Something has been making me smile lately.
As more people discover my work, I’ve noticed quite a few assume that I knit jumpers for people or that I am just a colourful knitter.
It’s always a lovely compliment, but the reality is a bit different.
I’m not really in the business of knitting jumpers or hats.
I’m in the business of designing them and hat patterns in a marvellous kaleidoscope of colours. I also teach online workshops and am now running a 4 month online colour swatch journal group. This takes a huge amount of time.
And, the act of knitting is actually only a fraction of what goes into each pattern.
Before I even cast on, I’ve usually spent hours (often days) thinking about colour, inspiration, construction and whether an idea might work. Then comes the swatching. The maths. More swatching. More maths. Writing the pattern. Rewriting the pattern. Test knitting and working with those knitters. Photographing it. Filming it. Answering questions. Updating files.
By the time a pattern is ready to publish, I’ve invested far more hours than anyone will ever see.
If it takes someone 30 hours to knit one of my jumpers, I’ve probably spent several times that bringing the design into existence in the first place.
And that’s absolutely fine. I love what I do. I love the challenge of turning an idea into something that someone else can enjoy making.
But sometimes I think people don’t realise what they’re actually buying when they purchase an independent knitting pattern for £5 – £10 when a percentage is also taken by Ravelry and Paypal.
It isn’t just a PDF it is a story and my lifestyle. Independent designers put their lives into the patterns – we do not have a big tech team behind us to make everything work.
It’s all the hours of thinking, experimenting, mistakes, ripped-out swatches, calculations, colour decisions, late nights and cups of tea that came before it. It’s years of learning and refining my craft so that someone else can enjoy the creative part without having to solve all the problems first. I even have a Masters in Knitting and have knitted for over 50 years – through the 80’s to now.
Like many independent designers, I share a huge amount of my work online. I love inspiring people, showing my process and encouraging others to pick up their needles. I genuinely enjoy being part of this community. But, maybe it is time to scale back.
If I’m honest, it can sometimes feel as though a lot of people enjoy the free part without ever thinking about supporting the person creating it.
If everyone who admired a design bought just one pattern now and then, it would make an enormous difference to independent designers like me. Those £5 and £10 purchases are what allow us to keep creating, researching, designing and sharing.
So, if you’ve been following my work for a while, or you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to knit that one day,” perhaps today is the day to have another look through my patterns.
When you buy a pattern from an independent designer, you’re buying far more than a PDF.
You’re buying time.
Time to research. Time to experiment. Time to make mistakes and discover something unexpected. Time to wander around with a sketchbook, play with colour, and follow an idea simply because it’s interesting.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that knitting isn’t the only thing I love making. I love drawing. I love creating sculptural pieces, like my cat lantern. I love exploring ideas that may never become knitting patterns at all. Those quieter, more experimental moments are often where the next creative spark begins.
The irony is that the more successful a creative business becomes, the less time there can be for simply being creative. There’s always another pattern to write, another email to answer, another deadline to meet, another post on Instagram, or photograph or story to write.
Every pattern you buy helps create a little more space for that kind of exploration again. It gives me the freedom to spend time making, drawing, painting, researching and developing ideas—not because they have to become a product tomorrow, but because that’s how good ideas grow.
Some of the most important moments in my creative life have come from giving myself permission to slow down, whether that was during my Fine Art degree and my Masters in Knitting. Those experiences continue to shape everything I design today.
So if you choose to support my work, you’re not just helping me publish the next knitting pattern.
You’re helping me remain an artist as well as a designer.
Sometimes I’d simply love to spend a few days drawing. Or painting. Or making something completely unexpected. I would like to paint my kitchen – not the cupboards, but paint the view.
Those are the moments that refill the creative well. They’re often the moments that quietly shape everything that comes afterwards.
You’re giving me something every artist needs from time to time: the freedom to be curious, to experiment, to make without knowing exactly where it will lead.
And I have a feeling that the patterns you enjoy tomorrow will begin in those moments.
If knitting isn’t on your list right now but you’ve enjoyed following my work over the years, another lovely way to support what I do is through my Ko-fi page.
Kofi page https://ko-fi.com/traceydoxey
People often say they’re “buying me a coffee”, but what they’re really giving me is something even more valuable: a little more time to create.
Time to open a sketchbook. Time to paint. Time to experiment with colour. Time to make something simply because I’m curious to see where the idea leads.
Those quieter creative moments are where so many future designs begin.
Whether you choose a pattern, leave a Ko-fi, or simply continue to cheer me on, thank you for being part of the journey. It really does make a difference.
Happy knitting – Tracey Doxey – Ravelry patterns.
tracey doxey 