Apr
okay so mary maxim patterns
Right so you asked about Mary Maxim and honestly I’ve used their stuff a bunch over the years. They’re like this old-school brand that’s been around forever, my aunt used to get their catalogs in the mail which is how I even knew they existed. The patterns are pretty straightforward if you’re not into those super complicated lace things or whatever.
I made this chunky blanket from one of their patterns back in spring 2022 when I was basically living on my couch watching The Great British Bake Off for like the third time. The pattern was called something generic like “Quick Weekend Throw” or maybe “Easy Stripes Blanket” I honestly don’t remember the exact name but it was in their free patterns section on the website. Used Red Heart Super Saver because I wasn’t gonna spend a fortune on a blanket that was just for me, and honestly it held up fine. The pattern said to use their Mary Maxim brand yarn but like… it’s all the same weight so whatever.
how their pattern layout works
The thing about Mary Maxim patterns is they’re formatted kinda old school. Not in a bad way just like they haven’t really updated the layout since probably 2005 or something. You get:
- Materials list at the top with specific yarn amounts
- Gauge information which I’ll be honest I never check properly
- Abbreviations section
- The actual instructions written out row by row
- Sometimes a diagram but not always
They don’t do those fancy stitch tutorials or QR codes to videos like some of the newer pattern companies. It’s just text and maybe a photo of the finished thing. Which is fine if you already know basic stitches but might be annoying if you’re trying to learn something new.
their yarn kits vs just buying the pattern
So here’s the thing they really want you to buy their yarn kits. Like the patterns are sometimes free or cheap but then they’re like “hey buy this whole kit for $47.99” and it comes with their branded yarn. I did this once for a baby blanket pattern in summer 2024 because my friend was having a baby and I left everything to the last minute as usual. The kit was actually convenient because I didn’t have to calculate yardage or make multiple trips to the craft store.
The Mary Maxim brand yarn itself is decent? It’s acrylic mostly, some of their lines have cotton blends. Not scratchy but not like premium soft either. Somewhere between Red Heart and Caron Simply Soft if that makes sense. Their color selection is pretty good though, lots of variegated options which I’m kinda into lately.
But you definitely don’t HAVE to use their yarn. I’ve substituted with:
- Lion Brand Pound of Love for a big granny square blanket
- Bernat Blanket yarn when a pattern called for their chunky line
- Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn because it was on sale
- Some random Joann’s brand I can’t even remember the name of
Just match the weight and you’re basically fine. Their patterns usually say “or similar weight yarn” somewhere in the materials list.
specific patterns I’ve actually made
the corner to corner baby blanket
This was that summer 2024 one I mentioned. Pattern was super repetitive which is good when you’re stressed and just need your hands busy. You literally just increase until you hit the middle then decrease. The pattern came with color blocking suggestions but I just did it in two colors, this light yellow and white combo using their “Baby’s Best” line or whatever it’s called.
What annoyed me: the pattern didn’t mention how much the blanket would grow diagonally. Like they give you finished dimensions but when you’re actually making it corner to corner it looks WAY smaller than it actually is for like the first third of the project. I kept thinking I messed up the count but nope that’s just how c2c works. Would’ve been nice if they mentioned that.
some kind of market bag
Made this in like fall 2023 maybe? It was one of their free patterns. Used Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn in that denim blue color. Pattern was fine, very basic, just a rectangle that you seam up the sides and add handles. Took maybe three hours total while watching TV. My cat kept trying to sit on it while I was working which was super annoying.
The handles were kinda weirdly thin though for how heavy groceries can get. I ended up doubling them up on my own which the pattern definitely didn’t say to do. Still use the bag though so I guess it worked out.
chunky scarf situation
This was winter 2021 I think, one of those super bulky patterns that’s like “finish in one evening!” Used Bernat Blanket yarn in that grey marble color instead of whatever they recommended. The pattern was literally just single crochet back and forth for like 60 inches or whatever. Not complicated but kinda boring? I made it while on a road trip as a passenger so it was good for that I guess.
the website experience
Okay so their website is… functional but clunky. You can filter patterns by category like baby, home, accessories whatever. They have free patterns and paid ones, usually the paid ones are like $3 to $7 which is pretty reasonable. Sometimes they have sales where patterns are like a dollar.
The search function is not great honestly. Like if you search “blanket” you get a million results in no particular order. You kinda have to just scroll through pages and see what looks interesting. They don’t have good tagging for skill level either, some patterns say “easy” or “intermediate” but not all of them.
When you buy a pattern it’s a PDF download. Pretty standard. The PDFs are… fine? Not beautiful but readable. Black and white mostly with one color photo usually. They print okay if that’s your thing, I usually just keep them on my tablet.
the actual instruction quality
This is where it gets kinda mixed. Most of their patterns are written clearly enough if you know standard crochet abbreviations. They use US terms which is what I learned so that works for me. But sometimes the instructions are weirdly vague about important stuff.
