Our Indie Pattern Marketplace

Back in 2020, after we had collected all the feedback from our latest customer survey*, there was one recurring request that kept coming up; for us to sell single patterns. To offer individual patterns was something we wanted also, so we’re over the moon to be launching the Indie Pattern Marketplace right here on our website!

(*As you can see, the feedback we get in our customer survey is highly valued and influences the work we do here. If you'd like to complete our current customer survey and help us to shape future projects, click here and complete it now!)

At the end of this post, I'm featuring some of the patterns we have available in the webshop right now, and because you know I can't help it, I'm indulging in a little project planning! We’re super excited to share that we have also put together some special kits for some of the patterns. At the time of publishing this blog post, we have two kits available, one for Altocumulous (our stunning shawl from Issue 6) and another for Multitudes (our go-to cabled hat from Issue 4), but you can see more of those below! Because we always want to know what you think and what will bring you most value, we’ll be doing several rounds of fun voting over on Instagram throughout February to decide what other patterns we put kits together for, so keep an eye out for that!

But before we decide on our next cast on, I want to talk a little more about exactly why we wanted to create the Indie Pattern Marketplace, and how it works.

So why sell the individual patterns?

Our goal for setting up the Indie Pattern Marketplace was two-fold. Firstly, for our customers to be able to discover beautiful patterns alongside our sustainably made yarns, and secondly, to give our designers a platform to sell their work.

An amazing part of creating Making Stories Magazine is that we get to work with some seriously talented designers. We know how much time, love and energy go into designing a knitting pattern, and we want to make sure that their work gets all the love and attention it deserves. Not only when we release a new issue but long after the rights revert to the designer. We wanted to be able to offer our designers a space where they could sell their patterns with minimal fees and maximum exposure!

So how does it work?

When we publish a pattern in one of our magazines, we retain the rights to that pattern for four months from the date of publishing. After that four months, the rights revert to the designer, who is free to sell it wherever they wish. They also now have the option to sell it in our Indie Pattern Marketplace! This is completely optional, and there’s no pressure whatsoever to do so, but if they choose to, it’s super simple.

The designer reads and signs the contract we have set up for selling their pattern(s). Once that is done, we set up the pattern page, publish it and send the links over so we can all promote the heck out of it! Every quarter, we send over a summary of the sales made and the designer sends us an invoice which is promptly paid. The only fees we take on the sale of an individual pattern is a 3% selling fee and 2.9% payment processing fee, plus, depending on the payment method people choose, up to a 30 cents fixed fee. This is purely to cover the time to set everything up and the processing fees from Stripe or PayPal. 

The Indie Pattern Marketplace is not something we have set up to make a profit for Making Stories, but to support our designers. They can sell to customers all over the world without having to worry about VAT (we take care of all of the tax stuff on the end customer side), and they can set their prices and run promotions as well!

For now, we will be focusing on patterns that were originally published in Making Stories Magazine as we want to set up everything well and make sure it's running smoothly. But eventually, we’d love to add more patterns from our designer's portfolio and open up the marketplace to anyone who wishes to sell with us.

So now you know all about the Indie Pattern Marketplace and how it works, would you like to check out some of the patterns we have in the webshop and do a little project planning? I thought so, let’s take a look!

Altocumulus 

We love working with the designer, Fiona Alice. We were so happy to publish her beautiful Altocumulous shawl in Issue 6, and even more so when she said she'd like to feature it in our Indie Designer Marketplace!

This triangular shawl was inspired by the comforting feeling of gazing up at the clouds.

The shawl is worked from the bottom point up. The shaping is made by increasing with yarn overs at the beginning of each row. To complete the centre triangle, a loose I-cord bind-off is used. The yarn overs are then used to easily pick up stitches for the border which is worked in 2x2 ribbing. Due to the nature of the two different stitch patterns used, the shawl is almost entirely reversible. Once the shawl is blocked, tiny tassels are added because why not! These can also easily be left off.

Get Altocumulus as part of a kit!

