The Heat Is On

When the pressure is on - that's when you can really surprise even yourself.  The last half of April was harsh.  All of the semester-long projects were due for school, finals coming up fast....and of course, submission deadlines for 4 crochet magazines, and, why not, let's throw in a contract crochet audition.

Now that April is over and done with, I can look back and say "wow - I did all that?"  One look at my desk (which always seems to suffer the most) brings in a reality check.

Somehow I managed to get at least one submission into each of the mags.  Somehow I managed to get all school assignments done and in on time.  As far as the audition goes, my gauge was too different for the designer - it happens.

There is a short respite between spring and summer classes, which to me is the calm before the storm.  It will give me a chance to clean off my desk, and maybe organize a bit.  The calendar says I can do it all over again in July, only this time we can add it country fairs to the list!

It's Spring! Time To Think About Christmas?

There are all kinds of submission deadlines coming up - for Christmas and winter 2012/2013!

It is totally normal for publishers to work months in advance.  If you think about all that goes into a publication, it makes sense.  For those of us submitting, however, it takes a little bit of a mind twist.

credit: Anusom P nachol

Crochet!, Crochet World, and Interweave Crochet all have submission deadlines in April for next winter.  At a time of year when most people are sick of winter, even a mild one, and are looking forward to spring, it can be tough to look at a ball of wool and see the next great project.

The trick to dealing with the time delay is, well, not to worry about it.  If you are thinking Spring, design for Spring.  The publishers will be looking for submissions for their Spring 2013 editions in a few months and you will already have several ideas down!

By sketching your ideas when they are fresh in your mind, they are completely unique to you.  If they fit with the editorial calendar of a certain publication, wonderful!  If not, drop it in your portfolio.  The important part is to get those ideas down on paper, or typed/scanned into a computer.

This concept did not really sink in with me until this year.  I saw the "inspiration" on an editorial calendar and gasped - it was almost identical to a sketch/swatch I had made one summer almost 2 years ago!  Now I have to dig it out (moving is SUCH a good way of misplacing things!) and submit it and I'm done!  No stress.

Although I have to admit I get strange looks from people when they see I'm currently crocheting a Christmas stocking.....

Credit: digitalart

Crochet! Design Call-Out

Making the adjustment to living in a new home with a new life that includes 5 online courses, I have not had much time to devote to crochet.  Now that things have calmed down a little, I hope to rectify that situation.  This latest casting call may be the jump start I need to start contributing again.

For those of you who don't know, a design call-out or casting call is when a publisher has an idea for a book or special issue magazine, and they need design contributions.  Crochet! magazine is having such a call-out.

The reason I believe this may be the kick-in-the-pants I need to get going is the subject matter: all cold weather stuff!  I have an entire notebook full of designs I have made over the years that I could contribute, with very little work on my part.  I have photos of the finished items because I make them, year after year, for my own family and friends. My primary medium for many years was wool - sheep, alpaca, and llama.

I have tried in the past to whip up something for call-outs.  The problem is, they don't give you a lot of time - usually only a couple of weeks - to submit something.  If they take sketches and swatches, fine.  But some companies want the finished product!  Not being in a position to drop everything to create a design, I have learned, the hard way, to pass on those.

In this case, though, all I have to do is complete the submission form.  Perhaps I will get a design published this year after all!

The Sting Of Rejection

The Yates Farm Yarn Sale Aftermath - Find The Cats If You Can!

Crochet design definitely has it's ups and downs.  One of the major downs in the rejection letter.  I received 5 of these last month, which naturally caused me to question myself.  What was I doing wrong?

Enter one very helpful mentor.  Anyone interested in becoming a crochet designer should join the CGOA and apply for a mentor.  Without her, I probably would have given up completely.  Instead, I am now looking forward to the next batch of submissions.  

I emailed my mentor, then, at her suggestion, I mailed the rejections to her.  She went through them and identified my weak points.  Then she emailed me a sample of what her submissions look like.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this particular case that is very true.  One glance at her attachment and everything she had told me over the phone clicked.  I got it.  

I learned that submissions are a lot like resumes - whoever looks at it should find what they are looking for at a glance.  This is something that I have to work on.  Due to the encouragement of my mentor, I am now re-energized and have direction.

Competition among crochet designers is fierce due to the limited number of publishers.  Thus, there are far more rejections than acceptance letters.  I am not alone, and the rejection no way indicates my designs are crap.  I simply need to convey my ideas better. 

