Evolution of a Design (part 1): The Idea

Part of what I'd like to do with this blog is take you through my thought process as I create new designs.  I won't be able to do that with every pattern, of course, but there are some for which I think it might be kind of interesting.

This first time around, it'll take several posts.  After that - well, we'll just have to see.

I've been on something of a baby blanket kick, and I've been especially interested in creating designs that are cute but not "cutesy."  They will totally work for a baby (or a toddler), but they don't scream "Hey! I'm all baby, all the time!" I'm not a parent, but I think that if I were, I'd be the one looking for the cute-not-cutesy gear.  I figure I can't be the only one, and someone's got to design the stuff, so it might as well be me, right?  Plus, I feel a bit like I've got the most fertile friends and family members around lately.  And gifts are always good to have on hand...

It all started when I decided to design a blanket for a friend who was pregnant with her first child.  I'd seen a scarf that used a bamboo stitch pattern, and I thought a panda sitting among the bamboo would make a great baby afghan. It turned out so well that I decided to publish it. One of my testers asked if I had any other designs of this type. By which I think she meant the cute-not-cutesy, jungle-animal-themed, blanket that could be knit as either a solid-color textured afghan, or in "full" color using the intarsia technique.  At that time, I didn't.  But I wasn't opposed to making more, and just her one question got me visualizing what a lion or monkey or giraffe or tiger scene could be.  She said her son was especially interested in a monkey, so I set to work making a chart especially for her son.

After that, I was all set to start on the giraffe (really - in my head, this thing is super cute!) when my older sister said, "Adrienne, I think you should do a snail."

And a funny thing happened - that snail set up residence in my brain.  I couldn't shake it.  That was it.  The giraffe quickly took a back seat to the mollusk, and there was nothing I could do about it.  Nothing.

Next up? Put the idea to paper...