There is some great knitting ideas in this quick post to show you some knitting pattern books that have small, fast or easy-to-knit projects.
Great for using up yarn, and music for the profitable knitters ears with many projects able to be completed in a day or less.
They may fit your niche already, or you could alter them slightly to make them suit using different yarns or colours, or adding decorative elements. All are great for knitting ideas and inspiration.
This is by no means a definitive list of fast-to-knit knitting pattern books but it hopefully gives you some knitting ideas and inspiration. I have contacted the authors and publishers to see if they are happy for the finished projects to be sold, but have not received responses yet, so please wait for an update here, or contact them yourself before going ahead and using these patterns for your knitting business!
I have used Amazon links for the pictures so you can get an idea of their price too.
Judith Durant has created a range of these great pattern books with knitting patterns that use only one skein of yarn.
This is very useful if you are Knitting For Profit because you don't have to worry about dye lots or running out of yarn, and they are relatively small projects so they are fast to complete.
"Speed Knitting" by Kris Percival has fast and easy to complete projects, easy for beginners and fast for experienced knitters. Part of the trick is using chunky yarns and big needles which makes the whole project come along a lot faster.
"Last Minute Knitted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson has a good range of easy projects all able to be completed in under 10 hours. She uses a wide range of colours and textures which will give you great ideas for making your products stand out. [UPDATE] – Joelle has let me know that you can't sell pieces you knit from patterns in this book, but it might still be a good one to have a look at for knitting ideas.
"Weekend Knitting" by Melanie Falick is a popular book that includes projects designed to be knitted in a weekend or less. There are lots of unique designs such as a flower-shaped washcloth and little egg-cozies, plus projects covering a range of knitting difficulties too. [UPDATE] – The publishers replied and said that you can't sell items you knit from Melanie's book, but you could contact the designer of each item individually and ask for permission.
"One Skein" by Leigh Radford is another book of fast-to-knit projects that use only one skein of yarn, mostly patterns for fashion accessories and decorative pieces for homes. There are also projects designed to use up all those leftover bits from other projects.
I will hunt around for some free fast-knit patterns too, and include them in a future post!
Actually, I’m still wondering whether it’s even legal for a publisher/designer to prohibit knitters who bought the pattern from selling the items knit from said pattern – that would be like a cookbook author forbidding you to use his recipes in your restaurant.
But until I’ve discussed the question with a lawyer, I simply won’t buy pattern books – problem solved. And lots of money saved…
A few years ago I learnt Folk Art painting and some of us wanted to sell items. Our teacher (who also painted commercially) advised that as long as you change the pattern or design by 20%, you are legally allowed to use it for selling.
Perhaps this applies to all craft…?
Thats a good idea Klara – I’ll try to find out what the legalities are and put up a post about it
Thanks Janeene – I’ll see if I can confirm this too!
All designers are different!
Some have very strict rules about what you can and can not do with their patterns, and even threaten to prosecute to the fullest extend of the law if you don’t follow their
rules!
I would say that it is up to the purchasers to find out what those rules are.
Personally, as a pattern designer for knitting and crochet items… I want my customers to profit from their endeavors with my patterns..(but I wouldn’t be very happy if they sold, or even gave away my patterns!)
So I say, sell your finished items, anywhere you wish!
I also have 4 free patterns on my website where people can print off the patterns, (which are usually one to three lines of instruction) or just sit in front of their computer, and in sometimes as little as one minute, have a completed item in their hands!
I want people to experience the joy of having made a cute item, and not have had to toil over it for a day or more! And to also realize that knitting, and crocheting are not difficult, and very rewarding pass-times!
Please feel free to visit my site at
http://www.Hectanooga.etsy.com.
I liked this article. I often wondered why some people don't permit their items to be sold. I think that if I design a pattern and sold it… I would want everyone to make money from it with just ONE condition. Please give me credit for it on your page. I wouldn't mind if you put your company logo on the stuff, but give me credit for it. Thanks for this discussion.