It has been a very busy past month and a half reviewing my existing knitting and crochet patterns. I have been working to improve the readability of the documents and make them more printer friendly. I have also updated some older patterns in a much more elaborate fashion; getting them professionally tech edited to match the writing style I have adopted for more recent publications. Additionally, for the six patterns in the Einfach Wiederholen collection I worked to translate them into German.

While spending multiple hours working on the 36 self-published patterns, I realized something. So far, I have never talked about the process I follow for each pattern publication. I have developed this process after extensive research and reading, as well as trial and error.

I want to talk about the process, because I believe that it is important to be transparent about the amount of work necessary for a design to come to life. So even if you are not interested in writing patterns for publication, I still suggest to take a loot at the 7 steps below. They will provide a great insight and might also inspire ways to document your own project notes.

Therefore today I will be talking about the 7 steps of pattern writing, aka what you need to write a professional pattern. I use this process for both knitting and crochet designs, that’s why I try to refrain below from using vocabulary specific to either craft.

 

 

 

The 7 Steps of Pattern Writing

Step 1: Design Concept and Sketching

Design Concept

A design usually starts with an idea. Either inspired by things in the surrounding environment, or by a random mental visualization. I try to sketch my inspiration and random ideas as often as possible. I tend to carry a sketchbook with me most days, but in case it is not around I use whatever paper piece I can find.

When I sketch, I take notes on possible construction methods, texture and colors of the fabric, the desirable fit. Not all sketches become patterns. Some will be worked on immediately, others will wait for years until they have the chance to be realized. Others may stay forever on paper only.

I find it very important to sketch because it is very easy to forget ideas and inspiration. Additionally, I find it very beneficial to have already sketched ideas on the “backlog” for the times I want to play with a new yarn and I am not sure which direction to take with it. Consulting the sketchbook usually helps to jump-start the creative process and realize a new project or design.

In some cases, design work starts in a much different way: with very specific project goals (e.g. to create a design for a specific yarn with limited available yardage). These goals can enable, or constrain various options. A design concept is then usually necessary. This is created by noting all the options and constraints available and any possible solutions.

 

Sketching

Sketching helps to visualize the design concept, as well as communicate ideas to other people. The level of detail on the sketch depends on the communication needs.

Is the sketch only for your own use? –> you can determine what works for yourself.

Is the sketch used as a design submission to a magazine? –> you will need to check if there are sketch guidelines you should follow; generally add much information as possible without overcrowding the sketch.

 

 

Step 2: Swatching and Yarn Options

After I have the design sketch ready, I will look for suitable yarns and begin swatching. I will swatch plain stitches to test the overall tension, but also the stitch patterns I want to use in the design. I will test for yarn thickness, construction, texture and color. Once a yarn or yarns have been selected, the swatches worked with these yarns will be used to inform and guide the subsequent pattern writing steps.

If the design is intended to be self-published and is not a collaboration with a third party, I will look into my personal stash for yarns. Otherwise I will work with the materials required or specified.

This is the step in which I will think about who the target audience of the design will be and what access does this audience have to different yarns.

Is the design intended as a LYS-only pattern that aims to serve the local customers?

Is the design worked in collaboration with a yarn company/craft publication to serve their customers (locally, regionally, or worldwide)?

Is the design worked for publishing online with a global audience?

In the case of a worldwide distribution, it is nearly impossible to pick a yarn option that will work for everyone. And that is totally ok. In this case I try to provide a list of yarn substitutes (on the pattern’s Ravelry page) and any information that would make a substitution possible.

I am firm advocate of substitutions and I practice them very often. (For a long time it was the only thing I did!). I believe it is important for people to be confident to substitute as necessary.

 

 

Step 3: Sizing, Grading and Charts

When the swatch(es) are ready, I measure the gauge of stitches and rows per 10 cm. With this information I then set out to create a master spreadsheet that includes:

• the gauge measurements for plain stitches as well as pattern stitches
• the finished measurements of the piece for each size
• the body measurements for each size
• the detailed stitch count breakdown for each provided size (incorporating repeats, increases, decreases, initial and final stitch counts)

All measurements are given in both metric and imperial units. In order to automate the conversion and minimize errors, I use a spreadsheet formula.

I use the standard sizing provided by the Craft Yarn Council to grade the designs. I am not aware of another comprehensive source on the subject. If you know of one, please let me know, I would be interested in using more sources.

I also create my own charts for the stitch patterns I use. For knitting, I use the Stitchmastery Software. For crochet, I use Adobe Ilustrator.

 

 

Step 4: The Instructions and the Sample

With all the measurements and the design concept ready at hand, I begin to write the pattern instructions. This is the first draft of the pattern and it is written to reflect it’s final form. I have developed my own pattern writing style based on the invaluable resource: Kate Atherley’s book The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Knitting Patterns. This includes how I organize information, what abbreviations I use and how I present information in the fully written instructions.

