I’m one of those people who is addicted to patterns. I’d say that if I didn’t spend so much time on Ravelry, Pinterest, Instagram, and bloggers’ sites, I might actually have time to develop my own! But no, truth be told, I’m perfectly happy finding patterns, sometimes free, sometimes not, and proceeding to make someone else’s creations – armed with hook and fiber.
I have subscribed to some form of periodic pattern providers (alliteration!) for as long as I can remember. My earliest subscriptions were Vanna White’s patterns (which I sadly no longer possess) and the magazine “Hooked on Crochet” (which I still have and within which I still hunt for patterns).
Next came the series of purchases I made from Leisure Arts: wonderful books filled with patterns, all divided into easily referenced sections beginning with “Wrapped up in Afghans” and ending with “Hooked on Holidays.”
And when all of that wasn’t enough, I borrowed library books and copied my favorite patterns from them, only one or two pages from each book so as not to break any copyright laws.
Once the internet became a thing and bloggers started sharing wisdom and talent, I started subscribing to blogs. Oh how inspiring these bloggers are! And although free patterns are nice, I have no qualms about paying for patterns on bloggers’ sites or online selling platforms like etsy.
Some of my favorite bloggers are:
Four of the five bloggers I’ve included make sense if you know what I tend to crochet – amigurumi and whimsical things.
Lilla Bjorn focuses on more intricately detailed fashion and home decor, but her patterns leave me dreaming about setting aside owls and jellyfish for a few months and working on something more substantial.
What kinds of sources do you go to when you’re looking for patterns? Who are some of your favorite bloggers – crochet or otherwise?
Hooked on Whimsy 