Free patterns · 1840s to 1920s
Grandma's pattern books, open for everyone.
Knitting, crochet, lace, embroidery, and quilting, straight from the original books. Read them page by page, or start with a pattern rewritten for today's yarn and hooks.
Pick up your favorite craft
Each section is filled with patterns and the books they came from.
Featured pattern
No. 328. Knitted Quilt, with Nos. 335 and 336 (Looped Knitting, Pattern for Comforters)
From Beeton's Book of Needlework (1870) 328.-- Knitted Quilt. Materials: 8-thread fleecy wool; wooden needles. This pattern may be worked in narrow strips of different colours, and in that case…
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See the whole library →Fiber festivals
Sheep, wool, and a whole lot of yarn.
Sheep and wool festivals, fiber arts fairs, and knitting retreats in the United States, Canada, and beyond. Upcoming events will appear here as organizers list them.
Speak fluent 1850s.
Old patterns use words that have changed meaning or vanished. The Vintage Terms glossary gives the modern word for each one.
Open the glossary- Receipt
- An older word for a pattern or set of instructions
- Pins
- Knitting needles, in many 1800s British patterns
- Berlin wool
- A soft, fine wool yarn used for knitting and canvas work
- Mignardise
- A narrow looped braid used as a base for crochet lace