With a cloud full of never-knitted and never-will-be-knitted patterns, we have come to the conclusion that buying and reading patterns are completely different pleasures from knitting. There are numerous reasons for purchasing a design without any immediate intention to knit it. Sometimes it's similar to our grandmas’ old recipe notebooks; we just want to store that thing and never lose it.
Support your knitting community
As crafters, our community has a real sense of support and helping each other. If a designer you love is going through some personal troubles or if a pet rescuing institution will receive the funds from a pattern sale, you put it in the cart, check out, and pay. A supportive knitter’s job here is done.
Buying from lesser-known designers and showing that you care for their work is one of the nicest and cheapest things you can do to encourage these guys to keep on going. Sometimes buying a dyed yarn or ordering a custom hand-knitted piece is out of the question, but buying a 2$ pattern fits in the pocket and spreads joy.
Reading patterns: searching and entertainment
Reading patterns can sometimes feel like an encyclopedic investigation or immersing oneself in a captivating bedtime story. Human curiosity is absurd, but a knitter's thirst for knowledge and the desire to understand "How the hell did they do that?!" are endless. I have purchased patterns solely to comprehend how the heel of a sock was designed, how a shoulder joint works, or simply to experience the FOMO of seeing what's happening in that KAL that everybody's talking about, even though I definitely don't have the time to participate.
It's mesmerizing to learn how things were developed in knitting over the decades and why people had the urge to design that specific shape or accessory. For these reasons, price wins again, as buying a good and well-written pattern may be more achievable for some people than buying knitting books or magazines.
Free and Curious Stuff
Nevertheless, we have an unending amount of free patterns online, where you can also feed your mind. Taking a break from knitting or during some medical rest, searching for patterns can be a genuinely enjoyable activity. During these trips through Pinterest or Ravelry, you can put your creativity to the test. Nowadays, we have so many references to see and read that our minds go with the flow, and before you know it, you start thinking, "What about writing my own patterns, huh?"
“Do you really need this sock shaped like a duck foot?” Yes, I'll lovingly save it beside my pumpkin hat. A knitter with a good and organized collection is never unprepared for any situation. We help our friends find a baby dress pattern for that niece to come or indicate a beautiful and customizable top-down sweater for any pet you have. In conclusion, we're libraries that knit sometimes.
