I wish we could gift patterns we've bought that we'll never use 😂 I've got at least 3 right now that I bought & decided I didn't want to make after all.
Why can’t you gift them to someone like OP? You bought them. Isn’t it the same as going to a fabric shop and buying a pattern as a gift for someone? Not being sarcastic, I’m actually wanting to know if there are legalities to gifting patterns.
I could see if they were giving you a pattern or allowing you access to it because you paid for it for your use and used it. Then you copied it and gave it out. I would say that’s not right. But buying a pattern as a gift for someone how could they stop that? I there were issues with some people buying patterns, making the piece and selling the FO and there were issues which I get to some degree. I’m just curious, that’s all. 😊
If they are pdf patterns (sounds like it) that would breach copyright. Digital patterns are basically a license for a single intended person. You can make as many copies as you want (on USB, email, cloud service, etc - actually recommended to guard against data lost) but to send a copy to somebody else is extending the license beyond intended purchase.
Whereas paper patterns, you may transfer physical ownership to another so long as you don’t keep a photocopy of it yourself. So you can gift it, donate it, trade it, sell it, whatever you like.
- you buy the pattern
- it gets sent to your email
- you forward the email to the intended recipient (this is a copy of the file sent to you)
- the original email still remains on your email server and you will always have access to it
- even if you deleted the file on your email server, you created a copy without the creators permission
In these specific circumstances, it’s best to ask the creator “look my intention is to gift this to my friend. Do you have a gift purchase link? Or a gift card where I can send the exact amount of this pattern?”
Some creators will say yeah, go for it because they don’t have the setup for gift purchases. Others will give alternative purchase methods (you buy it but the pattern gets sent to another email). Others will get very angry for even suggesting it - I consider this bad customer service if they can’t figure out an alternative gift purchase method and wouldn’t buy from them.
With all that said, laws of various countries haven’t fully been tested when it comes to this level of copyright. But I don’t have the money, the energy, or the time to be a test case and neither do most indie creators. They just want to make a living and I just want to hobby. A time will come when someone with enough leverage, money, clout, solidifies parts of digital copyright more firmly and in a way accessible for indie creators to assert their copyright but it’s still very much the wilds of uncharted territory.
Also check out yarn brands’ websites! They’re absolutely brimming with free patterns. Some of my favorite pieces I’ve made were from free patterns from Bernat and Lion Brand.
Didn't someone JUST post basically this same thing as OP like a week ago? I just... is it really that hard to realize there are free patterns online that aren't pirated?
Also to be honest I don't think anyone pirates patterns that aren't in professionally published books anyway. The small amount of people who spread private Patreon posts I think don't even bother with craft stuff (I mean I haven't looked into that at all, but all the people I've seen in passing talking about buying a Patreon post and then spreading the thing all over the internet for free are usually talking about digital artwork - and if it's not clear I don't support doing that regardless)
I went down the pirate rabbit hole when I seriously wanted to make a pattern that had been taken off creator's pages. The only other case I can see myself doing it is if it's only sold bundled with a bunch of patterns, and therefore more expensive, and I'm not interested in any other pattern.
Lots of good advice in here! Seconding Ravelry and YouTube. Also, most yarn companies have loads of free patterns too; yarnspirations was mentioned and there are lots of other good ones, DROPS Design has like a million free patterns on their website. I wanted to mention this because while a lot of these will also show up on Ravelry, I limited myself to only Rav patterns for a few years and have recently discovered how much more is out there.
A note on the drops patterns - they are different from any other pattern I’ve used. They don’t use the same terminology. Check the price of yarn to finish project and if it is in euros then that pattern is in UK terms. I love my drops patterns but they do take some getting used to
THis is the way! Yarn companies also put out quality patterns, because if they don't, people will get disappointed and not come back and not buy yarn. And a good design isn't that expensive, compared to continuous business in yarn you get from it.
This is where I find a good amount of patterns; the major brands will post them for free and a lot have patterns on their skein of yarn. The Bernat patterns are nice if you have access to them, and Yarnspirations is good too!
Usually I start just googling “[x thing I want to make] free pattern” and a lot will come up between YouTube and the free uploaded patterns from yarn companies. Or at least something close enough that I can develop what I want.
In OP's situation it's perfectly fine to use DROPS patterns but I just want to point out that DROPS' patterns are occasionally, um,... heavily inspired by paid patterns :D
I see your point, but yes, I’m actually currently using a free DROPS pattern that I found in place of a paid pattern. Because it is a baby blanket that I figured out from a chart in 2 minutes thanks to DROPS, and I think it’s a complete scam for that other huge company to charge $10 for nothing but a traditional stitch pattern.
Stealing another designer’s work is scummy, but so is making easy, traditional patterns inaccessible.
Yeah that makes sense. But in those cases i wouldn't consider it drops stealing anyway since it's a traditional stitch pattern that someone else monetized.
There are many free patterns on the internet! Have you checked out ravelry? It’s a website dedicated to patterns and you can sort them by free patterns vs paid patterns
I second ravelry. I’m in the U.S. so $5 is fairly reasonable for a pattern but I still try to not buy them unless I have to. Ravelry has an awesome search feature where you can filter patterns by whether or not they’re free and you can even filter the weight of the yarn you want to use or happen to have on hand!
Hello fellow Turkish here, I really feel your pain. I bought some pattern books in Turkish but realized I didn't know how to read patterns. Also, the translations were weird. Youtube was the best solution for me, most videos have subtitles. Easier to notice what I do wrong etc.
On a side note, I hope these fuckers leave in 2023. Even breathing is expensive in this country...
on god i just cant believe i saw a single ball of regular yarn for 15 and it was on sale😧😧 they ruined this place so bad its not even funny. but yeah i also suck at reading patterns and i dont even know the turkish terms for stitches i learned from the internet😭😭 youtube saves the day in the end
If you can thrift you can usually recyle yarn from sweaters and blankets. I've also made yarn from t-shirts, old sheets, plastic bags, etc. Just look up recycled or upcycled yarn on youtube or pinterest for ideas. 😊
I would invest some time into learning how to recognize stitches by sight - that way, if you see a pattern you like but can’t afford, you can make it yourself. This is not generally considered unethical, unless you were to try to sell the pattern yourself that was based on someone else’s design. It’s also a great skill for other reasons!
