I’m a glutton for punishment. Or it could just be that I have a lot to say.
I teach a lot of classes, and two of my favourite are Pattern Reading and Pattern Writing. Clarity of knitting patterns is very important to me. I have lots to say about it.
A knitter’s experience working with patterns can be make-or-break: a badly written pattern can put a knitter off a particular type of project – that’s a loss for the knitter. A badly written pattern can put a knitter off the work of a given designer – that’s a loss for the designer. And a really badly written pattern can put a someone off knitting entirely – that’s a loss for us all.
I don’t want to lose any knitters. Knitters buy yarns and books and patterns and classes, and keep the industry going. We want as many of them as we can get.
I don’t want knitters to stop knitting socks, and speaking more selfishly, I don’t want knitters to stop buying my patterns and books.
It is important to me that patterns are good and clear and helpful and well-written and easy to work from.
So I’m writing a book for knit designers, providing guidance on how to write patterns.
I want to make sure that I’m speaking for the knitters. Tell me what you want to tell designers about how to write patterns.
What do you love to see in patterns? What’s important to you? What do you look for when choosing a pattern?
And what drives you insane? What do you find difficult or unfriendly or unpleasant? (Don’t worry – I’ve already written about how much you all dislike “reversing shapings”.)