Patterns, patterns and more patterns!

I do like to browse yarn stores looking at the yarns and pattern books. The patterns are very expensive, and come mainly in just one pattern in a leaflet now, compared to the old books  I used to have which were chock full of patterns. All things change!  I will have a look at the used book sale here next month to see if I can find a few of the old pattern books. I was lucky last year to find a Jean Greenhowe book there for the bargain basement price of $1.50. I had been looking for one of her books for several months without success. More about the things I made thanks to this book in another post! If you have thrift stores near you, that is a good place to have a look for old pattern books as well.

The big yarn companies all have some free patterns on their web sites, and I have taken advantage of some of them.
Lion Brand patterns

Paton's Patterns

Bernat Patterns


And there are sites made by people who just enjoy the hobby and create and share their own patterns. This is one that I especially enjoy, and it has been the inspiration for many of my projects. They do send emails often, but I imagine you could opt out of receiving them when you join the site if you do not like to get a lot of mail. I enjoy seeing what the latest projects are, myself!  There are hundreds of patterns here for almost anything you might want to create. A small caution, the patterns are not written by professionals, and sometimes you have to use your own knowledge to sort through and discover what it is you should be doing. But that is part of the joy of creating, isn't it?

AllFreeKnitting pattern site

This is another site full of patterns, not just for knitting but for many crafts. They only send 1 email a week or so, and I believe you have to register to view the patterns. I have also found some interesting ideas browsing here.

Craftsy pattern site

It is fun to look through and see what others have made, and to get inspiration for yourself along the way. The patterns range from beginner to advanced, so you should be able to find something there that strikes your fancy. I hope that you have fun looking through the sites!