📌 New 2025 Study: How Germany Knits & Crochets

2852 Posts Recent Started

Monday, August 18, 2025 at 4:57 PM

Hello everyone,

We have some exciting insights for you: Our big DIY survey 2025 is live! In collaboration with Evergreen Media® & SKOPOS, we surveyed 1,004 people in Germany in July who knit or crochet regularly or occasionally. The result is exciting insights, summarized for you in a compact format:

The 5 most important findings at a glance

Knitting & crocheting are part of everyday life: More than half pick up yarn and needles at least weekly – 12% even daily.
Relaxation is king (or queen): Around 9 out of 10 name stress relief as their main motivation. Creativity/unique items, learning new things, and sustainability follow behind.
Ideas come from the web: YouTube & co. are the top source of inspiration, followed by social networks, DIY blogs, and knitting/crochet platforms.
Free remains important, willingness to buy is there: More than half mainly use free patterns; however, many also occasionally buy special or comprehensive patterns.
This is what people pay for: The most convincing factors are detailed step-by-step explanations, unusual designs, and rare techniques.

👉 You can find all the graphics, figures, and details here:
To the study: https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/stricken-und-haekeln-in-deutschland-diy-umfrage-2025

What does this mean for you at Crazypatterns?

More “all-around carefree”: We recommend patterns with especially detailed step-by-step explanations – ideal if you want to reach your goal relaxed and without frustration.
Free & premium in balance: Still lots of free patterns – and premium highlights if you want something very special or extra explanations.

Let’s talk 💬

What motivates you the most? Where do you get your ideas? And which pattern format would you like to see more often (e.g., with more photos, videos, size charts)?
Feel free to write it in the comments – your feedback helps us make Crazypatterns even more helpful and inspiring.

Many thanks to everyone who took part and brings so much creativity to the community every day! 💙

Best regards
Your Crazypatterns Team

👉 To the full study here
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/stricken-und-haekeln-in-deutschland-diy-umfrage-2025

Moderator

23093 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM

@Community,
does what Alexander writes here—or what’s in the article about the study—align with your experiences and preferences, or not so much?

Schnuckelina

5967 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM

Hi Alexander and team,

I think it’s great that CP commissioned this study. If I had been one of the 1,002 respondents, my answers would have matched these results exactly.

I do crafts mainly to relax and want to bring my creative ideas to life—preferably every day. Yes, I also pay attention to the price of a pattern.

For small projects or simple items, I’ll follow free patterns, but I’m also happy to pay for a good step-by-step pattern if the project really captivates me. And that’s always the case when it’s something truly special that immediately captivates me (good photos are a must!), or when it involves a technique I want to learn. In those cases, I need someone to show me exactly how it’s done. And I’m happy to pay for that expertise.

I don’t buy a pattern if:

there’s only 1 photo (or 10 of the same photo) and no other views
the photos are blurry (patterns or shapes aren’t clearly visible)
there’s only a general, too brief, too superficial, or even incorrect description (the style would likely carry over into the pattern itself), and
if there are no specific details on materials and sizing.

I find it helpful when other users who’ve followed the pattern before me have left a detailed review. The more reviews there are and the more specific they are, the better I can assess whether the pattern is right for me.

If I’ve bought a pattern from someone once and really liked their style, I’ll buy from them again. On the other hand, if a pattern has really disappointed me, I’ll never buy from that shop again. You just remember these things—both the good and the bad.

Best regards, Ina

dievomdeich

2200 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 7:46 PM

Great idea with this study. I’d recognize myself in it, too.

Free is good, of course—who has money to throw away? But of course, I’m also happy to pay for a good, informative pattern that’s properly illustrated. After all, a lot of work goes into it.
What really annoys me: I buy a pattern for €6.99, it’s written in a way that’s totally incomprehensible, has way too many pictures, and after searching a bit longer, I discover a very similar pattern—for free—and it’s really well written. When I asked the author, I got two different answers (“I’m not really sure right now”), and in the end, I figured it out myself.

I get wary when the product description contains a lot of spelling mistakes. In those cases, I usually say no.

I want to see photos from multiple angles and a clear view of the pattern. It doesn’t help if the same photo is shown five times, but the actual product is barely recognizable.

When it comes to size specifications, it often says “can be made in all sizes” or “can be adapted to any size.” That’s not helpful to me. Not everyone can “figure it out” on their own—for that, I don’t need to buy a pattern.

I’m sure some of you here have “go-to authors” by now. I really enjoy buying from them because I know I’m getting quality.

CreatOwl

4487 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 8:46 PM

I used to buy knitting and crochet magazines years ago.
As a result, I often had to modify the patterns—including recalculating the measurements and the number of stitches needed—because they rarely fit me.
For the past few years, I’ve been working from my own ideas.
I get tips from YouTube when I want to see how certain stitches are knitted or crocheted that I haven’t yet added to my repertoire.
I don’t need a novel-length product description.
On the other hand, it bothers me when the preview image shows so much stuff that has nothing to do with the project.