Evolution of a Design (part 4): Selecting the Yarn

For better or worse, my yarn decisions for a particular design often depend on how I plan (or hope) to publish a pattern. For example, if I'm thinking that it might be a good bet for the Knit Picks IDP, then I'll plan to use KP yarns. In another case, I submitted a design for a book and they were looking for patterns to be knit in locally spun or dyed yarns (with an emphasis on "local" being in the vicinity of the designer).

For the snail blanket, I didn't yet have a solid plan formulated when I saw a call for submissions from Dream in Color Yarn.  They were seeking baby sweater/blanket combos but were willing to consider just blankets or just sweaters.  I've worked with DIC Smooshy before and liked it a whole lot, but I'd never worked with the yarns they were hoping to highlight (Everlasting DK and Smooshy with Cashmere).  I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to get my hands on some!

So I looked through the colors, decided their yarn could really soar in this snail pattern, and I put together a proposal:

Despite poor rendering of the colors here, this one page proposal told the story ...
and gives you a preview of the design, too!

Next up? Their response...