Browsing for patterns? Here’s what *we* look for.

Have you ever used a #$%#&!!! pattern and gotten super frustrated? It’s happened to all of us. 

You download the pattern and cast on, only to realize it’s poorly translated or oddly formatted, or you come across an error like an inverted chart.

Most of us would rather be knitting than deciphering a poorly written pattern.

And let’s be clear — it’s totally normal to have moments of frustration when mastering brioche stitch or learning the slip-stich pattern of The Shift by Andrea Mowry — that’s par for the course when we learn new things.

Frustration from a bad pattern is different. This is not the fault of the knitter. Sadly, sometimes the situation is so bad that the only recourse for the knitter is to frog it (rip-it, rip-it rip-it.) 

We love helping our customers avoid unnecessary frustration from the get-go and that starts with careful selection of your pattern. So before you click BUY, here’s what we look for.

Authority: Who’s the designer?
That random pin on Pinterest might take you to Etsy, eBay, or a designer’s website. Just like reading reviews for that new home appliance you need, the savvy consumer makes time to do a little research. 

And yes, your craft is absolutely worth it. Your next project is an investment of money and time — and your experience with the process of making it will impact your satisfaction with the finished (or frogged) project.

Especially if your link takes you to Etsy or eBay, it’s time to find out more about the designer. 

• Locate the designer’s name and Google it. Do they have a website? (see next bullet). Look up that designer on Ravelry and check out their page. Browse their designs and look for the one that caught your eye. Not seeing this designer on Ravelry or with a website? Red flags.
  
  
• Designer’s website: Dig into the “about” page. Read up on their background as a designer. Have they worked for other fibercraft publishers or have a connection to the fiber or craft industry? How long have they been designing? If there’s no “about” page, that’s a red flag.
  
  
• Social media. Is the designer on Facebook or Instagram? Are you seeing knitterly or crochet-oriented content on their pages such as calls for test knits, pattern release information, etc.? It’s pretty rare for a designer in 2024 to have zero social media presence, so if you’re not finding them, that’s a red flag. 
  

For bonus points, see whether the designer lists a tech editor on their Ravelry page or website. A tech editor is professionally trained to edit knitting and crochet patterns, including copyediting and grading for a range of sizes.

Abstract: Are there details available (before you pay)?
When we look at patterns on Ravelry, we want to see a pattern page with a robust list of details. We want sizes, recommended ease, yarn quantities, yarn recommendations and substitutions, needles, and notes about construction and techniques. The construction and techniques tags may also help you determine whether you’re ready for the pattern or if it’s a challenge for a future day.

Bonus points if yardage and meterage is listed in a way that’s visually easy to read. 

Bonus points if the designer indicates that there are support resources like videos or Ravelry groups dedicated to this design.

A special note about sizing. You may have seen or heard the term “size inclusive” to describe patterns that include a wide range of sizes — 10 sizes is pretty standard these days. So when we see a pattern with only five sizes listed, that’s not an automatic red flag, but it’s definitely a yellow flag to give you pause. It might or might not even be a pattern that includes your size.  It could be an older pattern — in which case, the instructions will probably include less information and detail than most modern patterns do.

If you want to see an example of the dream type of detailed Ravelry pattern page we’re talking about, check out Ysolda Teague’s Studio Sweater. Extra extra bonus points to Ysolda for creating a low-vision version of the pattern that is compatible for screen-readers as well as a link to a detailed document with measurement and sizing guidelines. This is truly above and beyond in all the best ways. 

Peer-reviewed: Who’s made this project before you?
You’ve ticked the boxes for researching the designer, you’ve checked out the details page on Ravelry, now we need to see if this pattern’s been peer-reviewed.

On the Ravelry details page for the pattern, look for the box titled “About this pattern”. On the right side of the page on a computer or at the bottom from a mobile device.

Inside this box, you’ll see the total number of projects, plus how many folks have the pattern queued. 

Below that, you’ll find the overall rating of the pattern and the clarity of the pattern — each are rated on a five star scale. You’ll also see the number of folks who have contributed to the ratings. Pay particular attention to the clarity scale.

Next, let’s look at the Projects tab. 

• How many folks have made the pattern already? If it’s thousands, that’s a good indication that the pattern has been knit and loved, that there are no glaring mistakes in the pattern.
  
• If there’s not that many projects listed, take a closer look. The pattern may be from a less well-known designer, but it still might be good. Read some of the comments from the folks who’ve knit it. Knitters are usually pretty honest about their personal experiences with a pattern, especially if they’ve been frustrated! (Did you know that you can filter projects by “projects with notes”? Click here for a tutorial.)

• Take a quick visual browse of the first couple of pages of projects. What do you notice about fit or ease? Are there any photos of crafters who look similar to your body shape wearing the garment? Does the pattern lend itself to looking better in light or dark yarn?

If you’re still having fun in research mode, you could head over to YouTube and search for the pattern name and designer. With the number of knitters and crocheters on YouTube, there’s a good chance that someone’s done a podcast where the pattern was mentioned, or perhaps a MKAL. See what they have to say about it!

Give yourself a gold star.
You’ve done your due diligence and flexed those research muscles! Hopefully you found what you need to make an informed decision about the pattern. After your research, if the original pattern you picked out doesn’t seem that great, we’re always happy to assist you with your Ravelry search.

We know the right pattern is out there for you. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time to find it!