Then I use this first pattern draft to work the sample. I prefer to work the instructions first, because this is an easy way to test the construction and measurements of the pattern. Furthermore, this method also ensures that I save on time overall. Fixing mistakes in the pattern while working on the sample requires less effort. If I work the sample first and the instructions afterwards, I take a big risk. I may forget what I have really done and figuring out some details later on might be nearly impossible.

This initial sample works as the first iteration of the pattern and is used for the photography.

 

 

Step 5: Schematics and Photography

Schematics

A schematic is a very useful visual tool that communicates the overall construction and sizing of the design. In a way, it is a well put-together sketch. It needs to be informative, but not overwhelming.

For some very simple designs, let’s say a rectangular scarf, a schematic is not absolutely necessary. But it is necessary when designing garments, where measurements, assembly and construction methods should be conveyed.

A good schematic will not only help the reader follow the instructions successfully as given, but it will also enable modifications. I believe it is always an advantage to enable the readers of a pattern to make their own modifications.

I create my own schematics as simple line drawings with Adobe Illustrator. Other designers use a cut-out photo of the finished sample as a guide for adding all the necessary information. There are many ways to do this. The goal is to reflect the most vital aspects of the design: sizing, construction, assembly.

 

Photography

Photography is also another vital part of the design process. Sometimes it already takes place during the making of the first sample. This is when it is necessary to photograph particular techniques or unusual step-by-step instructions. Since creating a design is mainly a visual medium, it helps to provide good photographs that illustrate not only the result itself, but important details as well.

As far as the final photography goes, I take pictures that show the sample worn and un-worn. The main goal is to convey the final shape and size as well as to highlight important details. These details can be focused on construction or design.

I use a semi-professional Nikon DSLR camera equipped with vintage film lenses to take pictures. (Yes, that’s a fully manual setup I developed over the years). For me the actual photography is only part the work. Post-editing is also an important aspect of the process. I get to optimize light, color and composition. I also add my brand watermark and optimize for use in web or print mediums. For this task I use Adobe Lightroom.

 

 

Step 6: Tech Editing & Testing

Tech Editing

The pattern and the sample are complete. There is a schematic and pictures of the sample. That’s when another person comes to join the party. This is when I hand over all of the materials I created to a professional tech editor. This editor has a rather tedious task. She has to go through all of the information provided with a fine comb and check everything for errors and consistency. For example, she will check all the measurements, all numbers and unit conversions. She will check if the pattern is complete and if it adheres to the given pattern layout.

I cannot begin to describe how invaluable this work is. Having a second pair of eyes looking at the instructions simply ensures that, all the details to which the designer is blind to, are caught and corrected early.

And I am lucky to have a wonderful friend helping me with this work. My tech editor is Olympia.

 

Testing

Then even more people can join the fun. To make sure the pattern is really error-free and also create more design samples, pattern testers can be used. There are different ways to carry out a pattern test; via email, via Ravelry, Facebook, or chat groups.

There are certain aspects of pattern testing which I believe are very important:

• the pattern should be fully tech edited before the testing starts –> this ensures a more smooth testing process and higher satisfaction for the testers
• communication with the testers should be consistent
• the information provided should be well-structured and consistent
• collection of feedback after testing is concluded –> ideally, at the end of the test, testers should fill out a simple form with specific questions targeted at gathering feedback. This feedback can be used to improve the pattern instructions and overall writing style as well as the testing process.

 

 

Step 7: Pattern Layout and Publication

And last, but not least, when all the other steps are completed, it is time to put everything together. At this step, I gather all the information I have created for the pattern and add them to a pre-designed layout. This layout consists of a design wireframe of how the final pdf document should look like. It dictates where the logo, title, images, text and other elements should be placed. There are presets for the color palette as well as the paragraph styles.

I have created a template layout for my patterns using the Adobe InDesign software. A template layout ensures that I can achieve a consistent look throughout my patterns while at the same time reducing the time I need to adjust repetitive elements.

When the final pdf with the pattern is ready, I add it to whatever platform I use for publication (see: Ravelry), or send it to any collaborators for review and publication.

 

 

The Time

If you have read so far, you might be already thinking: “wow, this seems like a lot of work! how long does all of this take?”, to which I have the following answer: I have never exactly measured how much time the process takes for any single pattern, but I know how much it takes on average, in terms of hours/days of work.

My rule of the thumb is the following: for a sweater pattern of average complexity and at least 9 sizes, I need as much time for pattern writing as for knitting an average sweater. This means that I need at the very minimum 30-35 hours of work, not counting the time necessary to work on the sample.

I use this estimate to make design decisions. I ask myself if it’s worth to take the time to write a pattern for any given design idea, or simply just make it for myself. This is because it takes a considerable amount of work to write up a pattern, and that usually do that in my during my free time. Since my free time is quite limited, it is a good idea to use it wisely.

 

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