Very spontaneously last week I volunteered to be a test crocheter for a pretty and unique scarf that hasn't yet gone public. Actually several of us on Ravelry
pestered encouraged the creator of the scarf to write the pattern and offered ourselves as testers, and she took us up on it! I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I was excited to do this thing. (Once the pattern goes public I will identify the designer - and provide a link to how you can get the pattern if you're interested.)
So... the designer began transferring her personal notes into a pattern for public consumption and then shared it with us. And thus began the testing process.
I'm enjoying doing this - honored, actually. But it is
work. Of course, there are starts and stops and head scratchings and communications about what we're confused about, possibly a little mind-reading on everyone's parts, ripping out on the crocheters' parts, edits and re-edits on the designer's part...and eventually, the hope is that we've helped the designer refine a pattern into something that anyone can read and will love making. No small feat. But a rewarding one.
And it makes me appreciate something I had taken completely for granted before now - how a knitted or crocheted item grows from an idea to something you and I can easily create. I'm still mystified and in awe over how a person actual goes from conceiving a crochet (or knit) item to writing a pattern - that, frankly, looks like something akin to short-hand instructions for how to attach a severed limb....
Ch 2. 1 hdc in first hdc – inc made. *1 hdc in back loop of next hdc. 1 hdc in front loop of next hdc. Rep from * to last 2 sts. 1 hdc in back loop of next hdc. 2 hdc in top of turning ch – inc made. Turn. (This, by the way, is not from the test pattern I'm working on).
And
that's easy crocheting. I am just happy to be able to understand crochet code, and am content for now to be a tester. A cog in the design wheel, so to speak.
The picture below shows all the further I've gotten, but this has taken about 2 1/2 hours (over the course of the weekend). I'm doing this shawl in a lace-weight yarn, and it's going to be hours more before I'm done.
At the moment, I'm at a standstill until I hear back from the designer - I think I've found a mistake. Not a mistake in the design, but a mistake in the written pattern. While I want nothing more than to get back to crocheting it, I can't deny there's a bit of satisfaction in feeling like I've uncovered something very important. Not the secret to world peace, or anything like that, I know... but something that will make both the designer happy and any future crocheters of this pattern happy. I feel like a partner, in some sense, in a private backstage world that had previously been a complete mystery to me. After all, it's the little, private and unseen things that make the world go 'round, don'tcha know?
Over the weekend whenever there were stops in the test-crocheting, and frankly, I needed a break from studying and deciphering the first draft of the written scarf pattern, I turned to some simple dishcloth crocheting. I played around with my remnants of cotton yarn and produced these fun cloths:
Aaaahhh... A little happy instant gratification for the tired crochet soul.
Looking forward to now seeing what other YOP5ers are up to
this week. I hear we have some new YOPers! Yippee!
If the link above does not work for you, it's because you're either not a
Ravelry member, or not signed in. If you'd like to get a taste for what other YOPers
(my term, that they may just be rolling their eyes over - lol), click on the names of the posters in the comments below. Chances are, they are part of the 2015-16 Year or Projects Blogging challenge, too. If you like what you see, feel free to join us!
And whether or not you're a part of YOP5 or a member of Ravelry, please leave a comment below yourself! I love seeing that you came by, and being able to explore your blog in return.
