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How to Make Knitting Patterns and Sell them online [Ultimate guide] -

Jan 19, 2023

 The last update was 18 January 2023

Are you a knitter seeking to earn an extra income? One option to consider is to sell knit patterns. With the proper platform as well as some understanding of how to advertise your knitting job, you could turn your passion into a profitable business. This post will give you the steps needed to make knitting patterns available for sale and earn a profit.

Here's a quick outline of what we'll discuss:

 What's a knit pattern?

The knitting pattern is a set of written instructions about how to knit an product. The pattern will explain all you require to know in order to knit the item: what type of yarn to choose and the gauge, as well as any additional materials or tools needed and what size(s) of the completed object, and, of course, the yarn to use.

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

The process of creating your first design can be a daunting task, but here are the easy steps that will assist you in making your writing easier.

 1. Identifying Your Target Audience

Before you start making or selling patterns of your own it is important to determine your target audience. You should think about the people who are most interested in your designs. Which type of knitter do you want to target novice knitters or skilled knitters? Knowing who you are trying to reach will allow you to create patterns that will appeal to the people you are targeting.

You can also use market research to help you identify the target market. Check out what knitting patterns are in fashion and also who's purchasing the patterns. This will give you an idea of who your target audience is and the kind of pattern they're looking for.

 2. Choose the Type of Product You Want to Buy

After you've got an concept of the audience you want to target, decide what type of products you would like to create knitting patterns for. Some great beginner-friendly patterns include accessories like scarves dishcloths, baby booties and socks, as well as smaller blankets. If you're developing knitting patterns for more advanced knitters, you might be able to create designs for dresses, sweaters, or other more complicated clothes as well as accessories.

 3. Design Your Own Design

In this point, it's a good idea to start creating a sketch sketch of what your desired end product will look as. Begin to think about which types of yarns you'd recommend to create your idea, as well as which stitches and techniques are required to complete your design. If you're not sure about your sketching skills Don't fret, you just need to be able to create a basic concept and approximate silhouette where you can sketch out some details of the stitching pattern you're planning to use as well as yarn weight and much more.

Remember to keep your target viewers in mind while thinking about the stitching patterns you choose to use. 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 aware of styles and patterns that can impact the functionality. Cable knits, for instance, could result in more dense knits, and they are appropriate for winter wear. Here's a good resource for inspiration on various knit patterns to help you get your creative juices going.

 4. Knit the Sample Swatch

Creating a swatch is the most important thing to do. It simply involves creating an swatch of knit with your desired yard, needle size, and the pattern of your stitch. This allows you to see the design in a smaller scale, check that your fabric looks and behaves the manner you'd like it to. Also, it determine your gauge. This is essential for grade.

You will also be able to gauge your knitting so that you can ensure your pattern is correct. To do this, knit a large size sample (at least 6" square, though it doesn't have to be square!) using the needles you've selected to knit your design, making sure to knit in the round if you'll work in the round. Then, take a count of the number of rows and stitches you've created for each inch. Check out this article for further details on how to accurately determine the knit gauge.

 5. Make Your Knitting Pattern Instructions

There are many free software editors to design knitting patterns. Some of them include Google Docs and Sheets. You can also use the free graphic design online software like Canva and offers additional options to help your documents appear professional and polished. When you've established yourself as an expert in knitting, 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.

When deciding the layout of the pattern You'll need to think about how the document will be used. Take a look at how you've utilized knitting patterns before and how you used them: did you use them to read on a screen, or print them out? Do you take notes about them? This will impact the layout you choose to design.

