Tech Editing Services
Let’s work together to make sure your knitting patterns meet the level of quality knitters come to expect when they purchase a pattern.
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. The result? A pattern that knitters love to knit, and hopefully, returning customers eager for more of your designs.
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 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? Does your style match the style of your previous patterns?
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. If you don’t, I can help you create one.
What I Like to Edit
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.
Pricing
In order to keep the cost of tech editing more predictable for designers, I charge a flat fee based on word count: $.065/word. This rate is based on an hourly rate of $35/hour.
Process
When you send me your pattern, I will review it for all the elements noted above. I look at every pattern at least twice, and will keep doing reviews until we are both satisfied that the pattern is ready. The first edit is a full review, and the second edit is to make sure changes were applied properly. I offer a 1 week turnaround time for the first edit and 2-3 days for the second or other subsequent edits.
Payment
Payment will be made through PayPal and invoices are due 30 days after they are sent, though if you communicate with me in advance, I can also work out a delayed invoice or payment plan.
Editing Portfolio
Here is a link to my editing portfolio on Ravelry if you'd like to see some of the patterns I've worked on.
Tech Editing Qualificaitons
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.
Additional Services
Beyond tech editing, there are other services I can offer to you as a designer:
Test knit management
Pattern launch assistance (posting to Ravelry, scheduling social media posts, etc)
Illustrations cost $25 each and other services cost $30/hour.