Ten years ago when I started designing and writing my own knitting patterns in hopes that someday someone out there would want to actually knit them (and maybe eventually buy them!), I wish I’d had someone cheering me on and showing me the right way to start my business.

I made LOTS of mistakes in those first few years.

But in every one of those mistakes was a lesson.

I learned a TON.

It would have been helpful to have a mentor there teaching me how to do things right. And that’s what I hope to do for you!

Today I’m sharing my top 5 tips for finding success as a designer, whether you already have a few patterns published or your first design is still an idea in your head.

Let's dive in, shall we?

1) Don’t wait, just go for it! Don’t worry about the future or if you’ll be able to succeed, just start putting your designs out there!

Definitely put time into creating quality designs, but just don’t put off your dream just because you are worried about failure.

What have you got to lose?

I watched other designers making names for themselves for years on Ravelry before I finally published a design. I didn’t have the confidence to get started back then and it took immersing myself in the yarn world and working for a yarn shop for over a year before I finally saw that I needed to just do it! I’m so glad I finally did, but I wish I’d started sooner.

2) Brand yourself right from the beginning. This may not seem like a big deal, but it really is. Figure out how you plan to stand out from the crowd.

Maybe you pick a unique and memorable name.

Maybe you have a particular photographic style that will define your designs.

Or maybe you choose a very specific design niche where you can really stand out.

Whatever you do, make sure you figure out how you want to be seen, and commit to it. This will help you forge a path for yourself more easily.

If you look at most of the big names in designing (ie. Stephen West, Romi Hill, or Andrea Mowry), you can see very clearly what their brand is. Aim to cultivate your own recognizable brand to create your own cohesion.

3) Take the time to produce a technically good pattern.

Make sure to get your patterns tech edited and if possible test knit by someone other than yourself. I see so many people just throw stuff up on Ravelry that clearly has not been edited.

Many of those patterns are free, but some aren’t and it’s disappointing for a knitter to buy a pattern and it to be hard to follow or impossible to knit.

Make sure you know and use the proper industry abbreviations, include a key, and if necessary diagrams, and always include clear, well-lit photos (yes, more than one) of the finished product at different angles.

Even if you are just using a Word doc to layout your pattern (which is totally fine!) make sure your design looks as professional and clean as possible. If you do this from the beginning, you will build a loyal following much more quickly because they will trust the product you produce.

4) Find your niche and become an expert.

Love designing shawls? Or maybe you love all things eclectic. Or maybe hats are your thing. Maybe you dig chunky yarns and want to focus on that.

Maybe you have no idea! Maybe you have lots of design ideas and don’t want to stick to a specific niche. That’s really ok too!

Just make sure you know how your designs are going to stand out. Will you photograph them all the same way? Will they have similar elements to them? Will they have themed names?

Figure out how to carve out a little piece of the knitting world for yourself. This will help you stand out and build your brand.

Recognize that this may take a little while too. You may have to produce 10 or more patterns before you start to see your preferred niche emerge (this was totally me!) You may know from day one.

Either way, knowing your niche can help drive the direction of your designs and help keep those creative juices flowing!

You'll also notice that a pattern emerges and each new design you produce, the process becomes easier and easier because the patterns often feed off of one another and evolve into new pieces. For instance, using a popular stitch in multiple designs like Andrea Mowry's Shift series.

5) Treat your design business like a business.

Listen up y’all. This is a BIG one.

I think one of the big mistakes designers can make is not taking this job seriously, especially in the beginning when they are just building their following.

You might not be making any money yet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be building the foundation for a solid business. Some of the ways you can show that you are professional from day one:

Give great customer service and pattern support. Trust me on this. It's a big deal if you want to do this professionally. If you neglect this, people will notice.
Start a website. You want people to have another platform besides Ravelry to get to know you and learn more about your designs. You can do this easily on a variety of platforms. There are simple site builders like Squarespace or more complicated methods like a self hosted site on Wordpress. I've tried a few different ways to build a website, and prefer the ease of Squarespace, but ultimately you have to do what works for you.
Use social media. Facebook Page, Instagram, and Pinterest (though it's technically not a social media platform but a very powerful visual search engine) are all great places to start. Get on a schedule and post on these accounts regularly.
Create your own Ravelry or Facebook group (or both.) This becomes a place where people knitting your patterns can hang out and ask questions. Additionally, it creates a community among your followers and helps to build your brand.
Start tracking your expenses. Yes, accounting. Blech! But if you do make over $600 in the US, you have to claim that on your taxes, so track everything and be sure to get advice from an accountant on how to handle your knitting income once you start making some.
Begin building an email list from day one. This was something I didn’t do early on and sorely regret! But if you start doing this early, you have a way to communicate with your customers when you release new patterns, update old ones, or just want to share cool knit-worthy things with them! MailChimp is an easy platform to use and it's FREE to use until you reach 2000 subscribers.

A lot of these business-related tasks may seem like overkill when you are only selling a few patterns a month, but trust me when I say that this will help you stand out from the amateur crowd from the very beginning. It will also lay a solid foundation on which to build your business.

So there you have it. My 5 Top Tips for Beginning Knitwear Designers. I hope you found this list useful whether you haven’t even released a pattern or if you are already self-publishing.

If you are a beginner designer or want to get started publishing your own knitting patterns, be sure to read the other posts in my beginner designer series. More to come soon!