Like I made this granny square cardigan thing, spring 2023 maybe, and the pattern just said “arrange squares as shown in diagram” but the diagram was super small and unclear about which squares went where. I had to literally count pixels on the photo to figure it out. That was annoying as hell.
But then other patterns are really detailed with like row-by-row stitch counts and everything clearly marked. It’s inconsistent which makes me think they have different pattern writers or something.
comparing them to other pattern sources
So like compared to Ravelry indie designers, Mary Maxim is way more basic and old-fashioned. You’re not getting trendy modern shapes or innovative construction methods. It’s mostly classic stuff, granny squares, simple colorwork, traditional shapes.
Compared to Lion Brand patterns they’re pretty similar honestly. Maybe slightly more old-school in the styling. Lion Brand has better photos and layout though.
Compared to like Yarnspirations or whatever, again pretty similar. Middle of the road patterns that are accessible but not groundbreaking.
The advantage of Mary Maxim is they have a TON of patterns. Like they’ve been making them for decades so their catalog is huge. If you want something specific like a vintage-style doily or whatever they probably have it. Also their baby patterns are actually pretty cute, not all of them but some.
price and value thing
Free patterns are obviously great value. The paid ones are cheap enough that I don’t feel bad buying one on impulse. The yarn kits are where it gets pricier but honestly if you factor in the convenience of not having to calculate yardage and the yarn being decent quality, it’s not terrible? I’ve seen worse.
Sometimes they have kit sales which is when I usually buy if I’m gonna. Like 30% off or whatever. They do a lot of email promotions which are kinda spammy but also sometimes useful if you’re looking for a deal.
things that are genuinely annoying
Okay so beyond that one cardigan diagram situation, here’s what bugs me:
The yarn substitution suggestions are basically nonexistent. They’ll tell you the weight but not give you alternatives or tell you what properties matter. Like is the drape important? Does it need to be machine washable? No idea, figure it out yourself.
Some patterns have errors and there’s no easy way to find errata. Like you just gotta hope someone mentioned it in a review or figure it out when your stitch count is suddenly wrong.
The photos are often not great at showing texture or detail. Especially for things like textured stitches or lacework, the photos are too far away or the lighting is bad. I’ve definitely bought patterns where the finished object looked different than I expected because the photo didn’t show the actual stitch definition.
Customer service is slow if you have questions. I emailed once about a confusing instruction and it took like five days to get a response. Which didn’t even fully answer my question, just said “follow the pattern as written” which like… thanks I guess?
stuff they’re actually good at
Their holiday patterns are pretty solid. I made a Christmas stocking pattern in fall 2022 and it was cute, well-written, turned out how it was supposed to. They have lots of seasonal stuff that’s not too cheesy.
Baby blankets and afghans are definitely their strength. Lots of variety, mostly well-tested patterns that work. Sizes are usually accurate which matters for baby stuff.
They have some good beginner-friendly patterns that don’t talk down to you. Just straightforward instructions for simple projects. When I was first learning beyond basic scarves their simple shawl patterns were actually helpful.
would I recommend them or whatever
I mean yeah if you want something straightforward and classic. Don’t go to Mary Maxim expecting cutting-edge design or Instagram-worthy finished objects. It’s more like… reliable basics? The kind of patterns your mom or grandmother might have made but in a PDF instead of a magazine clipping.
They’re good for:
- Quick gifts when you need something fast and don’t wanna think too hard
- Using up stash yarn because the patterns are flexible enough
- Baby stuff because there’s tons of options
- Learning new basic techniques without too much hand-holding
- When you just want to crochet while watching TV and don’t need it to be complicated
Not so good for:
- Trendy fashion pieces
- Complex lacework or really detailed stuff
- If you need lots of photo tutorials or video support
- Modern minimalist aesthetic things
The yarn kits are worth it if you hate yarn shopping or calculating amounts. Otherwise just buy the pattern and use whatever yarn you want. I’ve never had a project fail because I substituted yarn, you just gotta match the weight and check your gauge or at least eyeball it.
Oh and one more thing, their sizing on wearables can be weird. I made a poncho pattern that was supposed to be “one size fits most” and it was absolutely huge on me. Like I could fit two people in it. So maybe size down or at least look at the actual measurements before you commit to making something fitted. Or don’t make fitted things from their patterns honestly, stick to blankets and accessories where exact sizing doesn’t matter as much.
Their granny square patterns are solid though, can’t really mess those up. I’ve made probably four or five different granny square blankets using their patterns or variations of them. Always turn out fine, very forgiving, good for using random yarn scraps.
