Real Talk About Pattern Launches

The truth about the day before Launch Day:

I’m going to publish Squish Cardigan tomorrow and I’m mostly recovered from the overwhelming stress and anxiety I felt last weekend after the photo shoot.

Everything went incredibly well with the shoot, the models were amazing, and the light was perfect.

But of course I forgot some shots I had meant to take and started to worry about having everything knitters would want to see, which got me worrying that the pattern itself might not be perfect. I’ve invested so much into this design, so what if nobody buys it? Even worse, what if people love it and there’s some problem I missed and then all my knitters are mad? I can’t describe the sinking feeling when someone finds a mistake. As annoying as it is to you, the knitter, I assure you it’s equally terrible for me.

But here’s why I got over my weekend stress spiral and am now psyched for the launch: I have a reliable process.

I work with a skilled tech editor who checks all my numbers & language.
I knit my sweater designs twice, so I have samples in 2 different sizes. That second knit helps me catch layout or language issues on these complex designs, not to mention being important for photography so I can show the sweater on different people.
I work with paid testers whose feedback I value immensely! They help me get the knitter’s perspective and always improve the pattern. (You don’t always see these knitters’ work on social media because I don’t require that. They’re really there to improve the pattern, rather than primarily as a marketing tool.)
I hire an experienced copy editor (a different person from my TE) to do final checks and give me formatting advice.
I’ve been making patterns professionally for about 15 years now and that experience has taught me a lot. One of the things I’ve learned is that no one is perfect and a mistake isn’t the end of the world even if it feels like it. If there’s a problem, I can fix it and send an update.
The sweater and photos are so beautiful! Looking at them, I feel really proud of my work.

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