A request to all crochet pattern authors!

Hello, dear authors of crochet patterns!

I have a big favor to ask of you!

I’m an impulse yarn buyer. That means I buy yarn whenever the opportunity arises—when it’s especially beautiful or a great deal. I decide later what to crochet with it. From what I’ve heard, quite a few crocheters are just like me.

So when I’m browsing through the patterns here, I naturally want to see if I can find the right project for my yarn. The problem, though, is that only a few authors specify the yarn used (material and yardage) right in the first description. Since it’s obviously no fun to buy a pattern only to realize you don’t have the right yarn at home (but 1,000 skeins of other types of yarn), I usually don’t buy those patterns. Very often, I end up really regretting it because the patterns are so beautiful.

That’s why I’m asking—please be so kind as to include the exact material and yardage of the yarns used right in the first description. That would be really great!

Thank you so much, and best regards
Bianca

Oh yes, I think that’s a great idea, too.

I also have kilos of yarn in stock and currently choose patterns based solely on whether they match my yarn.

That’s why I’ve been downloading only free patterns lately. If the patterns don’t match my yarn, I’ll have a new, beautiful pattern—but at least I won’t have spent money on a pattern I can’t use right now.

Hi!

I understand!
Personally, for some time now I’ve already been including the gauge, yardage/weight, hook size, etc. that I used right in the description.
I still need to update my older patterns in this regard, but I can only do that when I have the time.

I usually choose a project based on the yarn and not the other way around... because—of course ;)—I’ve got mountains of yarn piling up too... After all, yarn comes from “want” *laughs* and not from “need”...

Best regards, Nina

Hallo Bianca,

ich habe diese Angabe bei den meisten meiner Anleitungen im Produkttext stehen, aber auf deinen Post hin habe ich nochmal geprüft und tatsächlich - bei einigen fehlt diese Angabe.

Danke für die Anregung, ich werde das gleich überarbeiten. ☺

Liebe Grüße
Michaela

Hallo Bianca!
Das spricht mir echt aus dem Herzen. Auch ich hamstere gerne mal Wolle, weil sie gerade so günstig ist und suche mir dann passende Anleitungen.

Hi there

I totally get where you’re coming from. I’m an impulse buyer myself and approach every project that way.
That’s why I usually include this information in my patterns. I also almost always try to write my patterns so that no specific yarn is required. For most of my patterns, even the yarn weight isn’t important.  That way, you can work a pattern once with thin sock yarn and a second time with really thick winter yarn. :-D

If you love a pattern but the details are missing, just reach out to the author. Most of them will respond relatively quickly.

Best regards, Birgit 

Ich habe vor allem Amigurumi-Anleitungen. Da es bei ihnen nicht so sehr auf die Grösse ankommt wie bei einem Kleidungsstück, gebe ich bewusst nur wage Empfehlungen für passende Wolle ab. Ich beschränke mich auf die Angabe der von mir verwendeten Häkelnadel. So kann der Käufer in seinem Fundus nach einer Wolle suchen, die ihm selber gefällt und das Problem mit nicht passender Wolle entfällt weitestgehend. Natürlich braucht das etwas Mut. Aber es lohnt sich auch, besonders für die Käufer...

Lg, Rahel

Thanks for pointing that out. I’m also the type who buys yarn when I like it or when it feels good. We’ll see what I end up making with it..... I’ve neatly documented my stash on my computer, and when I see a nice pattern, I immediately check the matching yardage to see whether I have it in stock.
Any author will surely be happy to provide information later about the yarn or answer other questions you may want to ask before buying the pattern.

Best regards,
Petra

Hi Bianca,

thank you very much for pointing that out. It’s good for us authors to be reminded of what people pay special attention to when they’re interested in a pattern - that way, we can make sure to include this information right at the beginning :-)

And Petra,
wow, I wish I were that organized too! Piles of yarn are slowly stacking up everywhere at my place - I do have a yarn cupboard where EVERYTHING is ACTUALLY stored away neatly, but by now it’s overflowing! ;-)
Yet I’m also an impulse buyer, just like some of you have described here. And when I see beautiful yarn, I just can’t help myself and simply have to buy it - and it’s only once I get home that I remember that I really don’t have any space left *laughs* 

Well, there are worse things! .... like having NO yarn left at all ;-) And winter is only just beginning, girls! 

With that in mind, enjoy the holiday!
Best, Stefanie

Thanks to all the authors who already make a point of specifying the recommended yarn.

As for my yarn stash, I’m also very organized. I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet with two tabs: one for yarn skeins and one for patterns, with the recommended yardage, needle size, and quantity listed next to each. That way, I regularly compare them and only look for patterns that match my yarn stash.

Hi Bianca,
that's a good point. I only make decorations, but I took a look. I always include the crochet hook size and the name of the yarn. But I'll add the yardage too, so people don't have to search first. Thanks for the tip ;) .

Best regards
Silvia

Yarn in an Excel file??? RESPECT!
It would take me weeks to take inventory of all my yarn...
I also have an overflowing closet and bags and baskets full of it. My place looks like a hoarder’s... a yarn hoarder’s!

Thanks for the info....

I’ll pay attention to that in the future

However, with 90% of my patterns, you’re not tied to any specific yarn, so I only give recommendations, but in 90% of cases you can also use a different yarn.....

Hi Bianca,

I’m usually in the amigurumi section, but this really caught my attention. And I actually discovered that this information was missing from three of my own patterns. It’s not such a big deal for figures, but I went ahead and fixed it anyway :-)

Thanks for pointing it out, and I hope you enjoy many more hours of crafting with our patterns :-)

Best wishes, Sabine

“Yarn hoarder” sounds familiar to me. My husband has mentioned something like that to me before.
But I have to say, I’ve sorted all my yarn by color into boxes—oversized boxes. And then there’s another one just for scraps.

So I really admire everyone who has their yarn organized so that they have everything at their fingertips, but unfortunately, I just don’t have the space for that. Once the kids move out (in umpteen years), I might be able to use their closet for that. But that’s all just a pipe dream for now.

And thank you for pointing that out—I have some patterns where that information is missing, too. I’ll go through them all again by the weekend.

Hi Bianca,
I don’t hoard yarn either, but when I download a pattern, I want to get started right away. So it’s really helpful if the text includes as much information as possible about the yarn used, so I can get the right yarn beforehand.
Best regards, Birgit

A piece of text was missing from my post: 
I prefer to buy patterns where the yarn and hook size don’t matter, so where you work by measurements in cm. 

Best regards 
ANJA 

@handmadebybianca, Since we keep having users who ask for material details, I keep adding that to the recommendations in all promotional threads.
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/forum/thread/8/empfehlungen
The authors will surely update their patterns bit by bit.