Anyone who knows my shop knows that I love trying out new things.

Not because I believe I have found the perfect solution – but because I am curious about how the shopping experience can be made even more enjoyable.

I have been active as a designer on CrazyPatterns for more than ten years now. During that time, many patterns have been created – and, of course, quite a few collections as well. To be honest, though, I have hardly used this feature in the way it was probably intended. Instead, my collections mainly served as landing pages for my website.

Somehow, that had been bothering me for quite a while.

It was one of those projects that kept reappearing on my to-do list and then quietly slipping back down again. You probably know those projects too. 😉

A few days ago, I finally made a conscious decision to take the time and tackle this topic properly.

And while doing so, one question kept coming back to me:

Are we really looking for categories – or do we actually prefer browsing through little shop windows?

Because honestly:

When we walk along a shopping street, we rarely stop in front of a shop simply because there is a sign saying “Sweaters”. We stop because the shop window catches our attention.

That thought stayed with me.

So I rebuilt my profile step by step. Not according to classic categories, but according to themes, moods and ideas. For me, “collections” became little shop windows.

Will this idea work?

Honestly, I don’t know yet.

And that is exactly why I am writing this article.

First and foremost, it is for you – the people who browse CrazyPatterns every day looking for new patterns. Because in the end, you are the ones who actually use the collections and decide whether they are helpful or not.

At the same time, I would also like to speak to the many designers and authors here. Maybe you have had similar thoughts. Maybe you use collections in a completely different way. Or maybe, like me for a long time, you have treated them a little like an unloved stepchild.

Today, I do not want to claim how collections should look.

I find a much more exciting question to be:

How would you design your favourite shop?

I have gathered many thoughts, tried out quite a few things, rebuilt my own shop as an experiment and would love to discuss every single idea with you.

Maybe you will confirm some of my thoughts.

Maybe you will see everything completely differently.

And maybe your ideas will lead to something that gives not only my shop, but also many other designers on CrazyPatterns, a few fresh impulses.

 

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How Would You Organise a Shop?

Before I share my thoughts and little experiments with you, I'd like to start with a simple question.

While reorganising my collections, I realised something:

There isn't just one "right" way to organise a shop.

Quite the opposite.

The more I thought about it, the more different possibilities came to mind – and honestly, I could find good arguments for almost all of them.

Maybe you think very differently as customers.

Maybe other designers have a completely different perspective too.

And that's exactly why I'm so interested in hearing your opinion.

If you could design your dream shop, what principle would you use to organise it?

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1. By Craft

• 🧶 Knitting
• 🧶 Crochet

Advantage:

At first glance, it's immediately clear which craft a pattern belongs to.

Disadvantage:

If you enjoy both knitting and crochet, you may have to browse through two different collections.

👉 My question:

Do you naturally think of knitting and crochet as two separate categories, or does that distinction not really matter to you?

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2. By Garment Type

• 👚 Tops
• 🧥 Cardigans & Jackets
• 🧣 Shawls
• 👶 Baby
• 🧦 Socks

This is probably the most traditional way people search.

Many already know exactly what they're looking for.

Or do they?

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3. By Season

• ☀️ Summer
• 🌸 Spring
• 🍂 Autumn
• ❄️ Winter

Here, the focus is less on the actual product and more on the feeling it creates.

Maybe someone isn't looking for a poncho at all.

Maybe they're simply looking for the perfect project to take on their summer holiday.

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4. By Occasion

• 🎁 Gifts
• 🏖 Holidays & Vacations
• 🎄 Christmas
• 👶 Baby
• 🧘 Home & Wellness

This approach reminds me a little of Pinterest.

The focus isn't on the product itself.

It's on the occasion or situation you're looking for something to make.

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5. By Skill Level

• 🌱 Beginner
• 🌿 Intermediate
• 🌳 Advanced

This could make it much easier for new customers to find projects that match their experience.

Or do you prefer to decide for yourself whether a project appeals to you, regardless of the skill level?

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6. By Yarn

• 🧶 Cotton
• 🧶 Merino
• 🧶 Sock Yarn
• 🧶 Mohair

That would be another interesting way to organise a shop.

After all, many people start by looking for a project that uses the yarn they already have at home.

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7. By Style

• ✨ Modern
• 🤍 Timeless
• 🌾 Boho
• 🇸🇪 Scandinavian
• 🌹 Romantic
• ⬜ Minimalist

Maybe the type of garment isn't the most important thing after all.

