- Noor's Knits 2 Comments

Knitting and Crochet Pattern Designing as POC and Moms

I think my biggest struggle as a POC knitting and crochet pattern designer and mom is the level of effort I have to put in for my work to be seen. So I'm planning an Instagram Live series where us POCs and moms can talk about real-life making! Fill out the form if you're interested! I can't wait to hear from you!
Here I am sporting the Tunisian Knit Cardi designed by Kelsey of @Happily.Yarn.After over an awesome graphic tee designed by Saiqa of @SewChickhybySai

Happy Valentines Day to all my fellow knitting and crochet pattern designers!

This Valentines Day I want to share what’s been in my heart and mind for the past few weeks. I know there is a discussion happening around racism within our maker community. I feel for fellow POC knitting and crochet pattern designers who directly and indirectly had to deal with injustice. My heart goes out to you. That being said, I’ve been very fortunate and have been treated very nicely by fellow makers regardless of race. Ever since I started this journey on Instagram, I’ve felt such a strong sense of community. Everyone has always been kind and helpful. However, I experience issues daily because I am a POC and mom in this community of knitting and crochet designers.

Knitting and Crochet Pattern Designing as a POC

As a POC knitting and crochet pattern designer, I have to show up more on social media to be seen. I have to work twice as hard to be noticed by large companies. My own voice has to be louder because many bloggers in this community do not look or sound like me.

Knitting and Crochet Pattern Designing as a Mom

As a mom, I also struggle to keep up with pattern designing. It’s hard to find a balance since real-life duties take priority. Adulting usually involves cooking, laundry, cleaning, and dealing with my temperamental toddler and all his growing needs. Often my crochet and knitting designs take an entire month or two to become a reality. Yes, even the simple accessories. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way!

Here’s my solution for helping all of us gain more visibility and have a powerful voice in the maker community. I want to have a Sip’N’Stitch type Instagram Live every week with a fellow POC knitting or crochet designer. Knitting moms and crochet moms (regardless of background) are also invited for these Live series. We can discuss all things knitting and crochet pattern designing as moms and/or POC.

Benefits of doing this Live series

  • More eyes on our content: My followers will get to know you and see your content and your followers will get to know me and see my content.
  • Increase our chance of collaboration while fostering a sense of community and togetherness.
  • Make more friends in the maker community – this is one of my main inspirations for starting this series, it gets lonely especially as a mom!
  • A chance for us to share knowledge, resources, and our experiences so we can grow our businesses/brands.

My intention is to be inclusive and inspire fellow POC and mom knitting and crochet designers. One way to do this is by having real-time conversations about real-life making.

If you’re interested you can fill out the form below so I can get a better idea of who you are and what your brand is all about! I can’t wait to hear from you!

POC Makers/ Mama Makers Live Series Form

If you have any questions about this series please e-mail me at noorsknits@gmail.com.

If you’re looking for a new wip, you can enjoy my free Tunisian Sweetheart Scarf Pattern here.

- Noor's Knits 1 Comment

Summer 2018 – A Recap of My Summer

An Ode to Summer

Summer rolls around and I am usually that person who keeps saying “ugh, it’s too hot”. Although I prefer cooler weather, there are some things that I do love about summer. I love being able to walk out in sandals and not having to bundle up Bubs in a huge jacket! Sunsets during this season give me all the heart eyes. Since I’m Indian, summer weddings usually each last a week and are full of fun dancing and singing. So naturally, I love dressing up for them.

I am also thrilled that I get to see my family from near and far! Essential seasonal fruits like watermelon and mangoes make me drool. I find them to be so refreshing and delicious! I also love popsicles and ice cream although now I have to share with my little man anytime I eat them. Whenever I have a popsicle or ice cream, it takes me back to my childhood when I used to enjoy these treats with my cousins during the hot summer days while watching shows on Nickelodeon. Speaking of popsicles and ice cream, if you haven’t yet, you should check out my blog post about an upcoming creamsicle baby blanket pattern over here.

Recap of My Summer

Our summer began with Bubs turning 2! 

Summer 2nd Birthday
Bubs turned two and on his birthday we took him out in his new ride!

A few weeks later we celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr, the Eid that follows Ramadan!

Bub's Eid Outfit
Here’s Bubs counting the money he got for Eid-ul-Fitr while sporting the prayer hat I crocheted for him!
Eid outfits
Me and my hubby in our Eid outfits! Yes, I crocheted the prayer hat for him as well!

Bubs and I had many moments of random dances throughout these past few months and I loved each and every one. Whether it was after dinner, before breakfast, or randomly in the middle of the day. However, my absolute favorite dances were the ones under wide open skies with rays of sunshine beaming through while walking the beautiful trail near our home!

Summer Toddler Dances
Here’s a quick snap of bubs and I busy dancing in the middle of the trail!

Those dances were good practice for the wedding we attended! 

Summer Wedding
Bub’s enjoying the singing and dancing at my sis-in-law’s brother’s wedding.

We also took Bubs to the zoo for the first time, that day we just wore a couple of cute hats on a hot day and stared at a lioness falling asleep because I mean how else are you supposed to do summer, right?

Summer First Zoo Trip
Bubs and I enchanted by the sleeping lioness.

Then off to Canada we went to spend the last bit of summer and celebrate Eid-ul-Adha with family and friends!

Eid Outfit Pic
A funny pic from our Eid-ul-Adha photoshoot! Pretty much sums up our relationship!

And we ended our summer by taking a long overdue trip to Niagara Falls!

Summer trip to Niagara Falls
We ended our summer with a long overdue trip to Niagara Falls.

I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about what summer means to me and how I spent my time this season! Don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list here to get updates. 

