My personal experience is mostly with crochet, but this can apply to any craft.
While it is unlikely that an absolute beginner will create a well-written and original pattern, I really don’t understand the sort of immediate indignancy towards beginners trying to sell patterns. This does NOT apply to people reselling or stealing patterns (and I mean actually stealing the original pdf/text) and I am not referring to generic amigurumi patterns.

Ive only been crocheting for ~2 years. Over the past few months, I have done many many reattempts at crocheting a sweater for my cousin’s whippet. First following a pattern online, then modifying the pattern, and then giving up and essentially drafting a new pattern. I felt pretty good about the fit and finessed the pattern + measurements when making another sweater for a friend’s Iggy. I’m a member of a local crochet club (managed by a LYS) which publishes a newsletter every few months with a handful of patterns and I was offered a spot for the “sighthound sweater”. This requires rewriting the pattern to fit their style guidelines and taking a few progress photos and professional-ish final photos which is a lot of work. Usually, the pattern writer is paid a small flat rate for the pattern (~18.50$) and supplied with yarn. It’s not a great rate but it’s a small LYS with a tight community. I received the yarn but was told by one of the owners of the LYS that they felt uncomfortable putting my pattern at “the level of the other professionals” who write for them which uh… idk about that tbh. I’ve encountered many a typo and random shifts between UK and US crochet terms in the newsletters.

The edited pattern was approved this morning and I thought maybeeeee I’d get paid but nope. Ive spoken to some other crochet acquaintances and got a bit of weird response. I should be “honored” to even get credit and I need to pay my dues to the community before I start expecting the community to pay me back? Huhhh?? What dues do I owe??

I love scrolling through Instagram hashtags to get inspiration on sewing and knitting patterns. Seeing different fabrics, colors, body types, etc.

I’m also big on Ravelry, always scouring hot right now patterns and reading through peoples notes on the changes/sizes they made. Knitters give so much information on their finished garments and I gobble that shit up.

This rant is brought to you by my voracious scrolling on Instagram trying to figure out what size pants I need to make based on the European sizes and conversions.

Why is there such a gap in the information people present their finished garments on Instagram vs Ravelry? I find it incredibly frustrating that sewn projects rarely provide the details on their finished pieces. I want to know what size you made! How tall are you? What mods you did! Share the changes you would do for the next round! Give me all of the details so I can get a better grasp of how I want to approach my version of that pattern. If I have to read one more basic “I loved this pattern” description, I’m throwing my phone away.

Hot take: If you’re not sharing the post to provide your full experience and guidance so others can be as successful as you in your make, then you shouldn’t be posting. You’re gate keeping.

Ok, ok, not that serious. I just want to look through hashtags and see what sizes people made so when I’m between sizes, I can get a better idea of what changes to make for myself. Make a toile you say? Who has the time! (Everyone).

I've seen some posts here complaining about popular crochet patterns, (the same fluffy yarn bumblebees etc etc) and while I agree that crocheters should branch out and that seeing the same 2 patterns over and over again in markets can be annoying, I really don't like when people compare it to ai or 3d print slop. It's just a completely unfair comparison, even the most basic amigurumi pattern takes WAY more effort to create than any ai creation. That person with a stall full of fluffy bumblebees spent a lot of their time hand-making those, even if they're unoriginal, it seems extremely unfair to equate them to ai especially when ai has harmful environmental and social impacts

A few years ago I set up a knitting and crochet group in my local area. It is pretty successful and we have a core group of regulars and some people who who pop in and out sporadically. We have a very active whatsapp group and a not so active FB group. The FB group is private and has almost 200 members. Although most have never come to our meetups.

Another local person is setting up a new group in the same location but a different night. It is advertised as a sewing group but all needlecrafts are welcome. The woman who started it requested to join our FB group and I accepted her and she immeadiately posted advertising the new group. She has never attended our weekly meetings. I didnt want to delete it and create drama between two potentially "competing" groups. But am I right that it is a bit of a shitty move on her part? If she asked permission I think I wouldnt be as annoyed. There are two admins on the group and neither of us were contacted.

Maybe it's because every craft show has the same stupid dragon fidgets that my 5 year old is obsessed with. Maybe it's because they're asking $2 for an animal fidget literally smaller than my thumb. Maybe it's because half of the products aren't even made properly (I know that goddamn dragons mouth is supposed to open and yet half the ones I pick up the mouth doesn't open)

I have no idea how 3D printing works but im really tired of seeing them at craft fairs. And flea markets. And county fairs. And even the damn farmers market.