You may also want to consider accessibility needs for accessibility here. There's actually a flourishing group of visually impaired and blind vision knitters, so think about (for example) the way your work will work in conjunction with screen readers. There are guidelines to make knit patterns that are visually accessible, which you can learn about 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, for creating the item
  • An abbreviation list that are used, along with an explanation of what each abbreviation means.
  • Charts of any stitch or colorwork pattern, including a key
  • The weight of yarn and how much yarn will be required
  • Size of the needle
  • A list of any additional tools or concepts that are required.
  • Measurements and size of the final product including a schematic of anything complicated or that is a part of a body
  • Images of the completed product, both in and out of an appropriate body
  • Information about you as the designer
  • Terms of Use

In writing your first pattern it is likely that you'll have to make a huge number of choices about the style of writing you prefer to use. Make by creating a Style Guide document and write each choice including font names and size to whether you make a capitalization of the first instruction in an arc or round, or not. The Style Guide can be a valuable source for you as well as your technical editors (see further below) to ensure your patterns are consistently written and that your clients know what to expect when buying from your.

Maintain your knitting pattern draft in an editable format, since you could make more modifications as you build a sample of your finished product.

 6. Create a Sample of Your Finished Product

Once you've written some complete knitting patterns, follow your own instructions to begin working on a sample of your finished product. You will need to follow the instructions step-by-step in order to ensure you spot any errors or information missing.

Don't forget to take lots of pictures when you're knitting as you can incorporate those images in your knitting pattern's instructions. Also, they make excellent social media content for building up excitement before your pattern comes out! It is also important to take lots of high-quality pictures of your completed product showing close-ups of design details and techniques that are unique, since your intended audience will want to view the final product to determine the quality of it and whether they'd be interested in purchasing knitting patterns.

 7. Grade Your Pattern

Though some kinds of product are available in one size, the majority will have to be graded in sizes, particularly those that are used on a body.

You'll need to refer to a reputable, inclusive size chartlike these ones from the Craft Yarn Council that we recommend for further reading. This can help you determine what the size of each piece of the finished item will need to be.

There are a variety of online classes that can help you grade your work, if you don't know how to. Additionally, certain tech editors (see below) also provide grade-giving service.

 8. Get Your Knitting Pattern Ready to be offered for sale

At this stage it is expected that you have written all the necessary instructions for the creation of your final product. It's now time to get your patterns tech reviewed and tested! Tech editors are similar to an editor for copywriting, however it is designed specifically designed for knitting patterns. They will typically check that your stitch counts are exact and align with your instructions the charts. They will also ensure that they say exactly the same things as your written instructions, that your grades are consistent and that your directions are clearly written. It is essential to make sure that the instructions you provide are clear and understandable.

Simply put, they will assure you that your instructions are clear and made sense. Technology editing is an important component of the process. you're almost unable to modify your own document in a precise manner! The document should be reviewed the document before sending the document to an editor. there is an excellent pre-tech-edit checklist that you can download here.

The next step is to have the pattern knit for a test. It is the time to make your first version of the pattern available for free to volunteer knitters, who knit it and provide feedback. Test knitting is a wonderful opportunity to obtain feedback from knitters on all aspects of the pattern, from clarity to accuracy of your instructions as well as the usefulness of your photographs.

When you've established the knitting pattern suitable for sale, design an official PDF copy of your pattern as this is the electronic file you will deliver to your customers.

 How to Sell Knitting Patterns Online for Free

There's an array of alternatives available, including online marketplaces, social media platforms, to your own website. Each has their own benefits and drawbacks, which is why it's crucial to decide which is the most suitable for your business. It is also possible to consider listing your patterns on multiple platforms. The simplest and most affordable option to sell your patterns on the internet is to establish a free online store using .

 1. Make a website or store online for free.

Platforms such as these allow you to build a stunning website that you are able to sell your own knitting patterns. It is not necessary to think about the cost of other third-party platform or fees as the tool is free that allows you to launch your pattern online store within minutes!