Maybe it's the style that inspires you.

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8. By Project Size

• ⚡ One-Evening Project
• 🧶 Weekend Project
• 🧺 Large Project

I have to admit:

This idea is one of my personal favourites.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a quick sense of accomplishment.

And other times, I look forward to a project that will keep me happily busy for several weeks.

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9. By Project Requirements

• 🧶 One Skein
• 🧶 Three Skeins
• ♻️ Stash Busters
• 🚗 Perfect for On-the-Go
• ⚡ Quick to Knit

This could be especially helpful when time or available yarn is limited.

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10. By Mood

Maybe we're not actually looking for a pattern.

Maybe we're looking for a feeling.

Today I'd like to...

• ❤️ ... knit or crochet something special.
• ⚡ ... finish a quick project.
• 🎁 ... make a thoughtful gift.
• ☀️ ... start a summer project.
• 🧶 ... create my next favourite piece.

The more I think about it, the more I like this idea.

Because, in a way, it perfectly describes what I wanted to achieve with my new shop windows.

A good shop window doesn't just showcase a product.

It makes you excited about your next project.

 

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💬 Now It's Your Turn

If you could design your dream shop...

How would you organise your collections?

Or do you have a completely different idea that hasn't even crossed my mind yet?

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The 3-Second Rule

While designing my new shop windows, one question kept coming back to me:

What actually determines whether we click on a collection—or simply keep scrolling?

My guess is that we make this decision much faster than we realise.

Often, just a few seconds are enough.

Maybe even a single glance.

But what really makes the difference?

• The title?
• The preview image?
• The number of patterns included?
• Or simply the overall feeling a collection conveys?

I was curious myself, so I experimented with three completely different design concepts (German Versions).

Each one follows a different approach—and in my opinion, each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Option A – Clean & Minimal

All collections are deliberately designed in a consistent style. The only thing that sets them apart is their title.

Advantage:

The shop feels calm, tidy, and very well organised.

Possible drawback:

The collections may look so similar that they don't attract much attention when someone is quickly browsing through the shop.

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Option B – The Editorial Collage

Here, the cover image already tells a little story.

Several designs give you a first impression of the patterns included in the collection.

Advantage:

The variety is immediately visible and sparks curiosity.

Possible drawback:

The overall design may feel a little busier and could distract from the actual title.

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Option C – The Hero Image

Each collection is represented by a single design that captures the overall theme.

Almost like the cover of a magazine.

Advantage:

The presentation feels more emotional, more premium, and hopefully more memorable.

Possible drawback:

Of course, a single design can never showcase the full variety of a collection.

 

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💡 My Takeaway

When I looked at all three options side by side, I was genuinely surprised.

At first, I thought a collage would provide the best overview. But in the end, I chose a completely different approach.

Why?

Because I didn't just want to showcase patterns—I wanted the cover image itself to tell a little story.

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💬 What Do You Think?

Which of these three options would you be most likely to click on? (German Version)

• ☐ Option A – Clean & Minimal
• ☐ Option B – Editorial Collage
• ☐ Option C – Hero Image

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The Title Makes the Difference

Once I had decided on the design of the cover images, the next decision was already waiting for me. (German Version)

Choosing the Right Title

Once I had settled on the cover images, the next decision was already waiting for me.

What should I call my collections?

At first glance, it sounds like a small detail.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that titles do far more than simply describe what's inside.

They create expectations.

They paint a picture in our minds.

And sometimes, they may even determine whether we click on a collection at all.

Let's use summer as an example.

Should a collection have a straightforward title like:

• Summer Tops

Or something a little more emotional?

• Summer Moments

Or perhaps something very specific?

• Summer 2026

All three titles describe essentially the same topic.

Yet each one feels completely different.

• "Summer Tops" tells me exactly what I'll find.
• "Summer 2026" feels current and seasonal.
• "Summer Moments," on the other hand, doesn't describe a garment at all - it describes a feeling.

That idea kept growing on me throughout this little experiment.

Maybe we're not just looking for a pattern.

Maybe we're looking for inspiration.

For a certain mood.

For a project that feels just right at this moment.

That's why I deliberately chose more emotional titles in the end.

Instead of simply:

• Summer
• Winter
• Baby

I went with titles like:

• ☀️ Summer Moments
• 🍂 Cozy Season
• 👶 For Our Little Ones
• ❤️ Favourite Makes
• 🏡 Home Inspirations

Suddenly, these titles felt much more like the names of little shop windows than traditional categories.

