Revelry- too much choice

[16purplecolour16]

How to find and select a pattern and trust it will be ok? I search and come away with choice fatigue. Shops don’t seem to stock pattterns anymore. Not keen on buying a book for one item,

I have a few designers I follow, try to go for UK based ones too so yarns/patterns are easy to find.
Just keep saving things to make a kind of shortlist and mull it over.

Lots of knitting shops do still sell patterns. Ebay too. I've had quite a few from Ebay.

Look for established designers or publications like Rowan, Vogue Knitting, Interweave, Knitty, purl soho. Often you can buy the individual patterns that are in books online.

We often get books from the library! When we don't want to buy a whole book for a single pattern

I find searching on Ravelry brilliant tbh. You can search by specifying so many variables. So many of the patterns have not only ratings by lots of knitters who have made the patterns, but also photos of people's finished versions of the pattern and lots of comments about what they found good, bad, easy or difficult. You don't get any of that with a printed pattern!

Check your local charity shops too, I volunteer in one and we've got loads of knitting books and patterns.

I use Ravelry a lot and have learnt how to whittle down my choices by "free", yarn weight, item type etc