Wow – was the original title “Tech Editors Come Second” badly written or what

A good Tech Editor is a treasure to be cherished and compensated to the best of your ability and kept forever supplied in Dark Chocolates and other treasures.

Or, as one Grande Dame of the leisure activity of NeedleArts suggested, is someone to be treated with every courtesy and care but kept locked in a closet so they cannot escape.

The Best of Tech Editors is two things, Invaluable & All too rare.

Okay so now we have a pattern written. What’s Next?

If the Designer also wrote the pattern, here is where they must set aside their ego enough to be willing to truly communicate and to be especially mindful of the need to listen. The best tech editors are going to question your methods and instructions from time-to-time. The Designer has to allow the Tech Editor to do their job to the best of their ability.

A good tech editor may be the most important business associate any designer can have. Much of the following is focused on Knit & Crochet, it applies to Sewing & Quilting and well, just about any Needle Art that uses String.

The first job of a Tech Editor is to determine if, the instructions as written, can actually produce the item described/pictured.

For Knit or Crochet, the ability to produce a gauge swatch consistently is essential, because that is the first step in tech editing. Can the recommended needle or hook produce the gauge required.
There is more to sending a tech editor just a page of written instructions, but that is not the issue here.
nor, is the fact that some articles do not really “require” meeting gauge, say an afghan or blanket, if you want your pattern to be considered accurate and well done, it ALWAYS has to be possible to produce an accurate gauge swatch within one hook/needle size.

A good tech editor can do sizing, taking into consideration that just increasing or decreasing is not always the answer – and certainly not in garment sizing. A good tech editor is going to catch that if you tell someone to cut a 6 inch square, and use quarter inch seams, that the resulting square will be 5 1/2 inches not 5 as it says in your “instructions”.

A good tech editor is extremely accomplished in the craft, so can, when needed “suggest an alternative” method to reach the same goal. But they also need to know when to back off and let the designer use thier own “signature method”.

A good tech editor does not have to execute the entire project, although they may make some portions to check the numbers, but generally, they do not.

One thing I can tell you, when a designer or publisher finds a Good Tech Editor, there is, to quote one of the Grand Dames of Needle Arts Publishing once explained, upon finding an outstanding Tech Ediotor, there is an almost irresistible urge to kidnap them, lock them in a closet and not let anyone else at them – cause they are worth their weight in diamonds (gold is too cheap these days) and more difficult to find than any other single service provider in the market.

What do you look for when searching for a Tech Editor?

Inquiring minds want to know

P.S. To read more posts in this series, select the category

It Is All Just Business
from the side bar or Search for Designer Resources

During a conversation yesterday, Tink made a few carefully worded comments on things she would have done differently with the set up of “What Wheat Wrote” and another blog-a-venture of a mutual client.

This time she explained a bit more and well, this morning’s project is rearranging of the furniture, notably Categories in the blog-a-venture and of course the living room so we can put up the tree this weekend. All the posts are still here – just a few have moved to a few categories. Fortunately for me, this blog is only a few weeks old and there are the huge number of blog entries that our friend will need to consider when she realizes that she has to bite the bullet and reorganize her entire blog.

Now to see how this “effects” the stats.

and to finally get the tree put up

Peace of the Season

No I am not a Ham, but TH, has been a Ham for many many years (including before he got is letters).

Last Night he mentioned getting this in the news from CARA one of our local clubs, I knew I had to share it and find a good musical comment – The choice was easy.

So, with all due respect to Samuel B….
This just might be the end of the world as we know it

Here is an excerpt from the Press Release:

ARLB030: FCC to Drop Morse Testing for All Amateur License Classes

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB030
ARLB030 FCC to Drop Morse Testing for All Amateur License Classes

ZCZC AG30
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 30 ARLB030
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT December 16, 2006
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB030
ARLB030 FCC to Drop Morse Testing for All Amateur License Classes

In an historic move, the FCC has acted to drop the Morse code
requirement for all Amateur Radio license classes. The Commission
today adopted a Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 05-235. In a
break from typical practice, the FCC only issued a public notice at
or about the close of business and not the actual Report and Order,
so some details — including the effective date of the R&O — remain
uncertain.

Also today, the FCC also adopted an Order on Reconsideration, in WT…

To read the full AARL bulletin, click here.

The FCC public notice is located at,

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-269012A1.pdf

Great News For The Hobby – Spread The Word

Wheat

—–

…With membership in the United Automobile Workers union at its lowest level since World War II, the president of the U.A.W., Ron Gettelfinger, left open the possibility on Thursday of a merger with another union…

Go to Article from The Associated Press via The New York Times

Musical Commentary? How About The Grateful Dead: Truckin’

I was asked to explain why a designer should consider joining a trade association in addition to the social/hobby organization of thier choice.

After struggling for several hours about how to say what I so passionately believe – it was clear that a single response would not “do it”

Without the necessary background and context there is no way to answer the questions, much less have the discussion or more likely based on past experience – suffer a crucifixion. God knows every time I try to be a Horse Whisperer it gets me in trouble.

So, I gave up and decided to just write what I feel, believe, or whatever with no malice intended but positive that some will assume there is and who knows, where that will end up this time no body knows

The first controversial statement? It is completely beyond my comprehension how anyone who lives in the real world today – where rapid changes in circumstances can as fast as the click of the enter key, can still base their business decisions on information or experiences even a few years old.

If you belong to a Social/Hobby organization, with rare exceptions, you need to realize that is it not in their charter to help you develop your professional career beyond the development of your techical skills.

These Social/Hobby organizations have two primary purposes,
to provide fellowship
to provide education opportunities in the craft they serve.

There is NOTHING wrong with the choices made by these organizations to limit their focus. This is not to say no opportunities exist within these wonderful groups for the professional; but, we need to be realistic and not be misled by what we would like vs what exists.

So, where “should” those who wish to pursue a formal (primary or secondary) career look for the kind of contacts that will further their career…

In ADDITION to joining the social/hobby organization(s) that support your area of Professional interest and expertise; you need to first identify your goals.

And, that needs its own blog-a-mentary of its own

Wheat
hope you will share your thoughts “on the subject” soon

P.S. To read more posts in this series, select the category

It Is All Just Business
from the side bar or Search for Designer Resources