 

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💡 My Takeaway

I used to think that a good title had to describe exactly what people would find inside.

Today, I'm not so sure anymore.

Maybe a good title should also spark curiosity.

Maybe it can already tell the first little story.

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💬 What Do You Think?

Which type of title appeals to you more?

• Clear and descriptive titles like Summer Tops, Cardigans, or Shawls?
• Or more emotional titles like Summer Moments, Home Inspirations, or Favourite Makes?

Or would you combine both approaches?

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How Many Patterns Are Enough?

No sooner had I finished my first collection than I found myself facing the next question.

How large should a collection actually be?

At first, I thought there had to be a simple answer.

But the longer I worked on my little shop windows, the less certain I became.

Because both extremes have their appeal.

A small collection feels clear and easy to browse.

You immediately understand what it's about, and you're not overwhelmed by too many choices.

A larger collection, on the other hand, invites you to explore.

You discover more designs, find inspiration, and perhaps even spend a little longer browsing the shop.

But at what point does a wide selection stop feeling inspiring and start feeling overwhelming?

Are five or ten patterns enough?

Or do you enjoy browsing collections with twenty, thirty—or even fifty designs?

I've noticed in my own shop windows that the answer probably depends on the theme.

In my opinion, a bundle collection can be fairly compact.

After all, the goal is for visitors to quickly understand what's included.

With free patterns, however, I see things quite differently.

That's where I personally enjoy browsing for longer and appreciate having plenty of choice.

So perhaps there isn't an ideal number after all.

Maybe it simply depends on the story a collection is meant to tell.

 

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💡 My Takeaway

At first, I wanted all of my collections to be roughly the same size.

Now, I don't think that would make much sense.

Some shop windows work best with a carefully curated selection.

Others are meant to invite visitors to browse for a while.

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💬 What Do You Think?

How many patterns do you personally find ideal in a collection?

• A smaller, well-organised selection?
• Or as much variety as possible?

And is there a point where a collection starts to feel overwhelming rather than helpful?

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One Pattern – Just One Collection?

While creating my new shop windows, I came across a question that stayed with me much longer than I had expected.

Let's take a simple summer top as an example.

Where does it actually belong?

• ☀️ Summer Moments?
• ❤️ Favourite Makes?
• 🌱 Beginner-Friendly?
• ⚡ Quick Projects?

The more I thought about it, the more I realised something:

There often isn't just one right answer.

And that's where one particular feature of collections comes into play.

At the moment, each pattern can only be assigned to one collection.

That means that every choice automatically rules out many other possibilities.

Personally, I don't see this as a criticism of the feature.

Quite the opposite.

This limitation forced me to ask myself a question I had never consciously considered before:

What are my customers actually looking for?

As a designer, do I think differently from someone who's simply looking for a beautiful pattern?

Maybe you start by searching for a summer top.

Maybe you're looking for a quick project.

Maybe you always check the free patterns first.

Or perhaps you simply enjoy browsing and decide along the way.

The truth is...

I honestly don't know.

And that's exactly why I'm so interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

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💡 My Takeaway

At first, I saw assigning a pattern to just one collection as a limitation.

Today, I see it a little differently.

It forces me to set priorities.

And maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.

Because every pattern eventually needs a home.

The real question is:

Which home would you choose for it?

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💬 What Do You Think?

If you had to decide where this summer top belongs...

Which one would you choose?

• ☀️ Summer Moments
• ❤️ Favourite Makes

Or perhaps...

• 🌱 Beginner-Friendly
• ⚡ Quick Projects

...or would you place it in a completely different collection?

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Categories or Shop Windows?

Up to this point, I had simply been trying to organise my patterns in a way that made sense.

But then something unexpected happened.

I stopped thinking in terms of categories.

And I started thinking in terms of shop windows.

At first, that might sound like a small difference.

For me, however, it completely changed the way I looked at my shop.

A category mainly answers one question:

"What am I looking for?"

A shop window, on the other hand, answers a completely different one:

"What am I in the mood for right now?"

A traditional catalogue helps you find something.

A shop window is meant to spark curiosity.

It tells a little story.

And perhaps you'll even discover something you weren't looking for in the first place.

After all, that's exactly what happens when we stroll down a shopping street.

We don't stop in front of every shop.

But every now and then, one particular shop window catches our eye.

