Design Disaster
I don’t often share behind the scenes stuff about my designing process….Probably because I’m such a mess over here! In fact, it always really makes me smile when people compliment my work with “you’re so talented! This must be so easy for you.” or similar statements.
The truth is, designing new patterns isn’t “easy” for me. The only reason I think I have a talent for it is because I’m such a numbers geek. I was the nerdy girl in high school who loved math…..because all the numbers on the page looked so dang tidy. There’s something simply titillating about a page filled with numbers, equations, and boxes around the answer.
So, for me, designing is a natural process. I can’t sit down and craft something up without dissecting exactly how it works….breaking it down into a series of sequences, equations, and numbers. Add to this the fact that I’m stubborn as all get out and used to making things happen….well, that makes one powerful pattern designer, haha.
I do, however, have my moments of complete and utter design disaster.
Those are the moments when my stubborn attitude mentioned above comes in really handy. To bounce back from one of these moments takes persistence, motivation, and occasionally even a few tears, haha. Not every design forms like I want it to, and sometimes I’m left with the after-math, along with a lot of wasted yarn, from what I thought was a really good idea at the time….
Crochet Design Disaster!
Because I’m a true believer in the statement, “Misery loves company” (at least when it comes to crafting fails), I really feel inclined to share my latest disaster with you. This “tube” was supposed to be something super cute…..but instead it turned into this strange, blobby, uneven tube.
The good news, is that now I know exactly what I need to do next time! The bad news, though, is all that yarn is totally wasted (can’t even unravel because I cut it every round).
So….the next time you have a total crafting mishap, think of me. Send me a quick note and I’ll write back an encouraging response…..why not laugh instead of cry right? I promise I’ll be better about sharing my fails too. I think it’s important to remember and share that we’re all human! We all do kind of dumb things from time to time, and it’s ok to laugh.
Have any design disasters you’d like to share? Make me feel better and post them in the comments below.
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46 Comments On “Design Disaster”
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I just made a dumb mistake myself. I am crocheting a whale for my granddaughter and totally forgot to keep count of stitches and putting in a marker at the end of each row. Since I am working in the round this is not a good thing. I had worked about 52 rows from the tail up and now I have to pull it all out.
But I got a giggle out of it anyway. Not worth crying over.
Sending hugs,
Carol
I have made the same mistake while working in the round and had to take it all out. It upsets my husbans more than it does me. I bet more people than we know have made the same mistake. Martha
I’m going to start using a safety pin from now on instead of a crochet marker. Might stay in place better!
Glad I am not alone in blooper family ! :))
Good idea on the safety pin! I always find it so hard to keep my stitch marker in place when crocheting. Thanks!
I use a scrap of yarn or a bobby pin … whichever is handy. Nothing we can do when we have a blooper but laugh a little and learn a little … and get back to doing what we love!
I’ve certainly made this mistake more times than I’d really care to mention 😉
I was asked to make something with a stork theme for a new baby once. I had in my head a beautiful bird, nursing the baby in it’s wings (the wings of course would be shaped to form a blanket which covered the baby).
The outcome, however, looked more like a vulture swooping down to kidnap the poor infant. Not helped in the least by the rather unfortunate doll I tested the idea on!!! (http://www.thomasinacummings.co.uk/?attachment_id=6611)
Please forgive me this faux pas in my career 😉
It was a cute try though!! Very good crochet work. Wish I had a suggestion for the placement of the stork. Maybe you could make it a lovey blanket instead. I haven’t seen any with a stork yet.
A lovey is a great idea. I ditched this particular project but I’d still like to do something with a stork in. I think you could be on to something there 🙂
So glad my suggestion was helpful!! Can’t wait to see it when you get it made.
Thank you for responding!!
Have a great day and Happy Hookin’
Carol
Hehehe. Super cute idea but I can definitely see what you mean about the kidnapping look. Thanks for sharing! I always love seeing some of the bloopers.
I knitted the most beautiful shell for myself a few years back. The trouble was my needles thought I’d gain A LOT OF WEIGHT by the time I finished! It grew and grew and grew; not top to bottom and armholes but around! Fortunately I have a friend who is a bit larger than me and she got a free gift!
Oh no! I bet your friend was super happy about the accident though. I know I’d be thrilled to receive a hand-made shawl!
