knitting patterns to buy
Support for the girl from auntie patterns
The following information applies only to the patterns offered for sale on this website. It does not apply to free patterns.
- Before you purchase a pattern
- Ordering a pattern
- After you buy a pattern
Sizing
Always check the pattern sizing before you buy! Make sure that the size you need is available.
The details page for each pattern will give you the approximate finished dimensions for each size. You'll also find a description of the intended fit of the finished garment, so that you can determine which size is best for you.
The details page for each pattern will indicate whether provision is made for lengthening or shortening the body and/or sleeves of a garment in the pattern. For women's designs, the details page will also indicate whether short-row bust shaping is included in the pattern.
What if you want to knit a pattern, but you need a size that's smaller or larger than what's available? Let me know. I don't have the time to do custom resizing, but if I get enough requests for an expanded size range for a given pattern, I may add new sizes.
Charts vs. words
Some knitters swear by charts. Other knitters can't stand them.
Fortunately, when you e-publish and leave it up to the buyer to download the pattern, you can have it both ways. I generally use charts, and they're the easiest (and most error-proof) way to provide instructions for my cable designs. However, where feasible, I've included verbose instructions for those of you who can't stand charts. The pattern details page will tell you whether to expect charts, words, or both.
Skill sets
How do you know you have what it takes?
I really do believe that any knitter can handle any knitting technique; it's just a question of practice, being able to count, and a little bit of courage. But it's only fair to let you know up front what kinds of techniques are used in each pattern.
On each pattern details page, you'll find a rating according to the following difficulty scale, plus a notation indicating which of the following skill sets are necessary:
For the beginner difficulty rating, you need to know:
- the basics of knitting, such as casting on, knitting, purling, counting rows and stitches, binding off
- increasing and decreasing stitches for a desired effect (e.g. left- and right-pointing decreases), grafting two edges (Kitchener stitch), picking up stitches along an edge, reading from a single chart at a time, and assembling simple garment pieces
For the intermediate difficulty rating, you need to know:
- all of the beginner skills, plus:
- reading and knitting from multiple charts at once, working short rows (with or without wrapping), and assembling a garment with set-in sleeves or other curved pieces
For the experienced difficulty rating, you need to know:
- all of the intermediate skills, plus:
- reading and knitting from multiple complex charts, working more than one set of instructions at once (e.g. following a chart, while binding off or decreasing at neckline or working short rows at shoulder), assembling a garment with curved or three-dimensional pieces (e.g. attaching a sleeve, with the sleeve seam already sewn, to an armhole where the shoulder and side seams are already sewn)
The beginner cables skill set includes:
- cable patterns that can be memorized without too much difficulty; where more than one cable pattern is used in the same piece, their repeat sizes have an easy-to-handle least common multiple (e.g. if you have an 8-row repeating cable and a 16-row repeating cable, it's easy to remember that there are two of your 8-row cable repeats for each 16-row cable--you'll be starting over from row 1 on both cables every 16 rows); some travelling cables, but nothing too difficult
The intermediate cables skill set includes:
- harder-to-handle least common multiples (e.g. if you have an 6-row repeating cable and a 10-row repeating cable, there will be five 6-row cables knit for every three 10-row cables--you'll be starting over from row 1 on both cables every 30 rows); travelling cables; some closed-loop ("Celtic") cables
The advanced cables skill set includes:
- cables with less intuitive repeats, or no repeats at all; you'll continually need to refer to the chart or written instructions; closed-loop ("Celtic") cables
The beginner intarsia skill set includes:
- easily managed intarsia; not too many yarn ends to deal with at once
The advanced intarsia skill set includes:
- use of many colours in a single row; up to the knitter to decide whether some areas require stranded knitting or true intarsia knitting
The beginner fair isle skill set includes:
- use of only two colours per round; high-frequency patterns (i.e. several small repeats around the garment, rather than a few large repeats)
- simple steeks (some shaping stitches may be worked on either side of steeks)
- portions of garments knit flat rather than in the round (where necessary)
The advanced fair isle skill set includes:
- use of more than two colours per round; low-frequency patterns
- short rounds/rows
- complex steeks (multiple "live" steeks may be finished at once)
Recommended yarns
You'll see that the patterns describe the recommended yarns in terms of feel and effect, and not necessarily by brand.
As I explained on the about page, these patterns are for garments that suit my personal taste, and my personal taste includes easily substitutable yarns and a large stash. I don't run out and buy new yarn every time I want to start a new project; I really do review my holdings to determine if I already have a suitable yarn in the necessary quantity. This means that a lot of my knitting is done in discontinued colours, and sometimes even discontinued yarns; and if you've got a stash, then that's probably true for you as well.
You should knit these designs in the yarn of your choice, not mine. This comes with one important caveat: I strongly recommend swatching, not only to ascertain that you obtain the required gauge, but also to ensure that the yarn will knit up into a fabric that will suit the pattern. I advise knitting up a swatch that's at least 6" square, incorporating any cable designs or special details from the pattern, and then treating it in a manner similar to the way it will be laundered, blocked, and dried in future.
