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I released my first ever crochet pattern this week, and I am so excited!
Before I get started with what I’ve learned about designing my first ever crochet pattern, I thought I’d give you a quick preview of what it was that I actually designed. It’s these amigurumi Succulent Strawberries. There are two designs: one small strawberry, and one large strawberry. The pattern has been created to make four strawberries in total. You can of course however make as many of each as you like!
If you fancy getting the pattern, it’s free and sits on my website here.
Alright, now for the juicy info. Here are the three things I’ve learned from designing my first ever crochet pattern.
#1 Crochet pattern designing is time consuming
Okay, I thought crocheting itself was time consuming. I also found pattern testing for other designers to be even more time consuming. But holy moly, designing a crochet pattern by yourself, especially when you haven’t been crocheting for that long (like me!), is time consuming on a whole new level.
I chose to design strawberries because I thought the shapes would be pretty easy to figure out the stitches for. Plus, I thought they’d be relatively quick to make, and therefore also assumed that they’d be quick to design. Oh boy, was I wrong!
Designing a crochet pattern takes a lot of trial and error. I made five versions of different strawberries until I came close to having a final version of both the large and small strawberry design that I was remotely happy with.
Don’t let this turn you off though, crochet designing is an extremely rewarding process. Just be aware that it will most likely take you a lot longer than you originally anticipated to reach your final design. Be patient with yourself, trust the process of getting it wrong, undoing and redoing stitches a few (okay, it’s more like many) times, and you will get there in the end. It sure does feel good once you have finally figured it out though!
#2 Constructive feedback is the best kind of feedback
I’m a big believer in constructive feedback. I also think it’s fun to share your journey as a crocheter, or crochet designer, rather than just the end product of what you make. If you’re trying to build up a social media following of any kind, your followers will engage with this kind of content more too. It shows that you’re human. It makes you relatable. And it gives everyone an opportunity to learn a thing or two, including you.Â
When I was crocheting my strawberries, I shared my pattern designing journey with my Instagram crochet community from the very beginning. I also ran polls and asked questions in my Instagram stories about what people thought of particular strawberries I’d made. While I received a lot of positive feedback, it was the constructive feedback that stuck with me the most. Not in a bad way though. The constructive feedback I received was so extremely helpful, that it pushed me to try and make the pattern better than it was, and I got there in the end.
I always wonder if I hadn’t reached out to my crochet community for genuine feedback as I went along, whether I would’ve just stuck with the design I made on the second or third attempt. Even though in my heart of hearts I wasn’t happy with those designs either. Without the constructive feedback giving me that push, I may have just settled. All I can say is, I am so extremely glad I didn’t settle, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten to these succulent strawberries.
#3 Crochet pattern testers are a godsend
I never really understood the importance of pattern testing until I tried it for myself for the first time a couple of months ago. If you’re thinking about giving pattern testing a go, I have two blog posts for you to check out to help you decide whether it’s right for you. Just click the links below to take a read of each.
10 things to consider before pattern testing for the first time
Pattern testing from a designer’s perspective
An interview with Nicole Chase
Anyhow, after pattern testing for the first time, I started to realise why testing was so important. A pattern tester is essentially like a book editor. However, they don’t only check whether or not you’ve made any typos throughout your written work, they use your instructions to crochet a replica of what you’ve made. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it.
I knew that after I pattern tested for other designers, that if I was ever going to successfully design a pattern, I needed pattern testers too. So I put out a call out on Instagram.
The three crocheters who ended up volunteering to help me test my pattern were Nicole, Sofia, and Josette. And I am so extremely grateful to all three of them! They are all at different stages and levels of their crocheting journey, which meant that I was able to adapt the pattern according to their feedback to ensure that any crocheter would be able to use my Succulent Strawberries pattern. Here is a little sneak peek at the strawberries they crocheted.
Honestly, if anything, having pattern testers would be my biggest bit of advice to anyone who is thinking about crochet designing for the first time. I’d also always recommend having more than one, because from my experience each tester will pick up on different things in your pattern. Obviously, you don’t want to overdo it with the feedback, but I would say having two to three testers per pattern/size of pattern is ideal.
I hope this post has helped you if you are considering crochet designing for the first time. If you have any questions for me, you can shoot me a comment below, or get in touch with me here. I’d love to hear from you.
And just in case you missed it at the top, if you’d like to try to crochet the Succulent Strawberries I designed, you can get the free pattern here.
Speak soon,
Cilla x
