How I Write a Pattern Document
Before I started to write crochet patterns, I had a career for over 20 years working as a PA and then a System Administrator at various big corporate companies both in the UK and The Netherlands. One of the biggest surprises of taking on my new path into crochet pattern design was how many of the skills I honed in those years I’d be able to leverage in this new ear of my life. I spent years proof reading documentation and presentations, transcribing, writing user manuals, training documents and step-by-step guides for people of different skill levels and backgrounds.
A crochet pattern is basically a user manual for a hook and yarn!
Over the last few years I’ve developed my process to keep my patterns consistent and beginner friendly, while being easy to navigate for those more experienced crocheters who’d prefer to skip straight to the pattern.
My basic principles to pattern writing are:
Crochet each design myself
Never assume someone else has the same knowledge that you do
Clearly explain all abbreviations
create easy to navigate documentation
Crochet Each Design Myself
This is where I differ from some other designers. I don’t feel comfortable publishing and charging for a pattern that I haven’t personally crocheted. All my designs are also crocheted by testers, but not until after I’ve made the piece myself.
You can follow the progress of every design I make on my Instagram and Facebook accounts which gives you a sneak peak into what is in the pipeline!
Never Assume Shared Knowledge
I’ll never forget working with a colleague to create a user manual for a new piece of software. He wrote a line that said ‘Now do X, as is common sense’. This has stuck with me because to him, it was common sense, but he was using this software day in, day out. But to someone without his experience this instruction would be confusing and could be construed as dismissive.
That moment shaped the way I wrote documentation, and later how I write my patterns. I never assume that something that is obvious to me is obvious to someone else. If a step CAN be clearer, I make it clearer. If something could be misunderstood, I rewrite it. I’m never afraid to make changes.
Clearly Explain Abbreviations
Crochet is full of jargon and abbreviations! We all love a WIP (work in progress) but sometimes we have to frog (rip it, rip it!) in order to get to a satisfying HOTH (hot off the hook)!! But all had to learn these at some point.
All my patterns include a summary of abbreviations in the patterns notes so there are no surprises.
Easy to Navigate Documentation
Sometimes the simplest of things can make the biggest difference. A clearly labelled table of contents at the beginning of a document can remove a lot of frustration, especially for those more experienced crocheters who just want to skip directly to the pattern.
Why I Care
I must be doing something right, because many of my reviews mentioned how well written and easy to follow my patterns are. That’s the best compliment I can ask for. Clear patterns make crocheting more enjoyable and at the end of the day, that’s why we all pick up a hook and some yarn!
If you’ve ever purchased one of my patterns, now you know the process behind the scenes and why everything is structured the way it is. If you’re thinking of going into designing yourself, embrace your background. You’ll be surprised at what you can use from your past experiences to make your patterns even better.
