How I Run Pattern Tests

• I pay my testers for their feedback, so I only hire about three testers per pattern to stay within my budget. Testers are paid USD$25/hour with a cap of 2 hours. Testers are not paid for knitting, but for responding to emails, filling out a questionnaire, and, optionally, sharing to social media.

• The test is run over email, so testers don’t need to keep track of any group, just respond to weekly emails from my team.

• There are a lot of people on my tester email list, so I send out an invitation to a small segment of the list (chosen pretty much at random) to avoid getting inundated with applications. If I’m able to hire from that call, I won’t send out another one. But if I don’t get enough responses, I’ll send the invitation to another segment of the list. This means that even if you sign up to be a potential tester, you may not get invited every time. And if you aren’t selected, it’s because I only hire around three people for each pattern.

• Testers of all skill levels are welcome to apply. I appreciate feedback from new and experienced knitters.

• Social media presence is nice, but not required. My main purpose for testing is to improve the knitter’s experience with the pattern, not marketing. So while I appreciate if testers post on Instagram, Ravelry, and Facebook, it isn’t a requirement for testing.