So, you want to be a pattern tester?
You knit or crochet. You’ve made some things. You’ve followed a pattern before. A designer you like just put out a “call for testers.” You like the design. You’re intrigued. What does that mean? Should you do it?
Absolutely. But there is something you should know first:
PATTERN TESTING IS A JOB.
There are responsibilities, deadlines, and expectations. It is not a free pattern. It is not a KAL/CAL (knit along/crochet along). It is not an opportunity for you to make a design at your own pace, however you’d like. The designer is counting on you for important feedback by a certain deadline, and you must be prepared to deliver.
Try to put yourself in the designer’s shoes. In a world full of greedy and shady people (sorry, but it’s true), designers take on certain risks by giving their pattern out to testers before it is released, such as lost sales and potential design copying. They do this in hopes of gaining benefits that outweigh those risks. When a tester fails them, designers often feel defeated and taken advantage of, and they are left to release a pattern without getting the feedback they needed to make it the best it could be. They also miss out on pattern promotion and photographs to help them showcase their design in/on a variety of yarns, colors, and bodies.
So, what are your responsibilities as a tester?
The most critical information a designer seeks from testers is feedback on the pattern itself. You are not done when you finish making the design. Here are some of the things I like to look for in providing feedback (but make sure you consult the designer’s email and/or survey to ensure you are providing everything that designer wants):
Were there issues with the stitch counts when you made it? (Yes, that means you need to be counting your stitches when you make it to make sure the stitch counts line up!)
Were the directions clear? Were you ever confused by the instructions? If so, where? (*Pro Tip* suggest a way to make it clearer, don’t just say it’s confusing.)
How did the design fit? (Yes, this means you need to be making the item for yourself or someone accessible to you who can try it on & get pictures of the fit before the deadline. Don’t test the child size beanie if you don’t have a child nearby.)
Were there any typos or grammatical mistakes? (Read the whole pattern!)
How did the layout work for you? Did you find it hard to follow for any reason? (If so, explain where & why and suggest alternatives. Don’t just say you did not like the layout.)
Did the Table of Abbreviations include all of the abbreviations used in the pattern? Were there any extra abbreviations that were not used in the pattern? (Often designers carry over certain elements from pattern to pattern, and it’s very easy for them to miss an abbreviation or include one that it is not needed. Keep an eye out for these!)
Did the list of materials include all of the materials you needed to use to make the pattern?
Were the pattern notes comprehensive and helpful? (Another *pro tip* - always read the notes before you start making the pattern. It will often include the answer to some of the first questions you will have when making a design.)
Do all of the hyperlinks in the pattern work?
Did the designer include the hashtag (or the right hashtag) for social media posts? (Again, often designers are carrying over certain design elements, like headers and footers, and can easily accidentally include a hashtag from another design.)
@TheSkeiniac pictured wearing the Buckluster Beanie designed by @michaelshauun. She used @lionbrandyarn Wool Ease Thick & Quick (Claret).
You also need to provide photographs of the item, both worn (if applicable) and as a flat lay, often on a non-private profile. This will help designers actually see how the pattern works up by others, in different yarns and colors, and how it fits on different bodies. (There will be future posts about photography!) The designer will also often ask for other feedback, as well, such as the yarn you used, total yardage used, and finished item measurements. Always double check your designer’s email and/or survey to make sure you have provided all of the feedback they want.
Please please please don’t just finish the item and say, “Looks good!” Even if the pattern actually does look perfect (which does happen!), read over it one more time and then say something constructive that lets the designer know you did the work (for example, “I reviewed a few times and did not find any issues. Great pattern! I really liked how the pictures were incorporated into certain steps to make it really clear what to do.”)
Also, this should go without saying, but please do not provide feedback like, “It’s cute, but I don’t really like open back tops.” Or, “It’s fine, but I think it would look better with two straps rather than a halter top.” If you do not like open back designs, halter tops, or (fill in the blank other feature of this design), don’t test it. *face palm emoji*
And above all, do not ghost the designer. Things may come up, but you can always communicate. (There will be another post all about this later!)
Remember, you can always buy and make the design later when it is published. Nobody is forcing you to be a tester, but a designer loses a lot each time a tester fails them. Bottom line:
Don’t sign up to be a tester if you don’t like deadlines.
Don’t sign up to be a tester if you know it’s going to be tough to meet the deadline.
Don’t sign up to be a tester if you don’t want to do the homework of proofreading a design and providing constructive feedback.
Don’t sign up to be a tester if you don’t have the patience to help the designer fix the pattern. During the testing process, you may have to wait for a designer to tweak something to keep going, or you may have to frog your design when an error is found.
Don’t sign up to be a tester if you don’t want to take pictures of the design on your body or someone else’s body (if applicable).
🖤🖤🖤
Hopefully I haven’t scared you away, because pattern testing is honestly one of the best experiences of my life! I would not continue to do it over and over again if I did not love it. The feedback requested is valuable, but a relatively minimal portion of your time, and you get a lot out of the experience in return. You will get to work closely with a designer you admire, meet a fun group of fellow makers with similar interests, and be on the “inside” of a new, exciting design! I highly recommend trying it out and seeing if it works for you. Just remember your responsibilities and have some fun with it!
Keep coming back here for resources and feel free to reach out to me via email or Instagram if you have any questions about the testing process along the way. ◡̈
