Would like your thoughts about my idea for a knitting book

[storynanny]

Hi there knitters, I've been knitting all my life and have amassed loads of patterns etc. My favourite knitting is for babies and toddlers and I'm constantly adapting patterns I've got to make original items.
It suddenly struck me that maybe others might be interested in buying one knitting book with baby and toddler patterns in with ideas for sizing up and down, changing the edgings etc, adapting for different plys of yarnetc, in other words lots of varieties from basic patterns.
What do you think? Is it something any of you knitters would give a second look at? Which other section of mumsnet shall i post this to get more responses?
Thanks in advance

I think that would be great as there are similar tutorials out there for sizing adult stuff but nothing that I know of for children. Information on standard sizing for different ages would be good too.

Hello there!

Maybe post a linky to this thread in the Chat forum (as in, start another thread over there and link to this one) so you get more traffic.

I'd be interested in a book like that, although I'm usually one for Ravelry and free sites. Your book would have to be an invaluable resource to appeal to cheapskates like me!

Howismovingcastle, I agree about the cost! I resent paying the current high prices for a single pattern which I invariably end up altering.
Ehtelb, how do I do a link? Sorry, never done it before

I think it's an excellent idea.

I have seen guides for adult knits re-sizing but not children/babies.

Have you had a look at the Kelly Brooker Patterns - eg Tama, Beyond Puerperium etc? They are a variety of sizes and yarn weights.

Plus Ann Budd's books do the same thing for adults - eg basic recipes which you adapt acc to your gauge etc.

Not seen those books. i will have to do some research to see if there is a gap in the market.

I'd be interested - ideas for variations on sizing, different sleeves etc on several basic (well designed) patterns. Perhaps showing garments made with different stitch patterns? Sorry, sounding awfully complicated! Hope you get what I mean. My top price for a pattern book would be about £15.

What I might do as Ive had some negative feedback from a few craft publishers is to design a few and sell them on ebay first to test the water.

Publishers will always be negative - until the idea has legs.You should self publish. Set up a website and sell your book as a download. it doesn't need to be a huge book, but just a few pattern ideas to get started with.

A knitting book is very expensive to publish because of the necessary photos. So, it needs to be a really great idea. Your idea comes across as a perfect website/tutorial/you tube video series. With weekly downloadable tutorials. Once that takes off, you will be in a position to approach publishers again.

Whatdoesittake, that sounds like a good idea, im not that clever re website design and set up, but I know someone who is. Will think it over.
Thanks for your advice.

If you could do an eBook version that could work out cheaper for everyone, I would probably get it on my kindle.

That sounds like a really good idea. And also include a couple of blankets. Or could you ask one of the popular knitting magazines if they would be interested in running a series of articles on baby knitting.

One of my books does have adaptations for children's patterns as well as adults. I am not sure how small those patterns go though. It could be that they do adjust for babies as their bodies have different proportions to older children and adults. I will look it out and post later.

I would have bought such a book back in the days when mine were small. It would be useful to be able to adapt the pattern for different weights of yarn. It is always a bit of a head scratching moment when you find a nice pattern but don't like the yarn or vice versa. To be able to adapt for that would be useful.