How to Make Knitting Patterns & Sell them online [Full Guide] -

Jan 19, 2023

 Last updated: January 18, 2023

Are you a knitting enthusiast looking to make some extra cash? Another option is selling knit patterns. If you have the right tools and some knowledge of how to promote your craft, you could be able to transform your hobby into a business. This post will give you the steps needed to make knitting patterns available for sale to make money.

Below is a brief outline of what we'll discuss:

 What is a knitting pattern?

An knitting pattern is a set of written instructions for knitting an product. It tells you everything you need to know to create the object: what kind of yarn you will need along with the gauge, other materials or special tools required as well as how to make the size(s) of the finished product, and then the stitch to be used.

 How to make knitting patterns: A Step-by-Step Instruction

Creating your first pattern can seem like a daunting endeavor But here are steps to help assist you in making your writing more enjoyable.

 1. Recognizing Your Ideal Audience

Before making and selling your own patterns you must determine the target market. Think about who would be interested in your patterns. Which type of knitter do you want to target - beginner knitters or experienced knitters? Knowing who you are is going to help you design designs that are appealing to your audience.

Additionally, you can conduct market research to help you identify the people you want to target. Take a look at which other knitting patterns are in fashion and who is buying these patterns. This will help you determine who your target audience is and what type of pattern they're looking for.

 2. Decide on Your Product Type

Once you have a better understanding of who you are targeting then decide on the type of product you'd want to design knitting designs for. Some great beginner-friendly patterns include items like scarves, dishescloths, baby booties and socks, as well as smaller blankets. If you're designing knitting patterns that are geared towards more advanced knitters, then you could have the ability to design patterns for dresses, sweaters as well as other complicated items as well as accessories.

 3. Sketch Your Design

In this point, it's an excellent idea to begin creating a sketch sketch of what you want your final product should look like. Start thinking about what types of yarn would you recommend to create your idea along with what methods and stitches would be needed to create your design. If you're not comfortable with drawing skills, don't worry all you need is to have a basic concept and approximate silhouette where you can note down any details about the patterns you intend to stitch the yarn's weight and more.

Remember to keep your target viewers in mind while thinking of your stitching designs. 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?

If you're designing wearable clothing, be mindful of the styles and patterns that can influence the function. For example, cable knits could result in more dense knitted garments and are more ideal for winter clothing. Here's a good guide to get ideas on different knitting patterns to help you get your creative juices going.

 4. Make an Sample Swatch

Creating a swatch is an important step. This is simply creating an swatch of knit according to your preferred yard size in needle size, length, and the pattern of your stitch. It allows you to view your work on a tiny scale. You can then check that your material appears and behaves how you would like it to, and determine your gauge. This is vital for grading.

You will also be able to measure your knitting gauge in order to ensure that your design is precise. In order to do this, make the largest test (at least 6" square, although you don't need to be a square!) with the needles you've chosen for your pattern, remembering to work in the round , if you'll be knitting in the round. Then, take a count of the number of stitches and rows you've made for each inch. Check out this article for an in-depth guide for how to precisely measure your knitting gauge.

 5. Create your Knitting Pattern Instructions

There are a variety of free editors that can be used to create knitting patterns, such as Google Docs and Sheets. There is also a free online graphic design program similar to Canva that offers more tools to make your document look polished and professional. When you've established yourself as knitter, you may want to think about investing in other software such as Adobe InDesign, as you're in a position to design professional document layouts.

If you're deciding the layout for the pattern it is important to take into consideration how the document will be used. Think about how you've used knitting patterns previously: do you read them via a screen, or even print them? Do you take notes about the patterns? These things will affect your layout choices.

It is also advisable to consider accessibility needs for accessibility here. There's actually a flourishing group of visually impaired and blind vision knitters. Think about (for example) how well your document will work in conjunction with screen readers. There are guidelines to make visually accessible knitting patterns, that you can find on this page.