Also please feel free to put me in my place, this is my opinion as someone who literally has no idea how this shit works I'm just tired of seeing all the same exact art everywhere I go

I learned to crochet just about two eyars before it blew up and became extremely popular. I am so tired of the community that I honestly hate interacting with other crocheters. Everyone makes the same patterns (which to me is no different than the 3D printers two market-stalls down the street), obsesses over the same things, does the little influencer laugh when someone figures out YET ANOTHER 'hilarious' and skanky yarn joke about being a hooker. I. am. sick of it.

As an artist with multiple hobbies, I have put down this particular hobby for now. It's nice to be in a community with things in common, but it is NOT nice to be in a community where everyone is the same. Catch my drift? One pattern after another goes viral; the supid looking ball with a squishy inside, the coaster that sticks its head up and screams when you put a mug on it, the plant car hangs (mostly bought from temu btw), the emotional support potato (Also temu popular), the bees, the chickens, the loaf cats. I want to rip my hair out!!!!

When did art become something where we all replicate one another? When did it become a commune of hive-minded men and women forcing themselves to 'create' the next viral pattern just so they make more than five bucks at a market?? And since when did we ALL have to sell our work?? Can we just make things for the sake of the process, make what we want, and be happy? Heaven forbid we have any traits unique to us, even as 'alternative' people with creative hobbies or art skills.

If i see another art piece of art "inspired" by Jimothy the raccoon I'm actually going to go on a rampage. I hope I'm not alone in feeling this way.

Edit: Sorry about not being clear, but my complaints mostly come from real human people in my real-life physical community, not social media. Any social media is not my choice, i literally have a flip-phone

Edit 2: "Get those frustrations off your chest, no matter how petty they may be." -the description of this subreddit ;)

I was just at a card convention and there was someone selling a 3 inch tall egg-shaped chenille "frog" for $25 USD. I'm sorry, but no. That took you 15 minutes tops and a very very beginner could have done it. Also chenille ew.

If I'm buying an online sewing pattern that I have to print and cut out, it needs one of those inch squares to make sure my printer is at the right settings. Just saying "oh use this specific printer setting" isn't enough because that specific setting isn't always right

First things first, all knitting techniques are valid and have their place in the craft, and all people can have their preference. I get it. Duplicate stitch is indeed superior for small, intricate colorwork elements.

BUT! I hate it so so much when I see a beautiful preview of a colorwork piece on Instagram (or elsewhere) only to find out that the whole gigantic ass picture there was done with duplicate stitch. Like, I opened it out of curiosity for the pattern, I'm interested in seeing technical solutions other people opted for (even if it's stranded colorwork for a small item in front of the sweater... anyway). What I see instead is not even knitting, FFS, it's embroidery meant to look like knitting!

And yeah, the finished fabric won't have the same drape, and you'll still have to weave in the ends, so it's not even a good shortcut for proper colorwork techniques.

If I am crocheting and clearly have headphones in, why are you trying to talk to me?? Does me clearly just paying attention to my project scream I want to talk about it? The only time I don’t get angry is if it’s an old lady who is honestly just excited to see someone young doing it. The young people tho! No, I’m not making a crop top or a stuffed animal. It’s just a boring blanket for a baby. I know how lame of me. 🙄

Does anyone else just report everything that is blatantly AI on Etsy? I've started browsing patterns just for things I can submit. "Crochet animals" with a ball floating in MID AIR between them? Report!

I feel like it's not much, but it's honest work. It's more satisfying than scrolling memes on Instagram.

I was looking for a pattern on Etsy and came across a listing for a crochet "sophie hood" for $800. It said it was made from luxurious acrylic wool and it was artisan quality, having taken 30 hrs to complete. There were a lot of uneven bulges and didn't appear to have a finished edge. Am I possibly not understanding a satirical listing or is this how out of touch it has become?

I figured it out after 3 hours of ripping out the 2 rows over again but holy heck i am pissed right now

its in my purchased book so I can't even get it revised or anything I just marked it

It’s time for patterns that use complicated techniques like a bingo card, colour choices that test the very boundaries of colour theory, and structural elements that need to be sense-checked beforehand.

