When you consider the time involved in writing a pattern, knitting the item, photographing it and getting a pattern ready for publication, it’s no wonder we work months and months ahead.

It tends to create a strange creative dissonance for me; right now I’m finishing up some patterns for November, yet it’s 75 degrees out today and I’m wearing a tank top. It’s really hard to get in the right frame of mind for what would be cozy in winter when all I can think about are flip flops!

But, working in advance can have some really great advantages: lots of time to dream and mess up before you have to get it right.

I’ve recently laid out my plan for 2014, and have started dreaming up all of the concepts  for patterns from March to October of next year. I won’t have to start writing any of them any time soon, but since half of them will be published when the weather feels about like it is now, I’m on a mission to get inspired!

(spring is the time of delicate, ephemeral colors and textures. Catch it now before it’s gone!)

While spring is in full swing, I’m searching for outfits to go with my springy ideas for next year. Colors and patterns and cuts that will complement those projects simply won’t be around when the actual items are photographed next winter. A lot of this searching can be done online, but sometimes you just have to throw on a good pair of shoes and go looking for inspiration.

What’s important for me as a designer is that I’ll take my inspiration from any source. Generally, nature, historical fashion and pretty much any craft or art style that exists suits me well enough. Right now I’m diving headfirst into mounds of antique lace: knitted, crocheted, tatted, you name it.

I’m poring over spring runway styles, color forecasts, and what was new in fashion 100 years ago. And amazingly, it’s not that far off from today (well, if you’ve got an eye for cut and a little imagination!).

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be hanging out with my sketchbook, combing through my books of Victorian embroidery, and collecting as many glimpses of flowers as I can. Once I’ve got the inspiration fully in my grasp, the writing begins. What I love about the process is that I get to hold on to these inspirations, use the memories and photos to re-invigorate my writing through the next several months. But, unfortunately, you won’t get to see the final products for another year! But, if you stay tuned, I might just let you in on the wild ride that is my creative process.