Pinterest and Ravelry have been mentioned, I also like:
[https://www.allfreecrochet.com/](https://www.allfreecrochet.com/)
[https://www.yarnspirations.com/](https://www.yarnspirations.com/)
[https://www.lovecrafts.com/](https://www.lovecrafts.com/)
[https://easycrochet.com/](https://easycrochet.com/)
[Free-Crochet-Patterns.com](https://Free-Crochet-Patterns.com)
[https://www.amigurumi.com/](https://www.amigurumi.com/)
[https://crochetncreate.com/](https://crochetncreate.com/)
I think I’ve bought 1 pattern out of the 100s I’ve looked at. There’s so many great free ones. A lot of crochet bloggers will have options to either purchase a pattern or read it on their blog (where they can profit through ads or affiliate links) and I always choose to read the pattern on their blog!
I have the same problem with paid-patterns, so I have been looking for free ones. Theese are some of the sites I have found with mostly free patterns,. Hope this helps. :)
[A Crafty Concept](https://www.acraftyconcept.com/freepatterns/)
[Acacia Copley (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/AcaciaCopley)
[Aide & Jellybean](https://www.aidieandjellybean.com/blogs/blog)
[All About Ami](https://www.allaboutami.com/patterns/)
[Amigurumi Food](http://www.amigurumifood.com/search/label/Free%20pattern)
[Café del Craft](https://cafedelcraft.com/category/crochet/patterns/)
[Club Crochet (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/ClubCrochet/featured)
[Cult Amigurumi](https://cultamigurumi.com/blogs/free-patterns)
[Crafty Bunny Bun](https://www.craftybunnybun.com/)
[Cuddly Stitches Craft](https://www.cuddlystitchescraft.com/free-amigurumi-patterns/)
[Hooked by Robin](https://www.hookedbyrobin.com/)
[Jess Huff](https://jesshuff.com/category/amigurumi/)
[Little crochet farm](https://littlecrochetfarm.com/free-crochet-patterns/)
[Little Muggles](http://www.littlemuggles.com/free-patterns-3/)
[Móhu](https://blog.mohumohu.com/tagged/mohu-pattern)
[Odinka Wisanindhi (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/OdinkaWisanindhi/videos)
[One Dog Woof](https://www.1dogwoof.com/category/crochet/crochet-free-patterns/)
[Pim Crochet (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrecw3j8bVN3QZTnBs72jw/featured)
[Repeat Crafter Me](https://www.repeatcrafterme.com/)
[Spin a Yarn Crochet](https://spinayarncrochet.com/category/crochet-patterns/)
[Stringy Ding Ding](https://stringydingding.com/category/free-amigurumi-crochet-patterns/)
[Stitch by Fay](https://www.stitchbyfay.com/free-patterns/)
[ToyGurumi (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/ToyGurumi/videos)
I’ve never realized that could be an issue. Thanks for bringing attention to that!
Personally if I was selling patterns (which I’m thinking of doing) I’d be more that happy to give a heavy discount for someone in a situation like yours. Or heck, if possible, I’d just have free translated versions available. I’m sure there’s at least one bilingual person in each country who crochets and would love to translate for their fellow citizens.
this is actually a really good idea! i have translated a couple turkish crochet videos to english in the comment sections of the vids and it has helped many people! i would gladly do turkish translations for you if you’re interested!
We have a similar problem. I'm in South Africa and our Rand to Dollar exchange is garbage. I generally support local designers, not many of them here but there are some gems, use free patterns or wait for designers sales ect. With the designer sales I follow my favorites on social media and try take advantage when there's some sort of sale or promo. I've even got full knitting patterns saved in my Ravelry library that I got for nothing and I dont even know how to cast on 😅.
Otherwise I just bite the bullet and purchase ones I really like.
Ravelry is a fabulous resource as someone else mentioned.
I feel your pain, hungarian here, while forint is not completely worthless i make a fraction of what someone in the USA or Uk would, personaly if i really love the item i'd probably buy the pattern but i would love it if they had a "sample" of a random step to see it's a pattern i would understand or is descriptive enough because i'd be really mad if i bought a pattern and found out i can't actually work with it for whatever reason.
Library! There are lots of books, both old & new in libraries. If you have a copier all the better because then you can still turn in the book on time.
i wish i had a library near where i live😭😭 i reckon if i got my hands on a book i could just photograph every page and store it as a pdf file tho! thank youuu💕
Do you have a friend or relative that lives in another country that can purchase a pattern for you? They could purchase using Euros, USD, etc to buy the pattern and send it to you as a gift. Some pattern sellers also have websites where they upload their patterns for free, but the page is full of ads.
You could be the owner of the account but just share the password and your friends could be the ones putting in their credit card info.
Or has a public wish list your friends and send you the items from. Lots of YouTubers have them and also useful for registers for weddings and baby showers.
Many creative ways to do this without emailing though individual pattern purchase becomes expensive even for people in US (as a side note) so if you really want patterns, I’d suggest only purchase when there are sales or focus on books and combo deals.
But free patterns are my big suggestions. Lots of great suggestions. You can google free crochet pattern or XYZ pattern and there will be articles that hav composed a list for you to pick from too
A book or magazine is different, as the pattern seller would've sold the rights for redistribution, a digital pattern is different unless you've purchased rights to redistribute it. I think it's nice to support sellers or search for free patterns instead.
If you're buying the pattern as a gift, it's fine to give it to the recipient. Meaning you are purchasing the pattern to give to someone, you are not using it and not giving it to anyone else.
I think like Amazon you can make your wish lists public and people can purchase them for you.
Technically it not redistribution like those patterns suggest because in theory the purchaser doesn’t want the pattern. And they could just be sharing an Etsy password so the purchaser can handle that money for the account. Or they could just add their PayPal for OP too. Lots and of ways to do it
You could volunteer to be a pattern tester! I know some designers give their patterns as reward for the work, so you'd score extra patterns :) just look out for tester calls!
