What does the ideal crochet pattern look like?

Dear users,
as an author, I’m addressing you in particular:
What do you expect from a good crochet pattern? Which patterns appeal to you the most? What can we authors do better?
I (and I’m sure the other authors as well) am very interested in your opinions.
Ruth

Hi Ruth,

I’d describe myself as a brave beginner at crocheting and a beginner at knitting with a little experience. I’ll write down what I need in a crochet pattern, though this also applies to knitting:

1. An explanation of what I’m supposed to do next, e.g.: “Work 9 single crochets, but only into the inner loop, because the outer loop will be needed later for ….”
2. The final stitch count when decreasing or increasing in a row.
3. If multiple size instructions are listed side by side, it’s really helpful to use different text colors for the different sizes.
4. A clearly visible heading above each section being described—it’s not just about having one there, but about being able to quickly find what you want to crochet right away in a stack of loose sheets.
5. Well-lit photos where you can clearly see the important stitches.
6. A font in the pattern that’s easy on the eyes—classic fonts in the sizes typically used in books are the very best choice.
7. Neat formatting, i.e., the same font size and type for body text, headings, image captions, etc., consistent line spacing, clean line breaks, an extra line for each row being described, etc. This isn’t about aesthetics, but rather about being able to take in such texts at a glance and focus on them more easily.

Maybe I’ll think of something else later, but that’s all for now :-).

Best regards, Inna

That’s a great question!
And Inna, thanks for your detailed answer!
I can tell that my patterns should appeal to you :)—that makes me happy, because I like to think that I write good patterns, especially for beginners.

I’d like to add two more points:

1) Page numbers (which I don’t always include, as I’ve just realized... I need to change that! Thanks for the nudge with that question)
2) A text-only version for anyone who doesn’t want to print out all the pictures.

I’m curious to see what other suggestions or ideas others might have.

Best regards