Questions I have heard a lot lately are:
Will AI be able to tech edit? Will I lose my job to the bots?
Friends, AI cannot do what you do. And in my opinion, it may never be able to--AI is not genuinely intelligent and has no ingenuity (look up François Chollet's studies). Technical editing of the caliber that we execute in each pattern we edit requires a type of human intelligence that computers cannot learn from just analyzing a database of fiber arts books (yeah, Meta stole my copyrighted book for their AI learning), free patterns on the internet, or any other paid pattern nefariously obtained.
Yes, we check math, row numbers, total stitch counts, and patterning and measurements. Maybe with the right kind of programming, a computer might be able to flag irregularities in mathematical patterns like this. But you can already do that with conditional formatting in your spreadsheet. You can use spell check and the Find function to check for abbreviations use, but even today, your computer cannot differentiate between homophones correctly spelled and misused, or when the pattern writer uses the wrong term for the technique you are checking.
What you, dear smart human, are doing when you edit is far more than checking for correctness and consistency. You are seeing the big picture, the connections, what isn't there, what could be misunderstood by a human maker making with their hands, what it will produce or not produce on the hook and needles. You are coming to a pattern you have never seen, solving unfamiliar problems using your own lived experience in the moment. It's like solving a giant word problem without having any specific instruction in that particular area of math--because each design is new, unique, and has its own parameters and characteristics. And you have the advanced reasoning capacity to judge when a pattern will work or not work.
For example, recently I edited a pattern where the stitch pattern was used horizontally around the yoke but vertically in the body and sleeves. I did a check of the ratio of ease around the shoulders in each size because...dun dun dun...knitting stretches differently horizontally than vertically. How will the fabric behave as the band of stitch patterning around the shoulders gets longer, doesn't get wider, and gets stretched width-wise by the pull of the collar and weight of the body and sleeves? This took some pondering and analyzing how the designer made it work in the sample to see if it would work the same way across sizes. (I am still not sure it works--we'll see how it falls out in testing.)
Another shawl pattern I reviewed had instructions for working with charts in a note, but only included the right-side instructions (without it being labeled so and no wrong-side instructions), and it required the maker to establish edge and center stitches before moving through a series of charts worked between the edge and center. This requires human intelligence to connect the various worked parts, see the missing instructions, missing stitch column (or increases), and the way the charts don't actually line up to create the shawl pictured on page 1.
Yet another shawl had a corrugated origami-esque fabric structure. While checking the math and stitch pattern worked across the total stitch counts, I also counted the folds and extrapolated if the larger size (with a different number of folds) would actually measure what was listed. And hey, there had to be instructions for how to block the thing so it folded--all descriptive language unique to this pattern.
And (to the bane of many of your colleagues) every single pattern has its own style; there is no set or standard way to write any instructions. But you, dear smart human, can see when something is internally inconsistent and doesn't sound the way the designer usually writes it. You can understand easily the different ways line instructions are presented and, even if you don't personally like it, you can brush it off as the designer's style and make sure it's going to not confuse a human maker. Most instruction's styles are valid. Well, except for those weird short row instructions. Those I mark.
Actually, I will be happy when I can feed a style sheet into a computer and have it check for style. Please, tech bros, do that first because I am not a style guru. But can you do it without using up all our planet's resources?
You are a human reading a human's coding of hand work. I challenge you this week to observe yourself as you work and answer this question at the top of this newsletter. What are you doing that only you as a very intelligent human can do? I think you might find you come away with some pretty excellent confidence that your job is going to be around for a while.
But if you don't believe me, that's okay. Let's talk in a couple weeks about another aspect of your work that a bot absolutely cannot do--connect as a human.
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Hit reply and tell me your ideas behind this and what you think. I want to hear it--let's discuss!
How is money in your business? Did you file taxes yet? Do you paid yourself regularly?
The money side of business can be overwhelming if you don't have any training in accounting or business management. What is important to know, track, and analyze can seem out arbitrary or useless to your kind of small business.
Not anymore! I have invited Janet LeClerc of Paper + Spark to The Tech Editor Hub Community to give an exclusive workshop on maintaining our financial health through stress-free systems.
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Tomorrow, Thursday April 10 at 11 am CT, Janet will cover:
- Bookkeeping tips & habits: Simple and effective ways to manage your finances and make sure you're recording everything you need to.
- Must-know key metrics: Learn which monthly or quarterly metrics to track to ensure your business is on the right path
- Goal-setting strategies for freelancers: Determine how many clients or projects you need to actually nail your financial goals.
- Simplified Profit First approach: Build in habits to consistently pay yourself and maintain a healthy cash flow.
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In the FB Group
Therese C. wants to know if anyone has a formula they use to calculate neck width (measured flat) for a top-down yoked sweater?
Susan M. is looking for opinions on the order abbreviations in a crochet pattern should appear.
Pia T. needs some help naming a stitch.
Kimberly W. has some questions for the tech editor hive mind!
Post your services in this month's PROMO THREAD.
I think I will finish this sweater just as the thermometer hits 83 degrees,
Sarah
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I am a knitting technical editor, author, and sweater nerd. I like coffee, puzzles, many books (all at once), and a good sniff of yarn fumes. This Hub is all about helping *you* find success as a technical editor from any direction that works.
When you are ready:
- Learn to tech edit knitting patterns or crochet patterns. Get training and real pattern practice before you take on clients.
- Schedule a strategy session with me. Go deep and get unstuck.
- Join the editor-only community for collaboration, 24-7 support and more skills, including building that business.
- Or just book a virtual cuppa with me. How can I help you?
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