Most Popular Knitting Patterns. Data from Ravelry’s top 100

What are the most popular knitting patterns on Ravelry? As a designer I’m intrigued, so I dove into the data to find out. The results might surprise you! Knitting dominates (crochet only appears twice), and the most popular designs are free wearables like scarves, shawls, and socks. Paid patterns still hold astrong position, though.

Here’s the good news: There’s plenty of room at the top. The average top-seller is 14 years old, and many of these patterns aren’t groundbreaking, they’re just right. Whether you’re a knitter curious about trends or a designer looking to break in, this data shows that success is about hitting the sweet spot. And that’s a spot you can fill.

TL:DR. The ‘too long, didn’t read’ summary.

Its hard to get started as a designer, but there is space at the top. Knitting dominates ravelry, crochet only appears twice in the top 100. The most popular patterns are free patterns for things to wear; Scarfs, shawls, hats and socks. But paid patterns also have a strong position. The average top selling patterns is 14 years old, designed for wool yarn between fingering and worsted weight, and written by a designer who lives in a cooler climate.

Why look at the most popular knitting patterns on Ravelry?

I spent three days building a spreadsheet to analyze the top 100 Ravelry patterns, and I plan to keep adding to it. Why? Because we can’t learn if we don’t study. The best designers don’t ignore what’s already working; they build on it.
I have found that the knit and crochet design world is full of opinions, but short on data. I’m a recovering academic (and a data geek), so I couldn’t resist digging into the numbers. What makes a pattern popular? What are the top designers doing? And, most importantly for newer designers, what could they do even better?
Lynne Rowe, a knitting designer mentor, once pointed out that while the market is crowded at the bottom, there’s plenty of space at the top. So instead of guessing, let’s look at the patterns that rise to the top, and see what we can learn from them.

About Ravelry.

This post is based on data from Ravelry, the brainchild of Cassidy and Jessica Forbes, who launched it in May 2007. Unlike platforms designed primarily for sales (like Etsy), Ravelry was built as a database—a place for crafters to track patterns, yarn, and projects, with social features added on top. Designers can sell patterns there, but that’s not its main purpose. That makes it perfect for data analysis, because it was designed to organize information from the start.
I could have tried to gather this data from Etsy, but its algorithm makes it nearly impossible to reliably identify top sellers. Plus, Etsy doesn’t include free patterns at all. Ravelry, on the other hand, gives a clear, comprehensive picture of what’s popular—free or paid

Project Pages on Ravelry

On Ravelry, crafters can create ‘project pages’. These exist inside the crafters own notebook, and mostly serve as a record for that crafter of all their favourite makes, where they can record the details that are important to them. This is a handy space where a maker can jot down what brand and colourway yarn they are using, what knitting needle or crochet hook. All useful info, especially if that project ends up in WIP pile (a temporarily abandoned ‘Work in Progress’). You may need that information to pick up the project after a break, or just look back on years later. Project pages are one of several features that make Ravelry great.

How is a Ravelry project page different from an Etsy Review?

An esty review is a marketing ploy. A ravelry project page is a much more genuine record of a makers project, with their own experiences.

What do project pages tell us about popularity or sales of patterns?

In marketing, the rule of thumb is 1 review = ~100 sales. Does that hold for Ravelry? Maybe for paid patterns, but in my experience free ones are a wild card. From my own data, I see 1 project page per ~500 blog views for free patterns. And since crafters often create a new project page for every repeat make, the numbers aren’t exact.
Therefore, project pages aren’t a perfect sales tracker, but they’re the closest thing we’ve got, and give us a less opaque measure than ‘most popular’.

Introducing the most popular patterns. Which patterns are they?

So here is what I found. You can explore the full dataset here if you’re a fellow data geek!
This is just the beginning. I plan to dive deeper, knitting some of these patterns myself for a hands-on review. (And yes, I’ll add more crochet data soon!)

So here is what I found. You can explore the full dataset here if you’re a fellow data geek! (Please note, this isn’t a fancy document. Its just my core data for the very curious.)
This is just the beginning. I plan to dive deeper, knitting some of these patterns myself for a hands-on review. (And yes, I’ll add more crochet data soon!)

Knitting Dominates: Only 2 Crochet Patterns in the Top 100

It probably won’t surprise anyone that knitting dominates on Ravelry. There are simply more knitters there. And yet, most knitters also crochet. The divide between the two crafts often feels artificial, especially when you consider that crochet thrives elsewhere. For example, Pinterest shows a search volume of 133,615 per month for “knitting pattern”. But 269,033 for “crochet pattern”.
So why do knitting projects dominate Ravelry’s top 100, with crochet barely making an appearance? This data alone can’t tell us, but it’s a fascinating question.

Free patterns ‘sell’ best, but paid patterns still have a strong position.

Of the top 100 patterns, 59 are free, 37 are paid, and 4 are discontinued (no longer available anywhere).
If you’re a designer just starting out, it’s easy to feel like no one buys patterns anymore. But this data tells a different story. Free patterns are slightly more popular, but paid patterns still hold their own. Take the Sophie Scarf by Petit Knits: It’s the #1 pattern overall, with 54,452 Ravelry projects. If we assume 1 project ≈ 100 sales, that’s… wow. That’s a lot of people buying that pattern.
At the same time, many designers (myself included) have shifted to free patterns on monetized blogs, finding it easier to earn that way. This data reassures me that free patterns get made, and can grow in popularity too

Projects are mostly things to wear. Hats, socks, sweaters.

