What Is Grow.me? How to Unlock Free Knit & Crochet Patterns on My Site
If you’ve landed on one of my free patterns and seen a “locked content” message asking you to sign up for Grow, you probably have questions. Totally fair. Here’s what you need to know up front: Grow is 100% free for you. There’s no credit card required. There’s no monthly fee. There’s no catch. It takes about 60 seconds to sign up, and once you do, every Grow-locked pattern on my site (and on other designers’ sites who use it) unlocks instantly.
I know signing up for a new account just to read a free pattern can feel annoying. I get it… I really do. But I want to be transparent with you about why I use Grow, what it actually does, and how it helps me keep giving you free patterns. Stick with me for a minute and I’ll explain everything.
What Is Grow.me, Really? (And Why I’m Using It)
The short version: Grow is a free app that lets independent designers like me share patterns and exclusive content directly on our own websites without losing them to scrapers, content thieves, and pattern-pirate sites. You sign up once with your email, and you get access to free patterns from every designer who uses Grow… not just me.
Here’s the honest backstory. When my friend Briana K. Designs first told me about Grow, I was nervous. The same things you’re probably worrying about right now were on my mind: Is this going to annoy my readers? Are they going to feel like I’m putting up a paywall? What if it makes the pattern harder to access? I sat with it for a while before I decided to try it.
The reason I said yes is simple: Grow is what lets me keep designing free patterns and giving them to you. Without it, my designs get copied to scraper sites that run ads against my work and pay me nothing. With it, my patterns stay on my site, you get to keep accessing them for free, and I get to keep showing up and designing new ones. It’s the deal that makes this whole thing sustainable.
And here’s the thing… since I made the switch, it’s been better than I expected. The friction I was worried about has been small. The patterns staying on my site has been huge. I get to keep doing what I love — designing for you, teaching both knitting and crochet, showing up in this community — and Grow is one of the quiet things in the background that makes the math work. So if you’re sitting there thinking “ugh, another sign-up”… I get it. But I promise it’s worth the 60 seconds, and I’m grateful you’re here. 💛
How Grow Keeps the Patterns Free
Here’s how it works behind the scenes. When you visit one of my free pattern posts, the pattern instructions live behind a Grow “lock.” Once you’ve signed up (free, no credit card, takes 60 seconds), the lock opens and the pattern is right there on the page… ready to use, ready to print, ready to save.
The lock isn’t there to make your life harder. It’s there to make sure my patterns stay here on my site instead of getting copy-pasted onto sites that don’t pay designers anything. Grow also helps me understand which patterns my community actually loves the most, which helps me design more of what you want.
And the best part: your one Grow account works for every designer who uses the platform. So if you’re already signed up because of Briana K. Designs or MJ Off The Hook Designs, you don’t need to do anything new… just log in here and my patterns are already unlocked.
How to Sign Up for Grow (60-Second Walkthrough)
Signing up is genuinely fast. Here’s exactly what to do:
- Go to any of my free patterns — for example, the Peak Serenity One Ball Knit Shawl or any pattern in my Spring Fling lineup. Scroll down until you see the locked pattern section.
- Click the sign-up prompt on the locked content box. A short form will appear asking for your email.
- Enter your email address. That’s it. No credit card. No payment info. No 47-question survey. Just your email.
- Confirm your email (check your inbox if Grow sends a verification — most users get instant access).
- Refresh the pattern page. The lock disappears and the full pattern is right there waiting for you.
From that point on, every Grow-locked pattern on my site (and on any other designer’s site who uses Grow) will unlock automatically as long as you’re logged in. You only have to sign up once.
What Happens After You Sign Up
Before you’re logged in, the pattern section looks like this — a “log in or sign up to unlock” prompt sitting on top of the pattern content:
Once you sign up and log in, that same pattern page now shows the full instructions — gauge, materials, abbreviations, row-by-row pattern, all of it — right there on the page:
Troubleshooting — When Grow Isn’t Working
If you’ve signed up and the pattern still isn’t unlocking, here’s what to try, in order:
“It’s asking me for a credit card — I thought this was free!”
This is the #1 question I get, and the answer is: you should never be asked for a credit card to sign up for Grow. If you’re seeing a credit card prompt, you’re almost certainly on the wrong page. Grow itself does not charge users — ever. Close that page, go back to the locked pattern post on my site, click the sign-up link directly from there, and you should see the free email-only signup form.
“I signed up but the pattern is still locked”
Three quick things to try:
- Refresh the page (Cmd+R on Mac, Ctrl+R on Windows). Sometimes the page just needs a beat to recognize you’re now logged in.