O i have plenty of those tried to crochet a meerkat looked like a hedgehog instead and not a cute one either lol
Oh bummer! Hedgehogs can be so cute….I was hoping it was at least a cute one, haha. Glad to know we all have these moments though!
im so glad you posted this! I just had a testing mishap and was made to feel terrible by one of my testers. She told me I shouldn’t design anything, and my designs could never make anything pretty or useful, because they were so terrible! I was really upset, but then my husband reminded me that she’s one person, and sometimes there’s just miserable people out there! He reminded me that mistakes or people getting upset at you doesn’t mean you should stop designing, just look at what you did, and see if you can make a change to your design next time to make it even better!
Wow, she really doesn’t sound like a very understanding tester. I’ve had several items that never made it out of the test room (even more that never made it in there lol). My testers didn’t give me a hard time about the ones that failed though – that’s what some tests are all about!. I’m glad hubby talked sense and you weren’t put off by their comment. I also hope they didn’t get to test for you again…you don’t need negative people like that around 🙂
Thank you 🙂 I’ve always thought that if you never fail, you never succeed! Every failure is a learning experience, and I guess some people expect perfection every time! I’m glad you’ve had good testing experiences, and i’m also thankful for all the good ones i’ve had!
OMG that is horrible. I test quite a bit and would never say any such thing to someone. If she didn’t like the item she should have never started testing it in the first place, and if there were mistakes in the pattern than that’s what testers are for – to catch them and give suggestions on how the pattern could be made better… without totally redesigning it. Don’t let one person bring you down. Your husband is right. That is her opinion. You should listen to what she had to say, take out the negativity, and see if there were any real merit to the rest. Use that to make you stronger as a person and as a designer. Good Luck and never give up 🙂
You are right about taking the good information from what she said, and discarding the bad! That’s very wise advise! The total re-design was the problem. I think that sometimes designers who test for other designers struggle, because they have their own design style! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Ruth how aweful! People make mistakes that’s how people learn. I hope she isn’t testing any more for you!!Keep testing,creating, & crafting!! Don’t let any one tell you you can’t do something because you can!!It would make me more determined to make that person eat their words.
Boo! That’s what testing is for…there’s no promise that the pattern is going to be perfect – in fact mine are NEVER right before testing! Haha.
Don’t let her get you down though! Time to find some patient testers who are willing to work with you to get it right – not just tear you down.
Guess you could use this mishap as a mitt to scrub dishes with!
Hehehe! Not a bad idea actually! Thanks for the suggestion. I hate to just let the yarn go to waste.
Melody, you know the mistake I just made testing one of your patterns for you. Yep my BUNNY HAT & STUFFIE. Sad to say my bunny hat is handicapped with the saddiest ears you would have ever seen Not only did they lean to one side but they were shorter than any ones. I kept the pic of it just to remind me it’s ok to laugh at the booboos. Not at the time but later. LOl, it’s the family joke still how my bunny hat ears need popcicle sticks & first aid or as my husband says duct tape for support. UUGh got to laugh!!!
So, you are moving back home? Didn’t your parents just come over to live there too? Although, it hasn’t been the best whether conditions since you arrived in Hawaii. Wishing you all the best with your move back.
I’ve enjoyed this blog. I got such a chuckle from some of the responses. You sharing your mishap was heartwarming. Without mistakes we wouldn’t grow, and boy have I been doing a lot of growing lately. Just new to knitting has been a learning experience.
I really feel for Ruth. Her tester went way over the top. We all can use constructive criticism, hers was destructive. Hope she uses a different tester next time that would help toward improvement if need be, or complement when deserved.
Yes we’re moving back to the Western Slope of Colorado where we came from. My parents did just get here a few weeks ago, and they plan to stay permanently. They’re super sad that we won’t all be here together, but also understand that we need to do what’s best for us. It’s been a super fun adventure, but we just can’t see this being our home.
I know I do but for the life of me I can’t think of them. My blankets never seem to turn out right, and neither do my sweaters or socks so Ive given up on those, I still attempt the blankets but they take SOOO long and my patience does not last that long..lol
I usually rip out the whole project if it hasnt turned out for me so I never cut ends.. lol.. slippers was the last project that I did that turned out funky.. they were supposed to be a size 10 and ended up being about a 14..lol.. they were ripped out about 5x and was super late for the grad gift for a cousins kid..lol but the final one finally was a perfect fit.. yay me!
Awesome persistence Lisa! Sometimes that’s exactly what it takes….five re-dos. Not so fun at the time, but pretty awesome when you can hand over such a great finished item 😉
My blankets never seem to turn out right, and neither do my sweaters or socks so Ive given up on those, I still attempt the blankets but they take SOOO long and my patience does not last that long..lol
I usually rip out the whole project if it hasnt turned out for me so I never cut ends.. lol.. slippers was the last project that I did that turned out funky.. they were supposed to be a size 10 and ended up being about a 14..lol.. they were ripped out about 5x and was super late for the grad gift for a cousins kid..lol but the final one finally was a perfect fit.. yay me!
