I dont know where the time has gone, it is April already ! Very busy few months in the New Year completing books to be published later in the year. Rabbits, more Teddy Bears and a compilation of my all time favourite toys plus some new and exclusive ones.
I find it very sad that a minority of people make such nasty remarks about one or two patterns that other folks have knitted and loved so many times before. It does make me smile when the remarks say " they have been knitting for 60 years " and are so experienced. I think much of this is a result of mixing up the increasing methods of m1 and knitting into the front and back of a stitch BUT one method uses a stitch, whilst the other method picks up a strand between the stitches and knits into the back of it. The patterns do state which method to use but obviously the complainants dont bother to read those instructions.
Most publishers employ independant pattern checkers who are supposed to go through every pattern and ammend any problems before the text is sent to print. With knitting and crochet as you all know , it has a language of its own, one that only we crafters can understand. There are many abbreviations and asterisks added to text and if a printer should get one of these wrong, or in the wrong place then the result is a disaster. This wont come to light until the book has been printed hence printing errors.
It takes months to make a book from the submission of the knitted projects and pattern text until it finally goes to the printers. During that time endless people are invloved in typing and re-typing of patterns, setting up lay outs and editing text. Every endeavour is made to try to spot any problems or typing errors but even with all that work, mistakes still filter their way through sometimes.
Years ago every pattern used to be sent out to a check knitter who would knit from the instructions and then report any errors, a wonderful way to check instructions indeed. However because of the rising cost and time limits in publishing these days it just isnt possible to do this any more.
It would be wonderful to have a book with no typing errors, something I know every designer is striving towards.