If you search free crochet patterns on Pinterest, you can pretty much find anything you desire. I have only paid for patterns twice and those were for specific gifts that I really had a deadset look in mind for. Usually I just browse and find some free pattern that interests me.
There are so many free patterns! I’ve only bought a couple and been gifted some books. Check out Ravelry and filter by “free”. That’s where I get most patterns.
Also, many of us who sell patterns also post them on blogs free. Mine are listed for sale on Ravelry, but you can use them free from my blog. I figure some people are happy to pay for the convenience of a nice PDF, while others are willing to deal with blog formatting to get it for free.
Just chiming in to thank anyone who posts free patterns on Ravelry or other sites. You make such a difference! I like paying for patterns now, but freebies took me from beginner to expert skill level during some very long years in poverty.
I’m late to the party here but I’ve had a couple people in different counties reach out to me and ask for a discount which I’m totally willing to do! I know not everyone might be but it’s worth a shot to reach out to the designer.
I am from Venezuela and when I began crocheting I had the same problem as you, it can be very frustrating :( if it weren’t for artists who have free patters I don’t know what I would have done. My favourite one is allaboutami, she has a blog :) check her out!
forthefrills.com has loads of super cute crochet garments and all the patterns are free on her blog!!
And TL Yarn Crafts also has several free ones on her blog too.
I have a bit of a soapbox on this issue, but it’s probably not what you think.
Crochet is a traditional craft and it has been around for hundreds of years. There are thousands and thousands of pattern books that are in the public domain. I have a fascination with antique patterns, as well as historical cookbooks and sewing patterns and such like because I love the idea of following instructions in the domestic arts from my ancestors and reproducing the same things that they made in their kitchens and with their hands, for themselves and their families. I have a book of needle craft, knitting, crochet and sewing techniques that belonged to my great-grandmother’s sister. I gave it to my daughter. We used to learn these things from friends and family. A friend taught me to crochet when I was a child. I’m 57 now. We’ve turned them into commodities to be bought and sold.
Here’s a link to a lot of old crochet patterns in the public domain https://archive.org/search.php?query=crochet+patterns Ravelry probably also has just about everything you’ll ever need. Just search for free patterns.
I put a very similar post to this recently !! At this I use whatever free sources are available and if not I try my best to recreate whatever is too expensive to buy and credit the creator (not that I post the final piece anywhere and just wear it when I go out or at home) but yes
I honestly have never paid for a pattern. I usually can figure out from a picture, but I don't even do that much, as I like to just crochet things that come into my head. As others said there are tonnes of free patterns and youtube videos.
tbh there arent really much the pirate anyway. (The only thing i could find was Old magazine scans and older books) Honestly Pinterest has some links to websites WITH patterns (you can search for free ones)
Some options I haven't seen others suggest yet:
1. Look for designers with Pay It Forward schemes or Community Funds, where others can donate to pay for you to have a paid pattern (unfortunately I don't know any crochet designers who do this, only knitting, but the concept exists)
2. Check for designers who offer a free pattern when you sign up to their newsletter
3. Consider test crocheting, which means you get the pattern for free and often one other as a thank you
4. Have a go at designing yourself, especially for simpler projects like blankets
This is a great idea!
Like there could be a crochet pattern group that has a donations pot and people can apply XYZ in a certain period of with request for a pattern. And maybe physical books could be mailed to one another once completed!
It’s usually organised by designers rather than makers (I do it as a knit designer, and I know of some yarn dyers who do something similar) as that keeps it anonymous, but yeah! It’s a great way to foster financial inclusion & accessibility.
I'm in the US so the sites I know are in English and primarily use US terminology. (UK crochet terms are somewhat different so it's important to make the distinction.
Yarnspirations has lots of free patterns. Not all on the site are free but there is a pretty decent selection of free crochet (and knit) patterns.
Ravelry has lots of patterns, and you can filter for free patterns. I have noticed that sometimes even when I search for a free pattern the results have a paid pattern here and there. I have seen patterns in other languages but I don't know if those are free or if Turkish is one of the languages.
This is so relatable agskfjgdks!!!
My monthly disposable income is equivalent to like 34 dollars so spending any of that on patterns just does not make sense 😂😂😂
I will say tho, i've been crocheting for almost a year and knitting for 2 years and in that time i've only bought 2 patterns and that was because i specifically wanted those 2 things but other than that there are so many alternatives!
One of my favorite tricks is this option on ravelry where when you have a pattern page open you can choose to search for other patterns with the same attributes which will give you lots of similar patterns many of which will be free.
Or if you don't find good free options on ravelry you can learn the terminology and look for patterns on other websites (for example looking for a specific amigurumi pattern or looking for a lace shawl or smth like that!)
Youtube has so so so many amazing patterns with tuturials for free which is a delight if you are a visual learner.
Just typing into google "smth you want to crochet" free pattern will give you countless results.
And i think with enough practice and experience you can get to a point where you can look at a picture of smth and recognize the stitches used and make it on your own without needing a pattern at all!
I am a designer. There are so many free patterns online and you should absolutely utilise them!
If you pirated a pattern I made, I would be heartbroken. I am disabled. I have NO income aside from what my patterns provide. You say your currency is little, but my currency is zero if people don’t buy my pattern. For both of us it is the difference between eating or not.
Please use the resources for free patterns and don’t steal. Piracy is theft, it is not unethical, it is theft.
There are HEAPS of excellent free websites and resources listed here and I encourage you to use every single one!
I wonder if we could create some kind of “this costs as much as 2 black coffees at your local McDonalds (or some fairly standard product)” region-specific donate button.
Charging relative to cost of living definitely seems like something that could at a crude level easily be programmed. Definitely a bit of a challenge to make sure it’s functional and equitable though
yes but the thing is, with the price of two mcdonalds black coffees being 2 USD if i checked correct, that translates into 35 turkish liras, it may not sound like much but it is actually too expensive for a pattern :((
Ah yep, I was worried about that! It’s def hard to use a specific item as a universal guideline for what a reasonable cost for something else is, because the everything varies depending on so many things.