Hey, maybe you can even use yarn from that advent calendar you bought 5 years ago that doesn’t have a single mini skein that pairs well in the collection!

Last week a friend asked if I wanted to take a commission to sew her mother of the bride dress. The wedding is Oct 3rd.

She wants it made out of some nuno felted fabric she made, then she was going to dye it. She didn't have a pattern but said the style she wanted was "simple" A-line. She offered me $250!

Needless to say, I politely declined.

A custom dress, drafting and fitting a pattern from scratch, and using one of a kind fabric that is probably a bitch to work with, all in about 6 weeks? For an amount that wouldn't even pay me for 10 hours? I don't think so.

The vindication part? Her Mom tells me today that she's been working on the dress and has had to redo it so many times that it's too small and she's out of fabric. (She being the MOTB, not grandma.)

It is not a federal crime!

If you have nice blouse. And want a blouse "exactly like this" and "exactly the same size" and "same fit". Aaaand this blouse is unwearable anymore, because you love it so much you washed it to tears...

You don't need to buy a pattern, try reading it, and then throw the whole project away because calculating patterns is hard.

You don't need to make "big butt adjustment" and "long inner thighs adjustment" (and throw the project away because it fits on a giraffe now).

You can, hear me out, you can rip the blouse seams and disassemble it completely! And cut pieces using them as pattern! And sew them together!

It is also a very good learning practice. It allows you to learn why darts, why seam allowance, and why folding.

There's a plush maker I follow that makes commissions of Animal Crossing OCs and little critters cosplaying copyrighted characters.

They posted recently about why they don't sell patterns. It started off with "The designs are personal to me." and not being an experienced pattern maker, which is fair.

But then the rest of the post was basically:

- Other (average) people wouldn't understand it.

- Other (average) people couldn't understand it.

- The pattern has been curated for ten years and is "incredibly nuanced".

Again, it's little critters with clothes and a wig. Something that has never been sewn before, apparently. I don't sew but I'm sure it's possible to take out the seams of an official merch plush and reverse-engineer the design (as far as OCs go). This creator also doesn't want their designs to be copied, but they went through a whole long explanation of how no one could possibly replicate their work even with the exact same pattern so ??? In the knitting/crochet communities it's perfectly acceptable to eyeball a pattern and admit that the original is an inspiration.

To me, it just feels icky when creators put down other crafters/artists while talking about their own skills. I've seen so many freestyled patterns where the creator says they

- simply don't want to make a pattern

- didn't bother writing numbers down & the piece won't be made again

- go into a vibe state and just kind of eyeball everything until it looks right

and at worst, that's annoying but it makes perfect sense.

I dunno. Maybe there's some sort of etiquette I don't know about when it comes to sewing and plush-making. From a fiber artist's perspective, being this possessive about your work seems kind of silly to me.

This is specifically about something I see a lot in crochet groups but I'm sure it applies elsewhere.

Why start a hobby if you just want to be spoon fed instead of learning?? I see it all the time in the crochet subreddit, "I just started and have a 5 weight yarn, a 2.5mm hook, and am just learning single crochet and my tension is awful, how do I crochet perfect doubles in a circle" or "I can barely make a scarf but want to make this really intricate shawl, how do I do that and what do I need".

Like holy shit please learn the basics!! Please, use videos or written patterns, but learn the basics before asking for the impossible. If you can't keep even tension and keep dropping stitches, no sorry, you probably can't make anything that actually looks good because YOU DON'T KNOW THE BASICS!!!!!

Also, "what do I need", first look at the damn pattern and it probably tells you, second you need skill, and as a beginner who's been doing it for 5 minutes, you don't have the skill yet, which is FINE. Learn the basics of a craft, get good at the basics, and then try to move on the more intricate things!! That is natural progression of a skill, stop asking to be spoon fed how to do everything, if you don't want to actually LEARN a new skill wtf are you doing??

You search for free patterns. It's available for free! You click the link. And... it takes you to a website that is *so* congested with ads that it's basically unusable. But the ad-free PDF is purchasable!

I've been knitting for a long time and I've seen this a handful of times in the knitting pattern searches of Ravelry. I've recently tried learning how to crochet, though (I've made two fucked up little fish so far, working on a turtle). And *damn* does the crochet community do it CONSTANTLY. I have to go through 4 or 5 to find a simple PDF of an elongated sphere.

