Things to consider before purchasing downloadable patterns ...

I have long pondered the process of purchasing patterns online, having been personally caught out and made a purchase without doing further research ...

One download had so many pages it was almost a book.

Although the designer had indeed come up with a popular and beautiful design, I was really disappointed at ending up having to summarise the instructions in order to make it user friendly. My solution was to print out the absolute must have areas, and refer back to the pattern on my tablet, only when I needed to. I found this process almost as time consuming as making the item concerned. Well it certainly felt like it at the time! I know some people enjoy a lot of detail, and it may be necessary for more complicated designs, but that pattern really destroyed my making experience, so much so that ... it became 'thatthingImustfinishbecauseIreallyloveitbutwantittobeover' project!

By the way, making it all one word and saying it really fast doesn't help - but I am thinking it could pass for an acceptable expletive! Seriously, I could not in all good conscience recommend this pattern to anyone who wasn't experienced enough to do their own 'translation.' And I would definitely not like to be a staff member in any yarn store, faced with the task of trying to explain how the pattern 'worked' to a customer who brought it in off the street. You can probably tell l have had my share of that already. And please do not ask which pattern it was. I am not into naming and shaming. Rather, I write about the experience so you may do your own research.

It is easy to get caught up in the look of designs. I have actually lost count of the number of times I have seen people posting on facebook asking if someone can 'make this for me' (sharing a beautiful picture only), which makes me chuckle quietly to myself. I know, we are all attracted to beautiful pictures ... but in the knitting and crochet arenas particularly, it can be easy to become so absorbed with the image that we hit BUY NOW, before we think to find out if the pattern is user friendly.

In case you haven't picked up on it, this bothers me somewhat. And to that end I have prepared a checklist of things I hope will help us all when looking to purchase patterns online in future. I am happy for you to right click on the above image and save or share it with your knitting or crochet friends. I will also share the image on my facebook page and in my website gallery if you prefer to save it from either of those places. Please, if you share with others, do remember to mention the source. I am more than happy to 'take the blame' for making people aware that all patterns are not created equal and having worked in Yarn & Pattern Retail for many years I feel qualified to bring this subject out in the open. It is not my desire to upset anyone by doing so. Rather, the aim is to assist purchasers and those of us who are designers, in keeping accountability alive. And yes, I am very much aware that the accountability may well begin with me ...