Our goal at Knitting Knowledge is to help you find the very best modern knitting patterns and knitting kits on the Internet. To do this, we sift through hundreds of knitting websites and accounts and hand-pick the patterns and products we’d like to feature.
We don’t create patterns and kits, we curate them from talented designers and knitting brands. Our motto is better, not bigger. We might not host thousands of patterns like some sites, but the quality of the patterns we do include is much, much higher.
So how do we choose the patterns in the first place? Why do we get to decide what’s “best”? Why should you trust us? These are all perfectly valid questions, and transparency is extremely important to us. That’s why we’ve created this page to explain our editorial policy. We’ll explain exactly how we pick the patterns and kits we feature, and why you should trust us.
Here’s a list of all the factors we consider when picking knitting patterns and kits:
1. Style and Modern Fashion Trends
Style is a huge factor when it comes to selecting knitting patterns. We try to highlight a diverse, interesting, contemporary selection of patterns that reflect modern trends and classic styles. If you see a new trend in fashionable knitwear, it’ll be reflected on our website. Simply put, we want to feature patterns we think you’ll actually like.
In fact, this was the main motivation for the creation of Knitting Knowledge. We want to curate a smaller selection of patterns that people actually want to wear.
The truth is, though, style is subjective. We can’t promise that everything we select will be exactly to your taste, and you may not like everything we choose. However, the range of styles included in our collections should be diverse enough for you to find something you like.
What’s more, we’ll never overwhelm you with thousands of poor quality patterns that prevent you from finding anything at all. If you think any of our collections simply don’t make the cut when it comes to style, please let us know.
2. Price and Difficulty Level
Beautiful knitwear should not be exclusionary. For this reason, we aim to feature a good mix of price points and difficulty levels in all of our collections.
We’re on the lookout for fantastic free patterns, paid patterns and kits, as well as affordable options. This way, we ensure that designers can support their passion while all knitters can get a chance to craft something they love.
We also consider difficulty level and required knitting techniques. This usually depends on the type of pattern we’re recommending (some projects are inherently harder than others), but we make sure to highlight a diverse selection of products that are plausible projects for beginners and advanced knitters alike.
Where we can, we’ll include information on completion time and difficulty level to help you make the most informed decision you can about your next project.
3. Diversity and Inclusion
Like most modern industries, knitting is dominated by big brands and corporations. Some of these companies even steal the hard work of normal knitwear designers and label it as their own.
That’s why we deliberately feature a mix of patterns and kits from independent knitwear designers and bigger brands. It makes no difference if you just post your patterns on Etsy, Instagram, or Ravelry – if you don’t have a website, it doesn’t matter.
This isn’t an empty gesture either: we know that some of the best-looking contemporary designs come from designers with the smallest audiences.
The patterns and kits you see in our collections are also deliberately chosen to reflect designers of all sizes, shapes, and backgrounds.
This isn’t a token gesture either – we know that we can only serve the best experience if we showcase authentic creative talent from all backgrounds. If we want to make our collections as widely satisfying as possible, they simply can’t be one-dimensional.
4. Specific Needs and Circumstances
Finally, we’ll vary our selection criteria based on the collection we’re producing.
For example, if we’re collecting cashmere patterns, we’ll look for the best combination of style, price, and difficulty level while also making sure every pattern uses a high concentration of pure cashmere fibers.
If it’s a collection of chunky hats, we’ll make sure the patterns use heavy yarns for a super bulky look and feel. You get the idea. If you’re looking for something specific, we want to help you find it.
Our Pattern Choices Are Never Influenced by Third Parties
The knitting patterns and kits we feature are never influenced by designers or financial considerations.
We never change or impact our decisions based on money. If a free pattern is better than a paid pattern, we’ll feature it. If there is no way for us to monetize patterns from particular designers, we’ll simply include them anyway.
Put simply, we never feature patterns or kits that we don’t personally want to highlight. We do not accept any kind of payment to include certain products, write positive reviews, or change the ordering of collections. You can learn exactly how we make money here.
How often Are Collections Updated?
Our lists of knitting patterns are updated all of the time. Simply put, if we see a new pattern that deserves to be included in an existing collection, we’ll add it. If you have a suggestion, please get in touch!
The world of modern knitting is changing all the time. That’s why we also review every list from top to bottom every three months to make sure it is an accurate reflection of the best contemporary patterns out there right now. That means the collections you read will always be up to date, and there will always be something new for you.
In fact, you can see when each post was last updated at the very top of the article.
So there you have it. Hopefully we’ve answered any questions you might have about how we pick and choose knitting patterns and kits. If you’ve spotted anything wrong, or you have any more questions, please let us know using our contact form or email us directly at hello@knittingknowledge.com.