Where to Find Free Crochet Patterns

When starting a new project, I usually like to sit down and design my own crochet pattern.  However, there have been many times where I am in a time crunch and it becomes necessary to use an existing crochet pattern for my project.  Luckily, there are many great sites on the web full of free crochet patterns to sift through.  Here are a few of my favorites.
1.  Crafsy
Craftsy not only has many free crochet patterns but they also have sewing patterns, knitting patterns, craft ideas, cake decorating tips...etc.  All of their free patterns are available as PDF downloads. They also have crochet patterns available for purchase.  Additionally, you can take online crochet courses from Craftsy such as the course on Tunisian crochet below.

2.  Ravelry
Ravelry has tons of free crochet patterns available.  Some free patterns are linked to blog posts and some are available as PDF downloads.  They have crochet patterns available for purchase as well.  Ravelry also has knitting and sewing patterns.  I like Ravelry because it gives you so many options when you search for patterns.  You can search for free patterns only or you can search by size, style, yarn weight...etc.  It makes finding the perfect pattern very simple.
3.  All Free Crochet
All Free Crochet has hundreds of free crochet patterns.  They are broken down into several categories, each containing links to the free patterns.  The only downside to All Free Crochet is that you have to click on each link to see a photo of the pattern unlike Ravelry and Craftsy where the photos are displayed in your search results. 
4.  Crochet Pattern Central
Crochet pattern central is very similar to All Free Crochet.  Free crochet patterns are broken down into several categories, each featuring links to several free crochet patterns.  Just like All Free Crochet, you also have to click on the links to see a photo of the project.  However, Crochet Pattern Central also features links to tutorials as well as tips and tricks.
5.  Go Directly to the Yarn Companies Websites.
My last tip is to visit some of the sites for yarn and craft companies.  Lion Brand Yarn has several free crochet patterns available on their website, as does Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michaels.