Blog

2021-08-16

Midnight in North shawl-PART II (testing and release)

Fears that I have 

When I decided to start writing down the patterns to what I make, instead of always doing it free hand or by someone else’s pattern which I would always adjust to my liking, there were a few things that were scary to me…
Photo of the blocked and fully finished shawl:

1.) It would require real effort to write it down as I make it, frog, redo, fix, edit, triple check and put it in a form readable by anyone… I wasn’t sure where to find time as I had a little baby that needed me for most of the hours in a day… But I knew that I really wanted to do it, even if it took me forever.

2.) Would I be able to find good testers that would be right for me? This scared me as I wanted real input that would be helpful in making the instructions as best as they can be. I asked an experienced fellow crocheter Frankie.kate_who shared with me a form she was using. This form helped me define what I wanted in a tester, it was to manage expectations on both sides and give me info about their social media presence. So I did a call for testers on my IG with just a tiny snapshot of a piece of the shawl… Just to give a sneak preview of what is to come. In the end I chose 4 wonderful ladies and together we made a tiny melting pot of backgrounds.

3.) Actually publishing a pattern! This is scary for sure, as you are never truly satisfied with a pattern, or with the way you wrote the instructions or the way you made photos… And then comes the support to the customers which for an introvert like me is far out of comfort zone.

Testing process

Testers I chose, for the difference in the skill level, for the enthusiasm they showed and for the work i have seen on their IG accounts, are Edith from South Africa, Heather from US, Susan from Myanmar and Danielle from my own the Netherlands. After sharing the instructions with the ladies, input came pouring in and it was priceless! I had corrections to make, advices over looks and photos to include… As well as the hype on IG to get me going and bring a bit of a advertising for when I actually release the pattern… I am happy and feel that my choices couldn’t have been better.
Photos of the progress from testers:

Aftermath of testing

What I realized was that I very much enjoyed supporting the ladies as well as learning about them. Sharing our struggles, worries and joys whether in 1-2-1 or in the chat group was a meaningful experience. We agreed to support each other even beyond testing and that made me happy… Opening up to someone who shares your interests was surprisingly easy. I enjoyed sharing advices on other things than just this pattern, so maybe I am just a little less introvert after this experience… :D

Pattern release

I am left with editing, fixing the errors and adding more photos. I hope to finish ASAP or at least when the kiddo allows me… in the meantime I share here a few photos of the process… Finished shawls yet to be shared on IG! there will be a pattern release offer of discounted price for the first 48h and as well extra discount for the subscribers of this webpage! So follow this space!
One more photo of one way how to use the shawl:

Until next time! Be good!
Let me know in the comments what you think of the testing process, what are your experiences and if you like the shawl of course! :)

Update: more on shawl release can be found here!