- Clear your browser cache and reload the post. Old cached versions of the page can keep showing the lock even after Grow knows you’ve signed up.
- Try Chrome. Honestly, this is the browser that gives the fewest problems with Grow. Safari and Firefox usually work too, but if something is misbehaving, Chrome is your fastest fix.
“Does this work on my phone or iPad?”
Yes! Grow works on mobile browsers (Safari on iPhone/iPad, Chrome on Android). Sign up once on whichever device is easiest for you, then log in on any other device with the same email and you’re set. A lot of crafters sign up on their phone while sitting on the couch and then log in on their tablet to actually work the pattern.
“Do I have to sign up again for every designer?”
Nope. One Grow account, every Grow-using designer. If you’re already signed up because of Briana K. Designs or MJ Off The Hook, you’re already in. Just log in on my site and the patterns unlock.
Your Privacy and Your Grow Account
I know there’s a real concern about giving your email to “yet another app.” Here’s what Grow does and doesn’t do: it uses your email to authenticate you across designer sites (so your patterns unlock), and it lets designers like me see aggregate data about which patterns are most popular. Grow does not sell your email. You’re not signing up for a marketing list when you sign up for Grow — that’s separate from my newsletter, which is its own optional thing.
You can read Grow’s terms of service here, and if you want the full technical explanation from the team that built it, Mediavine has a great explainer as well.
And if you ever decide Grow isn’t for you, you can delete your account at any time. You’re not locked into anything.
Still Need Help?
If you’ve tried the troubleshooting steps and the pattern still won’t unlock, send me an email at contact@marlybird.com and I’ll help you sort it out. You can also drop a question in the BiCrafty Community Facebook Group — there’s almost always another crafter who’s worked through the same issue and can help.
Thank you for sticking with me through the sign-up. It’s such a small thing on your end, and it’s a huge thing for designers like me who are trying to keep making free patterns sustainable. I appreciate you. 💛
Happy crafting,
Marly Bird 🧶✨
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have to sign up just to get a free pattern?
Because signing up keeps the pattern free. Grow protects my patterns from being copy-pasted onto pattern-pirate sites and scraper blogs that run ads against my designs and pay me nothing. When you sign up, you’re helping make sure my patterns stay on my site, where I can keep designing new ones and giving them away for free.
Is Grow.me free?
Yes. Grow is 100% free for you, the crafter. No credit card, no monthly fee, no premium tier. The free patterns you unlock with your Grow account are also free — exactly the same patterns I’ve been giving away for years, just protected from scrapers.
Is Grow the same as Marly’s newsletter?
No — they’re completely separate. Grow is the pattern-unlock app. My newsletter is the weekly email I send with new patterns, behind-the-scenes notes, and tutorials. You can sign up for one without the other. If you want both, awesome! If you only want patterns and not weekly emails, that’s totally fine too.
It’s asking me for a credit card — I thought this was free?
You should never be asked for a credit card to sign up for Grow. If you’re seeing that prompt, you’re on the wrong page. Close it and click the Grow sign-up link directly from one of my locked pattern posts — the real Grow signup only asks for your email address.
I signed up but the pattern is still locked. Help!
Three quick fixes: (1) refresh the page, (2) clear your browser cache and reload, (3) try Chrome instead of Safari or Firefox. About 95% of “still locked” issues are solved by one of these three. If you’ve tried all of them and it’s still locked, email me at contact@marlybird.com and I’ll help.
Does Grow work on my phone or iPad?
Yes! Grow works on Safari (iPhone/iPad) and Chrome (Android). Sign up once and then log in on any other device with the same email — your unlocked patterns travel with you.
Can I use one Grow account across multiple designers?
Yes — that’s one of the best parts. Your Grow account unlocks content on every designer’s site that uses Grow. Briana K. Designs, MJ Off The Hook, and any other designer using the platform — one login, all the patterns.
Can I delete my Grow account later if I change my mind?
Yes, anytime. Grow has a standard account-deletion process — you’re not locked into anything. You can read the full terms here.
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Looking forward to trying and learning new stitches and patterns
I am receiving the message “insufficient funds”. Both for a virtual credit card number and my actual credit card number. What is the problem?
hello Lynn, you should not have to add any credit card information when you sign up for https://app.grow.me/
The reason they think we have to pay for it, is because there’s an ad that’s on this page that says create your account. But it’s not for yours, it’s for “BelieveSport” . And there are allot of them throughout this page. I clicked on one myself, then realized what it was for.
Thank you for letting me know. If that happens again , please take a screenshot and send it to me with the url that you see that happen. I can let my advertising company know about it and they can remove that ad.