Pattern Testing with @KnitPickyNW

Tell us about @knitpickynw! How and when did you get into yarn crafts? When and why did you start your account? Does your handle have any special meaning?

First of all, I'd like to thank Kasey for having me here on the blog! I am @knitpickynw on the Gram, but outside of that, my name is Barbara, and I live in Seattle with my husband, 11 year old son, and doggo! I am the Director of University Policy and Rules for the University of Washington, and I absolutely love my day job almost as much as knitting. I also love Scotch and anything to do with it. I have a collection that almost rivals my yarn and pom collection. I also have a deep obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Marvel Avengers. I have an entire collection of Buffy action figures, comic books, and trading cards. I've watched a Marvel Avengers movie every night since the pandemic started. I have watched Infinity War at least 200 times, and Thor Ragnarok almost as many times.

I have always loved to create whether it be scrapbooking, card making, or knitting. I love anything to do with color and combining color. I love clothes, shoes, and bags, so I've always enjoyed putting together ensembles. Knitting is the perfect place for me to indulge and really satisfies that creative bug in me!

I learned some very basic crochet skills from my Oma in Germany when I was around 11 years old, but she passed away, and I never asked her to teach me knitting, which I had always wanted to learn. Fast forward a few years... (maybe 30! What?!) And, we moved to Seattle and live close to the most darling yarn shop, Acorn Street Shop. I was buying yarn for a non-knitting project, and they had flyers for classes by the register. I picked one up, and asked my best friend if she wanted to take a beginning class with me, and she did. So, March 17, 2019, I took my very first knitting class with Sonna @sundaughterknits, and not a day has gone by that I have not picked up the needles. Sonna not only taught me to knit, but she is the one that realized I'm a "picker" and not a "thrower". That was a life-changing discovery for me in my new-found knitting obsession. Suddenly, knitting was easy, and I totally "got it." That is where my @knitpickyNW name comes from - my knitting style and my location and love of the Northwest. I started my Instagram account in July 2019 in order to connect with other knitters and find new patterns and ideas. I never thought I would showcase my work. I'd only been knitting a few months. If you look back in the beginning (or below!), you can see my hilarious attempt at my first colorwork! (the second photo is after Barb fixed her mistakes ◡̈ )

When did you start pattern testing and why? How do you select the patterns you want to test? Do you prefer to test garments or accessories, and why?

I started pattern testing in June 2019 around the time I started my Instagram account. @sundaughterknits had just written her Potato Leaf Cowl pattern and asked me if I would like to test knit the pattern. I was so nervous. I had been knitting for a little over 2 months at this point. But, it was Sonna's encouragement that made me say, "Why not?" Sonna wants beginning knitters to test because they are going into it fresh. It was awesome, I learned new techniques, I met new people, and it was my first colorwork! Thus, began my love of colorwork, and also my love of pattern testing. I was testing a LOT of different patterns, but was initially sticking mostly with hats. I eventually branched out, and now I test cowls, shawls, sweaters, headbands, etc. I had to reign it in with my testing, and now I have a core group of designers that I test for, including but not limited to, @wanded527, @lizzyknits, @flynnknit, @pnwknitdesign, @kaceyknits, @aspenleafknits, @enchanted_pathways and @thingsbethmakes - these designers are so amazingly talented and prolific, that they keep me BUSY!! I don't really have a preference for a garment that I like to test more than others. Well, okay, if it's colorwork, I am such a sucker!! I almost can't resist colorwork patterns.

I noticed you do a lot of colorwork! What draws you to those patterns? Do you have any advice for someone who might be hesitant or nervous to try colorwork?

Check out that segue up above to the colorwork question! You are not wrong! I do a lot of colorwork. I love "drawing" with yarn. And, give me a good fair isle pattern with tons and tons of color combos! Then, I am in knitting heaven.
My advice is to just go for it. Practice is the only way you will get good at colorwork. You have to understand how you knit and what your tension is, and before you know it, you will be an incredible colorwork knitter. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Be patient with yourself.Insert my hilarious picture that I mentioned earlier of my first colorwork hat. And, also remember that blocking can do miracles!!

Check out some of @knitpickynw’s gorgeous colorwork projects below!

What is your favorite thing about the pattern testing experience? Least favorite thing?

My favorite thing about the pattern testing experience is getting to be a part of the designer's amazing piece of art. It is a unique experience that gives me a lot of pride. I have also made some of my very best friends through testing. I actually got to meet Jenny (@wanded527), and Maderia (@adventuresinfiber) in person recently, and those were incredibly special moments for me.
My least favorite thing is that no matter how organized a designer is, it is so hard to keep up with changes to the pattern along the way in errors or edits that other testers have discovered or made. The most elegant solution I have seen is an active google doc where people are allowed to make suggestions/comments (not actual editing or changing of the pattern) on the pattern that you can see live.

What is one valuable thing you’ve learned from pattern testing that you don’t think you would’ve learned from making on your own/not testing?

The most valuable thing I've learned is all the new techniques and pieces I've made. There are so many things I would have never knit on my own, because I would see something that I didn't know how to do. I would have never made a sweater on my own, but I knew if I signed up for a test knit, then, I would have to finish it. And, I'm so glad I did it!

What is one thing you wish you could tell designers about the testing process? What is one thing you wish you could tell your fellow co-testers?

Designers: See my response to my least favorite thing about testing.
Co-Testers: Always be kind to the designer when providing feedback. Professional and concise are a good way to go.

I’ve gotta know… how did the dancing dinosaur cowl reel come about? It’s my favorite thing ever!

I love how much you love that! It is my favorite costume of all the costumes, and every time I see one, I laugh so hard I cry. When I was test knitting Jamie's (@pnw_knitdesign) Triceratops Cowl, I knew I had to do something epic for the release. That test group was such an amazing collection of testers, and Jamie is such an incredible designer! I just had to do something special for how special that experience was testing the cowl. I made that in our front yard in Seattle. I have no idea what our neighbors thought. It was on a super hot day, and I came close to passing out. HA! Totally worth it!!

Do you have anything coming up or that you’re excited about and want to share?!

I'm currently in the process of updating my sorely neglected Etsy shop. I have crates and crates of finished objects that I was waiting to take to a holiday market to sell, but those are still few and far between around here. I've also become obsessed with making knit pumpkins, so my shop is full of them! I will continue to test, so keep an eye out for all the beautiful creations coming from the designers I mentioned above!

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Thank you so much for reading this interview with Barb of @knitpickynw! Be sure to follow along with her maker journey on Instagram and show her some love!