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Lessons Learned from Pattern Testing

Recently I besought my fellow Crochetvillians and CPListers to help me test the doily I mentioned I designed as the fourth and final doily in a set for my MIL.

I was overwhelmed with responses. I was completely unprepared for how willing crocheters would be to help! Are we just a helpful bunch? Do we just love doilies? Do we love to get a preview of a pattern? I don't know, but I do know that I am grateful.

Right now a group of wonderful crocheters are testing my doily. That feels so weird to say. My doily. Less than six months ago I had never so much as crocheted a doily, and now I have my own design.

Or I will. Testing is a hurdle, for sure, and I have already learned a lot.

Lesson number one: No matter how much you like your Mother-in-Law, hold on to the doily until you have another model to hold in your hand!

Other lessons:
Humility - God finds a way to instill this in me, and I never know where it's going to hit me... right now it is each time an error is found, yet I'm so joyful it was found before the pattern was widely released.

Patience - Not patience with my testers, who are wonderful, but that I need to be more patient with myself. I was so eager to have a pattern tested before I posted pictures to share (which I only had of the doily on the blocking board!) for reasons of copyright, that I probably skipped a step of testing the pattern again myself before letting it see the light of day.

Pride - I know that pride is not really a virtue; maybe I mean self-confidence. I don't always think about how far I've come from those days in college as far as crocheting skill goes, but when I sent my mother a copy of the pattern (she is not a crocheter) just to see how I had laid it out and the pictures, she replied that she couldn't believe anyone could read it - it looked like Sanskrit. This was not meanly, like "your pattern is illegible", it was just acknowledgement that what to me made perfect sense when reading is like a second language. When I learned Spanish I didn't understand but a few words to begin with, and then only in certain contexts - now I can read books (though I still need my dictionary by my side for some tricky vocabulary). Crochet is the same way.

I can't wait until my pattern is ready, but I far more interested in quality than speed. What a learning experience!

Labels: crochet

posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 16, 2006 @ 6:31 PM

2 Comments:

Wendy said...

One of your testers here... linked to your blog from C'Ville. I just wanted to say again (and tell all your readers) that this is a truly beautiful doily pattern. It's really a classic... elegant and original.

And I'll tell you why I like to test patterns--it's because I enjoy being a (small) part of that creative process. When you publish your pattern eventually and people start posting pics of their FOs, I'll feel a little proud, too! 12:56 AM

LadySnow said...

I too am a tester for the doily. I love it! As my hubby says, "It's a work of art!" 9:28 AM