If you're really stumped on your yarn selection, I can suggest some suitable yarns. I can only advise on yarns within my own experience, so don't assume that I will be able to say "yes" or "no" to whatever random brand you happen to dig up during your stash dive.
Further details
As I field questions about these designs, the answers to the most frequently asked questions will be provided on this site for further reference.
File formats
Patterns are sold in portable document format (PDF) only. You probably already have a utility installed on your computer for viewing and printing PDF files. If you don't, you can download a free PDF reader from Adobe.
Chart-intensive patterns are also graphics-intensive, which makes for a larger file size. You can expect that the largest size of PDF file will be about 2.5 megabytes. For faster downloading, larger PDF files are offered for download in zipped format. You probably already have a utility installed on your computer that you can use to decompress the zipped file. If you don't, you can download a free program from one of the following third-party sites: Aladdin Stuffit Expander (Mac) or WinZip Evaluation version (Windows PC).
Printing
In accordance with the licence agreement, you may print as many working copies as you wish for your own personal use.
Patterns that have a lot of charts are graphics-intensive, and this means that they take up a lot of memory when your computer is spooling the data to your printer. As a general rule, your computer is much faster than your printer, so for large PDF files, you should be prepared to wait for your printer to catch up--and that can be a long time if you don't (or can't) adjust your printer memory settings. If you are having difficulty printing a pattern, see this page for an overview of how your printer's memory works, and then try following these steps:
- increase your printer's spooling memory settings--you may be able to do this through your operating system control panel (not through the print dialog box in your PDF viewer)
- send one page to print at a time--the less data you send, the faster your printer can get through it
- set your graphics printing to the coarsest (lowest quality) setting
Otherwise, if wait times and memory are not an issue, for the clearest possible pictures and graphs, set your printer's graphics resolution to its highest-quality level. If you wish, you can take the file to a photocopy shop that provides print-from-disk services.
Unfortunately, at this time the girl from auntie cannot provide print versions of the patterns. Providing the patterns by any means besides electronic transmission over the Internet will trigger Ontario Retail Sales Tax consequences, and we don't want that.
Upgrades and errata
The beauty of electronic files is that making corrections is virtually painless--once the initial embarrassment wears off.
The patterns offered for sale will be as correct as possible. If errors are noted in a previous release, that information will be made available from that pattern's details page, and past purchasers of the pattern will be notified by e-mail of the correction, and if warranted, a free replacement file will be offered. Keep in mind that my e-mail contact will be limited to the address from which a PayPal payment is sent, and any replacement files will be sent to that address only.
Personal support
The purchaser of a pattern from this site will be entitled to e-mail support, subject to the terms of the licence agreement.
The licence agreement talks about "reasonable e-mail assistance." What's reasonable?
Well, it's reasonable to answer questions regarding ambiguity or possible errors in a pattern; whether or not a certain yarn will be suitable; whether a design can be shortened or lengthened successfully; if a neckline finish can be changed; or whether short row bust shaping could be successfully incorporated into a design, and where it should start--stuff like that. I'll answer those questions to the best of my knowledge and ability.
If there are common questions that have been addressed in a specific pattern or technique FAQ, then my first response to you might be "please read the FAQ, and if it doesn't answer your question, then let me know."
It's not reasonable to ask me to redraft a pattern so it fits another size; before you purchased the pattern, you saw what the relevant dimensions were, and you could have chosen not to buy it. It's also not reasonable to expect me to walk you step by step through a knitting technique or through the construction of the whole garment. With respect to the former, that's what reference books are for, and you had a chance to review the required skills for each design before buying the pattern. With respect to the latter, the pattern should give sufficient information for a knitter of average skill to assemble the pieces (if there's an error or ambiguity, that's another matter).
I think it goes without saying that I won't fix your knitting mistakes or finish your garments, and I'm not responsible if you discover you're in over your head. It should also go without saying that this list of unreasonable requests is not exhaustive.
The licence agreement also talks about the reasonable e-mail assistance being given within a "reasonable amount of time."
I have a day job, and a life beyond knitting, and they take priority. That's not to say I don't recognize a responsibility for supporting a product, it's just that I've got other things that need to be attended to first. But I realize that if you're in the middle of knitting something and you're stumped for some reason, you want to resolve the problem pretty much immediately.
I will try to answer your questions as quickly as possible, but when possible isn't within the next day or so, a "reasonable amount of time" is the time period following your inquiry including a consecutive Friday, Saturday, and Sunday--a time period that includes a complete weekend in case I have absolutely no time during the week to answer queries. In the event that I am virtually inaccessible because of other committments, a "reasonable amount of time" will start running from the date when I am no longer virtually inaccessible. If I happen to know in advance when those virtually inaccessible times will be, that information will be provided on this page, in the very next paragraph. Despite the legal-sounding language, this committment is not binding on me; but I am committed to making my best efforts to provide this support.
I will be unavailable to handle inquiries or answer correspondence for approximately one week in July. However, I cannot pinpoint exactly when that week will begin, or exactly how long I will be unavailable.