Pattern designing book review.

   As I dedicate more time to my pattern designing, I am also trying to improve my pattern writing skills and the quality of my patterns. I decided to do a Google search and was surprised to find so little useful information online about how to actually write a knitting pattern .
   Then I found  Kate Atherley's book "Pattern Writing for Knit Designers." (everything you didn't know you needed to know).

   Important! Please note that I am not affiliated with her in any way and do not receive any payment at all for this review!

   This book is available in both paper and ebook form. I decided to opt for the "real" thing as I love having actual books to browse through, even though the post to here cost me quite a lot. Surprise surprise! I received an e-mail with a link to download the ebook as well! What a lovely thing, I was able to read the book and click on links there while waiting for the package to arrive!

   I found the book is a down to earth guide written with a sense of humour making it pleasing to read. The author guides you through the practical steps of writing a pattern, adding all those little things which are so easy to forget.

   She takes you through pattern structure and instructions, charts, grading, formatting and layout. She includes a wealth of information I have not seen elsewhere. She has an excellent knowledge of the subject and puts it into an interesting easy to read format. She then even discusses selling patterns online.

   A sample basic pattern template is very useful, as is the abbreviations list given in the appendix. Many aditional links are given in the resources which took me to further sources of information available online.

   One minor thing I really liked were the suggestions for presentation and photographs; how often I have seen lovely designs with the mediocre photos spoiling the effect. So much work put into a design and then it is put there with an illustration which doesn't do it credit. Something to work on!

     This is a book I am glad to have and refer to. To me it has fulfilled a real need for designers.

Just a note to add that Kate tells me that she’s currently working on a new, updated edition, to be published early 2016. It will be through a larger publisher, so the book should be easier to find. Visit www.kateatherley.com for updates.

     Another two books about pattern design I have found interesting and useful are "The Knitting Architect"and "The Advanced Knitting Architect" by Sion Elalouf. Out of print, I had been looking for these on ebay at prices I could afford, when, to my joy,  found that they were available for free download online.

    These give great instructions on how to chart various styles of knitwear doing the maths of the shaping. Very interesting technical books in my opinion. I enjoy calculating gauge and stitches when planning a garment.  Garment structure is described in detail. Many things I have learnt through trial and error are clearly illustrated with schematics
.Schematics is one aspect of my pattern writing I am still working on. There I need computer skills not knitting skills!

   Just my findings about useful pattern design books. Have you any suggestions of books you have found helpful? I would love to hear what you think of this subject.

Disney Animator Pocahontas Doll

This week has been very busy. DH fell off a ladder and hurt his back. Fortunately he had only bruises but has had to rest. Still has aches and pains. However on a brighter note; my new doll arrived!

 I bought a Disney Animator Doll from ebay. She has been repainted as a Ooak doll by the talented Sabrina. She has such a sad expression but is really lovely.

I will be using her as a model for my Disney Animator Doll knitting patterns and also to try on the clothes that I make for my DGD's Rapunzel doll. This outfit which will be available as a pattern soon was made for Rapunzel. Soon I will make something especially for Pocahontas.

Today I made her a little dress so have edited to add these photos!

This is the cardi I made for my DGD. Rapunzel's cardi was made to match this!

I am looking forward to showing photos of DGD with her doll in matching clothes..

What do you think of my new doll? Pretty?

Out and About in Sila.

The words from the Beatles' song "Five o'clock in the morning" are going through my mind. Yes it is actually five o'clock now but I have been online for about an hour now. It is just too hot to sleep.
The sun is already starting to peak above the horizon and it looks like it is going to be another scoarching hot day. Higher than the July norm usually is.

     I am trying to be as quiet as possible so I don't disturb the neighbours, although I saw a light in my MIL's house across the road earlier on. She mustn't be able to sleep either. The thermometer in the kitchen actually shows 35°c! (95°f). It is possible we will have 40°c today (104°f) as it was yesterday. It just feels too hot to do anything. I have never liked the heat. Even my DH who normally doesn't mind it says that it is too hot to go for a walk with the dog!

     It was so nice to go up into the mountains for my birthday the other day. Cooler air and lots of trees. It made a lovely change.

     This lovely building is in Villaggio Mancuso, It is in the Sila Piccola easily reached from Catanzaro. Very old it has low ceilings inside.

     We also went to Lorica where I haven't been for a few years. A beautiful small village by the lake Arvo.

 I was very surprised to find there was hardly anyone there and many of the shops were closed.