If you'd love to get Altocumulus onto your needles as soon as possible, we've put some super handy kits together using the stunning Biches & Bûches Le Petit Lambswool and Silk Mohair. The combination of these yarns held double creates the lightest and cosiest cloud of fabric, and we've put together some gorgeous colour combinations for you to choose from. Check them out below!

Multitudes

Multitudes was designed by our very own Hanna Lisa for Issue 4 of the magazine. It is a classic cabled hat that plays with scale by combining both very large and very small cables on a reverse stockinette background. Nupps, twisted ribbing and crown decreases that are worked into the cable pattern provide this pattern’s special details - and the pom pom the icing on the proverbial cake!

Get Multitudes as part of a kit!

We've paired Multitudes with the gorgeous woollentwine's Rustic Merino Worsted. It's a soft and slightly rustic (in the best possible way!) blend of mountain sheep and German Merino transformed into a worsted-weight yarn perfect for cables and texture. It's entirely sourced and spun in Germany and available in both a few undyed as well as naturally dyed shades. As it's woollen-spun, it's pure bliss to watch it bloom after blocking!

Rustic Merino worsted is hand-dyed using natural dyes only - botanical extracts, leaves, barks, and other natural goodies. The dye baths are exhausted and water is reused in the dye process to keep its environmental impact as low as possible. Check out the colour ways we have available below!

Coromuel

One of the things we are loving about our Indie Pattern Marketplace is that we're getting to revisit some of the gorgeous patterns we published when Making Stories was only just on the scene! Back in 2018, we released our second publication, BREEZE, a collection of modern patterns perfect for the transitioning months. One of the patterns was Coromuel from designer Joan Forgione of Paper Moon Knits.

With its three-quarter-length sleeves and hourglass shape, it’s wonderful for those wearing on its own or layering under multiple knits. It's a fantastic wardrobe staple, with the addition of just the right amount of lace both at the raglan increases and the side of the body to keep it interesting.

Yarn Suggestions...

Though Coromuel isn't available as a kit at this moment, we know that it would be stunning knit up in Garthenor's Snowdonia Sock! Though created as a sock yarn, we think Snowdonia Sock would look beautiful for Coromuel. With its high twist worsted-spun Romney and Hebridean, it gives a beautifully even fabric for stockinette, while giving ultimate definition to those delicate lace panels. It also comes in a range of gorgeous undyed and dyed shades which is super useful, because, with the versatility of Coromuel, you'll need one in every shade!

Wild Grass

Issue 5 was a celebration of the wonders you find hidden in nature, and the Wild Grass socks from Fiona Alice perfectly captured that magic!

Inspired by the microscopic cross cuts of cells which are beautifully represented in the delicate, crescent-shaped lace motif, the Wild Grass socks are worked from the toe up with different charts for the left and right foot so the motif is mirrored. On the leg, the lace is complemented by (optional) tiny bobbles, evoking seed pods.

Want to make your own?

Mominoki Yarn Finnwool is such a beautiful sock yarn. It is completely sourced and produced in Finland, spun by a small spinning mill in Eastern Finland, and then dyed into stunning shades in Germany. Check out the beautiful colours we have available below!

Rayure

Have you taken a look at our digital publication STRIPES recently? I've been rediscovering the patterns in that collection recently, and I have to admit my knitting wish list has grown significantly! Rayure is certainly on that list. It's the perfect top-down striped raglan sweater with super special details! 

Three-quarter length sleeves make Rayure wearable through at least three out of the four seasons, and the vertical lines on the body and sleeves break up the maritime stripes for more visual interest. Super fun to knit and a sure wardrobe staple!

Ready to cast on Rayure?

If you'd like to make Rayure and need a little guidance on yarn, we recommend one of our all-time favourites, De Rerum Natura Ulysse! An incredibly soft woollen-spun yarn, Ulysse transforms projects into precious FO's that will be kept and worn for years to come. The stunning colourways available make knitting stripes a dream. There are endless combinations to choose from, but here are some of my favourites!

What are your thoughts on our new Indie Pattern Marketplace?! If you have any questions, ask us below!