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How to Make Knitting Patterns and Sell the Patterns Online (Ultimate Guide) -

Jan 19, 2023

 Updated: January 18, 2023

Are you a knitting lover seeking to earn an extra cash? A good option is to market the knitting pattern you have created. If you have the right tools as well as some understanding of how to advertise your knitting craft, you could be able to transform your hobby into a business. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to market knitting patterns and make a profit.

This is a short overview of the topics we'll be covering:

 What's a knit pattern?

An knitting pattern is a set of written instructions on how to knit a particular object. It tells you everything you need to know to create the object: what kind of yarn you will need along with the gauge, additional materials or equipment required and what size(s) of the finished object, and, of course, the yarn to use.

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

Making your first pattern could be a daunting task, but here are the steps to help assist you in making your writing more enjoyable.

 1. Identifying Your Target Audience

Before making or selling patterns of your own it is important to determine the target market. You should think about the people who are attracted to your patterns. What kind of knitter do you want to target novice knitters or skilled knitters? Being aware of who you're targeting will help you create patterns that appeal to your target audience.

It is also possible to make use of market research in order to determine the people you want to target. Take a look at which other knitting patterns are popular and who is purchasing these patterns. This could provide you with an idea of the people you want to target and what type of pattern they're looking for.

 2. Select the Product Type you want to purchase

When you've got a clear concept of the audience you want to target then decide on the type of products you would prefer to develop knitting patterns for. The best beginner-friendly patterns are items like scarves, dishescloths, baby booties, socks, or smaller blankets. If you're developing knitting patterns for more advanced knitters, you may develop patterns for dresses, sweaters and other complex items as well as accessories.

 3. Design Your Own Design

In this point, it's a good idea to start making a sketch of what you want your design will appear as. Start thinking about what types of yarn would you recommend to create your idea along with what methods and stitches are required to complete the design. If you're not confident with your sketching skills, don't worry all you need is to have an idea and rough silhouette, where you could note down any details about the stitching pattern you're planning to use, yarn weight, and so on.

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 mindful of the styles and patterns that can impact the functionality. Cable knits, for instance, might result in thicker knitted clothes and are ideal for winter clothing. Here's a good resource for inspiration on different knit patterns to help you get your creativity going.

 4. Make a Sample Swatch

The creation of a swatch can be the most important thing to do. This is simply creating tiny swatches of knitting according to your preferred yard size in needle size, length, and the pattern of your stitch. This allows you to see your design on a small scale. You can then check that your fabric looks and behaves the way you want it to. It also determine your gauge. This is crucial for the grading process.

Also, you will be able to measure your knitting gauge so that you can ensure your design is precise. In order to do this, make the largest sample (at at least 6" square, although it doesn't have to be rectangular!) with the needles you've chosen for your pattern, remembering to work around if you'll be knitting in the round, and determine how many rows and stitches you've knit for each inch. Check out this article for more detailed guide to how to precisely measure your knitting gauge.

 5. Make the Knitting Pattern's Instructions

There are a variety of free software editors to design knitting patterns. Some of them include Google Docs and Sheets. You can also use an online graphic design software similar to Canva that offers more tools to make your document appear professional and polished. After you've proven yourself to be knitter You may wish to think about investing in other software such as Adobe InDesign, as you're able to create professional document layouts.

When deciding the layout of your pattern document, you'll want to consider what the document is going to be utilized. Think about how you've used knitting patterns in the past Do you view them via a screen, or do you print them? Do you take notes about the patterns? This will impact your layout choices.

It is also advisable to consider accessibility needs here. There's actually a flourishing community of low and blind vision knitters, so think about (for example) how well your document is compatible in conjunction with screen readers. There are guidelines for visually accessible knitting patterns, which you can learn about here.

