If you are a crochet designer, you may have been told that you need to use a pattern tech editor. Maybe I was even the one who told you that! And (spoiler alert) – you do. Or you should in any event.
I get it. I have self-published some patterns in the past. I did not use a pattern tech editor because I was intimidated. Would they tear my pattern apart? Would they make fun of me? Would they cost an arm and a leg?
Well, I wish I HAD gotten them tech edited. Because they aren’t good. And they are filled with errors that I was positively, absolutely, would-have-put-money-on-it sure were not there. And I can’t even guarantee that if a crocheter made my pattern, that their finished product would match my intended result.
Now that I am a tech editor myself, I know that my worries were totally unfounded. I’m friendly and nice and would never make fun of a designer’s pattern!
It has become very clear to me that many crochet designers also choose to not have their patterns edited. So I asked some of them why not?
Here are the top 5 reasons I was given as to why crochet designers do not use a pattern tech editor.
1. They Don’t Need One
You are a math whiz, or have a degree in writing so you don’t need a tech editor. You know you can edit it yourself perfectly well.
I am sorry to tell you this, but you still need an editor to look at your pattern. It is not possible to edit your own work properly.
Your instructions will always be clear to you. You know exactly what you are trying to explain so everything makes sense to you when you read it. But would it be clear to someone else? Would a customer using your pattern for the first time understand each and every instruction?
For example:
(2sc, 4dc), repeat 4 times
Obviously this means 1sc in each of the next 2 stitches, 1dc in each of the next 4 stitches and to repeat that sequence 4 times total.
Or does it?
Another reader will look at this and interpret it as 2sc in one stitch, 4dc in the next and to repeat that sequence 4 times more for a total of 5 repeats.
A good pattern tech editor will catch this kind of thing and suggest how to make it crystal clear for every single reader that purchases your pattern.
Fun fact: Tech editors who design or grade patterns get other tech editors to check their work too.
2. A Tech Editor Will Change Their Whole Pattern
This is a common misconception. A tech editor is not out to rewrite or reformat your pattern. Your voice and style will be maintained.
Think of a tech editor as part of your team. They will make suggestions for improvements and point out errors and inconsistencies. Your tech editor does not want to change your pattern, they want to make it the best it can be.
Your pattern is your pattern and always will be. It is totally up to you as to what suggestions you accept and what changes you make to your pattern.
Check out this quote from TexasPurl, a knitting and crochet enthusiast who has designed patterns in both crafts.
“I’ve employed a tech editor for my more advanced patterns and I found so much value in her services. She’s very kind with her critiques and in no way demands changes be made, just suggestions based on industry standards. I always use her suggestions because they make sense and add value to my pattern. My testers can then test and not worry about checking for errors or grammatical mistakes.
Most US tech editors charge $20-$30 per hour billed in 15 min increments.
After my 1st pattern, I knew more of what to check for in my pattern, therefore the next one didn’t take as long. I usually spend less on the tech editor than on the yarn used in the sample project.”
This makes a perfect segway into the next reason a designer doesn’t use a tech editor.
3. A Pattern Tech Editor Is Too Expensive
Yes, tech editors cost money. Usually their work is charged by the hour or project.
Tech editing ideally should be thought of as an essential business investment. And in the end, it will be well worth the relatively small expense.
You will be confident that your pattern is in the best form it can be. You will spend less time (which means less money wasted) providing pattern support to your customers. And you will ultimately have more customers and sell more patterns because your reputation will be stellar and reliable.
And as TexasPurl has experienced, you will learn how to better write your patterns which means a tech editor will not be spending as much time editing them. This will cost you less money in the long run.
A new pattern tech editor will charge a lower hourly rate while an experienced tech editor will charge a higher hourly rate, but will likely take less time to edit. Also, many tech editors (like me – check out my services here) have discounts available.
4. Tech Editors Just Check Numbers
Tech editors do check your math, this is true. But that is far from all they do. In fact, I have already written a blog post about some of the things they do for crochet designers.
I will briefly list some of those things here as well. This is not a comprehensive list.
- spelling and grammatical errors
- consistency – do you use the same formatting throughout (ie; bold letters, semi colons, etc.)
- clarity – is the pattern easy to understand for all readers
- meeting industry standards (as per Craft Yarn Council or stylesheet) – are you using the correct abbreviations or project levels, for example
- completeness – do you have all the necessary parts of a pattern such as materials and do you list them correctly
- cohesiveness – does your written pattern match any photos, charts or schematics that you have
- some tech editors will grade and create charts and schematics for you
5. Some Testers Are Amazing
Yes, they certainly are. But they are not doing the same job as a tech editor.
A tester’s job is to make the project, usually only in one size if it’s a garment, and to make sure that the finished product turns out as it should. Some pattern issues only become apparent once the item is being stitched.
While a tester should and does report errors that they find, there are some limitations to what they can do as far as editing goes.
For example, if they are only making one size, they will only find errors with respect to that one size. However a tech editor will look at the math regarding all the intended sizes and make sure they are calculated correctly.
Using my “(2sc, 4dc) repeat 4 times” example above, an experienced tester may just figure out what these instructions mean themselves and complete it without a problem wherein a tech editor will note this as a point of potential confusion and suggest it be corrected before publishing.
So while testers are amazing and another essential part of pattern designing, they play a very different role than a tech editor. If a pattern is tech edited prior to testing, the tester can focus on what they should be, which is making sure the pattern works when actually being made.
I hope by reading this, I have erased some of your fears and misconceptions about the use of tech editors.
If you have any questions or are interested in hiring a pattern tech editor for your crochet design, please contact me. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.
