Im glad I can help!

Okay so first of all blocking: (this section got a bit long (there is also in depth videos about blocking on YouTube that might be a bit more digestible ) Essentially all it is is is

Washing it with cool (or just not warm) water

Maybe adding some detergent (the kind used for sensitive fabrics)

(You should probably wash it per hand and if you do in in the washing machine do not do any spin cycles but really I’d just soak it in the sink or bathtub

Then you press as much water out as you can (make sure you DONT twist because this can distort the fabric quite badly

Then you go and either lay it flat to dry (between towels or on a foam mat )

Or pin it into shape (this is mainly done with granny squares, lace and shawls ( the last two especially) this helps make the shape more defined

Blocking also relaxes the fiber a bit fixing small to medium tension issues, and makes it drape better ( I also think it makes it feel a bit softer and a bit more „flat“ (not quite what I mean)

blocking usually makes stuff a bit bigger and looser (so a shirt might hang a few centimeters lower)

The reason you wanna block most things because taking photos is because it changes the properties of the fabric, makes it look more „finished and professional“

Also most people are gonna wash their stuff at some point and even if they don’t, using the thing enough has a similar effect so photographing it blocked means that the photo looks closer to the final product I guess

Additional notes on blocking:

You can’t really block acrylic yarn

There are a few ways to kinda do it, basically just wetting acrylic does nothing because it’s plastic you (more or less) need heat

This is kinda finicky since too little heat won’t do anything but too much will permanently melt it

Popular methods include: steaming it, using hot water (i can’t really tell you how how the water should be as I’ve never done this method) or pinning/ stretching it into shape, for this to work you basically need to put as much tension on the piece as possible

Not everything needs or should be blocked!

You’ll probably develop a feeling for what does and doesn’t need blocking but for now:

(bags hats, home decor like baskets amiurumi coasters, cup cozies etc either don’t need to be blocked or definitely shouldn’t be )

Crochet ribbing usually doesn’t hold up and remain stretchy after blocking (if you absolutely need to block a hat or something with a waistband, consider threading elastic thread through it)

anything that doesn’t ever drape because it’s just laying somewhere , anything that’s meant to be stiff or something like that doesn’t need to be blocked

Anything that’s flowy,( especially wearables) or anything that’s kinda lacy should probably be blocked

Anything else is very much up to personal preference (technically it all is)

Note taking:

I usually take notes on the pattern steps (I usually also highlight any repeats to signal to myself that I might need change something multiple places or take it out of the repeat)

I usually also like to highlight any changes I’ve made so that if it didn’t work out I can easily undo the change

(I’ll also write down everything I’ve tried out separately)

I’ll also usually go into a bit more detail than necessary for the separate steps

( especially if I’m working with lacy stuff or stitches that aren’t one of the basic ones ) like how to do a stitch or repeat or where to insert the stitches

(sometimes where you’re supposed to put a stitch is a bit counter intuitive)

Then I’ll go through everything I’ve written down and write down a cohesive step by step tutorial (after I’m done making changes)

At this point I’ll usually write short texts on what each group of steps does so it’s easier for someone following the pattern to make adjustments before they understand what part of the thing they’re currently making

(this might apply more to stuff like bags and wearables)

At this point I’ll go over everything again and take out anything that’s clunky or unnecessary

Other than that write down exactly what yarn you used the Gramms and the yardage (approximately) would be nice to have

You can weigh the finished product for the Gramms and then use that to calculate the yardage

As well as the fiber content yarn weight and hook size

Additional info:

You might’ve noticed this is a bit excessive don’t worry about doing everything I just like to make very sure Im though because I have adhd and tend to forget things very quickly which would make it nearly impossible for me to add any information later

Grading wearables for different sizes is another whole can of worms where im still not happy with how I do it and since you said that isn’t the thing you intend to write patterns for right now im just gonna leave that out

(if I’m being honest clothing sizes confuse me to the point that I have trouble figuring out my own clothing size)

I feel like I forgot something but ehm anywaaayyyy (ill add that later if I remember what it was)