Pattern-a-Week Challenge

I have a plan. It may be a rubbish plan, and it’s not a truly original plan, but it’s mine and I’m going to share it with you.

I am going to publish a new, original knitting pattern every Sunday for one year. That’s 52 patterns between now and, um, mid-May 2011.

This is inspired by Jonathan Coulton and his Thing-a-Week Challenge, where he published 52 songs in a year.

I’ve been spending too much time reading, doodling, dawdling, dreaming and thinking. All of these things are useful, but on their own they do not result in published patterns.

I like designing and knitting socks, hats, gloves, scarves, toys, clothes for small people (babies and kids) and anything silly or pointless. So you can expect most of the patterns to fall into one of these categories.

I’m planning to offer each pattern free, as-is, for one week only. When the next week’s pattern comes out, I’ll put a price on the previous pattern ($1 to $5, depending on pattern complexity and options), and make it available for sale.

(Or if I’m not entirely happy with that week’s pattern and don’t want to polish it, I may just leave it as a free pattern and move on to the next one.)

Why am I doing this?

To learn more about how to design and write up knitting patterns.

To share patterns with the knitting community and (I hope) receive thanks, feedback, constructive criticism, and income.

To have something to show for all the reading, doodling, etc.

To see whether I can make a living out of creating designs for handknitting.

To have fun.

To stretch and challenge myself.

At the end of the year, to have a body of work that I can refine, polish and publish as a book (electronic or print, don’t know which yet).