Reviews

The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook: How to Write Great Patterns that Knitters Will Love to Make by Sarah Walworth, Kristina McGrath

andie_elizabeth13's review

informative inspiring mysterious fast-paced

4.75

meganashlee27's review

informative fast-paced

4.0

I’ve done a lot of pattern testing for knitting and crochet, so it was interesting to see a pattern writing guide from a tech editor perspective. I especially appreciated their notes on size inclusivity. As a plus size woman, I have tested a number of patterns that just don’t work; simply adding more stitches doesn’t mean the fit will work! 

I definitely think this is a great resource for someone who wants to start designing their own patterns!

flavicos's review

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Excellent resource for pattern designing - very glad I read it!

tsquare345's review

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley, Storey Publishing, Ms McGrath, and Ms Walworth for providing an advance reader's copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As a former Technical Writer and an avid knitter, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact, I devoured it. This should be required reading prior to submitting a pattern to Ravelry.

The instructions are clear. The handbook is laid out very logically providing concrete examples of what and how to write the pattern instructions. The checklist at the end of each chapter alongside with the Q&A are extremely useful. The illustrations are beautifully rendered.

smittenforfiction's review

4.0

Title: The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook: How to Write Great Patterns That Knitters Will Love to Make

Author: Kristine McGrath & Sarah Walworth

Publication Date: October 31, 2023

Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC

Genre: Crafts & Hobbies (Knitting)

Pages: 176

› The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook is an excellent resource for knitwear designers. It has suggestions to help you write high-quality patterns that knitters will love. In 2020 the authors, McGrath and Walworth, hosted a podcast where they talked about knitting and they realized it would be great to collect all the tips and put them into a book.

› They talk about the Four C's of a good knitting pattern: correct, clear, concise, and consistent. I learned that there are Tech Editors who can go over your patterns to ensure accuracy. They share information on naming, numbering, spacing, and formatting. I love the idea of using a style sheet checklist to ensure consistency.

› The book includes many questions and answers that should cover most of the questions you may have while writing a knitting pattern. They also do a great job explaining the components of a well-written pattern and the importance of editing the technical language. I appreciate the discussion about size inclusivity and advice on making patterns accessible to all knitters. They even provide an in-depth explanation of gauge and how to include accurate numbers in your patterns.

› The handbook explains how to fix common sweater pitfalls regarding necklines, armhole depth, sleeve length, underarm measurements, and cuffs. They even go over how to find a good tech editor!

› With a long list of other essential knitting books and a knitting pattern sample sheet, The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook is a must-buy for all knitwear designers.

 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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thiccandired's review

5.0

4.7 / 5.0

I very much enjoyed this book. I am a prolific knitter and crafter of various textile arts, so understanding how to better write tutorials and patterns is always welcome.

So much of this book can be translated over to other crafts. This is a great niche study in project management and informative presentation techniques.

Overall, I will likely reference what I learned and annotated in this book for future projects and tutorials. It is well written, concise, and useful. I recommend it to creators in the knitting world and other craft focuses to help you improve your pattern and tutorial writing techniques.

U til Next Time,
MC

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

jbarr5's review

5.0

The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook How to Write Great Patterns that Knitters Will Love to Make by Kristina McGrath; Sarah Walworth
Wish I had this book when I started writing my own patterns. One of the guidelines was to follow the publication style. Was pretty straight forward with my own personal words.
Love that this covers every single aspect of writing so the end user will NOT have a problem knitting the pattern you create. Appreciate the symbol explanations, being blind I can't use that method myself. Every section also has Q&A.
So many examples, sketches and words that really define this book. Glossary and index makes it simple to find exactly what it is you need help with. Excellent valuable information.
So exhilarating to create things for others to use. Feel like I accomplish something.
A KEEPER!
Received this review copy from Storey Publishing via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheKnittingPatternWritingHandbook #NetGalley.

dennikel's review

informative slow-paced

4.0

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It was interesting to learn more about all of the technical details that must be reviewed and the process in which that is accomplished before a good quality knitting pattern or book of patterns can be published. I’m sure the formatting issues in the Kindle ARC version were corrected before it was released today but that was quite distracting. Will definitely recommend this book to my friends who teach classes and write patterns themselves as a helpful resource to save them time and money. 

jsargey's review

informative fast-paced

5.0

If I was suddenly granted access to a time machine, one of the first things I'd do (for my business at least) would be to bring this book to myself in 2021 when I first started tech editing. In just a couple hundred pages, Kristina and Sarah give a comprehensive breakdown of everything that goes into pattern writing, from the various components that need to appear in a pattern to how they should be written.

There are other resources out there that say what should go into a pattern, and I feel this takes it a step further by going into why things are done a certain way and giving advice on how to best do things.

There is even a whole section on common fit issues in sweaters, which I would have loved to read two years ago when I was starting out and trying to wrap my head around everything. If you are designing garments, this book is a must read. Actually, this book is a must read for any designer or tech editor. If I had this resource back when I started tech editing, it sure would have cut down on a lot of trial and error and learning as I went! (And trust me I’ve been eagerly waiting for this book since they announced it, which feels almost as long ago.)

After the main part of the book, there are also several helpful resources, like a sample style sheet, a pre-edit checklist, a reading list, and two size-inclusive size charts, one for women and one for men. The women’s chart covers chest circumferences from 28-66” and the men’s goes from 32-64,” and these are much wider ranges than are typically found online. There’s also a chapter on size inclusivity, which I really appreciated because it’s something that’s been absent from this industry for so long and I’ve always admired their dedication to it. Everybody deserves clothes that fit well, regardless of their size. 

If you remember the early days of Tech Tip Talk where Kristina and Sarah were still doing Instagram Lives before they started bringing on guests, that’s what this book is. They were just two tech editors sharing their experience and knowledge with the world, and now they’ve put all that knowledge into a book. They used to joke in their videos that they’ve got a lot of opinions, and that couldn’t be more true! 

Definitely recommend picking this book up. My job as a tech editor would be much, much easier if every designer I work with reads this book before sending their pattern on to me.