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Releasing a new crochet pattern is a nervous experience for a designer. Although I hope every pattern is well received, I generally have a gut feeling about how well a pattern will do sales-wise. That gut feeling is often wrong. I’ve expected hits from patterns that received only a lukewarm reception; I’ve put out patterns on a lark that turn out to sell amazingly well. What is interesting though, is the popularity of the patterns varies based on the website. The perfect example of this was when I put out my newest e-booklet of 6 crochet patterns, Poetry in Yarn – At the Bakery.
On Ravelry, the hands down favorite has been the Flue Socks pattern. I did not anticipate how much interest there would be in a crocheted sock pattern.
On Patternfish, the most popular pattern so far has been the Cinnamon Sticks Fingerless Gloves. They have significantly out sold the flue socks.
Different websites attract different types of people, or demographics. I think it’s interesting that what makes a pattern a hit is only partially the pattern itself, but also who you put it in front of.
This is so true, even with free patterns. I have completely different download patterns on Ravelry and Craftsy. (On a side note – I can’t believe you didn’t anticipate the need for crochet sock patterns! You made a great choice in picking a yarn without an obvious pool. I’ve found that it is really tough to see what most crochet sock patterns look like since many of the samples use a variegated yarn in contrasting colors that pools… unusually.)