Unraveled

The Ravelry pattern database currently has over 650,000 patterns, and while I love having so many to choose from, sometimes it can be hard to pick from that bounty. When there aren’t many project attached to a pattern to help me envision how it might turn out, I look for clues on the pattern page itself. Today’s tip is some of the ways I assess a pattern page to evaluate if a pattern is what I’m looking for.

Photos

Photos are the first thing to draw me to a pattern page and they are also what can keep me there. The ones I most love to see are:

• the whole project
• close up of the details
• a modeled picture
• the project laid flat

The modeled and flay lay pictures are especially helpful to me for garments. It helps me to get an idea of the shaping and imagine how it might fit me.

Pattern Details

The details section of the pattern page is the next place I check. I love to work from my stash when I can, and I have technique preferences. When the details section is filled out I can check for all of these things. The gauge, suggested yarn and yardage range allow me to check my stash for suitable substitutions. The attributes can give a lot of insight into the construction of the item – I can see that this is knit top-down in the round, it has a raglan sleeve and waist shaping, and is seamless. There’s a schematic and a written pattern, too.

Description

If I’m still interested after perusing the pictures and details, I move onto the pattern description. My favorite things to see are:

• a bit of romance copy describing the pattern construction and inspiration
• for garments, the intended ease
• for garments, the size the model is wearing and their measurements
• for items with multiple sizes, the yardage for each size

Comments

Finally, I love to check out the comments on the pattern. I can filter to see responses from the designer, or from people who have already made the pattern. It’s a great fill-in for reading project notes.

And that brings us to the end of how I study a pattern page. I hope this info gives you ways to find the perfect pattern for your project!