The Neave Collection

Make a Donation towards Stitch and Bitch Charity Projects

Please bear with me on this post. I mean no offence. I just feel that the following needs to be said. I really wish posts like this were not necessary. It makes me very sad to have to write this, but this is a very serious matter.

Crochet Pattern Designers are under constant pressure from unscrupulous people who simply have no respect for our hard work and treat us really badly.

They copy our patterns;
They claim our patterns as their own and even list them for sale;
They illegally distribute our patterns to all and sundry;
They disrespect our copyright statements;
They steal from us.

Many people may be doing this without realizing the implications and without malice.

A lot of designers rely on your support to literally keep food on their tables. It’s their job. It’s not just a hobby.

Let’s just look at 2 aspects of this:

Copyright on Digital Patterns

Do you share patterns with friends, family and even strangers who ask? You may be doing this without realizing that its morally wrong. If you are tempted to do this, stop, think and put yourself in the designer’s shoes. How would you feel if this was your design?

Even FREE patterns should not be shared. SENDING A LINK to the pattern is encouraged and very acceptable. This helps designers grow their support base and their businesses. We love it when we are supported in this manner.

Copyright is a contentious and very broad subject and can be debated until the cows come home. This post is not a debate about whether copyright law is enforceable or not and I will not enter into any discussion on this point, suffice it to say:

It is not easy to take legal action against someone for breach of copyright even if we have a solid case. This is due to many different factors, amongst others:

The cost of legal action;
The time that is needed to pursue legal action;
International borders make it very difficult;
Tracing the perpetrators can be a real challenge.

Having said this, surely you will agree that it is MORALLY RIGHT to respect the hard work that goes into a design and support the designers by not sharing the actual pattern? It shouldn’t even be a discussion about the legalities of copyright law. Share the link.

IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH MY STANCE ON THIS, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE UNFOLLOW ME!

This brings me to the next point that I’d like to make.

Why do Designers Charge for Patterns?

If you are wondering why a lot of my patterns are not FREE, please read on:

Designing is very expensive and time consuming WORK. It may be a labour of love, but its still work.

Many, many hours go into getting to the point of launching a new pattern. It is a team effort that involves multiple people. I don’t draw a salary and my testers give their time freely. I can’t even begin to think of what the time would be worth in a normal commercial environment. Unless you have tried designing, it is probably hard to imagine just how much time and effort actually goes into this process.

Your support enables me to purchase the yarn required to make the multiple samples for the various patterns. I like to provide my testers with yarn and I do this when I can afford it. As an example, on average yarn purchases amount to in excess of US$300 for each pattern produced. This includes my samples and also my testers samples. Assuming I charge US$4.99 for a pattern, this means that I would have to sell 60 patterns just to cover the cost of the yarn. That’s a lot of sales in an extremely competitive environment.

Your support helps towards the cost of camera and computer equipment. Software is another big expense, as is purchasing the music clips for the video tutorials and keeping the web site hosted and up to date. I respect copyright so everything I use in the production of my patterns is legally acquired and costs money.

Your support enables me to make charitable donations from time to time in the name of The Neave Collection. My preferred charity is called Stitch & Bitch Charity Projects.

I want to avoid bombarding you with adverts so I have chosen not to monetize my blog or YouTube videos. Can you imagine my videos being full of interruptions for adverts? I can’t.

So, a BIG thank you to YOU if you are a subscriber or have purchased any of my patterns in the past. Your support keeps me occupied, happy and solvent. It makes my retirement enjoyable (I’m a workaholic)!

IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH MY STANCE ON THIS, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE UNFOLLOW ME!

So, in closing, ask yourself:

Would you be prepared to put in months of work for no return?

Would you be prepared to pay out large sums of money for no return?

and that’s why my patterns are NOT FREE.

Thanks again to all my loyal supporters. You mean the world to me.

Love & light

Debbie

Please note that donations are only accepted in USD and processed via PayPal

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Copyright on Digital Patterns

Why do Designers Charge for Patterns?