The next step is to record the knitting directions down. A good knitting pattern typically contains the following parts:

  • Written instructions row by row, or round by round for creating the item
  • A list of abbreviations used and explanation of what each abbreviation means.
  • Charts of any stitch or colorwork pattern, including an important
  • The weight of yarn and how much yarn is required
  • Needle size
  • An overview of additional tools or concepts that are required.
  • Measurements and size of the finished product with a diagram for any item that is complex, or goes on a body
  • Images of the completed product, both with and without a body where appropriate
  • Details about you as the designer
  • Terms of Use

When writing your first pattern, you will make a huge number of decisions about your writing style. Make by creating a Style Guide document and write each choice, from font name and size to whether you begin with a capital letter in the beginning of an arc or round, or not. The Style Guide can be a valuable reference for you and your tech editors (see below) to ensure your patterns are written consistently and customers are aware of 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 a sample of your finished end product.

 6. Design a Test Sample of Your final product

After you've composed some detailed knitting patterns adhere to your own directions to begin working on a example of your final product. Follow your instructions line by line to make sure that you are able to spot any mistakes or missing information.

Don't forget to take lots of photos while knitting because you could incorporate these pictures in your knitting pattern's instructions. They also serve as great posts on social media to build up excitement before your knitting pattern is released! Also, you should take plenty of quality photos of the finished item, showing close-ups of design details and specific techniques, because your target audience would want to view the final product to determine whether they'd want to purchase the knitting patterns.

 7. You can grade your pattern

While some types of products come in a single size, many will need to be graded to multiple different sizes, especially those that are used to the body.

It is recommended to consult an accurate, comprehensive size chartlike this one from the Craft Yarn Council that we suggest for further study. This will help you determine what the size of each piece of your finished piece should be.

There are many online courses available that help you grade your work, if you don't know what to do. Additionally, certain tech editors (see below) also offer a Grading service.

 8. Make Your Knitting Pattern Perfect to be offered for sale

At this stage, you should have written every single instruction needed to make your item. It's now time to get your patterns tech reviewed and checked! The tech editor functions like the copywriting editor but specifically designed for knitting patterns. They typically make sure whether your count of stitches are accurate and correspond with the instructions you've given the charts. They will also ensure that they say the same thing as the written instructions, that the grading adds up, and that your instructions are clear. Simply put, you need to make sure that the instructions you provide are clear and understandable.

Simply put, they will make sure that your instructions are accurate and understandable. Technology editing is an important component of the process. it's almost impossible to modify your own document in a precise manner! You should of course review your document prior to sending it to your editor; there is an excellent pre-tech-edit checklist that you can download here.

The next step is having the pattern knit for a test. This is where you create the initial PDF version of your pattern available for free to volunteer 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 the accuracy of your instructions, to the helpfulness of your photographs.

Once you've determined that your knit pattern is ready for sale, create a final PDF version of the pattern since this is the digital file that you'll distribute to customers.

 How to Market Knitting Patterns Online for Free

There are a variety of alternatives available, from marketplaces online and social media platforms to your own web-based site. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages, so it's important to consider the best one for your business. You may also want to think about listing your designs across various platforms. That said, the easiest and most cost-effective method to market your own patterns online is to create a free online store using .

 1. Start a free online store or website.

Platforms such as these allow you to create a beautiful website where you are able to sell your own knitting patterns. There is no need to fret about purchasing other third-party platform or fees as provides a free all-in-one tool that allows you to launch your pattern online store within minutes!

A few benefits to using this method includes:

  • Generous forever-free platform. Only charges the 5% charge every time you sell which means that if you're just getting started and don't have a lot of clients but, you'll not have to be charged anything.
  • Digital files are instantly delivered to customers. Your customers can make payments through your site and receive your knitting pattern PDF instantly with no involvement from you. It gives you the time to concentrate on other aspects of your business . Yay!
  • If your knitting pattern needs to be changed in the the future, you may use 's Email Updates feature in order to provide an update download link customers
  • Fully-hosted and free domain. 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
  • A simple drag-and-drop website builder that is fully customized to match your branding aesthetics. Design and coding are not required. skills are required
  • Instant payouts through Paypal and Stripe.
  • Automatic collection and remittance from UK & EU VAT
  • Advanced marketing features such as referral program, affiliate program cross-selling, upselling, coupons, email marketing as well as more are accessible on the free plan

It is known for its easy-to-use interface for beginners. Also, it offers many videos that provide guidance to help you ensure your success in setting up your online business.