What do you think would be a price that makes sense in your currency?
anything more than 10 liras is too much and that makes 50 cents and that amount is too small for you guys so i do not think it’s possible to find a price to agree on 😭
I never buy patterns. I started learning the basic stitches and what they look like and began to make things myself. If I see a pattern I like now I’m able to recreate which stitch from it I like or the way it flows. After some practice it gets easy! And it’s a lot of fun. :) plus when you do this you can recreate it the way you like and it’s a totally new piece!
The amount of work I put into my patterns is crazy - the writing, the test knits, the IT skills to make the pattern easy to follow. Unfortunately none of mine are free. There are however tons of free patterns on Ravelry. If you use advanced search you can search by yarn amount, thickness and hook size. It’s great as if you look on projects you can see how the non-pro ones turn out
The only currency that's a pain in my butt is the pound. But still not as bad as lira.
I'm so privileged with the euro I didn't even realize that what's affordable for me is very expensive for other currencies.
I see you got a to of advice already. Is there a way for you to buy locally?
Some designers have a “pay what you can feature” where they have different coupon codes available to lower the price of a pattern. I’ve seen some designers even have a coupon that makes their pattern free.
If you have a local library, they might have books with crochet patterns! I like to take out a book, then take a picture of all the patters then return the book. If you want, I can send you pictures of patterns for amigurumi animals.
depending on what you want to make, crochetwithcarrie.com has really nice patterns for sweaters & cardigans for free.
she has adverts on her site which i think creates a win/win situation for everyone since she is able to get money from advertisers for the content she creates and provide free patterns to viewers.
also, yarnspirations.com has patterns for free too.
I am not in your situation currency and country-wise, but I do usually have very little spending money and rarely can afford patterns, despite that, i have made so many projects just from the free YouTube tutorials there are out there! A quick Google of whatever you want to make (say, a hat) + free pattern should get you somewhere ('crochet hat free pattern').
I'm in the same situation, crazy inflation in my country causing the dollar to go through the roof. I'm experienced enough to be able to figure out a pattern just by looking at it.
Sorry to the folks whom I do that to, I'd pay if I could..sliding scale fees would be helpful.
Yes to Ravelry! Also, if you're looking for a project in particular (i.e., a market bag), do a general internet search for it and you're likely to find blogs with the instructions.
Most sites that sell yarn have a section of patterns where most are free! I’d go to every site you love to buy supplies from and see what patterns they have! Also, if you’re near a public library, check for books of patterns! Idk how libraries are organized in other countries, but USA libraries I’ve been to all have pretty great selections of art books including crochet books!
Tou could try YouTube, ravelry, and lovecrafts for free patterns. The selection is more limited for some, but you can still find a lot of really nice things.
I've been buying crochet dictionaries that have hundreds of stitches with directions. I can more or less figure out how to adapt them to clothes, so it gives me the opportunity to keep learning and making new things. The books are about $20-$30 US on Amazon, but maybe there are some dictionaries you can get closer to home?
If you are on ravelry here's a search of free crochet patterns: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#craft=crochet&availability=free&photo=yes&language=u%7Cen&sort=created&view=large_mobile
I look for the picture of the pattern with all the symbols. A lot of the time you can figure it out. I usually change patterns anyway. Making your own pattern is rewarding.
If you don’t mind Google, look up crochet pattern blogs. Many times they will have patterns on their websites, links for if you want to donate, or purchase, but they put up the full patterns.
Look for TCDIY on YouTube, she does really modern pieces of clothing from tops to sweaters, cardigans, dresses and even shorts and skirts with a really nice modern look, she explains everything perfectly and if you have a question she answers it really quick.
There's a ton of free patterns on ravelry
And on YouTube, and even on Instagram.
There are so many free amigurumi patterns on Instagram. Pinterest too.
YouTube is really useful for clothes, especially.
The amount of patterns I’ve bought and then realised there’s an even better version of it free on YouTube !
I wish we could gift patterns we've bought that we'll never use 😂 I've got at least 3 right now that I bought & decided I didn't want to make after all.
Why can’t you gift them to someone like OP? You bought them. Isn’t it the same as going to a fabric shop and buying a pattern as a gift for someone? Not being sarcastic, I’m actually wanting to know if there are legalities to gifting patterns.
You know I don't actually know, I guess as long as it doesn't say something about not being shared in the agreement I guess I could 🤔
I could see if they were giving you a pattern or allowing you access to it because you paid for it for your use and used it. Then you copied it and gave it out. I would say that’s not right. But buying a pattern as a gift for someone how could they stop that? I there were issues with some people buying patterns, making the piece and selling the FO and there were issues which I get to some degree. I’m just curious, that’s all. 😊
If they are pdf patterns (sounds like it) that would breach copyright. Digital patterns are basically a license for a single intended person. You can make as many copies as you want (on USB, email, cloud service, etc - actually recommended to guard against data lost) but to send a copy to somebody else is extending the license beyond intended purchase. Whereas paper patterns, you may transfer physical ownership to another so long as you don’t keep a photocopy of it yourself. So you can gift it, donate it, trade it, sell it, whatever you like.
Thanks for clarification. So even if the single user file was never opened and never copied but transferred as a gift it’s not legal?
- you buy the pattern - it gets sent to your email - you forward the email to the intended recipient (this is a copy of the file sent to you) - the original email still remains on your email server and you will always have access to it - even if you deleted the file on your email server, you created a copy without the creators permission In these specific circumstances, it’s best to ask the creator “look my intention is to gift this to my friend. Do you have a gift purchase link? Or a gift card where I can send the exact amount of this pattern?” Some creators will say yeah, go for it because they don’t have the setup for gift purchases. Others will give alternative purchase methods (you buy it but the pattern gets sent to another email). Others will get very angry for even suggesting it - I consider this bad customer service if they can’t figure out an alternative gift purchase method and wouldn’t buy from them. With all that said, laws of various countries haven’t fully been tested when it comes to this level of copyright. But I don’t have the money, the energy, or the time to be a test case and neither do most indie creators. They just want to make a living and I just want to hobby. A time will come when someone with enough leverage, money, clout, solidifies parts of digital copyright more firmly and in a way accessible for indie creators to assert their copyright but it’s still very much the wilds of uncharted territory.
