The web presents an exciting source of knitting patterns, ranging from the cutting edge modern designs through to vintage patterns which have been digitally archived and freely available in the public domain for access today.
The first name to know when you are looking round the web for free patterns is the free knitting pattern directory, knittingpatterncentral.com. This is ‘the’ place to come for a wide variety of patterns. Here you will find not only patterns offered by the large commercial operations, but also a range of patterns by independent and up and coming designers. The site is structured into categories and you can browse through free patterns ranging from I-pod cozies to afghans! The knitting patterns here are updated regularly and new additions are highlighted making them easy to find.
There are a number of online knitting magazines that offer both a range of interesting items to read and also free knitting patterns. The most renowned is knitty.com, which offers an eclectic range of patterns and articles. Knitty has a large enthusiastic following and many people participate in ‘knit alongs’ and enjoy discussing the latest patterns and designs. Another site to look for is magknits.com which is a UK site offering a range of free patterns from international designers.
Yarn companies also offer a range of patterns and designs for free access on the web. An excellent example of this is garnstudio.com who offer an extensive and comprehensive range of designs. Whilst they offer their own yarns, Garnstudio.com also provide on their website full yarn information making substitution very straightforward. Another yarn company offering a wide range of designs is Lion Brand Yarns. Other places to look include berroco.com and straw.com.
If you are interested in vintage knitting patterns then again, the web offers some great opportunity to find patterns and knitting information which otherwise would be very hard to find. For instance the recent Google initiative of digitally archiving public domain books is a real treat. For instance Google Books currently offer ‘The Lady’s assistant for executing useful and fancy designs in Knitting, Crochet, Point Lace etc’ from 1847. Note if you are looking at this book the first few pages are corrupted but scroll down and you will soon find the uncorrupted pages. These books are available for download and present some very interesting reading.
Project Gutenberg also has out of copyright books for view, including Beeton’s Book of Needlework from 1870. This has a lot of interesting information about late Victorian needlecraft.
Another great source of information about vintage knitting patterns is the Antique Pattern Library. Here volunteers are making available vintage and antique patterns, which are out of copyright and in the public domain. The benefit of using sites such as this to view vintage patterns is that the organizers are very strict on applying relevant copyright legislation and therefore it minimizes any possibility of you unwittingly infringing any copyright.
Further information on antique patterns:
Project Gutenberg can be found here and Antique Pattern Library here.
Remember with any old or antique patterns terms and definitions may be different to those we are used to today. Also, if living outside of the US, check copyright law in your country before downloading any of these patterns or books.
Kate Pullen - Kate Pullen is a freelance writer specializing in arts and crafts , and is an accomplished craftsperson. As well as being a designer / ...
