Every designer who writes knitting and crochet patterns has some goals: the item has to be interesting (in aesthetics, technical and / or emotional terms), the item must be perfectly made, yarns must be chosen with care, pretty photos are essential, pattern must be clear and precise. All these goals have a very strong subjective component except one, the last one, the one that concerns the explanations. What is the best way to have a perfect pattern?
There are two steps: to rely on a technical editor and by asking some people to follow the pattern before it is published.
Therefore, who wants to be tester of my patterns?
If you already know how to work a test for knitted or crocheted patterns, and you’re interested in helping me track down bugs and laughing together, scroll down this page, click the link and fill out the form!
What is a tester?
A tester is a person with a passion for crochet willing to try a pattern before it is published. Depending on the type of pattern there will be different demands and deadlines, but smiles and enthusiasm will always be required!
Testers can be experts or beginners. Everyone can make a contribution because the pattern, once published, will be made by anyone interested. But the tester must know the basics and has to work independently.
Why do a test?
Because patterns with mistakes give me hives and sometimes testing my patterns by myself is not enough. Those who work alone on any project know that after a while your vision becomes partial, so when you re-read the same text repeatedly, when you know it by heart, you make invisible, even stupid, typos.
What are the duties of a tester?
Certainly to run the pattern, read it all with a lot of care, both the explanatory (designer comments, tips, techniques, yarns used) and the instructional (directions on how to execute) parts.
How does it work in practice?
When I need to test a new pattern, I send an email to all the testers. The first 3 to 5 testers that reply receive the pattern for free via email along with all of the test instructions.