I too have enjoyed reading all the mishaps, what a fun place!!!
hugs to all you wonderful people!!
gramzie
Well for me about every other thing I crochet is a mistake. Since I have no one to teach me and there isn’t a class available when I am. I pin on pintrest new stitches to learn. All by pic. And as for knitting I can not knit more than 5 rows without have holes all in it. Just like crochet I am teaching my self throw pics on pintrest. I know one day it will all come together, but for now it can be so frustrating for me. I love when something works out so I keep pressing on.
Good for you Kathy! Just stick with it. I’m also a self-taught crafter, and it can be tricky at times! Let me know if you ever need any help – I’m always happy to answer questions.
Kathy I am a self taught knitter, I learned thru books and for me that worked great. But I also find that youtube is another great resource for learning especially if you can’t seem to get the hang of a particular stitch. I still have holes in my knitting projects and I was fairly good at not getting holes..lol… best luck and it gets better..
Good for you Kathy, stick with it, everyone was a beginner once. Have you watched some of the you-tube tutorials? There are some excellent ones out there to help you with almost everything. We all make mistakes, even the most expert 🙂 (((HUGS))) Caroline
Mistakes are all part of the process, lol. And when crocheting if I find a mistake, often I just fix it and go on. I know many would have to rip it out and do it again. Not me, I know I’m not perfect, as long as it’s not noticeable (then I have to rip too), but I figure if I can’t see it stick tright out, no one else will either. Hugs, Mary
Yes indeed! I’ve definitely had to kick some of my perfectionist tendencies to the curb during my designing process 😉
I read about one lady who’s grandma told her to leave at least one mistake in so everyone would know it was hand made with love! I like her way of thinking!
Love that way of thinking too!
Yes like you,myself have made some pretty funny mistakes,like I was asked to do her a horse for a friend of mine,so I went on line and found a really nice looking horse with the pattern,so off I went crocheting my horse.Needless to say I got to stuffing and trying to put the pieces together like the pattern read,also showed pictures,but I’ve gone over this pattern about a dozen times and remade the head just as many times,and I’ve come to the conclusion, I done exactly as the pattern called for crochet as well as stuffing the head,but it doesn’t matter what you do to the head it does not in anyway resemble a horses head.So if anyone has a pattern for a horse I would be so ever greatful.I have a friend that’s like 36 and she can no longer ride as she found out she has cancer in both legs also in the bone a tumor in both breasts,that they have determined is indeed cancer and needs to be removed,but she’s been having really bad headaches for about six months so she finally had cat scans run only to find out that she has two large tumors on the back of her brain,she has no insurance and at this time is not going through any treatment so if you have a pattern you would like to share with me for a horse so I can get this done she would really love this.Can someone please help me with this issue.Thank you for reading this and hopefully someone can help me to help her.God Bless everyone that reads this.
Just did a quick search for free patterns on Ravelry Vicki. There are some really cute ones: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#craft=crochet&query=horse&view=captioned_thumbs&availability=free&sort=date
Good luck! You’re a great friend <3
Melody,Thank you so much for the information and all the help and searching you done to find these patterns for me.just wanted to let you know,I’ll be starting on it tonight,then when I’m finished I’ll post a picture for you.Again thank you,you are so kind and I love all your patters and seen many pieces that you have made,that I really liked.Have a Blessed day and good luck with item you had trouble with,but the tester,that’s only one voice,there are many more that love your work.
When I made your Santa hat just recently for my husband, I had the following disasters:
1) I didn’t use a marker, and about halfway through, I lost the start of my round, and it took quite a while to find it.
2) Prior to the above happening, I had been using my interchangeable needles, but they were angering me due to the metal being flared at the connecting point, catching on the yarn, so I decided to change needles, and dropped stitches IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ROW! I somehow managed to pull it back to the row where the lost stitches started, and salvaged it! But by the time I finished that night, I was where I had started before the mishap. Lol
Ack! I feel your pain. I totally hate those nights of hours of knitting only to return to the beginning. Sounds like you did at least save the project though, and made it in time for Christmas. Great job!
I am so new at crocheting and trying to learn knitting that I am always taking my work apart, over and over, and over again. Practice makes perfect right?
Absolutely!