hii umm i’ve been wanting to try and design patterns for my shop for a while now but idk how to start. does anyone have any tips/recommendations for designing patterns? all tips appreciated 
17 Likes
What I do is I find inspo pics, like for my hunny bear (Winnie the Pooh). I looked at pics of him and tried to copy it. I also really like having my friend or a family member just describe something and then I’ll make it. It also doesn’t have to be perfect first try: sometimes I’ll make something like five times before I like the look lol. And once you know the basics of crochet and how to make ovals, circles, triangles, etc. you can just make shapes and sew them together! For example: a cat could have a circle for a head, an oval for the body, and cone shapes for the ears. I know some people also like to sketch out their ideas first (similar to what I said about inspo pics earlier). Others just like to freehand the pattern and write down the lines as they go. In the end it really comes down to whichever way feels most comfortable to you, and I’m sure you’ll figure that out soon enough! I hope this helped even slightly lol
6 Likes
First you need to know how to make the basic shapes, so once you see a picture in your head (or online) of what you want to make, you can think of what you’d need to do to make it happen. Honestly, sometimes thinking of the idea is the hardest part XD. (I have no tips on that, I’m still working on it, besides asking other people) Looking up pictures of say, a crochet bear, if that’s what you wanted to make, and seeing how OTHER people did it can be helpful too. My first few patterns I just completely winged, and somehow they turned out OK XD. But trial and error is a big part of it.
5 Likes
thank you so much for the tips! i will definitely try
5 Likes
Uhm… what I do is kind of weird. Basically, if I know what a stitch does to the project, i can figure out what stitches to use for what I want. then its just trial and error. a tip is just do what feels right, and write down what you did. then you can just organize it into a pattern later.
6 Likes
I do pretty much the same things as everyone else
- Draw out the design
- Make a list of materials and parts I need to make
- Think of how I can make each part. Sometimes this takes a while. I spent a few days planning out how to make a ridge for a lollipop before I even started.
- Start crocheting!
Don’t ne afraid to undo something and change it. I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist but, if I think something is wrong even 3,4,5 rows back, I’m going to redo it. I’m not really a fan of making the pattern over and over to change the design (I typically do it in one go) but, I like to make 2 so that I can self-test my pattern
4 Likes
This website might be able to help you:
4 Likes
tyysmm
3 Likes
**Write a list of things you’d like to create
**visualize or imagine. I personally don’t draw mine out my imagination visualizes it and I can hold the image until I get it worked up.
**write your pattern either before you design or while your crocheting it
** take photos while your making it. Photos help with your patterns process
** writing up pattern on Ribblr or making a PDF
** hire a pattern editor to edit for errors
** tester call
I would highly recommend if your interested in designing to research tips from pattern editors for things that are important on patterns. Most don’t realize how important certain things are.
Good luck 
4 Likes
Make sure you avoid designing anything with a copyrighted or trademarked image or character in it. Avoid using Disney, Sanrio, Nintendo or any other brand like this. (Without permission, it’s illegal and you could get sued) Your design should be unique and stand out. Don’t design what everyone else is designing
3 Likes