Ask the Experts: What Is Errata?

Has this ever happened to you? You’re knitting or crocheting happily along, following the pattern, when something doesn’t look right. You don’t have the correct number of stitches, or the stitches aren’t lining up the way you think they ought to. You backtrack, maybe rip back a row, and you still can’t find the problem. What you have doesn’t match what the pattern says. Could there be a mistake in the pattern?

Above: Image source – Getty Images

In short, yes. There might be a mistake in the pattern. At this point, one of your clever crafting buddies is likely to ask, “Have you checked for errata?”

What Does “Errata” Mean?

Errata is the plural form of the Latin word erratum, or error. Merriam-Webster defines errata as “a list of errors in a printed work discovered after printing and shown with corrections.”

Errors are a problem in any published work, but they are especially vexing in craft instructions. There is no automated equivalent of spell check for a knitting chart or a row of crochet directions. The specialized symbols and abbreviations that make up our crafting language must be checked by skilled humans. And humans make mistakes. Whether it’s a simple typo or a major math error, these mistakes can stop a project in its tracks.

At Interweave, every pattern goes through an extensive technical review before it is published. Several people review each pattern, and each is empowered to question and correct any problems they find. We take great pride in the technical quality of the patterns we publish. And still, mistakes sometimes make it to the page.

When we do find an error after publication, the digital version of the pattern is corrected immediately. If you are working from a pdf you downloaded recently, you can be sure that it has been updated to reflect any corrections of which we are aware.

If you are working from a print magazine, you can find errata for all Interweave magazines on our website. Click on the name of the magazine, then the year of publication, then the specific issue in which your pattern appears. If you can’t find the issue, or if nothing shows up for the pattern you’re making, then we are not aware of any corrections.

Still Stuck?

So, you’ve checked the errata, and you’re still stuck. Now what? Scroll down to the bottom of the Interweave webpage and use the “contact us” link to send an email to customer service. The first response you receive will be a reminder to check for errata. If you’ve already done that, respond to the customer service email with a description of the problem. Be as specific as possible: provide the name of the pattern, the magazine issue it was published in, and a description of the problem you’ve run into. Customer service will forward your email to me.

When I receive this sort of email, my goal is to do anything I can to help you get your project back on track, short of coming to your house and looking over your shoulder. I start from the assumption that you may have found an error in the pattern. I open a digital copy of the pattern and check to make sure it is correct. If the pattern is wrong, I will make the necessary correction to the digital file and add the correction to our errata. I will also thank you profusely for bringing the error to our attention.

If the pattern is correct, then I’ll try to figure out where you’ve gone astray. I have more space in an email than we have in a pattern, so I can use lots of words to explain and clarify. I can point you toward tutorials and videos that demonstrate techniques you may be struggling with. My favorite thing is when I hear back from you with “Aha! Now I get it!”

What Are You Wondering About?

Send your questions to knitting[@]goldenpeakmedia.com or crochet[@]goldenpeakmedia.com and put Ask The Expert in the subject line. You just might see the answer in an upcoming newsletter!

Sandi Rosner
Technical Content Editor, Yarn

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