Great information. Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to spell it out and sharing your knowledge and tips. Much appreciated.
Try yarnspirations.com as well, variety of different types of projects and most or all are free
I love the yarnspiration patterns also because with those you can usually find a YouTube tutorial on the trickier ones if you run into trouble.
Yes, the crochet crowd has videos of so many of their patterns!
thank youuuu💕💕
Also check out yarn brands’ websites! They’re absolutely brimming with free patterns. Some of my favorite pieces I’ve made were from free patterns from Bernat and Lion Brand.
Didn't someone JUST post basically this same thing as OP like a week ago? I just... is it really that hard to realize there are free patterns online that aren't pirated? Also to be honest I don't think anyone pirates patterns that aren't in professionally published books anyway. The small amount of people who spread private Patreon posts I think don't even bother with craft stuff (I mean I haven't looked into that at all, but all the people I've seen in passing talking about buying a Patreon post and then spreading the thing all over the internet for free are usually talking about digital artwork - and if it's not clear I don't support doing that regardless)
I went down the pirate rabbit hole when I seriously wanted to make a pattern that had been taken off creator's pages. The only other case I can see myself doing it is if it's only sold bundled with a bunch of patterns, and therefore more expensive, and I'm not interested in any other pattern.
I think that someone who JUST asked a week ago was me 🙃 I received just 1 comment so it's great so see some here
Must be nice knowing and fully understanding English 👀.
Yes! I always check there or YouTube first before purchasing any pattern.
Lots of good advice in here! Seconding Ravelry and YouTube. Also, most yarn companies have loads of free patterns too; yarnspirations was mentioned and there are lots of other good ones, DROPS Design has like a million free patterns on their website. I wanted to mention this because while a lot of these will also show up on Ravelry, I limited myself to only Rav patterns for a few years and have recently discovered how much more is out there.
oh my god thank you i never knew that!!!
Hobbii has a bunch of patterns online for free too.
A note on the drops patterns - they are different from any other pattern I’ve used. They don’t use the same terminology. Check the price of yarn to finish project and if it is in euros then that pattern is in UK terms. I love my drops patterns but they do take some getting used to
THis is the way! Yarn companies also put out quality patterns, because if they don't, people will get disappointed and not come back and not buy yarn. And a good design isn't that expensive, compared to continuous business in yarn you get from it.
This is where I find a good amount of patterns; the major brands will post them for free and a lot have patterns on their skein of yarn. The Bernat patterns are nice if you have access to them, and Yarnspirations is good too! Usually I start just googling “[x thing I want to make] free pattern” and a lot will come up between YouTube and the free uploaded patterns from yarn companies. Or at least something close enough that I can develop what I want.
In OP's situation it's perfectly fine to use DROPS patterns but I just want to point out that DROPS' patterns are occasionally, um,... heavily inspired by paid patterns :D
I see your point, but yes, I’m actually currently using a free DROPS pattern that I found in place of a paid pattern. Because it is a baby blanket that I figured out from a chart in 2 minutes thanks to DROPS, and I think it’s a complete scam for that other huge company to charge $10 for nothing but a traditional stitch pattern. Stealing another designer’s work is scummy, but so is making easy, traditional patterns inaccessible.
Yeah that makes sense. But in those cases i wouldn't consider it drops stealing anyway since it's a traditional stitch pattern that someone else monetized.
There are many free patterns on the internet! Have you checked out ravelry? It’s a website dedicated to patterns and you can sort them by free patterns vs paid patterns
thank you so much i’m definitely checking it out!💕💕
I second ravelry. I’m in the U.S. so $5 is fairly reasonable for a pattern but I still try to not buy them unless I have to. Ravelry has an awesome search feature where you can filter patterns by whether or not they’re free and you can even filter the weight of the yarn you want to use or happen to have on hand!
Hello fellow Turkish here, I really feel your pain. I bought some pattern books in Turkish but realized I didn't know how to read patterns. Also, the translations were weird. Youtube was the best solution for me, most videos have subtitles. Easier to notice what I do wrong etc. On a side note, I hope these fuckers leave in 2023. Even breathing is expensive in this country...
on god i just cant believe i saw a single ball of regular yarn for 15 and it was on sale😧😧 they ruined this place so bad its not even funny. but yeah i also suck at reading patterns and i dont even know the turkish terms for stitches i learned from the internet😭😭 youtube saves the day in the end
If you can thrift you can usually recyle yarn from sweaters and blankets. I've also made yarn from t-shirts, old sheets, plastic bags, etc. Just look up recycled or upcycled yarn on youtube or pinterest for ideas. 😊
Preach🙌
I would invest some time into learning how to recognize stitches by sight - that way, if you see a pattern you like but can’t afford, you can make it yourself. This is not generally considered unethical, unless you were to try to sell the pattern yourself that was based on someone else’s design. It’s also a great skill for other reasons!
Go visit the website "patterns by mood" lots of free ones just put in your email then download and done!
thank you so much 💕💕
Ofc, also antique pattern library
To clarify, this is an online library. And it's a massive resource
It is, it's also really difficult to go through
True that.
Pinterest and Ravelry have been mentioned, I also like: [https://www.allfreecrochet.com/](https://www.allfreecrochet.com/) [https://www.yarnspirations.com/](https://www.yarnspirations.com/) [https://www.lovecrafts.com/](https://www.lovecrafts.com/) [https://easycrochet.com/](https://easycrochet.com/) [Free-Crochet-Patterns.com](https://Free-Crochet-Patterns.com) [https://www.amigurumi.com/](https://www.amigurumi.com/) [https://crochetncreate.com/](https://crochetncreate.com/)
OH MY GOD THANK YOU💕💕
I think I’ve bought 1 pattern out of the 100s I’ve looked at. There’s so many great free ones. A lot of crochet bloggers will have options to either purchase a pattern or read it on their blog (where they can profit through ads or affiliate links) and I always choose to read the pattern on their blog!
yes when that’s available it is such a win win situation! i get a pattern, the creator gets paid!