Not necessarily because of a single product.

But because of the atmosphere it creates.

And that's exactly the feeling I wanted to recreate.

So I stopped organising my collections as traditional categories.

Instead, I started creating little themed shop windows.

• Summer became ☀️ Summer Moments.
• Autumn & Winter became 🍂 Cozy Season.
• A simple product selection became ❤️ Favourite Makes.

And instead of placing all my free patterns into one generic collection, they got their own dedicated little shop window.

Here's a direct comparison – on the left: how I used to organise my collections. On the right: how my collections page looks today: (German Version)

When I looked at the finished layout for the first time, I suddenly no longer felt like I was looking at a list of patterns.

Instead, it felt like I was looking into the display window of a small shop.

And in that very moment, I realised something:

I hadn't really created collections at all.

I had created shop windows.

 

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💡 My Takeaway

At first, I simply wanted to organise my patterns more effectively.

Now, I believe that organising them isn't really the goal at all.

A good shop window doesn't just help people find something.

It makes them excited about their next project.

They might even discover something they weren't looking for in the first place.

And to me, that's exactly the difference between a category and a shop window.

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💬 What Do You Think?

When you visit my shop...

What appeals to you most?

• 📚 A traditional structure with clear categories?

Or

• 🪟 Little shop windows that invite you to browse, explore, and discover?

Or would you combine both approaches?

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A Shop Changes with the Seasons

When I looked at the finished layout of my collections, another thought suddenly came to mind.

When we walk down a shopping street, the shop windows in July look completely different from those in November.

In summer, they're filled with light fabrics, bright colours, and a holiday feeling.

In autumn, warm tones, cosy yarns, and comfortable designs take over.

And at Christmas, the windows suddenly sparkle with stars, gifts, and festive decorations.

So why should an online shop be any different?

Until then, I had thought of my collections as fairly permanent categories.

But suddenly, a completely different idea appealed to me.

Maybe the entire shop doesn't need to change all the time.

Maybe it's enough to simply refresh the shop windows every now and then.

After all, the patterns themselves stay exactly the same.

Only the display changes.

Right now, for example, my summer projects are taking centre stage.

A few months from now, the same space might look completely different.

Perhaps 🍂 Cozy Season will move to the top.

Maybe 🏡 Home Inspirations will become more prominent.

Or perhaps I'll even create entirely new seasonal shop windows.

That way, the shop always feels fresh and inspiring—even though very little has actually changed about the products themselves.

And honestly...

I find that idea incredibly exciting.

 

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💡 My Takeaway

I used to think that a shop should have a permanent, unchanging structure.

Today, I believe it's the small changes that make a shop feel alive.

The products themselves don't always have to be new.

Sometimes, it's enough to simply give them a new stage.

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💬 What Do You Think?

When you visit the same shop regularly...

Do you enjoy seeing changing shop windows?

Or do you prefer everything to stay in its familiar place?

And would you even notice seasonal themes - or would they make little difference to you?

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More Than Just a Way to Organise

While working on my collections, I also stumbled across another feature that, to be honest, I had hardly paid any attention to before.

Each collection can have its own individual discount.

Suddenly, I wasn't just able to organise my patterns.

I could also deliberately highlight specific shop windows.

All at once, new ideas started coming to mind.

For example:

• ☀️ Summer Moments – paired with a small summer promotion.
• ❤️ Favourite Makes – my personal favourites for a limited time.
• 📦 Bundle Collections – already offering great value, perhaps with an additional special discount.

Or even seasonal promotions that change along with the shop windows themselves.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.

Because suddenly, collections were no longer just a practical way to organise patterns.

They had gained an entirely new purpose.

They could draw attention to specific themes.

Much like a shop window highlighting a store's current offers.

Of course, that immediately raised another question.

Do we actually notice these kinds of highlights?

Or do we simply click on whatever interests us most anyway?

 

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💡 My Takeaway

To be honest, I had never really thought of collections as a tool for promotions or discounts.

It wasn't until I reorganised my shop that I realised they could be used to deliberately draw attention to specific themes.

Will it actually work?

I suppose only time and a bit of experimentation will tell.

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💬 What Do You Think?

When you visit a shop...

Do you even notice when a collection is on sale?

Would a collection-specific discount make you more likely to click on it?

Or do you decide purely based on the theme and the patterns it contains?

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Customers and Designers – Two Different Perspectives on the Same Shop

While reorganising my collections, I gradually realised something else:

I probably look at my shop very differently from many of my customers.

