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How to Make Knitting Patterns and Sell Them Online [Ultimate Guide] -

Jan 19, 2023

 The last update was January 18, 2023

Are you a knitting enthusiast seeking to earn an extra money? A good option is selling your knitting patterns. With the proper platform and some knowledge of how to promote your craft, you could be able to transform your hobby into a lucrative business. This article will provide the steps needed to market knitting patterns and earn a profit.

Below is a brief list of things we'll cover:

 What is a knitting pattern?

The knitting pattern is a set of written instructions for knitting a particular object. It explains everything you have to know about knitting the product: the type of yarn to choose and the gauge, as well as any additional materials or equipment required, the size(s) of the completed item, and of course the stitches to use.

 How to Create Knitting Patterns: Step-by-step Guide

Making your first pattern could seem like a daunting endeavor But here are easy steps that will simplify the process of writing your first pattern simpler.

 1. Identifying Your Target Audience

Before making the patterns and then selling them, you must determine the target market. You should think about the people who are interested in your patterns. What kind of knitter do you want to target - beginner knitters or experienced knitters? Knowing who you are is going to help you design patterns that will appeal to your audience.

It is also possible to conduct market research to help you identify the target market. Look at what other knitting patterns are in fashion and the people who are buying them. This will help you determine who your target audience is and the kind of patterns they're searching for.

 2. Choose the Type of Product You Want to Buy

After you've got an idea of your target audience determine what kind of products you would prefer to develop knit patterns to. A few great patterns for beginners include things such as scarves, dishcloths, baby booties socks, tiny blankets. If you're developing knitting patterns that are geared towards more advanced knitters, you might develop designs for sweaters, dresses and other complex items as well as accessories.

 3. Sketch Your Design

At this stage, it's an excellent idea to begin creating a sketch sketch of what your desired end product will look as. Start thinking about what types of yarn you'd like to use for your design and what stitches and techniques are required to complete the design. If you're not comfortable with drawing skills, don't worry simply have an idea and sketch an approximate silhouette. You can then sketch out some details of the stitching pattern you're planning to use as well as yarn weight and more.

Be sure to keep your group in mind when you think about your stitching patterns. Do you intend for them to create complex knitting products or do you want your knitting pattern to be doable for an easy knit-while-you-Netflix type of knitting?

When you're making wearable clothes Be aware of designs and methods that may influence the function. For example, cable knits could result in more dense knitted clothes and are suitable for winter sweaters. This is an excellent guide to get ideas on diverse knitting patterns to help you get your imagination flowing.

 4. Make the Sample Swatch

The creation of a swatch can be the most important thing to do. Simply, you need to create a small sample of knitting in your desired yard, needle size, and stitch pattern. This allows you to see your work on a tiny scale, check that your garment looks and performs manner you'd like it to. It also ensures that you have the right gauge, which is crucial for the grading process.

You will also be able to gauge your knitting to make sure your own pattern is correct. In order to do this, make a large sample (at least 6" square, although you don't need to be rectangular!) on the needles that you've picked for your pattern, remembering to swatch around if you'll be knitting in the round. Then, measure how many rows and stitches you've created per inch. See this article for a an in-depth guide for how to precisely determine the knitting gauge.

 5. Make the Knitting Pattern's Instructions

There are many free editors suitable for creating knitting patterns. These include Google Docs and Sheets. You can also use an online graphic design software like Canva, which provides more features to make your documents appear polished and professional. Once you've established yourself as an expert in knitting, you may want to look into purchasing other software such as Adobe InDesign, as you're capable of creating professional document layouts.

In deciding on the format of your pattern's document, you'll want to consider how it will be utilized. Consider how you've used knitting patterns in the past Do you view them on a computer screen or do you print them? Are you able to make notes on them? These things will affect your layout choices.

Also, you might want to think about accessibility requirements in this regard. There's actually a flourishing community of blind and low vision knitters, so think about (for example) how well your document will work in conjunction with screen readers. There are guidelines on visually accessible knitting patterns which you can read about on this page.

