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Blog hops are awesome events and are a great way to get free patterns, meet new designers and connect with other members of the crochet community. If you haven’t taken part in one then you should! You can find my latest blog hop here if you’d like to join us!
If you’re having trouble finding a blog hop pattern then please read on – sometimes there are a few reasons along the way that makes it tricky and here are the things to do about it.
During a blog hop I receive a lot more emails than usual and so it might take me longer than normal to get back to you. Please be patient with me and I promise I will get back to you.
This set of FAQs should help you and answer any of the questions you might have about the blog hop. If you’ve tried everything on the list but you’re still having trouble then please do contact me at hannah@hanjancrochet.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
There is also a little video tutorial showing you exactly how to download a pattern that you can watch here:
Q: Why is the promo code not working?
Reason 1: You are on the wrong site
When you click the “download” button for the pattern on the designer’s website, it should take you to wherever the pattern is hosted. Most of the patterns during a blog hop are hosted on Ravelry.
**Etsy does not allow free pattern giveaways. Therefore, the patterns during a blog hop will never be hosted on Etsy.
Please make sure you are on Ravelry NOT Etsy.
If the pattern you are trying to download is not hosted on Ravelry, then it will most likely be hosted on the designer’s own website or Google Drive.
If this is the case and you are having trouble with your download, please check that reason number 2 is not your issue. If it is not, then please contact me or the pattern designer for help.
Reason 2: You have entered the coupon code incorrectly
Please double check the coupon code to be sure you have entered it properly, some coupon codes may or may not be case sensitive or you may have a hidden space in front of the coupon code.
Q: Why is the promo code not working on Ravelry?
Reason 1: You are not signed into Ravelry
Please make sure you are signed into Ravelry before trying the coupon code.
Once signed into Ravelry, click “buy it now” and then “use a coupon code”. You will see a box where you can enter the coupon code. After entering that day’s code, click Apply. The pattern price should then go to $0, allowing you to check out for free.
Reason 2: The code for the pattern has expired
Each pattern is available as a free PDF download for 24 hours only. If you have tried a coupon code and receive an “expired” message, please check the feature date for that pattern.
Most designers very generously extend their coupon codes by a few hours, but this is entirely up to the designer’s discretion.
Thus, if, for example, it is March 7th, and you are trying to get the pattern that was featured on March 6th, then chances are the code will have expired.
Reason 3: You have entered the coupon code incorrectly
Please double check the coupon code to be sure you have entered it properly, some coupon codes may or may not be case sensitive.
Q: Where do I find the page to download my free pattern?
You can get to the patterns in the blog hop by clicking on the pattern name or image on the event host’s (that’s me) roundup page.
Once on the designer’s website, click on the “download” button.
Almost all the patterns in this blog hop are hosted on Ravelry. This is where the “download” button should take you in order to download the featured pattern each day.
Again, there are a few pages to click through to get to Ravelry, but it is not hard to do.
- Find the featured pattern for TODAY’S DATE on the blog hop roundup page.
2. Take note of the coupon code for that pattern.
3. Click on the pattern name or image for the featured pattern. This will take you to the designer’s blog.
4. On the designer’s page, scroll down until you find a DOWNLOAD BUTTON.
5. Click the DOWNLOAD BUTTON to go to Ravelry.
6. Once on Ravelry, make sure you are signed in.
7. Click “buy it now”and use the coupon code that you noted above.
Q: I missed a day – can I still get the free PDF?
Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. Each PDF is available for 24 hours only.
However, most designers generously extend the coupon for a little longer – feel free to give it a try, but be aware that if you are trying to get the featured pattern from the previous day or even longer, then chances are the coupon code will have expired.
Many patterns are offered for free on a designers website – in the form of a blog post – so I encourage you to check out this option!
If the pattern is no longer available for free but you would still like it then you can purchase all of the patterns at an incredible 90% discount here:
Q: Where is my PDF?
Once you have successfully entered the coupon code, and checked out on Ravelry, the pattern will be available in your Ravelry library.
To find your library, click on My Notebook; Library after logging into Ravelry. From there you can choose to download the file to your device or computer (usually files are saved to a folder called “Files” or “Downloads”, but this varies by device).
Q: I entered the coupon code but was still charged for the pattern, what do I do?
If this happens, there could be multiple reasons.
Please review the answers to “1. The Promo Code on Ravelry is Not Working” above
If reasons 1-2 do not solve your issue, please contact me or the pattern designer for assistance.
Please do NOT go ahead and purchase the pattern unless you actually want to pay for it. It is not possible for designers to issue a refund on Raverly.
To help avoid this issue, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you check the value in your Ravelry cart before clicking the “check out” button – it should say FREE $0.00.
However, mistakes do happen. If you have accidentally purchased the pattern, I suggest that you contact the pattern designer and explain the mistake. Keep in mind that all designers have different policies for dealing with matters such as this and it is entirely up to the designer as to how to resolve the situation.
