What Is Design Spine And Why You Should Find It
Have you ever noticed that some of your crochet designs or projects just fly off your hook, while others take months of hard work and tons of effort, yet never leave you completely satisfied with the result?
Some of my projects were a pure joy to work on. The yarn, the color, the stitch pattern, the construction, and the final fit turned out to be a perfect union admired by both me and fellow-crafters.
Some other projects, however, didn't quite have it, making me wonder if a small tweak somewhere could have improved the design.
But what exactly needed tweaking, and how did I steer off course in the first place? I couldn’t quite put my finger on what part of my design process was letting me down until I analyzed every single case, and I think I now have the answer.
So here is one of those “I wish I had known this before” blog posts, which I hope might help you make your design/project process much easier and ensure you are always delighted with the end result.
The secret of a perfect design is the hidden quality it possesses. You can call it its “mood”, “inspiration”, “soul”, or “muse”. Something you associate your design with, which resonates with you throughout the entire design process, from choosing yarn and color to finding a name for your design, to writing up the romance text. I personally call it the design “spine” and will be using this name here.
Quite often, only you, the designer, know what this hidden inner spine is. It may not be obvious to others and, probably, doesn’t even have to be. All the viewer sees is this pure harmony that captivates them. But for you, this knowledge becomes a secret power that sharpens your mind and helps you make the right decisions.
Let me explain. What pops into your mind when you think of “a lace shawl design”? And what changes if instead, you start thinking of it as “a rose garden in bloom”, or “a piece of driftwood on a lonely beach”, or “an introvert's shawl”, etc? It starts taking shape!
You can now easily pick the right colors, stitch patterns, and shapes. You are able to narrow down different design name options and don’t suffer from writer's block when working on the romance text. You know the best way to photograph the finished object and can choose the right props.
If you happen to get stuck with anything during the process, you can now use this knowledge as a tuning fork to find exactly what is not working. Could it be that the soft circular shape and the sweet eyelet stitch pattern do not match the edgy linear “beach driftwood” you had in mind? Or the photographs taken indoors with bookshelves in the background don't quite fit your flowery and outdoorsy “rose garden shawl”?
Let me show you some examples of my projects, all of which had an inner spine from the start, and which turned out exactly as I envisioned them!
Candied Orange was thought of as something sweet and orangey: fresh fruits, dried slices, the invigorating citrus scent which lifts one's spirits during winter days.
This design spine was reflected in the color, the cropped length, and the rounded silhouette, as well as in the name, and the overall cheerful mood of the photography. I didn't have to wander around my house looking for prop ideas and backgrounds as I usually do. I even drew an orange-like kitty, just for fun, which I used in my marketing, and which was so much fun to create!
Mainsail shawl was envisioned as “a sail rigged on the main mast of a yacht”. With this design spine, it couldn’t possibly become a sweet little accessory to cover bare shoulders. It is not for the faint-hearted. It is for seekers and explorers with a bold heart and an adventurous mind.
Again, the overall shape, the construction, and the stitch pattern I picked all feature wavy elements, and the colors, the name, and, of course, the photography reflect this mood.
Maraska sweater was designed as a “cherry”. Red, sweet and juicy. Its yoke is the true “cherry on top” of this design. Both Cereza (the colorway) and Maraska (the name of the sweater) mean “cherry”.
When I decided to make another sample of Maraska, I wasn't sure what color to pick, but I used its design spine as a guide. Could I imagine another Maraska in teal? As an abstract project - sure! As another design sample to be featured alongside the first one - not really. It simply would lose the magic which makes this design so appealing. With the design spine in mind, yellow was the most natural choice for the second cherry.
Kraynebo is one of the many Ukrainian words for “horizon”. The colors and the stitches evoke the image of a sunset reflected in the water.
The stitch pattern and the design elements (the hem, the neckline, and the overall shape) all have clear horizontal lines.
Kruska is a Croatian word for “pear”, which was the design spine for this cowl, and this delicious fruit is reflected in this design in many ways: from the yellow-brownish yarn shade to the pear-shaped construction (the cowl is narrower at the top and gets wider towards the bottom), to the herringbone stitch pattern, which immediately brings to mind those yummy Hasselback-sliced pear tarts.
You won't find anything chocolate-y in the Chocomania shawl design (except for the name and the color, of course!), but it was so helpful to have this spine in mind during the design process.
Chocolate drops for eyelets, twists for cables, sticks for ribbing – the spine helped me combine all these elements together and turn it into a true stunner. And it wouldn't be Chocomania if I had used another colorway, right?
I hope the thoughts I shared in this post help you when you start your next project. Coming up with a design spine can be hard and frustrating, and in my next post, I will share how this process went, step by step, for my Botanika shawl design. So stay tuned!
