Do you dream of one day getting a pattern published by a magazine or publication? It can be a fantastic way to get your designs in front of more eyeballs and build a name for yourself. But how do you even get published?

The first pattern I ever had published was my Hay sweater in Laine Magazine, Issue 3. It was only my fifth pattern release, so I was shocked that it was accepted!

I quickly realised that many magazines and publications are open to working with new designers, as long as you show them that you have the skills and attention to detail they require. A big part of showing them this is through your design submission.

In this blog post, I’m going to tell you what a design submission is, why it’s so important to spend time on them and how you can put together a quality submission that increases the chances of your design being selected.

What is a Knitting Pattern Design Submission?

When a company is looking for designs to publish in an upcoming magazine or publication, they will often put out a “submission call”.

In a submission call, they will give you a brief and a moodboard to base your designs on. They will also share any important deadlines, compensation details as well as give you information on exactly what your submission should include.

You can find out about new submission calls by signing up for the email lists of magazines, publications and yarn companies that you like. Sometimes, they even have email lists specifically for designers. You can often find submission calls in the Designers group on Ravelry too.

Why are Quality Design Submissions Important?

As a designer, it is so important that you spend the time to put together a quality design submission. This is your opportunity to show the magazine or publication what you can do!

Make sure you read the submission requirements detailed by the magazine or publication very carefully. If you don’t meet the deadline or omit information that they request from you, they will not accept your design - even if they like it! Not providing requested information looks sloppy and indicates that you aren’t good at taking instruction, which is a big no-no for any publication!

Give yourself plenty of time to put together your submission, especially if you are a new designer. The more time you give yourself, the less you will have to compromise on your submission.

I’m not telling you to spend endless hours on it, but I want you to spend enough time on it that you are happy with the quality of your submission.

How to Put Together a Winning Design Submission

The following advice is based on my experience, not just as a designer, but as someone involved in reviewing Yarn Support Programme submissions in my freelance role at The Fibre Co.

The requirements of a submission call differs, according to the magazine or publication, however most tend to request the following from designers.

Swatch

Every design submission should include a nice, big swatch - 6-8 inches is ideal! You don’t need to use the yarn you’d like to use in the final design, but try to use one that’s similar.

If you are working with a pattern repeat, make sure you show more than one repeat to communicate how the pattern works. It can be lovely to show how your main fabric interacts with the trim or shaping in your proposed design too, as it helps the person reviewing the submission to get a feel for how the finished design might look.

The photo of your swatch should be taken on a simple background with good, natural lighting. Make sure it looks neat by blocking or steaming it before the photograph.

Sketch

You don’t have to be a great artist, but you should be able to communicate the basics of your design in a sketch.

Some publications, such as Pom Pom ask that you draw all design sketches on a body to help them see how it is intended to fit. If you’re struggling, use a croquis, such as My Body Model, or a template to draw over to help you get the right proportions.

A hand-drawn sketch is absolutely fine. Scan in your sketch and, if the lines are not showing up well, you can up the contrast to bring more definition to them. Make your sketch nice and big so that the person reviewing your design can understand what you want to achieve.

Written Description

In the written description of your design, share your inspiration and why you think this design fits their brief. Describe how the design would be constructed and include stitch details and relevant technical information. If there is anything particularly unusual about your design that they might not notice from the swatch or sketch, make sure you highlight it in this section.

Yarn Suggestions

If you are submitting a design to a yarn company, let them know which of their yarns you would like to use and why. They might specify which yarns they want design submissions for in the brief, so if they do, don’t go and select a different one!

If you are submitting to a publication, let them know which yarn you’d like to use in your design and why.

Even if your design is selected, you may not end up using the yarn you suggested. Many times, publications choese a different yarn for me based on partnerships they have with yarn companies or specific yarn guidelines they want to work within. Whilst it’s lovely to work with the yarn you suggested, it can be fun to try yarns you’re unfamiliar with!

Your Details

Your name, contact info and relevant links to your social media, Ravelry designer page, website etc. should be on every page of your PDF. Every link should be clickable from the PDF - it will save the person reviewing your submission so much time to click on the links rather than search for you on social. Believe me, I know from experience!

Your PDF

Try to keep your PDF submissions to one page per design. Those reviewing your submission only have a small amount of time to look at each submission, so this will help them out since they can get a feel for your submission at a glance.

You can put together your PDF however you like, whether that’s through a design programme or a word processor. As long as the submission is easy to understand and attractive to look at, it doesn’t really matter. I use Canva to create my design submission PDFs and find it really easy to create simple, attractive design submissions.

Discussion

Do you have any questions or tips on submitting designs to knitting magazines or publications? Share them with the Sisterhood in the comments section below! I love to read and respond to your comments.