It's time for another Designer Take Over! Please give a warm welcome to Maureen Foulds.
I love the way all of her designs feature fun and interesting stitch patterns. All of her designs give knitters a chance to show off what they can do with yarn and a set of needles. Whether it's cables, lace, or one of the other techniques she utilizes, each stitch design really sings in all of her garments and accessories. And boy does she have a lot to choose from! Socks, mittens, hats, shawls - she has 34 designs up on Ravelry! You can tell she's been busy. So let's get to know more about Maureen!
When did you first start designing?
"I published my first sock pattern in 2010. I had found a luscious skein of HandMaiden sock yarn in purple and wanted a pattern that would really show the yarn off. Nothing I saw on Ravelry felt right, so I cam up with my own design Trellis and Coin.
What inspired you to design?
"As a knitter I'm constantly trying to challenge myself with new techniques and skills. And once I've got a handle on those techniques I want to share what I've learned with others. In my day job I'm a technical writer - I write manuals on how to use complex business software. So my training in explaining complicated things to users so that they can understand it and replicate the steps.
Put my professional skills together with my love of knitting and writing patterns was an inevitable next step."
Put my professional skills together with my love of knitting and writing patterns was an inevitable next step."
Let's talk about your design process!
"Inspiration can come from anywhere. I've been inspired by nature, architecture, the pattern on a hotel bedspread, and a pair of gloves knit by my great-grandmother. Or, I start with a skein of yarn and start imagining what pattern would suit it best: something organic (leaves, curves) or structured (cables, angles). When I design for yarn clubs, the club theme is the stepping off point for inspiration.
Once I have an idea, I try to do a basic sketch to map it out. Then comes the math to make it fit. Next, I have to actually knit out a swatch or sample to make all the pieces come together. Different sizes might require different treatment, so I have to note those differences for the pattern. And with socks, I usually offer toe up as well as cuff-down for the same pattern, so I have to knit the toe up version as well to work out any quirks.
Then comes the pattern writing and charting. It's a lot harder than you'd think trying to keep things simple, clear and concise. That's where test knitters come in - they provide feedback on things I may have missed and offer different perspectives on the pattern as written. Tech editing is my last step - the final tightening and cleaning up of the words and numbers to ensure the pattern is ready to debut."
Once I have an idea, I try to do a basic sketch to map it out. Then comes the math to make it fit. Next, I have to actually knit out a swatch or sample to make all the pieces come together. Different sizes might require different treatment, so I have to note those differences for the pattern. And with socks, I usually offer toe up as well as cuff-down for the same pattern, so I have to knit the toe up version as well to work out any quirks.
Then comes the pattern writing and charting. It's a lot harder than you'd think trying to keep things simple, clear and concise. That's where test knitters come in - they provide feedback on things I may have missed and offer different perspectives on the pattern as written. Tech editing is my last step - the final tightening and cleaning up of the words and numbers to ensure the pattern is ready to debut."
How would you describe your design style?
"I prefer to design simple patterns that are (relatively) easy to knit. It might be redundant to say so, but I design things that I'd want to knit. I want a pattern that looks fantastic, but isn't ridiculously complicated. I want it to be easy, without being boring. I want to challenge myself a little, but not make things more difficult than they need to be.
I also like to encourage pattern modifications. I write my patterns so that knitters can substitute their preferred heel and toe methods if they like. And often I'll suggest pattern mods within the pattern itself."
I'm fascinated by all of the patterns Maureen has for sale on Ravelry. Who doesn't love the look of complicated without the effort? Let's take a closer look at some of her designs!
And Then There Were Mitts
"These mitts are based on a sock pattern I did (And Then There Were None). I love the story behind the design. One of the Rav forums was having a challenge to create a design inspired by a book. I was listening to a lot of Agatha Christie audiobooks at the time, so I was thinking about the challenge as I drifted off to sleep. All at once I though of her novel "Ten Little Indians" (later renamed to "And Then There Were None") which I'd read in my youth, where the victims get murdered one by one on an island until only the murderer is left, and then he too dies. I imagined a series of cables, getting cut off one by one until only one was left.
What's also neat about the fingerless mitt pattern is that someone had mentioned in a forum that the sock pattern would also be great as fingerless mitts. She'd ear burned me in her post, so I chimed in that it was a great idea. In fact, I'd work the pattern up for her, which I did. Then I offered the pattern up for free, thinking it wouldn't be right to make her pay for a pattern she'd inspired. Next thing I knew, there were over 6,000 downloads of the pattern on Ravelry! After a few weeks, once the flurry of downloads tapered off, I changed it to a paid pattern."
I also like to encourage pattern modifications. I write my patterns so that knitters can substitute their preferred heel and toe methods if they like. And often I'll suggest pattern mods within the pattern itself."
I'm fascinated by all of the patterns Maureen has for sale on Ravelry. Who doesn't love the look of complicated without the effort? Let's take a closer look at some of her designs!
And Then There Were Mitts
"These mitts are based on a sock pattern I did (And Then There Were None). I love the story behind the design. One of the Rav forums was having a challenge to create a design inspired by a book. I was listening to a lot of Agatha Christie audiobooks at the time, so I was thinking about the challenge as I drifted off to sleep. All at once I though of her novel "Ten Little Indians" (later renamed to "And Then There Were None") which I'd read in my youth, where the victims get murdered one by one on an island until only the murderer is left, and then he too dies. I imagined a series of cables, getting cut off one by one until only one was left.
What's also neat about the fingerless mitt pattern is that someone had mentioned in a forum that the sock pattern would also be great as fingerless mitts. She'd ear burned me in her post, so I chimed in that it was a great idea. In fact, I'd work the pattern up for her, which I did. Then I offered the pattern up for free, thinking it wouldn't be right to make her pay for a pattern she'd inspired. Next thing I knew, there were over 6,000 downloads of the pattern on Ravelry! After a few weeks, once the flurry of downloads tapered off, I changed it to a paid pattern."
"These are typical 'me' socks in that they look complicated but are in fact very simple. Every other row is a rest row, making it a quick knit. They are also designed to be easy to customize to suit different foot sizes. And when a knitter suggested an easier heel method, I added that option to the pattern and sent out updates to everyone. So people can choose whichever method works best for them."
"I love the clean, 'classic' look of these socks. And it's a simple 4 row repeat. These were initially released in 2 sizes cuff down only. But I kept getting requests for a toe up version. So I went back to the drawing board and wrote them toe up. And with the help of a tech editor, added another size.
"These are typical me - cables, cables, cables! I love cables. But to balance out the fabric created by cables, I put in some ribbing on the back of the sock to add stretch. Again, the ribbing allows you to adjust the sock size if needed and the pattern is available in both toe up and cuff down."
Want more from Maureen?
Check out her Ravelry designer page HERE
Check out her blog HERE
I'm knitting "And Then There Were None" fingerless mitts for the giftalong. I am loving them!!!!!
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