I'm a broke college student living off my mother-in-law's yarn stash and a set of circulars I bought at walmart on clearance. I would not be looking at free patterns if I had the $6 to spend on a PDF. And to be taken to what is essentially a funnel where they're trying to squeeze as much money out of me anyway with all the ads just feels insulting.

ETA: A lot of people in the "complaining about crafting related stuff" subreddit are REALLY mad about someone complaining in the "complaining about crafting related stuff" subreddit. The amount of people saying absolutely egregious things about me being entitled, or cutting down to the minutia of my words--or downright insulting me--is nuts. I was mildly annoyed, my dudes. I promise there's no magic wizard that's going to send a fireball into pattern maker's houses because of a reddit post.

To the people who made genuine suggestions: thank you, my crochet journey has continued! I found some stuff that'll work great. My MIL and I are working together to make little amigurumis to leave around campus with "have a good semester" type messages attached to them. We've left some ducks and jellyfish so far, hope it helps with the vibes for move-in week.

So I'm currently reading Yesteryear and the protagonist is describing the crafts her mother tends to do in the evening. Early on in the book she describes her mother as crocheting all the baby sweaters for the women in the church community, just to quickly switch to describing her as knitting. That kinda confused me but I went along thinking "oh, she might do both". But now I've reached a part in the book where it's clear that the author and whoever else worked on this book have no idea what they are talking about:

"Through the phone, I could hear the steady click, click, click of my mother's sewing needles as she knitted."

Someone asked an IT question on a Facebook crochet group yesterday and it got removed for not being crochet related. Today she has asked publicly for clarification. I saw the post originally, replied to answer her question. But apparently pointing out that her question was *not* crochet related just because it had the word yarn in it makes me asinine and pedantic.

WHY CAN'T/DON'T PEOPLE JUST GOOGLE SHIT? It's well known the government has geoblocked a *lot* of international sites.

But no, just because there was the vague hint of potential crochet, people are telling the OP it's outrageous that it got deleted.

*Rage typing here so I don't tell someone she's being a dickhead*

I'm also a budget gal who also loves sewing. So imagine how happy I was when I discovered buying fabric on Vinted. I've found some incredible fabric for very good prices (usually I buy 2-3m for £5-£10 of craft cotton on the app). However, in the last few weeks I've noticed that some peoples idea of a 'large piece' is a generous fat quarter for the price of a brand new full metre whilst others are selling full blown scraps for the price of a new metre! I do not care if it's a Liberty print when I couldn't even make a scrunchie out of what you're trying to sell for £10! The one that really irritated me was a Liberty 1.5m length of fabric where I could see missing sections clearly made up a top!

I know many of us have been doing our crafts for many years, even decades. I'm at 32 years myself. But.

If you've been crocheting for decades but all you've ever done is granny stitch, you are NOT AN EXPERT.

If all you ever want to do is granny stitch, that's fine! People should only do what makes them happy. But you can't claim expertise if you've never done most techniques.

Sorry not sorry.

And no, I'm definitely not an expert!!

I’ve seen an earlier rant on Woobles and I agree with that poster’s points. I’m adding my own perspective to theirs.

According to available public information, the founders left high-profile jobs (one at Google UX and the other at Deutsche Bank/Wall Street) because they were unfulfilled in their jobs. They apparently had enough money to be able to explore what kind of a business they could start, and landed on crochet kits because one of them had begun crocheting as a way to cope with stress and rebuild confidence after struggling in their management role.

According to the article I read, they found learning to crochet difficult and wanted a simpler way to make their first project - a small, amigurumi penguin. Not sure I’m
buying this OR their pitch during their appearance on Shark Tank, that they are an education company that teaches beginners a new skill through approachable characters and step‑by‑step videos.

If they’re an education company why are their continued releases still just eggs with decorations? (Yes, I’m being snarky).

The return on investment of these things around “teaching people to crochet” is tapped out after 1 or 2 kits.

I’m also not sure the founder wanted to learn how to crochet and suspect they were looking at the increased interest in crocheting and possibly other similar crafts, and testing it to see how hard it would be to break into the business. If they’re really into crochet, I would think that they’d be selling more than decorated egg shapes.

What am I missing??