Where To Find Free Colorful Yarn Patterns Online

December 28 2009, 4:11pm

Suzane Smith sent over the ink to her post 25 Best Places to Find Knitting Patterns Online to share with the community, and we're glad she did. If you like to nod your head to the knitting beat then you might want to check it out. And even if you're a non-knitter there is plenty of color inspiration to be found in the yarns and patterns on these sites. Below is a selection of sites and descriptions picked from her list. You can see the complete list and reviews here. Few online communities are as welcoming and open to beginners as those devoted to the ancient craft of knitting. In order to promote an appreciation and love of the utilitarian art, they provide thousands of free patterns for personal, charitable, and occasionally commercial use. Ranging in skill level from the very basic to the masterful, they all provide an excellent service for those seeking to personally craft their own wardrobe and home, give a highly personal gift, or donate to a beloved charity. Ravelry raverly.com Ravely easily exists as the most bustling knitting community on the internet, where hobbyists and professionals alike gather to share their projects and experiences, show off their yarn stash, and – of course – post knitting and crochet patterns. Every skill level of every possible project imaginable can be found on the 500 pages dedicated solely to completely free instructions. Even more are available directly from the designers for a fee. Smaller special interest groups have sprung up within the larger site as well, making it even easier to look for patterns conforming to highly specific needs and interests. Plenty of color inspiration even for non-knitters, as you can see from the winners of Ravelry's Dye For Glory Competition.

Free Vintage Knitting freevintageknitting.com For knitters interested in selling their wares but weary about the copyright and legality issues associated with patterns, everything featured on Free Vintage Knitting has already passed into the public domain. They are free for commercial use and do not require royalties. As a result, however, all the available patterns are limited to much older fashions. Those seeking something more contemporary would not find much to satisfy their aesthetic.

Knitting-And knitting-and.com A colorful, eclectic site, Knitting-and.com provides dozens of fun, quirky, and creative patterns, stitches, and color charts. Author Sarah Bradberry also hosts a helpful wiki for readers as well as a comprehensive list of charities in Australia who accept knitted and crocheted items for donation.

DROPS Design Link Run by Garn Studios in Norway, DROPS boasts patterns in 10 different languages in addition to selling almost 30 unique varieties of yarn. Most of their featured designs draw their inspiration from diverse sources, though they most frequently blend sensual catwalk fashions with traditional Scandinavian motifs.

Craft Bits craftbits.com Focusing more on a funky, quirky aesthetic, Craftbits.com offers knitters and other creative types the ability to rate their patterns, leave comments, and even enter contests to win supplies. Aside from Ravelry, they seem to carry to best selection of knitted novelties and amigurumi toys, mostly involving some sort of food or treat.

Lion Brand lionbrand.com One of the most trusted purveyors of reasonably priced yarns, Lion Brand offers over 2,000 free patterns featuring their respected products. Their highly specific search criteria allow users to find projects based on skill level, yarn type, and what they are interested in making. Some designs can only be accessed with a free membership.

Knitty knitty.com A free online magazine devoted solely to knitting, patterns sit nestled alongside tips, tricks, and stories. They can be found either by type or by columnist and cover a wide variety of personal styles, from understated classic cardigans to flashy and fun rockabilly skirts. All patterns are ranked with a quirky system lining difficulty levels up with a corresponding degree of spiciness.