While I do like to write over things I know especially with regards to development I still have a lot to learn still.  Lately I have been doing a lot ofl ooking at design patterns as I keep hearing a lot of people talk about using them.  So I wanted to know WHY use design patterns and what are they specifically.  Here are some of the better things I have read over design patterns.

How to Use Design Patterns
Design Patterns
How design patterns can help you in developing unit testing-enabled applications
Patterns-Discussion FAQ
How to Use Design Patterns
Effective Object-Oriented Design with Design Patterns
Design Patterns Isn’t a Golden Hammer
Why aren't design patterns common knowledge?