The next step is to record your knitting patterns down. An excellent knitting pattern usually has the following elements:

  • Written instructions row-by-row or round by round, to create the item
  • A list of abbreviations employed and an explanation of why each abbreviation means.
  • Charts for every stitch or colorwork pattern, including a key
  • Weight of the yarn as well as the amount of yarn required
  • Size of the needle
  • An overview of other tools or notions needed
  • Size and measurements of the end product, including a schematic for anything complex or which goes on a body
  • Images of the completed piece, both in and out of an appropriate body
  • Details about you as the designer
  • Terms of Use

If you are writing your first design it is likely that you'll have to make a huge number of choices about the style of writing you prefer to use. Make a Style Guide document and write each choice starting from the font's name and size to whether you begin with a capital letter in the beginning of a row or round or not. The Style Guide will become an invaluable guide for both you and your technical Editor (see further below) to ensure that your patterns are consistently written and your customers know exactly what to expect when they purchase from you.

Keep your knitting pattern draft with you in an editable format since you could make more adjustments as you design the final item.

 6. Create a Sample of Your Final Product

Now that you've written somewhat complete knitting patterns Follow your instructions and begin knitting a small prototype of the finished product. It is important to follow your directions line-by-line to make sure that you spot any errors or information that is not there.

Do not forget to take plenty of photos while knitting because you could incorporate these images into your knitting pattern instructions. These also make great content on social media for drumming anticipation for when your pattern comes out! You should also take lots images of high-quality photos of your finished product, showing close-ups of design details and specific techniques, because your intended audience will want to see the finished product in order to decide whether or not they would like to buy the knitting patterns.

 7. Grade Your Pattern

Though some kinds of product have a standard size, the majority will have to be graded in sizes, specifically items that go onto a body.

There is a need to reference an accurate, comprehensive scale chart such as those of the Craft Yarn Council that we recommend for further reading. This will help you determine what the size of each piece of the finished item will need to be.

There are a variety of online courses available that help you grade your work, even if you're not certain what to do. Alternatively, some tech editors (see below) provide a grading service.

 8. Start knitting your pattern to be offered for sale

In this point, you should have written all the necessary instructions to make your product. The next step is to have your patterns tech reviewed and test! A tech editor is like the copywriting editor but specifically designed for knitting patterns. The tech editor will usually check to see that your stitch counts are exact and align with the instructions you've given, that your charts say exactly the same things as your written instructions, that your grades are consistent and that your directions are clearly written. It is essential be sure that the instructions you provide are clear and understandable.

They will ensure that the instructions you provide are clear and made sense. Editing your tech documents is an essential element of the process, as it's nearly impossible to edit your own document in a precise manner! It is essential to review the work before submitting it to the editor. you can find a fantastic pre-tech-edit checklist that you can download here.

The next step is to have your knitting pattern tested. This is when you make the initial PDF version of the pattern available at no cost to knitters, who will knit it and provide feedback. Testing knitting is an excellent method to receive feedback from knitters on everything from the clarity and accuracy of your instructions and the quality of your images.

When you've established the knitting pattern ready for sale, create a final PDF version of your knitting pattern. This is the file you will digitally you'll distribute to your clients.

 How to Market Knitting Patterns Online for Free

There's an array of options available, from marketplaces online and social media platforms, to your own website. Each platform has its unique advantages and disadvantages so it's important to consider which is the most suitable for your particular business. It is also possible to look into listing your patterns across multiple platforms. That said, the easiest and most cost-effective way to sell your own patterns online is to create an online store that is free to use .

 1. Start a free online store or website.

Platforms like allow you to build a stunning website that you can sell your own knitting patterns from. There is no need to fret about the cost of other third-party platform or fees as they provide a completely free tool that lets you start your online store for patterns in just a few minutes!

Some benefits of using includes:

  • The free platform is a great one. It only requires a 5% fee every time you sell and, therefore, if you're only beginning out and haven't got a large number of customers but, you'll not have to be charged anything.
  • Instant delivery of digital files to customers. This allows your customers to make a payment on your website and get your knitting pattern PDF instantly without having to be involved. This allows you to have more time to focus on other areas of your business . Yay!
  • If the knitting pattern you are using is updated in future, make use of's Email Updates feature in order to provide an update download link customers
  • A fully hosted domain for free. You'll get a free website/online store with the following customizable store name .com/[yourcustomstorenamehere]. You can also add to a customized domain e.g. janesmithknitting.com if you'd like to
  • Simple drag and drop website builder that can be fully customized to match your branding aesthetics. Design and coding are not required. abilities required
  • Instant cash outs via Paypal and Stripe.
  • Automatic collection and transfer of UK & EU VAT
  • Advanced marketing features such as the referral system, affiliate programs cross-selling, upselling, coupon codes, marketing via email, and more are all available on the free plan

The company is recognized for its beginner-friendly and intuitive user interface. Also, it offers many videos that provide guidance to help you ensure the success of creating your own online business.