It's now time to write your knitting instructions down. A good knitting pattern typically includes the following components:

  • Written instructions row by row, or round by round, to create the item
  • An abbreviation list that are used, along with an explanation of what each means.
  • Charts of any stitch pattern , colorwork or design with the key
  • The weight of yarn and how much yarn will be needed
  • Size of the needle
  • An overview of other concepts or tools that may be required
  • Dimensions and dimensions of the end product, which includes a sketch of anything complicated or that can be found on the body of a vehicle
  • Images of the completed piece, both in and out of a body where appropriate
  • Your information about yourself as the designer
  • Terms of Use

In writing your first pattern it is likely that you'll have to make many decisions about your writing style. Create a Style Guide document and write the details of every decision you make starting from the font's name and size to whether you make a capitalization of the first instruction in a row or round or not. The Style Guide is a great source for you as well as your technical editor (see below) to make sure that your patterns are consistently written and your customers know exactly what to expect when they purchase from your.

Maintain your knitting pattern draft with you in an editable format so that you can make additional changes as you create a sample of your finished product.

 6. Design a Test Sample of Your final product

Once you've written some detailed knitting patterns adhere to your own directions and begin knitting a small example of your final item. It is important to follow the instructions step-by-step to ensure that you can spot any errors or information that is not there.

Do not forget to take plenty of pictures when you're knitting so that you can incorporate the images in your knitting pattern's instructions. They also serve as great content on social media for drumming anticipation before the patterns are released! Also, you should take plenty of high-quality pictures of the finished item, showing close-ups of design details and techniques that are unique, since the people you are targeting would like to look at the product to determine whether or not they would be interested in purchasing the knitting patterns.

 7. Grade Your Pattern

Although some product types are available in one size, many of them will have to be graded according to sizes, particularly anything that goes onto the body.

You'll need to refer to an appropriate, complete size chartlike these ones provided by the Craft Yarn Council that we would recommend to read further. This can help you determine what the size of each piece of your finished piece will need to be.

There are many online courses that will help you grade your work, in case you're not sure how to. In addition, certain editors in the field (see below) also offer a Grading service.

 8. Get Your Knitting Pattern Ready for the Sale

At this stage at this point, you must have composed every single instruction needed to make your item. The next step is to have your patterns tech reviewed and tested! A tech editor is like an editor for copywriting, however it is designed specifically designed for knitting patterns. The tech editor will usually check to see to ensure that the count of your stitches is correct and correlate with your instructions, that your charts say similar things to your written directions, that your grading adds up, and that your directions are clearly written. It is essential ensure your directions are simple to follow.

In simple terms, they'll make sure that your instructions are clear and made sense. Tech editing is a vital part of the process - you're almost unable to edit your work precisely! It is essential to review the work before submitting it to your editor; There is a great pre-tech edit checklist that you can download here.

The next step is to have your knitting pattern tested. It is the time to make the initial PDF version of your pattern available for free to volunteer knitters, who will knit the pattern and give feedback. Testing knitting is an excellent method to receive feedback from real knitters regarding everything from the clarity and accuracy of your instructions and the quality of your images.

Once you've determined that your knit pattern is available for sale, you can create the final PDF file of your pattern as this is the digital file that you'll give to customers.

 How to Sell Knitting Patterns Online for Free

There's a myriad of alternatives available, from marketplaces online and social media platforms, to your own website. Each has their advantages and disadvantages, therefore it is important to determine which one is best for your business. Also, you might want to think about listing your designs across various platforms. The simplest and most cost-effective way to sell your own patterns is to set up an online store for free using .

 1. Make a website or store online for free.

Platforms such as these allow you to build a stunning website that you sell your personal knitting patterns. There is no need to fret about paying for any third-party platforms or expenses as the tool is free which lets you launch the online store of your patterns within just a few minutes!

