Blogiversary Questions - Knitting Inspiration

Isabelle who blogs at Tricotine asked . . .

Where do you get your inspiration for your patterns?!!

Sherry asked . . .

What inspiration do you use to create your patterns?

Edna who blogs at KY Bluegrass Knitter asked . . .

I would love to know what inspires your patterns?

Tammy who blogs at Tammy's Knitting Space asked . . .

I'm curious where the ideas for your patterns come from?

Branda who blogs at Close To My Heart asked . . .

What would you say is your greatest inspiration when you are designing?

You guys made me think! This is not an easy question.

From now on when I do a project, I'll try to state the main reasons I picked the pattern and yarn. If I'm designing the project as I go along, I'll talk about how I'm making knitting decisions.

There are many factors that go into something I knit without a pattern. They're pretty much the same things I look for when I use a pattern.

Answering Brenda's question first because it explains a lot, my greatest inspirations are my stitch treasuries. Barbara Walker 1 and 2 are my favorites that I come back to over and over.

Stitch patterns are eye candy for me. I enjoy browsing and day dreaming about what might be fun to knit with the stitches I find visually pleasant. Usually, if there is going to be inspiration, it comes from my subconscious mind when I'm doing something totally different later. Sometimes very much later, like years even.

Currently my new Japanese stitch pattern book is brewing away in my subconscious. I have no idea what to do with the beautiful stitch patterns inside, so for now they're just pretty to view.

The best idea I can come up with at the moment is to knit 100 different lace scarves out of fingering weight yarn using the intricate Japanese stitch patterns. So not practical!

But as time goes on, eventually the ideas will come.