Inside the mind of a serial knitter

When I was filling out the description bits for many of the 64 million web rings I'd joined I needed something to say. I came up with something like - Muddles through crafting on a whim, mostly made up as I go along. "CODSWALLOP!" I hear you cry, "there are pattern listings all the way through the posts". That is indeed true, but especially when it comes to baby patterns, if there is something out there similar to what you want in the size that you need then why spend time designing?

Sometimes though, if you have a slightly off the wall idea, it's off to the drawing board. With me that tends to be quite literal. You're probably familiar with the quote from Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's - "Jose brought up the blueprints for a new ranch house... I have this strange feeling that the blueprints and the knitting instructions got switched. I may be knitting a ranch house." You could just as easily make the same mistake with me. I work via a series of technical drawings, sometimes to scale, sometimes not. Either way, my knitting designs don't generally have written directions, but more often than not a map.

I didn't think it was an unreasonable expectation to find a pattern for a 4ply baby grow amongst the hundreds of patterns we have in the house. It seems though, that I was asking too much as I wanted buttons both up the front and under the legs. I tried combining different patterns and sizing down DK ones, but I couldn't create anything like what I had in mind. Time to reach for some paper.

You might be wondering why I was being quite so picky, but it was a very special project. I was pushing my luck a little too far with Nick when I knitted a sheep suit for his baby (he's Welsh, but not without humour), so I thought I'd knit something to make up for it. Given that he's military aircrew I thought he might appreciate a replica flying suit for the wee one when he/she finally puts in an appearance.

Jenny asked me last week how it was coming along as I've been telling her since August that it still needs a collar. Well, er, Jenn, it still needs a collar. I am contemplating said collar as I type and I've promised it by the weekend. I've also got plans for wee Sergeants stripes and flying badges etc so the bean can be just like Daddy.

There must be something about this yarn that sets me off in a designing frenzy. I woke in the early hours a few days ago and grabbed a scrap of paper to scribble on. My next big project the 'Does My Bum Look Big In This?' Cardigan (also in this yarn) is currently mapped out on the back of an envelope, meaning that it's either going to be the size of a postage stamp, or that I need to add a bit more detail.