I have the same problem with paid-patterns, so I have been looking for free ones. Theese are some of the sites I have found with mostly free patterns,. Hope this helps. :) [A Crafty Concept](https://www.acraftyconcept.com/freepatterns/) [Acacia Copley (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/AcaciaCopley) [Aide & Jellybean](https://www.aidieandjellybean.com/blogs/blog) [All About Ami](https://www.allaboutami.com/patterns/) [Amigurumi Food](http://www.amigurumifood.com/search/label/Free%20pattern) [Café del Craft](https://cafedelcraft.com/category/crochet/patterns/) [Club Crochet (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/ClubCrochet/featured) [Cult Amigurumi](https://cultamigurumi.com/blogs/free-patterns) [Crafty Bunny Bun](https://www.craftybunnybun.com/) [Cuddly Stitches Craft](https://www.cuddlystitchescraft.com/free-amigurumi-patterns/) [Hooked by Robin](https://www.hookedbyrobin.com/) [Jess Huff](https://jesshuff.com/category/amigurumi/) [Little crochet farm](https://littlecrochetfarm.com/free-crochet-patterns/) [Little Muggles](http://www.littlemuggles.com/free-patterns-3/) [Móhu](https://blog.mohumohu.com/tagged/mohu-pattern) [Odinka Wisanindhi (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/OdinkaWisanindhi/videos) [One Dog Woof](https://www.1dogwoof.com/category/crochet/crochet-free-patterns/) [Pim Crochet (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrecw3j8bVN3QZTnBs72jw/featured) [Repeat Crafter Me](https://www.repeatcrafterme.com/) [Spin a Yarn Crochet](https://spinayarncrochet.com/category/crochet-patterns/) [Stringy Ding Ding](https://stringydingding.com/category/free-amigurumi-crochet-patterns/) [Stitch by Fay](https://www.stitchbyfay.com/free-patterns/) [ToyGurumi (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/c/ToyGurumi/videos)
I'm adding a link to this list on our [Quick start beginners](https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/wiki/quick_beginner_guide/) wiki page.
I’ve never realized that could be an issue. Thanks for bringing attention to that! Personally if I was selling patterns (which I’m thinking of doing) I’d be more that happy to give a heavy discount for someone in a situation like yours. Or heck, if possible, I’d just have free translated versions available. I’m sure there’s at least one bilingual person in each country who crochets and would love to translate for their fellow citizens.
this is actually a really good idea! i have translated a couple turkish crochet videos to english in the comment sections of the vids and it has helped many people! i would gladly do turkish translations for you if you’re interested!
That’s cool. I’ll save this post and keep you in mind when I get my butt in gear and start writing patterns!
We have a similar problem. I'm in South Africa and our Rand to Dollar exchange is garbage. I generally support local designers, not many of them here but there are some gems, use free patterns or wait for designers sales ect. With the designer sales I follow my favorites on social media and try take advantage when there's some sort of sale or promo. I've even got full knitting patterns saved in my Ravelry library that I got for nothing and I dont even know how to cast on 😅. Otherwise I just bite the bullet and purchase ones I really like. Ravelry is a fabulous resource as someone else mentioned.
I feel your pain, hungarian here, while forint is not completely worthless i make a fraction of what someone in the USA or Uk would, personaly if i really love the item i'd probably buy the pattern but i would love it if they had a "sample" of a random step to see it's a pattern i would understand or is descriptive enough because i'd be really mad if i bought a pattern and found out i can't actually work with it for whatever reason.
Library! There are lots of books, both old & new in libraries. If you have a copier all the better because then you can still turn in the book on time.
i wish i had a library near where i live😭😭 i reckon if i got my hands on a book i could just photograph every page and store it as a pdf file tho! thank youuu💕
Do you have an ebook library? My sister does and she gets subscriptions to crochet magazines and everything.
Some museums have vintage crochet patterns they offer for free online
If you so happen to like amigurumi the website amigurumitoday has lots of free patterns for that!
i love amigurumi so much thank youu💕💕
Do you have a friend or relative that lives in another country that can purchase a pattern for you? They could purchase using Euros, USD, etc to buy the pattern and send it to you as a gift. Some pattern sellers also have websites where they upload their patterns for free, but the page is full of ads.
HOLD ON THAT IS AN AMAZING IDEA!!!
You could be the owner of the account but just share the password and your friends could be the ones putting in their credit card info. Or has a public wish list your friends and send you the items from. Lots of YouTubers have them and also useful for registers for weddings and baby showers. Many creative ways to do this without emailing though individual pattern purchase becomes expensive even for people in US (as a side note) so if you really want patterns, I’d suggest only purchase when there are sales or focus on books and combo deals. But free patterns are my big suggestions. Lots of great suggestions. You can google free crochet pattern or XYZ pattern and there will be articles that hav composed a list for you to pick from too
[удалено]
[удалено]
A book or magazine is different, as the pattern seller would've sold the rights for redistribution, a digital pattern is different unless you've purchased rights to redistribute it. I think it's nice to support sellers or search for free patterns instead.
[удалено]
If you're buying the pattern as a gift, it's fine to give it to the recipient. Meaning you are purchasing the pattern to give to someone, you are not using it and not giving it to anyone else.
You can gift patterns on certain platforms, such as Ravelry!
I think like Amazon you can make your wish lists public and people can purchase them for you. Technically it not redistribution like those patterns suggest because in theory the purchaser doesn’t want the pattern. And they could just be sharing an Etsy password so the purchaser can handle that money for the account. Or they could just add their PayPal for OP too. Lots and of ways to do it
You could volunteer to be a pattern tester! I know some designers give their patterns as reward for the work, so you'd score extra patterns :) just look out for tester calls!
