When it comes to knitting, the pattern is everything. Many knitters choose this hobby to relax and unwind — or perhaps as a fun creative outlet — so when they sit down to knit, they don’t want to be frustrated; they want a pattern that is well-organized, consistent, and understandable.
As a tech editor, I dissect your pattern stitch-by-stitch and line-by-line to look for crucial errors, difficult-to-understand instructions, inconsistent styling, and more, so that you can publish that perfect pattern.
The end result is a pattern that knitters love to knit, and hopefully, many returning customers eager for more of your well-written patterns.
Tech editing services
During the tech editing process, I review the following things:
Numbers: Do your stitch counts add up? Do your measurements make sense based on the gauge and stitch/row counts? Are stitches missing?
Instructions: Does the pattern actually produce the item pictured? Did you forget to include bind-off instructions? Is the ribbing pictured in your sample 2x2, but the instructions list 1x1?
Information: Do you have the proper needles, yarn, and notions listed?
Consistency: Do you capitalize “K” in some places and lowercase it in others? Does your abbreviations section match what’s used in the pattern?
Clarity: Are there any confusing bits that could trip a knitter up?
Graphics: Do you have the right information in your schematics, charts, etc?
Grammar
Depending on the pattern, there may be more things to check as well, and I will adjust my workflow accordingly. In addition, I can check your pattern against your style guide, if you have one.
Testimonials
"As a first time pattern designer, I was a bit nervous about sending someone my design and wasn't really sure what to expect. Jenna made the process easy. Having a clear set of eyes go over everything really helped my pattern shine. Jenna's edits were clear to understand and I learned a lot. She pointed out when a section might be difficult for a knitter to understand, she checked my math, my punctuation, and consistency. Jenna helped me make my pattern look polished and professional. If you are looking for someone to tech edit your patterns, I highly recommend Jenna."
- Kim Shaffir
"I've worked with Jenna on nearly 20 designs, and I couldn't be happier with her knitting tech editing. Jenna is quick, thorough, and an absolute pleasure to work with. If you're looking for tech editing for your knitting patterns, I highly recommend connecting with Jenna."
- Janice Allen of Ellevate Designs
"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jenna on several of my knitting patterns, and her exceptional attention to detail has made a world of difference in the quality of my work. Jenna approaches each edit with thoughtful care, ensuring that every instruction is clear, precise, and user-friendly. Her suggestions are always insightful, helping me improve the overall flow and accuracy of my patterns. When Jenna edits, I have full confidence that my patterns are error-free and ready for both test knitters and publishing. I highly recommend her to any designer looking for a meticulous and knowledgeable technical editor!"
Still have questions?
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At the moment, I only edit accessories. My favorite patterns to edit are shawls, cowls, scarves, and hats - basically anything you'd wear above the neck! I also absolutely love anything with cables, lace, and stranded colorwork.
Here is a link to my editing portfolio on Ravelry if you'd like to see some of the patterns I've worked on before.
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I like to look at every pattern at least twice. I have a 1 week turnaround time for the first edit and a 2-3 day turnaround time for the second edit.
I recommend allotting 2.5 weeks for tech editing in case we need to work through major errors together.
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I've taken the Learn to Tech Edit course offered by the Tech Editor Hub and Julie Robinson's Pattern Grading Bootcamp.
I started tech editing in Spring 2021 and have edited over 100 patterns in that time.
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Yep! Schematics are $25 each and charts are $25-50 each, depending on complexity. I'm happy to send a portfolio of samples before we work together.