As a designer, I find myself asking questions like:

• Where does this pattern fit best?
• Which collection tells the right story?
• What order makes the most sense?
• Which patterns do I want to highlight?

As a customer, though, I would probably think quite differently.

I simply want to find something that catches my eye.

Maybe I'm looking for a summer project.

Maybe I need a gift idea.

Or perhaps I just want to browse and feel inspired.

That's why I now believe there probably isn't a perfect way to organise a shop.

Every designer creates collections from a different perspective.

And every visitor browses with a different goal in mind.

For a long time, I was trying to make those decisions for my customers.

But perhaps it's much more interesting to understand how they actually think.

Maybe we, as designers, organise our shops very differently from the way our customers actually browse them.

And that's exactly why this article came to life.

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Looking Beyond My Own Shop

While working on this little experiment, I naturally took a closer look at many other shops on CrazyPatterns as well.

And I noticed something interesting.

Many designers hardly use collections at all - or only to a very limited extent.

Some have created only a few collections.

For others, collections mainly serve as a practical way to organise their patterns.

And some don't use them at all.

This isn't meant as criticism in any way.

Quite the opposite.

In fact, until just a few days ago, I would probably have described my own shop in exactly the same way.

For years, I mainly used my collections as landing pages for my website.

It wasn't until I started this experiment that I began to see their potential in a completely new light.

Perhaps it's because many of us simply don't know how customers actually browse.

Perhaps we're all just too busy.

Or maybe we've always thought of collections primarily as an organisational tool rather than as little shop windows.

I have a feeling that many designers may be in exactly the same position I was.

 

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💡 My Takeaway

When I started this project, I simply wanted to reorganise my own shop.

Now, I hope this discussion might lead to something much bigger.

Maybe together we'll come up with ideas that none of us would have thought of on our own.

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💬 A Question for My Fellow Designers...

I'd also like to invite all of you who design patterns to join the conversation.

How do you organise your collections?

Have you planned your shop structure intentionally?

Or have your collections simply grown over time?

How do you decide when a pattern could easily fit into more than one collection?

Do you organise your shop by:

• Garment type?
• Season?
• Knitting and crochet?
• Skill level?
• Or by a completely different principle?

Perhaps you've found solutions that I haven't even considered yet.

I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Because maybe there isn't one perfect solution after all.

Maybe every designer has their own unique way of organising a shop.

And that's exactly what makes this discussion so interesting.

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The Most Important Thing...

When I started this little project, I simply wanted to reorganise my collections.

Honestly?

I never imagined it would raise so many questions.

The more I explored the topic, the less it became about collections themselves.

Instead, it became about something much more fundamental.

How do we actually browse?

What makes us click on one collection instead of another?

Why does one title immediately catch our attention while another barely gets noticed?

And are we really searching for categories—or are we actually looking for little stories?

I don't have all the answers yet.

But I have gained something that is just as valuable to me.

A completely new perspective on my own shop.

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💡 My Biggest Takeaway

I started out simply wanting to organise my patterns more effectively.

In the end, I found myself looking at my shop through the eyes of my visitors.

That was probably the biggest shift of all.

Because suddenly, it was no longer about where a pattern belonged.

It was about how browsing feels.

And that's exactly what I'll be paying close attention to over the coming weeks.

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📌 Where I Am Right Now

✔ Completely reorganised my collections.

✔ Turned categories into little shop windows.

✔ Created new collection titles and descriptions.

✔ Introduced a new hero image concept for my collection covers.

✔ Started planning seasonal shop windows.

⬜ Still missing: Your feedback. 😊

 

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💬 Now I'm Curious...

Whether you mainly buy patterns or publish them yourself...

I'd genuinely love to hear your perspective.

• Which idea resonated with you the most?
• Which one would you approach differently?
• Do you use collections at all?
• Or have you thought of something that hasn't even crossed my mind yet?

I'd love to read your comments.

Who knows...

Maybe this little experiment will turn into a really interesting discussion.

And perhaps, a few months from now, I'll come back to this very article and realise that my shop windows have already evolved once again.

Because that's exactly what I love about creative work:

It's never really finished. 

🧡 Perhaps you'll also discover more articles in my CrazyPatterns blog - or find your next favourite pattern in my shop.

With love,
Kathrin, Emma & Muki

Photos, designs & content © Kathrin | stricken-im-trend.com