     It is a tourist place where normally at this time of year we would find lots of people by the lake, on boats or in the souvenir shops. Maybe a sign of the difficult financial times.

     Grace came with us for the trip. Sh was quite disappointed to find there were no boats there to hire! (As if I would ever go on one anyway!)

     She was able to rest on one of the seats by the lake. First time I have ever seen them empty! Normally you can't find a free seat!

     This is where there is a bob-cart facility during the winter. The ski lift doesn't seem to be in use anymore. Maybe they are doing maintenance work.

             How much work it must have been to build this old house with all those stones!

               This wooden building in Villaggio Mancuso is more typical of the old constructions.

     A last view of the peaceful ice-cold lake!

Free knitting pattern for doll skirt

Oh Là Là skirt.

This skirt pattern matches my "Oh Là Là Grace!" sweater pattern (shown on photo) Which is available as usual on Ravelry in my designer shop.

Fits: 18 inch American Girl dolls, My London girl, Our Generation, Maplea Girl, Springfield Dolls, Little Sisters Gotz Dolls.
 Notions: 50g fingering yarn
 2.75 mm needles.
 Darning needle
Stitch markers or waste yarn.
 1 button.
 Difficulty: Easy.
 Gauge: 8sts x 10 rows = 1 inch.
 Abbreviations:
 Co: cast on.
Bo: bind off.
K: knit
 P:purl
 yo: yarn over.
 St-stitch: Sts-stitches
K2 tog: Knit two stitches together as one stitch
 P2tog: Purl two stitches together as one stitch.
 Ssk : Slip,slip knit…slipstitches and knit them together .
 Co 120 sts. Join to knit in the round.
 1: K.
 2: P.
 3: K.
 4: P.
 5: K.
 Start pattern:
 1: *Knit 3, yo, s1, k2tog, psso, yo; repeat from * to end of round.
2: K.
 3: *Yo, s1, k2tog, psso, yo, k3; repeat from * to end of round.
4: K. Repeat these 4 rows for a total of 5 times (20rows) or until the skirt is the desired length.
 Decrease for waistband:
1: * K3, s1, k2tog, psso, k3; repeat from * to end of round. Turn work! The skirt is now knit flat.
 2: P90.
 3: *s1, k2tog, k5; repeat from * to end of row. (60sts)
 4: P60. Co 4sts.
 5: *K1, p1; repeat from *to end of row.
 6: As row 5.
 7: *K1, p1; repeat from * to last 4sts, ssk, yo, k1, p1.
Rows 8-10 as row 5.
 Bo.
 If you want to knit it flat just add one stitch at each side (122sts)and purl the even rows instead of knitting them in the round!
You could also make a version in stockinette instead!
I hope you enjoy this pattern!
I did try loading this as a page but for some reason it didn't work so am posting here for now!

Patricia Renwick © Copyright July 2015.

All rights reserved. You may sell items made from this pattern but not the pattern . Please respect my design rights. 

AGD Sera Cardigan

     I have been busy working on a new pattern. As I said in my last post I have recently received a new American Girl Doll Grace. I wanted to make some new clothes with her in mind.
This cardigan pattern has been designed thinking of Grace but also looks wonderful on Kit. To avoid it being lost among all the posts I have added the instructions to a page on this blog.I will add a link here:  hoping I can get it to work! Still very much a newbie here.

 Free cardi Pattern

This is my gift to all my friends  who have 18" dolls and knit for them. I hope you enjoy the pattern. It has been testknit as all my patterns are.
If you have any difficulty please let me know.

Here is Kit modelling her cardi!

American Girl Doll Grace has arrived.

     As many of my friends know I have a collection of 18" dolls. Mainly American Girl ® dolls. I use them as models for my knitting designs.

     I was so happy to receive a new  American Girl ®  doll recently. An American friend sent me her  and I was scared, as always when I have dolls arriving, in case she got lost in the post! Such a long trip poor thing closed in a box!
     My DD put her on her bedside table. By the way her bedroom is always that tidy! She sure isn't like I was at that age! No clutter. (I hate to admit it but her bedroom is still tidier than mine is now!)

     Almost as soon as Grace arrived I changed her clothes to a fresh cotton dress!

As her story is based in Paris I used an Eiffel tower stich pattern and a cotton yarn which is actually called Parigi! Lol! Better than that?
     Benita included her book for me and I enjoyed reading it.Yes I confess I still love reading kids' books! I searched a lot on E-Bay to find the 6 books in the Kirsten series when I bought her. Not everyone will ship to Italy and at times the price and postage is too much for me to be able to get them.
     I enjoyed the story and will be making other things for her based on that!

