New aspirations

I've been toying with the idea of becoming a knitwear designer for years. I sketch while on hold at work. I design things for friends, like fingerless gloves for my roommate or an aran hoodie based off a sweater seen in Torrid. I've tried about four times to get published in Knitty, and the latest attempt (the aforementioned sweater) will be my last. The good news is that this is the longest time I've waited to hear from them, and I haven't recieved a rejection yet.

I'm not giving up on getting published, mind you. Knitpicks.com has their Independent Designer Program in full swing and I am reknitting the rehearsal gloves I designed one college night for my oboist roommate in Wool of the Andes. She was having issues with the cold halls she had to warm-up in before concerts, so I offered to make her something that wouldn't interfere with her oboe. We literally sat there for 20 minutes after I offered to make them, took measurements and did some sketches. She handed me the yarn from her stash and went to bed. I always stayed up later, and by morning I had a prototype for her to try on.

They are now no more than rags, the 10 and 12 hour days apparently too much for the merino wool to handle. They were incredibly helpful when she endured severe tendonitis a year later, which could have ruined her career by taking her out of the action almost an entire semester her junior year. We talked about a new pair a while ago, and we decided to try WotA because Peruvian highland wool is supposed to last longer than merino. So when I ordered yarn for my dad's Christmas present, I grabbed two balls: 1 in orange and 1 in Fairy Tale. (She likes crazy color combos. The original gloves are teal and leaf green.)




I'm also going to size them up for men's hands as well. The other charts are a bass clef and a cello. I hope I get two pair out of this yarn, because there is no way she will let them go for the 3 months Knitpicks requires!