Howdy,
If you don't mind or have a few minutes, would you click on the Comments section and tell me what is the single most important thing to you , when looking at and reading the pattern instructions. What element helps you to determine: Oh, I just gotta make this pattern; or I'll never try this pattern.
The polls are designed to let you -the average crocheter- give a Designer your thoughts on what is great about current pattern instructions and what makes you so angry you could scream.
I'll be posting the results in two weeks.
ARNie
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5 comments:
Don't know what you mean by "charts and graphs" as opposed to "symbols" and "schematics". I've seen patterns with symbols, and with schematics, but unless you mean that symbols are charts and schematics are graphs, I've never seen a pattern with a chart or graph, except filet or tapestry patterns, with are sometimes called "charts," like cross stitch charts. I have no idea what a crochet pattern graph would show.
The question about symbol crochet notation needs another choice - "I'm neutral about symbols. If they're there, I may refer to them, but if they're not, I don't miss them."
Charts are grids with black spots to indicate a stitch. They are similar to cross stitch graphs.
Graphs are almost always used for 'charting' color work.
Symbols do not use a grid work. For me, knitting symbols are like another language... those little glyphs are like Arabic or Korean letters. Crochet symbols were used in every Magic Crochet for their doilies.
Alas, once the polls have been answered, I cannot add another choice... new to this blogging business.
The thing that makes me decide to put a pattern on my "gotta make it" list is the picture! If I love the pic the thing most likely to change my mind is if the pattern is symbols only. I could figure out symbols if I had to, but I want crocheting to be fun, and that's work.
IMHO the knitting style instructions, k1, p2, k1 etc. do not translate well to crochet and I much prefer words. Accuracy is really important since I hate trying to figure out what it REALLY should have said, especially if it's so bad I have to "crochet" several rows on a spreadsheet (better than frogging, though). Unfortunately, you often do not discover an inaccuracy until you're halfway through the project.
What has me climbing the walls at the moment is a jacket pattern from DROPS. It's half words and half symbols and there's an overlap; it's hard to tell which rows are duplicated. It uses British terminology (nice if you're a Brit, of course) and some of it is in Danish. There is translation into English but arranged in a very confusing way. They have such wonderful designs; I'd gladly pay extra to have them translated into all words and American terminology.
The poll question about stitch counts should have had a choice of "all of the above." Newbies especially seem to find this a big help with any project and if they run into a snag and ask for help the stitch count can be very useful for helping them troubleshoot.
Photos! Especially if there are multiple photos showing front and back.
After that, I prefer abbreviations to fully written out words, partly because the pattern becomes shorter and partly because I'm more likely to miss things in prose. BUT there should always be a glossary for those abbreviations.
For me, pictures really ARE worth a thousand words. I can figure out what to do by looking at good pictures, but trying to figure out an incorrectly written pattern is torture! I rarely stick to a pattern, but might read it for ideas. Give me a close up, clear picture or two, and I'll figure the rest out on my own. By the way, thanks so much for this blog! I'm new to craft shows and I'm learning so much! Vickie
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