    Having whipped up the pattern, I then sent it for testing to my wonderful pattern testers
finally today it went live and is available for purchase both on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

     Here she is with Rebecca. Her dress is made in a slightly thinner yarn but looks just as pretty! Light and lacy as it is so hot. I see real people dressed in clothes that are just as lacy!

     My daughter made them both a necklace with an Eiffel tower charm to match their dresses.
We also have a cupcake making session planned for the first cool day there is. Grace is a baker in her story after all! I do have some baking things for the dolls I bought a couple of years ago.

     I will be sharing other photos of my dolls and the clothes I design for them.

 Do you have a doll collection? If so which dolls do you collect? What do you think of my dolls?

How to link blogger posts to pages!

As a new blogger I am still busy setting up many things on my blog and learning lots of new (to me!) things. As my blog post list slowly grows I found myself wanting to add some sort of horizontal contents bar under my header.

I had already created labels for my posts which show as a long list on the right hand side. I really wanted to be able to be able to link my posts to the various different topics to make it easy for people to find them! 

 I went and did a Google search finding many contrasting posts. Some were very outdated for the sort of template I have. Blogger has simplified things for us recently it seems! Thank goodness!

The one I found that seemed easiest for me to understand was this one:

http://blogger-hints-and-tips.blogspot.it/2010/12/how-to-put-put-posts-into-your-pages-in.html

I decided to try the pages option. 

Although I followed instructions as shown I just couldn't get the thing to work! So frustrating. Although I got a nice tab showing with the name I just couldn't get the thing to link to the post I wanted!

If someone was following my blog at that moment I don't know what they will have thought of the various tabs popping up and then disappearing! "Tutorial" "tutorial" "My Tutorial" "My tutorials"! At one time I had all on them nicely lined up under the header! Lol!

An online friend Nin  gave me a hand by writing me step by step instructions. 

"GOT the label/tab for a new page thing figured out!!!

Step 1: go to your most recent post and click on the main label you assigned to it. Patricia, I clicked on “Tutorial” for yours. Your blog will show all the posts in cronilogical order for tutorials. Look at the address bar at the top of the page. THIS is the key!!! For you, Patricia, it is http://olivegrovesanddollknits.blogspot.it/search/label/t...

Step 2: click on the edit pages icon on the pages bar under your header image. For you Patricia, you have the page tabs “home” and “tutorials.”

Click on the “Add External Link.” A new box will pop open. It will ask you to create the new page name and enter the external link. The external link is the address line that you copied for the label that you want to have as a collection page. click “save link.” Done! For you Patricia, call your new page “my tutorials.” This way you can tell the difference between the new and the old page. You can rename it after you delete the old page.

Step 3: In the “Configure pages” pop up, (see image above), you may have to put a check mark by the new page name to get it to display. Uncheck the old “tutorials” page tab. Save, then view blog and refresh your screen. Bam! It will now show.

Well that was just what I was doing it seemed but lets try again! I followed instructions, and NO it didn't show! What was I doing wrong? It had to be the url I was adding. It seemed I was doing it correctly but no! She sent me another message:

you have : http//olivegrovesanddollknits.blogspot.it/search/label/tutorial

it must be http://olivegrovesanddollknits.blogspot.it/search/label/t...

Typo error! :) Easy fix, just go back through the steps again, but when pasting in the external link, use your arrow key to scroll to the front of the address to make sure it looks like the second one. "

     Ok try again. This time as I clicked on the external link box this time instead of just pasting the link I had copied, I first cancelled the http: that was written there already and then pasted the link! Hurrah it worked! 

Finally I got my nice little tag showing with a link that actually works when I click on it! Still doing a happy dance here!

Nowhere I had come across this error happening when adding tabs! Maybe just me being extra lacking in computer ability? Thank goodness I hadn't tried to add those pretty dropdown ones I saw on Youtube! Copying and pasting code like that sure isn't something for me to do at the moment! 

Drop down menu bars.

These do look so nice though! Maybe one day!

In the meantime I still need to tidy up the labels part. That is another question. Some people think it is better to have lots and lots of labels whereas others advise having just a few strictly necessary ones! Now I need to do some more research to find out what is best! 

What do you think? Lots or very few? 

Has anyone else found difficulty adding the blog post links to the page tabs this way? Which method would you say is easiest?