I have done a good number of test knit projects over the years. I have done them for different reasons at different times. I have learned many things, not all of them about the craft.
With the launch of this website and my openly stated goal of producing patterns for knitters I am now looking at being on the other side of my own tests. While I know my own thoughts and opinions, I went looking deeper into the knitter-verse to see what others may be saying bout testing and test knitters.
Wow! Some folks have quite a bit to say! Many of the concerns I had experienced personally, some were a bit surprising. The discussion of what ‘not’ to do is how this post originally started, but it got long and started to feel sad in the writing. No joy, no write-y.
SO! I thought about this for a bit and realized there is nothing I could say or do that would remedy the stories I was reading. I can’t change the behavior of others and attempting to do so is folly.
What I can do is make a decision about who I will be in this situation. And so I will.
Call this my Test Knitters Credo or whatever. It is a short list of what I will attempt to live to as a tester.
- I will make every reasonable effort to complete the tests I sign up for.
- I will communicate clearly and regularly about my progress.
- I will share any issues I encounter, ask questions, give answers.
- I will complete the requirements posted when I signed up for the test.
- I will speak, write and act with respect, humility and kindness.
- I will support other testers and contribute to the conversations.
Have I hit all these marks on every test I have done? Sadly, no I have not. When I have missed some of these marks it has not always been a fail, but it has not been an enjoyable as it could have been. And I’m all about the joy.
Should everyone have a similar personal statement? Yes, I believe we should. As individuals, we have to let go of the idea that we can regulate behavior in others and in reality, we can’t.
We can act in the way we would like to see others act. This could set ‘normal’ behaviors (not sure ‘normal’ really exists but that’s all I’ve got just now).
By saying who we are and what we believe we should do out loud, clearly and to the world, we solidify the ideas in our own mind and heart. All real change only happens in the heart.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
— Mahatma Ghandi
Setting clear tester expectations is one part. The second, and probably more important one, is what we, as individuals, choose to commit ourselves to.
I will likely link my future test calls to this post. I am also planning a post with a similar statement about myself as a designer: how I will act, what I will commit myself to, what I expect from myself.
To say these things out loud and to live them with intention is the best (and only) thing I believe I can do in this arena. Talking about who we are and openly stating our beliefs is powerful.
Setting these things out in the open will help me hold to them. They may also help others think about who they really are in these roles.
We can be seen and heard, once heard we cannot be un-heard. It plants a seed in the mind of the listener/reader, hopefully growing within them. All these little seeds can lead to a better way to live, to be, to walk through our lives and communities.
And a whole lot more joy.