Why Programmers Built a Craft Website

Hi everyone,

In the thread “When an AI Searched for Exam Answers—and Ended Up Penetrating Real Systems” rubator asked how someone from the software world would even come up with the idea of building a website for crafts. The answer doesn’t really fit there, so I’m posting it here.

The reason was the instant download feature.

Crazypatterns launched in early April 2013. Back then, there was no convenient way to buy a PDF pattern and download it immediately after payment.

DaWanda didn’t have a built-in download feature. Files were sent manually via email (many of you here will still remember that), or a third-party service like FetchIt was used—in which case the buyer had to find her order number after purchase and enter it on a third-party site. On Etsy, automatic delivery of digital items wasn’t introduced until April 2013; before that, sellers there also sent their files themselves or paid monthly for an external delivery service.

For designers, this meant sitting down at the computer after every sale. For buyers, it meant waiting for a file that had long since been ready.

Crazypatterns was designed to solve that. Verifying payment, assigning the file, delivering it, and ensuring permanent access—that’s software craftsmanship, and the need for it was particularly great when it came to craft patterns. That’s why instant download was the core of the site from the very beginning, not just an add-on. Everything else came later.

By the way: The comparison holds true. A pattern and a program are both the result of precise instructions—and a mistake in row 12 carries through to the very end in both cases.

Warm regards
Your Crazypatterns Team

Hello Operator,

Crazypatterns is a comprehensive platform for purchasing patterns, but by no means the only one—nor is it the first. Internationally, there’s Ravelry, among others, which offers even more features. It was launched in 2007, and the first options for paid pattern downloads became available there in mid-2009. 

Best regards from Krümelmonster

In terms of its clear layout, the selection of modern, varied patterns, and the website’s ease of use for both buyers and sellers, Ravelry—at least for the German market—is, in my opinion, no match for Crazypatterns. 

Oh, I see. That was it.
Yeah, authors of patterns—just like authors of code—basically say, “Do what it says!” 🤣

Hi Frieda-Wollknaeuel, you’re absolutely right. You can’t compare Ravelry and Crazypatterns. 

You’ll find more than one and a half million knitting and crochet patterns on Ravelry, while there are about a tenth of that here, including sewing, embroidery, crafts, and felting. That naturally makes searching easier, especially if you’re not familiar with using filters. On Ravelry, it’s hard to manage without using search criteria. All the nicer that you don’t need anything like that here.

There are probably quite a few more members there than here, too. But who wants to connect with people from all over the world when it’s so much cozier here? 

Best regards from Krümelmonster

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, of course. For me, Crazypatterns is much more modern and appealing. All the best to you.

I tried Ravelry once and couldn’t figure it out at all.

Warm regards, Marlene.