Some benefits of using are:

  • Generous forever-free platform. It only requires a 5% fee when you make a sale, so if you're just beginning out and haven't got a large number of customers at the moment, you don't need to be charged anything.
  • Digital files are instantly delivered to your clients. Your customers can pay through your site and receive instant access to your knitting pattern without having to be involved. This allows you to have the time to concentrate on other aspects of your business - yay!
  • If the knitting pattern you are using is updated in the future, you may make use of's Email Updates feature in order to provide the latest download links to customers
  • A fully hosted domain for free. You'll get a free website/online store with the following customizable store name .com/[yourcustomstorenamehere]. But you can also connect a custom domain e.g. janesmithknitting.com if you'd like to
  • A simple drag-and-drop website creator that can be completely customizable to reflect your branding style. No coding skills or design abilities required
  • Instant cash outs via Paypal and Stripe.
  • Automatic collection and remittance of UK & EU VAT
  • Innovative marketing options like referral system, affiliate program cross-selling, upselling coupon codes, email marketing, and more are all available on the free plan

is well-known for having a easy to use and user-friendly interface. It also offers a variety of guided video tutorials to ensure your success in setting up your online business.

 2. Make a list of your knitting patterns for Sale

After you've set up your online store/website for free  your knitting pattern, now is the time to add your knitting pattern to a product listing.

If you decide to offer your patterns, it is essential to provide plenty of information for the buyer so that they'll be able to determine which pattern is suitable for them. Needles and concepts, proper sizing as well as plenty of pictures are essential!

One of the most important options is determining the cost of your pattern. Low and you'll undervalue not only your own work, and that of others in the industry; too expensive and your customers are dissuaded. It's crucial that the price accurately reflects the amount of data that you include in your design (as the amount of information varies from designer to designer!). You'll probably already have an idea of what other designers are charging for similar patterns, but take the time to conduct some investigation.

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

  1. You can upload your knitting patterns 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 product listing photos
  4. Your product's listing can be published

The entire process of uploading a product is expected to take no more than two 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 the internet, going to trade shows and other events and advertising on various knitting-related websites.

It's also a good idea to start a blog so that you'll be able to post blog content relating to knitting. Your blog post will gain organic traffic from Google Search Results, resulting in more visitors to your site.

Consider offering special discounts and promotions that are short-term to encourage people to purchase your patterns. This is particularly beneficial during releases of new patterns.

Consider reaching out to knitting bloggers or influencers to read your patterns and share them with their followers. In addition, you could make a mailing list that will inform your customers about new patterns and promotions. You can also make a referral system to encourage customers to refer customers to your designs.

Make sure you take benefit of 's free marketing tools like coupon codes, referral program and affiliate program mailer list and cross-sells, upgrade discounts as well as other. It allows you to create successful marketing campaigns through your social channels and on other sites.

SELL KNITTING PATTERNS FOR ONLINE

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 Troubleshooting the Common Problems While selling Knitting Patterns

In selling knitting patterns there are some typical issues that you might run into in the course of your business. This includes copyright infringement as well as receiving bad feedback from customers, 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. It should also include guidelines about the ways your customers interact 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 identify your rights to property under the conditions of use section.
  • Responding to customer feedback. One of the benefits selling knitting patterns on your own site (as as compared to selling them on 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 fall victim to unfair 1 star reviews. If you do receive negative feedback, you may decide to not publish those reviews on your site, nevertheless, make sure you contact those particular customers to reach a resolution.
  • You can offer your knitting patterns gratis to receive feedback. Asking test knitters to test the pattern out can be a good way to ensure that your pattern is optimized to appeal to a variety of audiences. Test knitters are likely to be able to give helpful notes about the pattern and provide feedback that can enhance your knitting patterns. With a single click, you are able to modify your knitting pattern price to $0 or the pay-what you-want price.

 FAQ - Making your own patterns and then selling the Designs online

 Can you create your own knitting pattern?

Sure, making your own knitting patterns can be an exciting and enjoyable process. What you must write a pattern for is to decide on the type of knitted item that you'd like to create, write down the instructions about how you can make it, and publish your knitting pattern on the internet for other fans.

 Do you earn profit selling patterns for knitting?

 Where can you sell knitting patterns on the internet?

 Final Ideas

If you have the proper technology, pricing strategy and marketing plan it is possible to turn your passion into profit. We're hoping that this step-by-step tutorial will allow you to begin on the right foot for designing your own knitting.