Dwayne Dushane has a great video out on doing several types of patterns such as climbing vine, rope pattern, etc.. It's a really good video. He names a set of files he suggest's, I can't remember them now, but they are jewler's files. He shows you how to grind a certain file to get a good start. You can rent the video at smartflix.
Knifemaking instruction video: Fileworking by Dwayne Dushane
or buy the video at center cross instructional videos.
Fileworking with Dwayne Dushane - Vine Pattern - Rope Pattern - S Pattern
He suggest jewler's files because you don't have to wrap the file in sandpaper to get a good finish wich can cause the edges to get rounded off. It leave a clean file worked area that looks really sharp when done right. If your just starting off this is a great video on file working. I don't know what the cost of these files are, but if you can't afford them right away you can get a regular set and use them until you have the funds for a good set.