Some benefits of using includes:

  • The free platform is a great one. It only requires the 5% charge for each sale you make and, therefore, if you're only starting out and don't have a lot of buyers at the moment, you don't need to pay anything.
  • Digital files are instantly delivered to your clients. Customers can make a payment on your website and get instant access to your knitting pattern without your involvement. This gives you more time to focus on other areas of your business . Yay!
  • If your knitting pattern needs to be changed in the the future, you may utilize the Email Updates feature to email an update download link clients
  • Free fully-hosted 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 can be fully personalized to fit your brand's style. No coding skills or design skills required
  • Instant payouts through Paypal and Stripe
  • Automatic collection and remittance for VAT of UK & EU VAT
  • Innovative marketing options like referral program, affiliate program cross-selling, upselling coupon codes, email marketing and many more are included in the no-cost plan.

It is known for its beginner-friendly and intuitive user interface. also provides a lot of instructional videos to guarantee you're successful in creating your own online business.

 2. Create a Knitting List to Sell

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

If you decide to offer your patterns, you'll have provide ample information to your customer in order that they'll be able to determine which pattern is right for them. Needles and ideas, sizes and lots of photographs are a must!

The most crucial choices is the price you charge your design. Low and you'll undervalue not just your work but that of other designers working in the same field. Too excessive and potential customers could be dissuaded. It's important that your price is accurate and accurately represents the quantity of details included in your pattern (as the amount of information varies between designers!). Most likely, you already be aware of the amount other designers charge for similar patterns however, it's worth taking the time to do some research.

When your pattern file is complete and its product listing are complete, you're now ready to sell!

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

The entire process of uploading a product should take less than 2 minutes.

 3. Encourage and drive traffic to Your Knitting Pattern Store

The time has come to start advertising your store's patterns. This could include using platforms like social media, participating in trade shows and other events as well as advertising on other knitting related websites.

It's also an excellent idea to start a blog so that you are able to publish blog posts content relating to knitting. The blog posts will receive organic traffic from Google Search Results, resulting in increased traffic on your website.

It is also possible to offer special discounts and promotions that are short-term for people to purchase your patterns. This is particularly beneficial during new pattern release.

You might want to reach out to knitting influencers or bloggers to review the patterns you have created and to let them know about them. In addition, you could create a mailing list to keep your customers informed of updates to your patterns and special offers. Finally, you can set up a referral program that will give customers a reward for referring their friends to your designs.

Make sure you take benefit of its free tools for marketing like coupon codes, referral program as well as affiliate programs, mailing list and cross-sells, upgrade discounts, and more. This lets you launch effective marketing campaigns on your social channels and on other sites.

SELL KNITTING PATTERNS FOR ONLINE

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 Troubleshooting the Common Problems While Making Knitting Patterns for Sale

In selling knitting patterns there are a few frequent issues you could face along the way. They include copyright infringements and receiving feedback from customers who have negative experiences, and poor sales. This is why we have a few tips to overcome these issues:

  • Develop a complete set of terms for usagewithin your knitting pattern PDF. These should contain guidelines for the ways your customers interact with your knitting patterns e.g. are your patterns free to use for personal purposes only? Do you grant commercial rights to your clients? It is also possible to define your rights as property in the terms of use section.
  • Reacting to feedback from customers. One of the benefits selling knitting patterns from your own website (as as compared to selling them on marketplaces like Etsy) is that you have the option of enabling an approval-only customer review feature to ensure that you don't be a victim of unfair one star reviews. If you do receive negative feedback, you may opt not to post those reviews on your website, however, you must contact those particular clients to resolve the issue.
  • Offer your knitting patterns for gratis to receive feedback. Asking test knitters to test the pattern can be a good way to ensure that your design will be suitable for different types of people. Test knitters are likely able to provide useful feedback and notes on the pattern that can enhance your knitting patterns. With a single click, you are able to modify your knitting pattern listing to $0 or to the pay-what you-want price.

 FAQ - Making Your own patterns and selling the Designs online

 Can you create your own knitting patterns?

Yes, creating your own knitting patterns can be an exciting and enjoyable adventure. All you have to do for pattern writing is decide what sort of knitting item you'd like to make Write down the steps for making the item, then publish your knitting pattern on the internet for other enthusiasts.

 Are you able to earn money selling knitting patterns?

 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 passion into money. We're hoping that this step-by-step tutorial will allow you to get started on the right foot to design your own knitting.