The Ultimate List of Knitting Pattern Design Tutorials and Tips

By Michele Thymmons

Knitting Pattern Design, while similar to creating crochet patterns, is still different and as such will have different tips and recommendations by designers as well as different software to create it. We’ve gathered an ultimate list of some of the best of these tips to include video tutorials, step by step posts, tips from knitting designers that are sharing their journey and lessons learned so you don’t have to make the same mistakes as they have and much more.

Sister Mountain - How to Design and Release Knitting Patterns is a series of posts all about how to create your own knitting design as well how she pulls together her knitting designs and releases them. She also has a Sweater Design School where she will take you through all the steps in creating your first pullover from nothing to actually creating, testing and releasing the pattern.

Chart Minder - is a place where you can go to scan or customize your own knitting pattern charts for free.

Mama’s Teddy Bear has an awesome interview from a knit designer, Whitney Hayward, who tells you a lot of behind the scenes during her journey as a knitwear designer as well as how long it takes her to create a design and some of her advice for new knitters just starting out to those that are doing knit wear design.

Knitting Today - The Complete Guide to Creating Knitting Patterns is a 16 days series of posts focused on how to create knitting patterns.

Mandarine’s How to create knitting patterns in 10 steps (video below) is a step by step video that walks you through how to design and create knitting patterns.

KnitGrammer has reviewed the main knitting chart makers and compared them all in one post to discover which is the best knitting chart maker.

The Knitting Site has created a great post about knitting charts that she has created special so that they have specific ratios to equal each stitch. She also discusses how to turn a picture into a knitted graph.

Knitbird is a knitting graphing chart program that is free for use and download.

Knits That Fit is an app that allows you to create knitted patterns for sweaters and hats.

Gathered has created a specific post that walks you through step by step how to create your own knitted socks.

Instructables has a post specifically on how to make your own Intarsia (picture Knitting) Charts where you are walked through how to add a picture to anything knitted.

Watch Barbara Knit has a video all about what it takes to design and write a knitting pattern (video below). She also has a number of other tutorials for knitting stitches and much more on her YouTube Channel.

Knits ‘n Knots has created a post specifically focused on giving you 8 tips for pattern writing that she has learned throughout her many years of being a knit and crochet designer.

The Knit Wit created a post about how to write knitting patterns where she talks you through everything needed to create a knitted pattern, and has several more posts on their website about technical editing and much more.

MDK created a post about their journey to turn their logo into a knitting chart they could use to create their own knitted logo sign (as their logo is - according to them) one of the least knittable logos.

Joanna’s Web has a video on how to design your own knitting pattern (video below) where she walks you through her process step by step on how to create your own eyelet by designing with square ruled paper.

University of the Arts London has a 4 week online course all about knitwear design and starts with the basics of knitting and techniques as well as different types of knitting and construction methods.

Color Notes Yarn has a post about how to create a knitted pattern using the excel worksheet. If you prefer to use a graph instead of written instructions, this is a great way to create your own knitting pattern for graphs.

Annie Bee Knits also has a post about how to create knitting charts in excel which has a step by step tutorial as she walks you through each step.

Freepik Company has created a video tutorial on how to use Adobe Illustrator to create a beginner knitting pattern (see video below).

HJS Studio Tutorial has a Design Your Own Knitting Pattern Tutorial where Holly talks you through the process that she uses to create her knitting patterns.

Aroha Knits has a Knitting 101 post detailing Aroha Knits process in writing a knitting pattern.

If you’re wanting to submit any of your new knitting designs to be published, Kristen Tendyke has a post with 9 steps to perfect designs for any submissions.

Karie Bookish also has a step by step tutorial on how to submit your design to a magazine.

Interweave has a great post about three types of knitting side hustles you can do (and what each does as well as how to get started) to include knit designer, technical editor, and knitting teacher.

As a fun last article, MIT in the USA is working on an Artificial Intelligence knitting design software that will allow anyone to create their own clothing using it and a knitting machine.

Thank you for joining us on this Ultimate List of Knitting Pattern Design Tutorials and Tips. If there are any posts that should be added or if you have a creative you recommend to be featured, please email me or comment below. And definitely tag VAMICreations when you make something and post it on social media. We’d love to share it! Take care my friend and have a wonderful day!