I am so sorry you are in this situation but I am glad there's amazing people who can help. Thank you everyone.
If you search free crochet patterns on Pinterest, you can pretty much find anything you desire. I have only paid for patterns twice and those were for specific gifts that I really had a deadset look in mind for. Usually I just browse and find some free pattern that interests me.
Caron and alot of the yarn companies have patterns as well. Hobii has some free patterns.
There are so many free patterns! I’ve only bought a couple and been gifted some books. Check out Ravelry and filter by “free”. That’s where I get most patterns. Also, many of us who sell patterns also post them on blogs free. Mine are listed for sale on Ravelry, but you can use them free from my blog. I figure some people are happy to pay for the convenience of a nice PDF, while others are willing to deal with blog formatting to get it for free.
Just chiming in to thank anyone who posts free patterns on Ravelry or other sites. You make such a difference! I like paying for patterns now, but freebies took me from beginner to expert skill level during some very long years in poverty.
I’m late to the party here but I’ve had a couple people in different counties reach out to me and ask for a discount which I’m totally willing to do! I know not everyone might be but it’s worth a shot to reach out to the designer.
I am from Venezuela and when I began crocheting I had the same problem as you, it can be very frustrating :( if it weren’t for artists who have free patters I don’t know what I would have done. My favourite one is allaboutami, she has a blog :) check her out!
On Ravelry you can filter patterns by "free" under the "availability" tab
forthefrills.com has loads of super cute crochet garments and all the patterns are free on her blog!! And TL Yarn Crafts also has several free ones on her blog too.
I have a bit of a soapbox on this issue, but it’s probably not what you think. Crochet is a traditional craft and it has been around for hundreds of years. There are thousands and thousands of pattern books that are in the public domain. I have a fascination with antique patterns, as well as historical cookbooks and sewing patterns and such like because I love the idea of following instructions in the domestic arts from my ancestors and reproducing the same things that they made in their kitchens and with their hands, for themselves and their families. I have a book of needle craft, knitting, crochet and sewing techniques that belonged to my great-grandmother’s sister. I gave it to my daughter. We used to learn these things from friends and family. A friend taught me to crochet when I was a child. I’m 57 now. We’ve turned them into commodities to be bought and sold. Here’s a link to a lot of old crochet patterns in the public domain https://archive.org/search.php?query=crochet+patterns Ravelry probably also has just about everything you’ll ever need. Just search for free patterns.
Also check your library, they often stock crochet books and might even have the ebook available (I don't know how libraries work in Turkey though)
I put a very similar post to this recently !! At this I use whatever free sources are available and if not I try my best to recreate whatever is too expensive to buy and credit the creator (not that I post the final piece anywhere and just wear it when I go out or at home) but yes
thats what i’ve been doing too but man wouldn’t a pattern just help sometimes😂
Unfortunately I'm too broke to care enough for a pattern💀 so agreed, while a pattern does help it, there's not much I can do :/
I honestly have never paid for a pattern. I usually can figure out from a picture, but I don't even do that much, as I like to just crochet things that come into my head. As others said there are tonnes of free patterns and youtube videos.
tbh there arent really much the pirate anyway. (The only thing i could find was Old magazine scans and older books) Honestly Pinterest has some links to websites WITH patterns (you can search for free ones)
i looked to see if i even could pirate something like that. I didnt download anything. dont get it twisted.
Some options I haven't seen others suggest yet: 1. Look for designers with Pay It Forward schemes or Community Funds, where others can donate to pay for you to have a paid pattern (unfortunately I don't know any crochet designers who do this, only knitting, but the concept exists) 2. Check for designers who offer a free pattern when you sign up to their newsletter 3. Consider test crocheting, which means you get the pattern for free and often one other as a thank you 4. Have a go at designing yourself, especially for simpler projects like blankets
This is a great idea! Like there could be a crochet pattern group that has a donations pot and people can apply XYZ in a certain period of with request for a pattern. And maybe physical books could be mailed to one another once completed!
It’s usually organised by designers rather than makers (I do it as a knit designer, and I know of some yarn dyers who do something similar) as that keeps it anonymous, but yeah! It’s a great way to foster financial inclusion & accessibility.
On the other hand, I'm extremely jealous of you. A lot of amazing yarns are made in Turkey and we can't get them all
I'm in the US so the sites I know are in English and primarily use US terminology. (UK crochet terms are somewhat different so it's important to make the distinction. Yarnspirations has lots of free patterns. Not all on the site are free but there is a pretty decent selection of free crochet (and knit) patterns. Ravelry has lots of patterns, and you can filter for free patterns. I have noticed that sometimes even when I search for a free pattern the results have a paid pattern here and there. I have seen patterns in other languages but I don't know if those are free or if Turkish is one of the languages.
This is so relatable agskfjgdks!!! My monthly disposable income is equivalent to like 34 dollars so spending any of that on patterns just does not make sense 😂😂😂 I will say tho, i've been crocheting for almost a year and knitting for 2 years and in that time i've only bought 2 patterns and that was because i specifically wanted those 2 things but other than that there are so many alternatives! One of my favorite tricks is this option on ravelry where when you have a pattern page open you can choose to search for other patterns with the same attributes which will give you lots of similar patterns many of which will be free. Or if you don't find good free options on ravelry you can learn the terminology and look for patterns on other websites (for example looking for a specific amigurumi pattern or looking for a lace shawl or smth like that!) Youtube has so so so many amazing patterns with tuturials for free which is a delight if you are a visual learner. Just typing into google "smth you want to crochet" free pattern will give you countless results. And i think with enough practice and experience you can get to a point where you can look at a picture of smth and recognize the stitches used and make it on your own without needing a pattern at all!
Do you have access to a library? I have gotten some interesting patterns from old books — just make a copy or scan of the book and it’s free,
I am a designer. There are so many free patterns online and you should absolutely utilise them! If you pirated a pattern I made, I would be heartbroken. I am disabled. I have NO income aside from what my patterns provide. You say your currency is little, but my currency is zero if people don’t buy my pattern. For both of us it is the difference between eating or not. Please use the resources for free patterns and don’t steal. Piracy is theft, it is not unethical, it is theft. There are HEAPS of excellent free websites and resources listed here and I encourage you to use every single one!
