Designer tips - Yarn choices
You have a perfect design idea, but one of the many important decisions to make is what yarn you are going to use. The decision might have been made for you, for example, if you are working with a yarn company they might specify the yarn, and perhaps even the colour.
If you are planning to self-publish you can choose any yarn you like that will suit your project.
Some things to consider:
Suitability for the project - Does the yarn perform in the way you want? Does it have the right drape? Fibre content? Thickness?
Colour - some colours are much easier to photograph than others, and some will obscure any detailed stitch patterns.
Price - as well as considering the cost of making your sample, think about whether you want to show the pattern in a range of price point yarns - showing more affordable substitutions can increase the pattern appeal.
Availability - choosing a discontinued yarn can reduce the appeal of your pattern to makers who like to use the sample yarn. This can be an issue if you use stash yarn for your project, check it is still available to buy. If you are set on using a discontinued yarn, or find part way through that it is no longer available, making suggestions of other suitable yarns in the pattern will be helpful.
Do you have a theme? This might be part of your branding and style, or part of a collection project - you might be using a particular brand of yarn, all British wool, a specific colour....
Do you want to approach a yarn company or indie dyer for yarn support? If so you will need to show the sample in their yarn, possibly exclusively.
Having your project made by testers gives an opportunity to show off the pattern in different yarns, ask your test knitters if you can share their photos to show potential pattern buyers different ways the project can look.
Suggesting substitutions, or presenting the yarn information in a way that helps the maker to choose an alternative can be useful for increasing appeal too.
Once you have decided on the yarn for your pattern make sure you include all the details the knitter needs - check out this post for more information.