Knitting for Free

Knitting is an expensive hobby. Even after the one time expense of needles and accessories, each project requires yarn. Even if you use inexpensive yarn, a large project like a sweater or afghan gets expensive fast. While you cannot escape the cost of yarn, you can control what you spend on your patterns.

So where can you find free knitting patterns? This lens will provide your with resources to find free knitting patterns. These knitting pattern directories vary in the number of patterns and how they organize the patterns they offer. Hopefully after reading this you will be able to go and find the perfect pattern for your next knitting project.

Make sure to check out the Mini Sweaters Free Pattern!

Free Patterns provided by me!

That's right, I am a source of free knitting pattens! I have been designing and publishing free knitting patterns for the past few years. You can find charts with interesting designs, knit toys (a lot of insects), Christmas Stockings, Hats and much more. There are a lot of science related knitting patterns, too.

I also have done multiple Pattern Searches where I search all of the resouces below (and google) for free knitting patterns on a very specific category. (Example: My search for ear flap hats)

Many bloggers design knitting patterns and offer them for free. You will find that many of the directories below will take you back to a personal blog.

Knitting Pattern Central is an online directory of free knitting patterns. This is one of the most comprehensive knitting pattern directories available. With dozens of categories, they link to every free pattern that they can find. This is usually one of the first places I go when I am searching for a particular pattern.

Knitty offers some of the most fantastic free knitting patterns available on the whole internet. They select among the best up and coming knitting designers and feature free patterns in seasonal issues. You know that you will find quality designs and patterns when you visit a pattern at Knitty.

You can subscribe to receive a free knitting pattern of the day from the Daily Knitter. In addition to a fantastic pattern of they day, they have a directory of free patterns in some fairly general categories. It is not the easiest directory to search, but most of the patterns that they link to are fantastic.

All Free Knitting is a knitting directory that includes photos of the patterns. (They are fantastic and asked permission before they used my photos. I will always allow someone to use a photo of my finished project if they are going to promote my free pattern!)

It is not as easy to see a huge comprehensive list of free patterns in a category at All Free Knitting, but their site is otherwise user friendly. They keep track of the most popular patterns of the day, so you can see what patterns other people are currently interested in. Through their site, you can save the patterns you like so then you can come back to them later. They do not host the patterns themselves, but link out to them.

Also offers free crochet patterns

Craft Freely is another directory that assembles as many free knitting patterns as they can find. When you look at categories, they list how many patterns they have in each category. (As of 12/3/2010 they link to 903 sock patterns.)

Knitting Help offers thumbnails of the free patterns that they link to. They are working towards a site update (as of contact with the owner in Nov, 2010).

When you are at a craft store, you will notice that many balls of yarn will offer free patterns on the inside label. Occasionally these patterns can be found on a pad of paper than you can take for free. Many of these yarn companies offer free patterns on their websites. To view these patterns, you may need to create a free account, but you will not have to purchase any yarn!

Companies that offer free patterns:

Lion Brand Yarn

KnitPicks

Berroco

Libraries and fantastic, and underused, sources of free knitting patterns. It is never fun to purchase a knitting book for one pattern that you want to make. A solution? Borrow the book from your local library! Since most libraries have their catalogs online, you can search and request the book before you even head into the library. This is also helpful so you can test out a book and see if there are enough patterns in the book that would make it useful to own.

I spend a lot of time in the knitting section of the Cambridge Public Library. If I see a pattern that I want to make, I will make a photocopy of the pattern. (I like to write notes on a pattern as I make it, I tend to photocopy my own books, too.)