Knitters’ favorite body part? The neck! Scarves, shawls, and other neckwear make up 27 of the top 100 patterns, closely followed by hats (26) and socks (25). Sweaters (including cardigans and vests) appear 16 times. Blankets (including the only 2 crochet patterns in the top 100) show up 4 times. Mittens or gloves? Just 3, which surprised me (I love designing and knitting them!). Rounding it out: 2 dishcloth patterns and 1 toy (the legendary Emotional Support Chicken).
Key takeaway: If you’re designing for popularity, accessories, especially neckwear, are a safe bet. But don’t sleep on mittens; their low numbers might just mean there’s room to stand out!

Age of patterns. Slow fashion for the win, trends are out.

The average pattern in the top 100 list is 14 years old. Only one pattern appears in the list published this year, 2026. The Melt The Ice hat. Published in January, this pattern make a strong and resonating political statment. With 13,350 projects, it far outranks any other 2026 pattern.

The Dominance of Older Patterns

The year 2009 stands out as a peak for designers, with 10 of the top 100 patterns published that year, making it the modal category in statistical terms. 2006 follows closely, representing 8 patterns. A year before Ravelry even existed!

Slow Fashion: A Designer’s Dilemma

As a designer, this both encourages me and fills me with despair simultaneously.

It encourages me because, like many, (maybe most) designers, I hate fast fashion and what it represents. Temu and Shein want us to buy huge ‘hauls’, wear them twice, and believe they are ‘out of fashion’ 6 weeks after purchase. While the world is burning this summer, and climate change has passed a tipping point. I am scared.

To knit your own summer top will take most knitters longer than the 6 weeks that the super fast fashion industry allows something to be ‘in fashion’ for. So the knitters, the crocheters and the sewists turn to a slower, gentler, more sustainable style over fashion. For that reason (and that reason alone) I love seeing that people are still more likely to be knitting patterns written 14 years ago. The fact that people still favor 14-year-old patterns proves that slow fashion endures.

But what about today’s designers? It is, admittedly, very hard for us when the algorithms on Ravelry (and Etsy, and pinterest, and google) push old established patterns. How does the newer designer ever get seen?

A Tip for Buyers

When purchasing patterns, I always check: Is the designer still active and available for support? Have they published in the last year? Many top 100 designers remain active and deserving of support. Others, however, have stepped away. Sometimes converting paid patterns to free downloads before leaving. If knitters get stuck on an unsupported pattern, they may have nowhere to turn.

High quality wool is a selling points.

I’ve often heard designers say we should design for cheap, synthetic yarns because they’re the most popular, and what knitters and crocheters want. But this data tells a different story.
85.57% of the top 100 patterns use wool or wool blends. Expensive, good quality pure wool dominates. Most sock patterns use a wool nylon mix, but some very popular sock patterns are for pure wool while 4 shawl patterns use a wool nylon ‘sock yarn’. The only 100% acrylic pattern in the top 100 is also the first crochet pattern to make the list.
I was reassured by the dominance of wool (because its what I love to use, too). While knitters can use any fiber for a pattern, designing your sample in good wool yarn seems to help sales. At least, that’s the biggest lesson I’m taking from this! For those looking for an under-served niech, it strikes me that there were so few plant based yarns in use. Cotton made the list only 4 times in 100 patterns, and a linen mix only once. An enterprising vegan designer somewhere could find space on this list with more plant based options. Personally, im going to keep designing in mostly wool.

Yarn groups 2, 3 and 4. Fingering to Aran weight yarn

You’d think knitters prefer quick, chunky projects. But the data says otherwise. The most common yarn weights in the top 100 patterns are Aran and Worsted. Any bulky yarn, or weights above a yarn group 4 were very rare. On the other hand, DK yarn showed up 19 times, and fingering weight 20 times.
Knitters aren’t just going for speed. Aran or Worsted yarn is by far the most popular. But finer yarns are in demand too, which might mean more knitters are prioritizing detail, drape, or versatility over thickness. So if you’ve been hesitant to design for fingering or DK, this data suggests you shouldn’t be

Accessability sells. Or does it?

The top 100 patterns are far more size-inclusive than the average, though there’s still room for improvement. Designing garments and accessories in more sizes clearly helps popularity. You can read my guide on grading hat patterns here.

The top 100 patterns are also available in 3 to 4 languages on average (3.68, to be precise).

On the other hand, only 2 of the top 100 offer large print or disability-accessible versions.

The top 5 patterns all meet 2 out of 3 accessibility criteria (size inclusivity, multiple languages, and large print options). The Fish Lips Kiss sock heel recipe (at #6) is the first to break that trend. Overall, the top 100 are more accessible than average, but we can still do better. I helieve better accessability is both a key reason these patterns are where they are, but also a key opportunity to knock them off their perch with more size inclusivity, more accassability, more language options.

Key Takeaways

Most popular knitting patterns use wool or wool blends (85%+).

Fingering, DK, and worsted yarns dominate—chunky isn’t king.

Accessibility (sizes, languages, large print options) correlates with popularity.

There is room at the top. If you are doing the points above, these patterns aren’t better than yours, they’ve just been hanging around longer.

Whats next?

I’ve been busy knitting socks and sweaters from this top 100 list. I’m not done with this project! Next, I plan to do a deeper, more quantitative dive into what we can learn from some of these top patterns… and how newer designers might compete with the best.