Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Knitting Errata- I guess it's nice to know not me!


I'd classify myself as a pretty average knitter- I haven't tackled a lot of things I'd like to accomplish but I know enough to teach other people how to knit. I am by no means an expert and still have stumbling blocks (but I guess from what I gather, the experts still have stumbling blocks from time to time too).

Turns out though, one of the stumbling blocks in my progression as a knitter might be coming to realize that the mistakes might not be my own.

That brings be to Knitting Errata, which is the nice way of saying: The pattern we gave is screwed up. It's not going to work, no matter how hard you try. Doesn't matter how many times you knit, frog, reknit, curse, count, check the pattern, curse again. It's just not going to happen!

I've known for a long time that errata existed, and I guess the smart thing to do would be to check for an errata each time I start a new pattern (and perhaps that's what expert knitters do). But I tend to be of the mind that if it's printed in a book or a pattern sold to me and it's going wrong, that I'm doing something wrong, not that the pattern is flawed. I have a certain confidence in the experts who wrote the (expensive) book and the people who test the patterns. And I don't think I'm alone here. As an average or even new knitter I think your first though is- I must be doing something wrong.

My first tip to check for an errata on this particular pattern should have been that I found a mistake immediately while looking it over quickly... what I didn't expect is that there would be 4 more errors in it.

While checking for corrections I was shocked to find about 10 or 12 more patterns and stitches in the book it came from with pretty major errors. But mistakes are human, and we all make them (I certainly make enough of them, there's probably a typo or grammatical error in this post somewhere)... so I think the realization that the mistake might not be my own is an important stumbling block to get over in my progression as a knitter. (That, and checking for corrections at the start might just save me some time and aggravation!)


After ripping it out this last time I think I'm on the road to rights... hopefully!

If you'd like to check your books and patterns for corrections here are some useful resources:


You can also do a search for the publisher of the book, designer or yarn company that provided the pattern. Even searching the pattern or stitch name with the word corrections can produce some results.

Good Luck!

5 comments:

  1. I just got a crochet book for Christmas which came with an errata- but this is a good reminder to always check for the latest!

    LOVE the color of this yarn, by the way. Can't wait to see the final result!

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  2. Wow nice that the book came with an errata! I hope to see some wonderful crocheted items soon

    Maybe even some little crocheted things!

    : )

    And a nice reminder for those who crochet, it's not just knitting so check your patterns too!

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  3. Ugh! I know how frustrating this can be. I too am a fairly good knitter. My beef is that with so many free patterns out there, if one is paying for a pattern, it should be for something extra that a free one might not offer right? Like quality control testing?
    BTW: RAVELY is also a great place to find notes from other knitters who's tried the pattern and have noted problems. Hope it's all worked out by now and you're happily on your way to a fabulous garment. Love the color!

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  4. Hi Kathleen, thanks for the Ravelry tip. I looked there when I was putting together this list of links but wasn't able to find a specific area with pattern corrections. Ironically I only found listings for people who wanted pattern testers, LOL! I'll have to take another look around and find it.

    I think I'm well on my way as far as the pattern is concerned... the only mistakes I'm making at the moment are my own. I dropped a stitch last night right at the end of a cable and didn't immediately realize it. I knit a few more stitches, then noticed the mistake but at that point it had untwisted in the cable and dropped down a few rows.

    I was still in the first repeat and hadn't even put in my safety line yet so instead of trying to figure it out I ripped back and started over. Cables are my curse... but I love them. Like a moth to a flame I guess.

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  5. I need to recommit to the crochet- I have my eye on plenty of adorable little projects!

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