 2. Make a list of your knitting patterns for Sale

After you've set up your own free online store or website  your knitting pattern, now is the time to upload your knitting pattern as a product listing.

If you decide to offer your patterns, you'll have to provide plenty of information to the customer so they can decide whether or not your pattern is right for them. Needles and ideas, sizes and lots of photographs are essential!

The most crucial decisions is pricing your pattern. If you set it too low, you'll be undervaluing not only your design and that of others within the field; too excessive and potential customers could be put off. It's important that your price precisely reflects the amount of details contained in your pattern (as the amount of information varies among designers!). Most likely, you already know what other designers charge for similar patterns however, it's worth taking your time and do some research.

When your pattern file is complete as well as its listing of products is completed, you're prepared to go on sale!

  1. The process of uploading your knitting pattern's PDF on the product listing
  2. Making your knitting patterns the title, description of your product along with the cost
  3. You can upload a few photos as pictures for the listing of your products
  4. Listing your products on the internet

The whole product upload process will take less than 2 minutes.

 3. Promote and Drive Traffic to Your Knitting Pattern Store

The time has come to start marketing your pattern store. This can include using platforms like social media, participating in craft fairs and events as well as advertising on other knitting related websites.

It's also an excellent idea to establish a blog where you'll be able to post blog related to knitting. The blog posts will receive organic traffic from Google Search Results, resulting in more website traffic to your site.

It is also possible to offer promotional discounts for a short period in order to get people to buy your patterns. This is particularly beneficial during releases of new patterns.

Consider reaching out to knitting bloggers or influencers to read your patterns , and then send them to their followers. You can also make a mailing list that will ensure that your customers are informed about new patterns and promotions. Additionally, you could set up a referral program that will reward customers who refer their acquaintances to your designs.

Take advantage of 's free marketing tools like coupons, referral systems, affiliate program including mailing lists, cross-sell, upgrade discount, and more. This lets you launch successful marketing campaigns through your social networks and other platforms.

SELL KNITTING PATTERNS ONLINE

Join more than 130,000 sellers that have created their online businesses with

 Troubleshooting the Common Problems While selling Knitting Patterns

When selling knitting patterns, there are some typical issues that you might face during the process. These include copyright infringement as well as receiving bad feedback from customers or poor sales. This is why we have a few strategies to get rid of these problems:

  • Create comprehensive terms of usewithin the knitting pattern's PDF. It should also include guidelines about what your customers are allowed to do with the knitting patterns you provide e.g. is your pattern free for personal use only? Or are you also giving commercial rights to your clients? You'll also be able to establish your property rights in the conditions of use section.
  • Reacting to feedback from customers. One advantage of selling your knitting patterns on your own site (as contrasted to selling through marketplaces such as Etsy) is that you have the option of enabling an approval-only customer review feature to make sure you do not fall victim to unfair 1 star reviews. If you receive any negative reviews, you are able to choose not to publish the reviews on your site, nevertheless, make sure you contact those particular customers to reach a resolution.
  • You can offer your knitting patterns free to obtain comments. Test knitters who will try the pattern is a great way to ensure that your design will be suitable for different types of people. Your test knitters are most likely to offer valuable pattern notes and feedback which can help make your knitting pattern better. On , you can easily modify your knitting pattern listing to $0 or to the pay-what you-want price.

 FAQ: Creating Your Own Patterns & Selling the Designs online

 You can create your own knitting patterns?

Yes, creating your own knitting patterns can be a fun and creative experience. All you have to do for pattern writing is to decide on the kind of item you'd like to make, write down the instructions for making the pattern, and then post your knitting pattern on the internet for other fans.

 Are you able to earn profit selling patterns for knitting?

 Where can you buy knitting patterns on the internet?

 Final Thoughts

If you have the proper technology, pricing strategy and marketing plan You can convert your love of knitting into a profit. We hope that following this step-by-step guide will help you begin with the correct footing to design your own knitting.