How to make a knitting pattern

New to pattern writing and designing? Learn how to make a knitting pattern in 8 steps from start to finish.

The first pattern I ever designed was a pair of socks. While I of course was proud of it, looking back I realized just how little I knew about the whole project in general. Rocky Mountain Treasures is a sock pattern with a colorwork design. Three things I knew absolutely nothing about: socks, pattern writing, and colorwork (and practically zero knitting experience even. I had a lot to learn before I should I have made a pattern, ha!).

FIRST THINGS FIRST

You should have knowledge in the item your making. I wouldn't suggest doing what I did, and just making something and hoping for the best without much knowledge or skill in the field. You should have an understanding on the techniques you are using and have knowledge in the item you are making.

STEP 1: GET AN IDEA

You can't make a pattern if you don't know what you want to make, so you need an idea or inspiration. Maybe you're thinking, "I want to make something that represents where I live" or "I want to make a hat" or "I want to do something with cables." This is an excellent start. You don't necessarily need to know exactly what you are going to make just yet. You just need an idea to start building off of.

STEP 2: SKETCH THE DETAILS

Once you have an idea, you can start brainstorming design ideas. You don't need to be an artist to do this, you just need to be able to get some sort of visual sketch out. If you know what kind of details you want to use, like cables or colorwork, then just sketch that pattern out first. Get the main design on paper and make adjustments until you are happy with a look. For colorwork design, I love to use StitchFiddle. After you have the main design worked out (and if you don't know how you want to display it) then you need to think about what you want to make it into - a hat, socks, a cowl, maybe even a sweater!

Below you can see an example of how I made one of my other sock patterns, Secrets of the Flower. I started with a sketch, then I worked out ideas in Stitchfiddle, and then I made a sample and finally made the pair of socks.

STEP 3: MAKE A SWATCH

Now that you have your design sketched out or made in StitchFiddle, then you can get started making your first swatch sample. What the swatch does is lets you know how many stitches are in 4 in / 10 cm and therefore will help you write your pattern. Get your yarn and needles and start knitting. You want to make at least one full repeat of your stitch pattern, and you want your swatch to be no smaller than 5 in / 12.7 cm square. The swatch will help you make any adjustments to your design during knitting and the large size of the swatch will ensure you get an accurate reading of the stitch or pattern gauge for making the pattern.

STEP 4: DRAFT A PATTERN

You have your swatch, you've written down the stitch and row gauge, the needles you used, and the yarn you used. Now you need to turn your swatch into a pattern. You should have experience making whatever it is you are designing (hat, socks, cowl, etc.) so you should have basic knowledge on how the item is generally designed and put together. All you need to do now, is use your stitch and row gauge to start writing your pattern. You could make it as detailed or basic as you want to get started. You could just write down how many rows/stitches you need in certain areas or you could write down all the stitches and row repeats so the pattern is fairly complete.

STEP 5: MAKE YOUR PATTERN

Now you need to make your pattern. If you just wrote down basics, like how many rows/stitches you need in certain areas, then you need to make sure you take very detailed notes on how each stitch is worked in each row to make the pattern. You knit the pattern so so you can work out any kinks or mistakes, make sure the sizing is correct and that the pattern is complete. Make sure you take detailed notes on any changes you make or adjustments that need made later. When you are happy with your finish object, make sure the pattern is fully complete. You can go through your pattern using a pre-tech edit checklist to make sure no important details are missing.

STEP 6: GET IT TECH EDITED

You now have a finished object you are happy with and a pattern that is written out. Before you can get it tested by others, you need to get your pattern professionally tech edited. Tech editors ensure that everything in your pattern is correct and complete, no details are missing, your math is right in the stitch and row counts, and that your style is consistent throughout the pattern in phrasing, punctuation, abbreviations, etc.

STEP 7: GET IT TEST KNITTED

Test knitters are different than tech editors, but are just as important. They actually knit the pattern and provide feedback on the clarity of instructions, give advice on improvements from a knitters perspective, and help make sure your pattern produces the correctly sized/shaped finished object in every size you have. If any changes to the pattern are made, make sure you tech editor gives it another lookover to verify it all works together.

STEP 8: TIME TO PUBLISH

Now it is time to publish your pattern! You can publish it to Ravelry, Etsy, or your own website. It's important that you make sure you provide information about the pattern on your sales page so customers know exactly what they are getting and what to expect so they can be prepared to make your pattern.

YOU DID IT!

You came up with an idea, sketched it out, tested your idea on a sample, wrote and knit your pattern, got it tech edited and test knit, and finally published into the world! Phew! Don't forget to advertise your new pattern on social media or even some threads in Ravelry, and you may even consider giving a intro discount on your pattern (unless it's free of course.)

If you have any questions or need help getting your first design out, reach out to me! I would love to help you get started and answer any questions you might have.