This page has a collection of links that you may find helpful/useful. CCCK does not vouch for the quality of any of the information provided on these pages!

Forums

www.ravelry.com: hints, tips and freebies. Particularly good if you are thinking of knitting or crocheting something, but not sure if it will suit you. Ravellers regularly post photos of their work, so you can see your planned project in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes - much more helpful than seeing a studio photo of a size 1 model!!

http://www.knittingdaily.com/: a combination forum, tv station and free pattern centre! Their daily newsletter has good hints and tips, including links to some excellent YouTube videos demonstrating complex techniques, such as knitting two socks at once on a circular needle! They also have some good special offers on their pattern books.

Free patterns

For free patterns, try:

• www.garnstudio.com: a Scandanavian site that provides free patterns as an incentive to buy their wool (which unfortunately we have not been able to get into stock as yet! However, we have some good substitutes). The patterns are generally clear and easy to follow, although it is not always obvious whether the pattern is intended for a beginner or an experienced knitter or crocheter.
• www.knitty.com: free knitting patterns. The patterns sometimes use US yarns that cannot be easily substituted.

General hints and tips

• http://knitting.about.com/ and http://crochet.about.com/ have good articles, hints, tips and free patterns.
• www.youtube.com has a wide range of videos - some extremely helpful, some less so... be prepared to be patient!
• Knitting Daily has a free daily newsletter with hints, tips and free patterns (and lots of ads!). They also have free ebooks for members to download, such as the Learn To Knit ebook.