hear the words because my mind's always wandering-and a design will pop into my head. Half the time I'm trying to fall asleep, I'm an insomniac. Other times I'll get them from my story/art characters.

 

Recently I've started getting them from emotions. I've kind of been, hmm, mentally sorting some stuff from incidents in my past in my head and heart and it's been inspiring me. See, when I'm feeling that way I often write poetry or poetic lines and it helps me. Lately I've been taking colors from these lines, like the color of eyes when a person's being crying and using them in my designs. The color inspires the item (almost always clothing) and is sort of the paint to it's canvas. I've found that I rather like the idea of taking colors from emotions/feelings/events/weather and using them in design. It inspires me, literally. A simple example would be: the blue sky of the first fogless day of spring, the misty-coolness of the day could inspire a deep sky blue shawl. Well, that's what came to my mind from that imagery anyways

 

 

Later days,

 

Holiday

[yarncat]

When I have in my mind something I want and can't find a pattern for it!

[Chiscrochetcrazy]

Lately it's been grab yarn hook pencil and paper I just start stitching and writing as I go and it starts to look like something and usually something lelse until I finally decide what it is.Then from there I'll stay on the theme of that and do other things in the same theme. I also just see something and get inspiration like dog sweaters I just decide what colors and have a theme

[HookandCrook]

Inspiration comes when least expected, it never shows up if I sit down and tell myself "Today I will design a doily!"

 

Sometimes a design floats into my head because I'm trying to play with a particular stitch, sometimes it's simply a whim ... but normally I'm inspired by the things around me. I'll be out walking and see "something", and I think, "Oh, that would be nice as the center of a square or doily", and I hurry home and plot it on paper and put it in my never dwindling pile of "some day I'll create these" notes.

[MsSunflwr]

Inspiration for me comes when I see something I like and automatically, my mind starts trying to figure out how to make something similar in crochet. A lot of times I am listening to music or watching a movie while crocheting, and this will inspire the name.

[Katchkan]

Inspiration? Tough question,

It sometimes comes like a bolt of lightening and you just have to do it. Normally now.

Sometimes it comes from need. The right thing to go with something else.

Sometimes it comes because my style just isn't in style and I am too stuborn to change.

Sometimes it is an extension of another idea, My What If button is constantly being pushed. There are a lot of times one thing starts out one way and you would hardly recogonize it by the time it was done.

 

I do keep quick notes and sketches of ideas as they hit, I have them tacked up where I can see them, So if one idea needs to grow it can.

I do try to steer clear of looking too much at other peoples work. (Very Hard Here with all the talent we have here) I am a real stickler that it comes from me. If I feel it is to much of someone else I will shelf the idea and come back later and try and approach it from another angle. If I still feel It's not truly me It's out of here.

I do know you can't force it or demand it to be there.

Just grab it when it grabs you

[sleevelessinsu]

I keep sketches too. I've been told I have a good eye for color combinations and I get a lot of my color inspiration from the natural world. I got a great color palette idea for my next mandala from a walk by the creek the other day, just looking around the fields.

 

Other than that, inspiration comes from anywhere, movies, songs, fictional characters I like, books, quotes, events that happen in my personal life or in the news, whatever.

[thecrochetdude]

I have always designed items that people have asked me to. It started with twelve inch afghan squares for charity ghans, and most recently my Nouveau Riche afghan was a request from my brother who has Mission-style furniture in his bedroom. I'm working on ponchos because I had a poll on my blog and the grand majority of voters wanted ponchos.

 

As far as inspiration though, that comes from everywhere I look! Nature, movies, music, friends (see the poncho inspired by Crazy Aunt Purl). I'm definitely a texture-freak, and love stich combinations that have unusual and attractive textures. I'm constantly swatching stitch combinations as the ideas come to me (sort of like 3-D sketches). Then when I want to make something I'll pull out the textured swatches and see which one(s) would work for the current project. I'm particularly proud of the stitch combination/texture of the pink and black poncho I linked to above.

 

[Sonny321]

My inspiration is usually born of nescessity. I'll have a general idea of what I want to make, I'll look for a pattern for it, and find several that just aren't quite what I want so I'll just end up making it myself. Or I'll just be bored and sit down with a hook and yarn and just start doodling and think Hey this would make a good...... Whatever, and that's what it becomes.

[Guest Crafterlady46]

My inspiration comes from my Mother. She was so talented. There wasn't anything she couldn't do or try in the craft field. My Father was a dreamer. I suppose I get a little from both. We all have worked with our hands at one time or other. I miss my Mother and her wonderful God given talent. She was the master crafter of the family.

[Chiscrochetcrazy]

That's so nice Priscilla I miss my mom so much too she's the reason I started crocheting tommorow would have been her birthday. I'm glad your mother inspired you I just love seeing your doilies. She would be really proud of the beautiful things you make.

 

 

 

My inspiration comes from my Mother. She was so talented. There wasn't anything she couldn't do or try in the craft field. My Father was a dreamer. I suppose I get a little from both. We all have worked with our hands at one time or other. I miss my Mother and her wonderful God given talent. She was the master crafter of the family.

[Guest Crafterlady46]

Thanks Alisha.