How much talent do you need to create patterns?

What I’d really like to know is
when, for you as sellers, the moment came when you said to yourselves: I’ll give creating patterns a try; this could be something for me.
When did you feel confident enough in your craft that it felt right to teach other people something through a pattern?
I mean, there are patterns here where I simply think: wow
that’s amazing.

As a non-seller, I imagine
that selling patterns actually requires two different things:
1. talent for crafting and lots of experience/practice
and
2. talent for creating patterns

With patterns, both are needed: the craftwork and presenting it in the best possible way.
Not every skilled craftsperson makes the leap to creating patterns.

As far as I’ve noticed, handcraft classes in schools are becoming less common.
Has that influenced pattern creation?

Would you like to share a bit from behind the scenes?
I’d really like to understand it, even if I’m only a buyer. After all, you want to know what you’re buying and from whom. Sure, buying a pattern is really only about that one pattern you’re buying at that moment. But the background is interesting too.
I hope that’s not too nosy a question.

Well, I started knitting veeeery early—even before I could read or write. But as soon as I could do that, I figured out my own method for putting my knitting projects down on paper. I still do it exactly the same way today, over 40 years later.

For each piece, you take notes with margin comments, cross things out, correct the number of stitches or rows, and then... When everything is finished, you rewrite it neatly so it can be made again later. You know for sure that if your best friend can follow the pattern, you’ve done it right. So, the next time you make a piece using this pattern, you take a few photos, make a few more corrections here and there if needed, and eventually it’s ready for sale.

I’ve put together a little booklet this way where I describe exactly how I knit my socks: namely, from the toe up to the leg. OK, a lot of people do that now, but I started doing it over 10 years ago. The pattern describes two different toe shapes and two different heel styles. I sell the whole thing at bazaars along with handmade sets of double-pointed needles made from fine beech wood.

Basically, a knitting or crochet pattern is nothing more than a recipe. If you have a little basic knowledge, you can manage everything with a pattern. And if it looks different—or tastes different—than described, so what? Artistic freedom...

Well, that’s enough for today; after all, I just finished writing and posting the pattern for the “Knitting Monster Pillow” (the request came in September). Take a look and judge for yourself whether you can pull it off... I’m always open to suggestions.

Best regards, Petra

My respect goes out to everyone who has the patience to work on creating patterns.

Well, for me it happened the way it always does :-D

I knitted a lace vest, just off the top of my head. After I showed it off, people from all sides were asking for the pattern. When I said I didn’t have one because it was a design I’d come up with myself, they were really disappointed. That’s why I offered to write a pattern. I recruited proofreaders through my fan page and drafted about four versions; I read each one over and over again and then went through the steps in my head. I made corrections and shared everything with my readers. Their feedback and suggestions helped me finalize the pattern.

I enjoyed the process so much that I wrote the pattern for my new hat design as I went along from the start.

I’ve also designed a jacket for my boyfriend—I’m already diligently writing everything down, and I already have a first draft of the pattern and the finished model clearly mapped out in my head (I’m only on the back piece so far).

@Mellow
Welcome :)
You’ve already really built up expectations for your first pattern here on Crazypatterns.
I’m really excited!

Was lace yarn more for summer or for winter?
I can’t remember the difference right now.
 

Lace is the thin, lightweight yarn used for shawls and vests in the summer. But I used thicker needles,
I’d had the yarn for over a year and didn’t know what to do with it because it was really hard to work with, but suddenly an idea popped into my head and I just had to get it out. That’s how it all came about :-)

Wow!

In connection with Mutzekatz’s feedback thread for (free) patterns , I’d like to revive this thread here.
It could be a good addition to the feedback topic if the sellers reading along here shared their experiences and relevant information. 

I’ve been crocheting since I was 10 years old, with breaks now and then, but overall pretty consistently. Back then it was more decorative things like baskets, bags, aprons, and flower pots

In 2009, I then started trying amigurumi and so on, using patterns I found on Dawanda

Then there was another phase when I crocheted a lot freestyle

For me, it’s like this: I have an idea, and then I can already see the pattern in my head. Then I start crocheting and write everything down as well so I can later turn it into a PC version, but it really is the case that I already have every crochet step in my head. I even once tried writing a pattern straight from my head without crocheting it first, because I had an urgent request and at the time I was completely booked up with orders. I wrote this head pattern down for the customer, and it was 100% correct .......... but that pattern still isn’t available to buy, because I still haven’t had the chance to crochet it. For a professional pattern, you really do need pictures, but my customer got the result she wanted from my pattern ........

Basically, a lot of things are quite similar, which makes it easy .... especially in the amigurumi area :)