I know a lot of knitters who have collected a huge amount of patterns from everywhere. They share those patterns with each other but it seems that they still doesn’t have enough because they always look for more and more. I don’t do that. I wouldn’t be able to find anything in such a huddle if even I really needed something. I could never study them all because of lack of time. Sometimes I take a look on designs somewhere in the web or magazines, admire those which seem to be really interesting but I never collect patterns and never try to make the same thing. I never think: „What a beautiful cardigan, I have to knit such for me.” I usually think: „What a beautiful cardigan, unfortunately it is already made by someone else, so I must not even try to copy it.” Inspiration means for me just that I have to get spirit and ideas to find my own mountains to climb.
I run through my favourites list on Ravelry. So -my top 3 items:
This pattern from Tudor Roses inspires me very much. Gentility and elegance of passed centuries, wonderful jacket:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/katherine-howard
Look at this adorable patchwork blanket! I could never imagine that so strange shapes can be combined together without holes. It inspires me to play with shapes:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/an-african-adventure
I have fallen in love with these beautiful dragonflies. They inspired, no, even forced me to acquire new skill – felting:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/filztraum/libellen-tanz-my-ravelympic-feltproject-2010
