Designer Resources

Are you a knitwear designer, or design-curious?

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When I first started designing, grading, publishing, marketing and building a career around my handknits, I was overwhelmed.

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But here's what I know - designers are the scrappy, self-taught, do-it-yourself types. They have to be, but it's also who they are.

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Here, I've gathered some of my the key resources I tap regularly, and a few I relied on when I was new. I hope this round-up is useful for you!

Design Project Tracker

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It's a lot of work to take a design from sketch to launch. Work smarter, not longer, with a single document that helps you capture critical information at each step.

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Use the Tracker to:

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• Identify your customer and their needs

• Clarify any partnerships and set goals

• Detail your timeline

• Write and schedule content

• Set launch goals

• Organize your key links & hashtags

Podcasts

• Craft Industry Alliance

• Hashtag Authentic

• Tech Tip Talk

Websites

• Fiber Business Collective

• Eli Trier Communities

• A Masterclass on Grading

• Julie at Work

Books

Knitting and Grading Books

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• The Principles of Knitting, June Hemmons Hiatt

• Ultimate Sweater Book, Amy Herzog

• Finishing School, Deborah Newton

• The Palmer/Pletsch Complete Guide to Fitting, Pati Palmer and Marta Alto

• Knitwear Design Workshop, Shirley Paden

• Little Red in the City, Ysolda Teague

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Business and Marketing for Knitwear Designers

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• Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content, Ann Handley

• Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy

• Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, Rory Sutherland

• The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells (4th Edition), Robert W Bly

• The One Hour Content Plan: The Solopreneur’s Guide to a Year’s Worth of Blog Post Ideas in 60 Minutes and Creating Content That Hooks and Sells, Meera Kothland