- Noor's Knits 1 Comment

Knit and crochet patterns for children – Why I want to design

Knit and Crochet Patterns for Children – The Journey 

I initially opened up shop to sell my finished knitted and crocheted pieces (read more about that here) but never really thought about where it would take me. Over the course of this past year, I have learned so much about the Fiber Arts industry/community. I have learned even more about myself and what my true passion is when it comes to working with all things yarn. My heart is in creating unique knit and crochet patterns for children. 

My contribution to last year's Little Hats Big Hearts Campaing held by the American Heart Association. These hats were made using free knit and crochet patterns.
Here’s my contribution to last year’s Little Hats Big Hearts Campaign held by the American Heart Association!

Knit and Crochet Patterns for Children – The Heart of the Matter

I want to capture all that childhood brings with it and put it out into the world as knit and crochet patterns! I want to be the source of inspiration for other mama-makers to make cute things for her little ones. Something that is fun and exciting for her and will end in a finished piece that she can wrap her little ones in with cozy handmade love. I want this to be true whether she has infants, toddlers, or older children.

Most importantly, as a mom, I know how hard it can be to convince ourselves to take pictures. Matching with my toddler gives me a big reason to smile and get in front of the camera. I want to be that reason for my fellow mama-makers to proudly get in the frame with their little ones!

Knit and Crochet Patterns for Children – Are you Ready to Join Me?

So fellow mama-makers, are you ready to make all the cute things for your lil’ bug(s)?!

Here are Amy and Josie sporting their Mommy and Me set of Butterflies Fluttering by Ear Warmers! How adorable do they look?! Get the PDF pattern on Ravelry or Etsy! 

Amy and Josie posing with their matching mommy and me set of Butterflies Fluttering By Ear Warmers. Follow along for more Knit and crochet patterns.
Amy and Josie looking adorable in my first published knitting pattern: The Butterflies Fluttering By Ear Warmer pattern available on Etsy and Ravelry!
- Noor's Knits 1 Comment

Mompreneur life – How it all came together

Mompreneur Who? – Craft as Therapy

I learned how to knit in 2010, around the time my father passed away. When I think back, I realize that it was a big part of my healing process. I am so grateful I had my aunt there to teach me the basics. I found it so peaceful knitting row after row and somewhere in between I accepted that my dad was in a better place. At this point, knitting was for healing and I never thought I would become a mompreneur.

As time passed, I honed in on these skills by watching a LOT of YouTube videos! I also tried my hand at crochet. Although it requires just 1 hook, I found crochet to be more difficult. I took a break but never entirely gave up. When I came back to it, I got the hang of it and improved over time!

Mompreneur Life – My First Design

Fast forward a few years and I got awesome news: I was going to have Bubs! This meant I could finally make something for my own tiny baby! Being a Spring baby, he became my June Bug and I decided to make a bug-themed blanket for him. I designed the caterpillar applique because I didn’t like any of the designs online. When I was done, I loved how he turned out! I know there are a ton of mistakes which show up here. For instance, my circles were messy as I hadn’t perfected the magic circle technique. Also, I could have done a better job in sewing on the applique. Despite all that, I loved that I was able to take something that was in my mind and make it a reality. It was a one-of-a-kind caterpillar made for my June Bug to come!

This little guy, #noorsknitapillar is what inspired me to become a mompreneur! He's the very first thing I designed for my own June bug!
My caterpillar applique, my first ever design made for my lil‘ June Bug to come! Here, I used Lion Brand’s Pound of Love in Honeybee, Antique White, and Bluebell and used Lily Sugar’N Cream in Warm Brown 

This is when I knew I wanted to share my talent with the world beyond making gifts for my loved ones! It worked out perfectly because I wanted to stay home with Bubs for the first couple of years. I opened up my Etsy shop in October of 2017, just a few months after Bubs turned one!

Mompreneur Life – Growing with My Business

After almost a year of having my business and learning from the maker community, I decided it was time for a change. I wanted to focus exclusively on design. Read more here about why I chose children’s pieces as my design focus! With this shift in my business, I really wanted my story to show in a way that people would know my why as soon as they saw my logo. That’s where my Knit-A-Pillar and Hooker-Fly come in. The Knit-a-pillar represents the caterpillar applique which was my first design and the crochet hook butterfly adds to my focus on clothes and accessories for lil‘ bugs till they become butterflies!

Mompreneur Life – Noor’s Knit-a-Pillar

In honor of my blog launch, I created a free pattern for this little guy. You can find the free pattern below or head to my Ravelry store for the pdf. The PDF includes written instructions and a full video tutorial for how to make the caterpillar applique and how to sew it onto a finished project! You can access this pattern and video tutorial on Ravelry by clicking here! If you end up making it, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and use the hashtag #noorsknitapillar and link back to my blog! I can’t wait to see which projects he’ll be cutely crawling into!

Noor’s Knit-A-Pillar Applique Pattern:

With Color A, make a magic circle and dc 12 into the circle, sl st into the top of the first ch 2. Pull tight and close the circle. Leave a 15 in. tail and cut. Repeat once.
With Color B, make a magic circle and dc 12 into the circle, sl st into the top of the first ch 2. Pull tight and close the circle. Leave a 15 in. tail and cut. Repeat once.

Sew on the 4 circles to your finished knitted or crocheted piece by aligning them as shown in the pictures above.

With Color C, add the antennae, eyes, nose, mouth, and legs as shown in the photos above.

If you would like the inexpensive printable PDF with the full video tutorial, head to the pattern on Ravelry.

If you’re a mama and/or POC knit or crochet designer – I would love to feature you on my blog! Head over here to find out more!