How to Come Up with Innovative Crochet Designs
One of the questions I get asked the most is how I come up with my crochet ideas. Whether it's my Dream Duos designs, my transition videos, or concepts for my collections, I always tell people that it starts with them. It's important to remember that when we see the finished products, it's after of preparation and trial and error. Everyone's capable of coming u with new ideas to try, you just have to be open.
Most of my ideas come from necessity. I don’t always go out of my way to do something spectacular, it starts from a place of usefulness. For example, with my Dream Duos, I really wanted to incorporate other fabrics into my designs. I would have extra scraps left after finishing a full crochet project, and instead of getting read of them, I thought why not add them to other fabrics such as pockets, lining, waistbands, and so on. It turned out to be practical and stylish.
I call my process, "crocheting outside the lines," which means that I don't just stick to crochet. I like exploring other avenues outside of crochet to gain more ideas. I love arts and crafts in general, jewelry, sewing, embroidery, drawings, and so on. Oftentimes innovative ideas will come to me without even trying. I just explore something that interests me and it happens naturally.
New ideas don't have to be all that new. I revisit past patterns and refresh them and when I do magic can happen. It can even be for a project that I didn't necessarily love all that much. I'll think of what I can do to make it stronger and I'll come up with something I would have never thought of before. All it takes is time and patience and you'd be surprised with the results.
Experimentation is your best friend. Sometimes, I get bored of doing the same thing over and over again, and I try something new just to see what happens. For example, you can make a top in panels instead of a top down or in a round to create the design. It might not always turn out how you want it to, but every new adventure is a learning experience.
Try these tips out and see how innovative your crochet designs can be!