Blogging and Submissions

When I first started this blog, I thought it would simply be a matter of time organization to continue blogging and working submissions.  I discovered I was wrong.

Getting a submission together can be all encompassing.  There are many details to focus on, and I find that some aspect or other of the current project is always running through my mind.  It may take only 20 minutes to write a blog, but how many stitches of a swatch can be completed in that time?  Once a submission is done and sent in, I feel free to write again. 

I found an interesting thread on Ravelry about this very topic.  It seems that many designers want to share their submission with the world via their blog once the project is completed.  I can identify, as it's a way to decompress and finalize the fact that the submission is done.  Yet most publishers want these submission hidden until they have had the chance to review and choose to publish or not.  Therefore, some designers choose to reveal "hints" in their blogs - type of yarn used, stitch techniques, etc. - without actually revealing what the project was. 

For my own sanity, it's easier for me to submit and forget.  I know it will be a long time before I hear back from the publisher.  Therefore, once the submission is mailed out I start looking for my next project, pushing the previous one from my mind.  It's not easy, after spending as much time on it as I have, but it is necessary to keep looking forward.  Once the submission is in, it is no longer in my control, so I let it go. 

While the ideas are bouncing around in my head for the next submission, I blog. 

Warning: Black Does Not Scan Well

Crochet design often presents many frustrations that seem to come out of nowhere.  I ran into one of these roadblocks recently when I designed a crocheted hat.  After spending many hours working on it and its significant amount of detail work, I brought it over to the scanner to start the submission process.  The hat was worked entirely in black simply because that was the first skein in my stash I grabbed of the correct fiber and weight.

That is when I discovered something new.  Black does not scan well.  None of the intricate details I had so painstakingly worked into this design showed up.  This is not lace, but rather texture detail, so no amount of blocking would help.  I tinkered with the scanner settings, to no avail.  After cursing the technology, I had to face facts.

I now was left with 2 choices:  redo the hat in a different color or make the submission by mailing the hat and all other related materials.  Reworking a swatch is not really an option as the shape of the hat is crucial to the design.

It is always helpful to find a way to make a roadblock to work in your favor.  In this particular case, it looks like I will be doing my own pattern testing to see if I can re-create this hat in a different color following my own directions.

I've never had issues scanning surface/textural detail in lighter, more colorful projects.  Now I have learned that black is not a good choice for working samples I plan to scan.

Crochet Designers and Artists

The more I explore the world of crochet design, the more similarities I find with other arts.  Although perhaps it may become big business, at the beginning it's anything but.

Writers submit proposals and writing samples to prospective publishers.  Crochet designers submit proposals, swatches, and sketches. 

Visual artists, such as painters and photographers, show their work in galleries and sometimes craft fairs to gain sales.  Crocheters use craft fairs and consignment craft shops.  These require finished product as inventory and usually booth fees.  Depending on attendance, there may or may not be a return on the investment.

The whole 'starving artist' scenario may apply as well.  A designer that's just starting out pays out of pocket for yarn and postage, and then waits for months sometimes to find out if they will get paid for it or not.  A musician will work on new music between gigs.  A crochet designer must also continue forward on new designs for the next submission.

The old adage of "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" must be part of the crochet designer's mantra.  Without it, discouragement will set in.  If you look to the other arts as inspiration, you will note that persistence does pay off.

This Is The Skein That Never Ends....

...it just goes on and on my friends....

Two days ago, I came across the submission call for Storey Publishing for one skein crochet projects.  I had just purchased a skein of hand painted sock yarn earlier this week with another project in mind, but it seemed perfect for what popped into my head. 

I envisioned an open work pattern shawl or scarf.  Certainly a 400 yard skein could make that, right?

It turns out that it only took 1/2 a skein to make the scarf, and I didn't like the look of it.  Thus, I ripped it out and started on plan B - the shawl.  As it was to be triangular, I started at the bottom back point and kept increasing each row.  I thought it might be about 50 rows.  Wrong!  50 rows turned into 60 rows turned into 70 + rows!

In the past I have easily gone through (2) 200 yard skeins of yarn in a day.  I didn't think this project would take as long as it has - I won't be finishing the construction until later this morning, and it's due today!

This is my first time with a submission that is both email and snail mail.  I can only hope that a proposal emailed today will be considered on time!