 2. Create a Knitting List to Sell

Once you've created your own free online store or website  the right information, you can submit your knitting patterns as product listings.

Whatever way you sell your patterns, you'll need provide ample information for the buyer so that they can decide whether your design is right for them. Needles and notions, sizing, and plenty of photos are imperative!

One of the biggest decisions is pricing your pattern. Too low and you undervalue not only your own work, but that of other designers within the field; too high and customers will be put off. You must ensure that the cost precisely reflects the amount of data that you include in your design (as there are differences among designers!). Most likely, you already know what other designers charge for similar patterns However, you should take the time to conduct some investigation.

After your pattern file and the product description are complete, you're now ready to sell!

  1. The process of uploading your knitting pattern's PDF to the listing of products
  2. Set up your knitting pattern product title, description along with the cost
  3. Uploading some pictures as your pictures for the listing of your products
  4. Your product's listing can be published

The whole product upload process is expected to take no more than two minutes.

 3. Promote and Drive Traffic to Your Knitting Pattern Store

The time has come to start advertising your store's patterns. This can include using social media, attending craft fairs and events and advertising on various knitting related websites.

It's also beneficial to create a blog on which you'll be able to post blog that are related to knitting. Blog posts can gain organic search traffic through Google Search Results, resulting in more website traffic to your website.

It is also possible to offer short-term discounts or promotions to encourage people to purchase the patterns. This can be particularly effective in the time of a releases of new patterns.

Try reaching out to knit bloggers and influencers who can review the patterns you have created and to let them know about them. You can also develop a mailing list in order to ensure that your customers are informed about updates to your patterns and special offers. Additionally, you could create a referral program to give customers a reward for referring their acquaintances to your patterns.

Make sure you take advantage of 's free marketing tools including coupon codes, referral program as well as affiliate programs mailer list as well as cross-sell, upgrade discount as well as other. It allows you to create efficient marketing campaigns via your social networks and other platforms.

SELL KNITTING PATTERNS ONLINE

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

 Troubleshooting Common Issues When Selling Knitting Patterns

When selling knitting patterns, there are some common issues you may run into along the way. This includes copyright infringement, receiving negative customer feedback or low sales. Here are some tips to overcome these issues:

  • Make a comprehensive set of terms and conditions for usagewithin the PDF of your knitting patterns. This should include guidelines on what your customers are allowed to do with the knitting patterns you provide e.g. are your patterns free to use for personal purposes only? Do you grant the right to commercial use to customers? Additionally, you can identify your rights to property under the conditions of use section.
  • Responding to customer feedback. One benefit of selling your knitting patterns on your own website (as contrasted to selling through marketplaces like Etsy) is that you are able to enable the ability to review customer reviews only with approval to ensure that you don't get sucked into unfair 1 review ratings. If you receive any negative reviews, you are able to decide to not publish those reviews on your website, but make sure to always reach out to those specific clients to resolve the issue.
  • Provide your knitting pattern for no cost to get feedback. Getting test knitters to try the pattern is a great way to ensure that your design will be suitable for various audiences. The test knitters you choose to use are likely able to provide useful feedback and notes on the pattern that can make your knitting pattern better. You can change your knitting pattern's list to zero or an option of pay-what-you-want.

 FAQ - Creating Your own patterns and selling them online

 Do you have the ability to design your own knitting pattern?

Sure, making your own knitting pattern can be an enjoyable and exciting process. What you must complete for writing a pattern is decide what type of knitted item that you'd like to create Write down the steps on how to make the item, then publish your knitting pattern on the internet for other enthusiasts.

 Are you able to earn profits selling knitting patterns?

 What is the best place to sell knitting patterns online?

 Final Thoughts

When you choose the best platform, pricing strategy, and marketing strategy, you can turn your passion into money. We're hoping that this step-by-step guide will help you start off on the right foot for designing your own knitting.