test knitters wanted – Kindle cozy

Even though I haven’t done any kind of 2012 wrap-up or 2013 launch post, I have set myself some goals for this shiny new year. I think I’ll share them gradually, as I make some progress on them. For now, I can tell you that one of the goals is to write a knitting pattern. I find this to be no easy task. So I decided to start slowly and on a small scale.

Initially, this wasn’t supposed to be a pattern at all. I just wanted to make my colleague a Kindle cozy, which I had promised her a while ago. But when I searched on Ravelry, none of the existing patterns (and there are many!) were quite what I was looking for. So I improvised one. And here is the result.

The idea is to make it a free pattern. But I want to approach it as seriously as if it were for sale. In short, I am using this as a learning opportunity, and as a first step to more serious pattern writing. I have already learned that even such a tiny thing requires a lot of work: spelling out every step clearly, but without using too many words; weighing yarn amounts; measuring gauge; photographing… and more. The biggest lesson is that you have to think of every detail. When knitting, you can usually fudge some things, get away with not checking gauge, approximate whether you’ll have enough yarn or not. But when you are writing the pattern, you are expected to know (and provide) all that information. And phew, it’s a lot of work! But it’s also fun.

The pattern is very quick to make. It is knit in the round, in worsted weight yarn, with a tiny little bit of colourwork (only 9 rounds).

I used Cascade 220 Heathers for the MC and Brooklyn Tweed Shelter for the CC. The result is wonderfully rustic, just like I wanted it to be. But I would love to see what variations other people come up with!

So, want to help me? I’d love to have a few test-knitters who could tell me what didn’t work, what wasn’t clear, what could be done better. I promise to listen to you very very carefully. :)