Would you like to test knit? I have a constant stream of knitting patterns in development, and the work from idea to finished pattern is a long one – that the designer cannot walk alone!
That’s why I am always looking for test knitters who are willling to help me.
Every designer have their proces. Here, I’ll give you a summary of mine.
My designs start with an idea. It may come from a historical knitted object or an old photo. Or it may come from yarn that I dyed or otherwise got my hands on.
In any case, I will work with the idea physically. I don’t draw in the beginning, it’s too much work and doesn’t inspire me. I just knit, that’s what I like to do! I knit the design that I see in my head. And then I do calculations in a spreadsheet. During that phase of the design, I may also draw, but mostly to help with calculations.
When a model is finished, I’ll often wear it to see how it behaves on the body. Sometimes, I’ll knit 2 or 3 versions of a design by the time I finish with the calculations. Because I knit the first sample in my own size, which is L or XL, that size will be the design’s original scale. Smaller and larger sizes are calculated after the calculation of the first size. I believe it is a good thing that my size is in the middle of the range of sizes, so the smaller and larger sizes are not such a “long way” off – compared to designers who wear S or XS (the equivalten of a 9-10 year old size) so they will automatically think without so much body!
When I finish writing a pattern in English, I send it to my editor. She goes through all calculations and points out problems, errors, and misleading or incorrect language. When I get the pattern back, I translate it to Danish. My Danish proofreader then works through it to make sure no errors were introduced in translation, that all abbreviations are there, and she fixes the commas.
When a pattern reaches that point, 99% of problems will have been found, but it has still only been knitted by me. This is where the test knitters enter the equation.
As a test knitter, you will actually knit the pattern, so you will be able to catch vague descriptions or downright erroneous ones (if there are any, although I hope not).
I ask my test knitters to pay extra attention when reading and knitting, and I ask for feedback usually weekly and by the end of the test. For example, there will be questions about overall clarity and specific questions about gauge and how much yarn you used.
My tests are usually not secret, so you can share pictures on social media during and after the test. If the test is of a garment, I’ll be very interested in pictures where the garment is actually worn, since that will tell me how my design does on real bodies.
I am not able to pay my test knitters, but previous testers tell me that they enjoy being a part of the design process. I also offer a 10% discount if you buy yarn for the test in my shop Astrids butik but depending on where you live, this may not be a good deal for you. I do offer a free pdf pattern upon completing the test that you can choose among my published patterns.
Would you like to receive an email next time I am looking for testers for a design? Then sign up below. I will only ever send emails to this list when I am looking for test knitters:
