Hi! It’s me again lol! Is there a specific rule of thumb when it comes to stating if your pattern is begginer, intermediate, etc? I personally see a lot of grey areas to this. I’ve noticed some people also state easy-intermediate or beginner-advanced type thing too which I think could confuse people even more especially if they are not new to crochet but not well seasoned. Thanks in advance!
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The American Crochet Association wrote a blog about the 4 universal levels for crochet, this may be of some help hopefully 
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Awesome!!! Thank you very much for the help. I was on the right train of thought then.
The longer I’m on this platform I am noticing that lots of people seem to prefer beginner no sew patterns. Do you have anyone in mind that has some complex fancy dancy shops perhaps? I love challenging myself to see what I can accomplish and learn new techniques
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This one has amazing patterns!!!
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@YlvasAmigurumi @Solne @foxfrogandfern Have some great more complex patterns!
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Thank you for the mention @hookingpages !!
In terms of recommendations for more detailed patterns with advanced techniques, I would second StellasYarnUniverse and Unique patterns | Lily Droplet | Ribblr from above.
I would also add into the mix Unique patterns | LexaLovelyCrafts | Ribblr for their incredibly detailed and creative patterns. I’ll try to think of others and add them when I get a chance!
extra rambling
To your original point, though, while there are guidelines, it’s sometimes hard to categorize a pattern as individuals don’t always refer to those guidelines for assessing difficulty, and it can get pretty ambiguous. That’s why I always find it helpful when designers provide
information in the pattern description about what methods will be used or how much supplemental demonstration will be provided in a pattern because that generally tells me more than the label.
When I get a pattern tested, I ask my testers for input on the difficulty level and will adjust accordingly if there is a discrepancy between my idea of difficulty and theirs, but again it can get subjective especially if I’m using a specific metric and they are going based on their personal experience. Idk if I’m making sense, but this is mostly just to say while there are guidelines it definitely can be a gray area as not everyone adheres to them.
I hope you find some patterns to grow your expertise, and I’ll try to add some more designers when I get a second!
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Thank you very much! Definitely more of what I’m looking for. Don’t get me wrong. I like an easy pattern just as much as the next person but there’s something about the clean crisp finished look that isn’t a ball shape that I just absolutely love! I would also like to thank you for the idea of adding the techniques so people know what they are in for instead of a generalization. I just started writing my own patterns so there’s a lot of learning curves. I can crochet my but off when following a pattern, I believe I have a bit of OCD when it comes to perfection in the craft, but making your own correctly is a totally different story. I hope to be able to test for you and the others mentioned as well!
Example of what I can do. I didn’t have a problem following the pattern at all. It was fun but lots of work. Now if I wanted to make a pattern like this I would find it hard at the moment
At the moment the only one that comes to mind for fancy complex patterns would be this shop but there’s definitely more if you choose to sort by skill level in the pattern shops
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Thanks for the mention 
I don’t have everything in mind, but I would say for exemple these shops:
Scarlet Creations https://ribblr.com/shop/scarlet-creations
CrochetbyBT
https://ribblr.com/shop/crochetbybt
Winterflame crochet
https://ribblr.com/shop/winterflame-crochet
I also see many complex patterns on other platforms because they have paid patterns only, but on here it’s a bit drowned in the free patterns that are usually cute simple shapes, there are alot of complex ones but you need to search more.
For the levels, I ask the testers what level they feel it is, and I just add the average. But usually, they all agree on the same level. For me, I would say it’s like:
- Beginner = Simple shapes, symmetrical, simple math that is easy to read, not much sewing.
- Intermediate = A mix of simple and more complex shapes and techniques, that you can do comfortably once you’re familiar with crochet.
- Advanced = Unusual techniques (for example surface crochet, crocheting around wire), unusual explanations, things that are physically difficult to crochet (for example crocheting tiny parts, thin tubes), complex math where it’s harder to keep track of the line, patterns with a lot of sewing and embroidery, patterns that requires a lot of attention to details and concentration.
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Thank you very much!
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