Elcie and the Hippocampus

Hey everyone, here are a couple of motifs I've finished.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #618 and #644 . Motif #4 of my second challenge.

This motif pattern is Elcie by Wanda Salmans. It was an easy pattern to follow, and I like how it looks in these colors.

Done in Lizbeth size 20, #647 , #686 , and #688 . Motif #5 of my second challenge.

This Hippocampus pattern is another one of the things I've been working on recently. I love mythical creatures, and am always looking for new tatting patterns featuring them. When I can't find a pattern, I think about trying to make one up myself.
I like how the hippocampus turned out, though the tail took a couple of drafts to get right.
Thus far, I've been focusing on making up patterns for mythical creatures that are hybrids.
What kind of patterns do you like?
For those of you who design patterns, what kind of process do you go through when making a new pattern?