Test knitting - quenching dat knit thirst.

 Darn those test knits. 

When you apply you can feel one of two ways, lucky that you got selected or bummed out to be rejected. 

But when you get your first assignment you feel on top of the world! It’s a feeling unlike any other. You, a knitter, who is too lazy to finish your own sweater but motivated enough to put hours in to create a piece that will provide you with a free pattern and perhaps some clout, was selected! 

As you continue to make your way through your stash and jump from one test cohort to another you start to develop your identify as a test knitter. 

It goes without saying that every test knit is different. There are many factors that contribute to the feel of each tester. And as you continue to burn through your yarn you will begin to notice and you may start to develop a preference. These factors may include, the designer, the cohort, communication between the cohort, mode of communication, method of sharing progress and of course the most important part the initial process of getting selected. 

For this week let's focus on the designer. 

In the beginning of their test journey most folx would like to knit for the HRN designers (hot right now). This is a normal feeling because we are constantly bombarded by the beautiful patterns and perfectly curated pictures of the luxury yarn. As a self identified FOMO-dian I have fallen hard into this hole. And nothing quenched my thirst more than seeing my work be shared by my favorite designers. No shame fam, no. fucking. shame. 

But unfortunately we often forget about the other artists who make exceptional pieces. They’re like the indie makers of our knitting universe, the makers of the “testing pool” on ravelry. If you’ve never done a test knit this is the place to start. Build your portfolio, get a feel of the comments that designers are looking for. And better yet make some new friends. These folkx don’t care that this is your first test knit. They’re excited as fuck that there are knitters who are just as stoked as them to make the pattern come to life. They don't care that you're not using fancy yarn, they just care that they get something in return. So I encourage you all to sign up for one every other quarter, it's fun! 

The Testing MO (modus operandi) of Designers: 

Communication: 

Some (not all) usually have a middle person who runs the test knits. You may receive a curated email from the designer but all communications are filtered through the test coordinator. There are some designers who have managed to continue to produce new patterns while maintaining communication with the test cohort (I’m looking at you @badwolfgirlknits and @tammygore). Personally I love the latter because I don’t want to feel like I’m part of a test group I want to be part of a test COHORT where there is camaraderie. Unlike my younger self I actually like people, weird ya? 

Cohort Selection: 

Testing calls can be made anywhere from the gram to the designer's Ravelry page. For the well known designers, testing calls will usually be posted on their Ravelry page. For these calls you better be quick as a bunny because knitters will swoop in within the first 30 minutes. Designers may mention the testing call on instagram but all communication regarding the tester is typically on their forum and do not be surprised if it's their test coordinator making the posts.

 Now what about the other methods? Well the knitters who promote testers on Instagram will usually have you DM them with the size that you would like to knit and then they will select you, easy. Most recently a new practice has emerged, the google form! With the google form you are providing them with all of the info they will need - your handles, size, experience, and the yarn you plan to use. I have a love hate relationship with the google forms because you may never hear from them or you may hear from them weeks after the test began! If you test knit you kind of already know the designers who are the frequent offenders of this practice, it sucks to feel ghosted. I would say that you should stay away from these but I would be lying if I said that I stopped applying. Eh, I'm only human.