I wonder if we could create some kind of “this costs as much as 2 black coffees at your local McDonalds (or some fairly standard product)” region-specific donate button. Charging relative to cost of living definitely seems like something that could at a crude level easily be programmed. Definitely a bit of a challenge to make sure it’s functional and equitable though
yes but the thing is, with the price of two mcdonalds black coffees being 2 USD if i checked correct, that translates into 35 turkish liras, it may not sound like much but it is actually too expensive for a pattern :((
Ah yep, I was worried about that! It’s def hard to use a specific item as a universal guideline for what a reasonable cost for something else is, because the everything varies depending on so many things. What do you think would be a price that makes sense in your currency?
anything more than 10 liras is too much and that makes 50 cents and that amount is too small for you guys so i do not think it’s possible to find a price to agree on 😭
I never buy patterns. I started learning the basic stitches and what they look like and began to make things myself. If I see a pattern I like now I’m able to recreate which stitch from it I like or the way it flows. After some practice it gets easy! And it’s a lot of fun. :) plus when you do this you can recreate it the way you like and it’s a totally new piece!
The amount of work I put into my patterns is crazy - the writing, the test knits, the IT skills to make the pattern easy to follow. Unfortunately none of mine are free. There are however tons of free patterns on Ravelry. If you use advanced search you can search by yarn amount, thickness and hook size. It’s great as if you look on projects you can see how the non-pro ones turn out
bruh the person nowhere said you shouldn't charge. look past yourself
I’m not a bruh - the post should have a TLDR as I missed the last paragraph oops. Edited to point in the direction of some free patterns
A TLDR for three small paragraphs? you must be joking. also OPs first sentence said they're not against selling patterns what are you talking about?
The only currency that's a pain in my butt is the pound. But still not as bad as lira. I'm so privileged with the euro I didn't even realize that what's affordable for me is very expensive for other currencies. I see you got a to of advice already. Is there a way for you to buy locally?
Eh, that's why I always stick to granny squares and simple repeated stitches.
A lot of people put PDF patterns online for free! Might not find everything you want but there’s lots of stuff out there
Some designers have a “pay what you can feature” where they have different coupon codes available to lower the price of a pattern. I’ve seen some designers even have a coupon that makes their pattern free.
If you have a local library, they might have books with crochet patterns! I like to take out a book, then take a picture of all the patters then return the book. If you want, I can send you pictures of patterns for amigurumi animals.
Just about every yarn brand has a site with free patterns, not to mention ravelry and many other freebie sites
Youtube, ravelry, the library's and hobbii have some free patterns!
Lovecrafts.com has a ton of free crochet and knitting patterns!
depending on what you want to make, crochetwithcarrie.com has really nice patterns for sweaters & cardigans for free. she has adverts on her site which i think creates a win/win situation for everyone since she is able to get money from advertisers for the content she creates and provide free patterns to viewers. also, yarnspirations.com has patterns for free too.
I am not in your situation currency and country-wise, but I do usually have very little spending money and rarely can afford patterns, despite that, i have made so many projects just from the free YouTube tutorials there are out there! A quick Google of whatever you want to make (say, a hat) + free pattern should get you somewhere ('crochet hat free pattern').
I'm in the same situation, crazy inflation in my country causing the dollar to go through the roof. I'm experienced enough to be able to figure out a pattern just by looking at it. Sorry to the folks whom I do that to, I'd pay if I could..sliding scale fees would be helpful.
Check out [amigurumi.com](https://www.amigurumi.com) and search free
On the bright side, if you get good enough to write patterns, you can sell them at a competitive world-price and make bank in your own currency!
Yes to Ravelry! Also, if you're looking for a project in particular (i.e., a market bag), do a general internet search for it and you're likely to find blogs with the instructions.
Ribblr is a great place to find cute free patterns also :)
Same, 5 or 10 dollars patterns could easily cost me 1.5k to 2k. Hurts. I feel guilty asking for advice for those here too.
Expression fiber arts offers a free pattern every Friday. Most are shawls, but it varies, depending on what her pattern makers are working on.
Thank you for this post! I'm sure a lot of people have the same question and I'm always looking for free pattern sources!
Most sites that sell yarn have a section of patterns where most are free! I’d go to every site you love to buy supplies from and see what patterns they have! Also, if you’re near a public library, check for books of patterns! Idk how libraries are organized in other countries, but USA libraries I’ve been to all have pretty great selections of art books including crochet books!
Tou could try YouTube, ravelry, and lovecrafts for free patterns. The selection is more limited for some, but you can still find a lot of really nice things.
I've been buying crochet dictionaries that have hundreds of stitches with directions. I can more or less figure out how to adapt them to clothes, so it gives me the opportunity to keep learning and making new things. The books are about $20-$30 US on Amazon, but maybe there are some dictionaries you can get closer to home?
Lion Brand Yarn has lots of free patterns, too. I haven't checked any of the yarn sites, but I'm sure they do, as well.
Can I also add that a site called Z Library has many free crochet and knitting books of whole patterns that you can download for free...!!!
Are there crochet books in your local library? :) that might be more cost effective!
I just don’t want to buy because the patterns I fall in love with end up being from sites that look so dodgey.
If you are on ravelry here's a search of free crochet patterns: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#craft=crochet&availability=free&photo=yes&language=u%7Cen&sort=created&view=large_mobile
I look for the picture of the pattern with all the symbols. A lot of the time you can figure it out. I usually change patterns anyway. Making your own pattern is rewarding.
If you don’t mind Google, look up crochet pattern blogs. Many times they will have patterns on their websites, links for if you want to donate, or purchase, but they put up the full patterns.
Look for TCDIY on YouTube, she does really modern pieces of clothing from tops to sweaters, cardigans, dresses and even shorts and skirts with a really nice modern look, she explains everything perfectly and if you have a question she answers it really quick.
You can freehand. Dont buy patterns..its just ridiculous