Designers are not getting rich from publishing $5 patterns.
Some are not even making a living wage with their designs.
Why I do it? I do it this designing thing, because I LOVE it. I love the process of creating something new, of exploring interesting concepts and constructions, and seeing where it takes me. I design for the huge thrill I get from teaching new and interesting techniques. To be able to experience the successes and accomplishments with the crocheter and knitter. Sometimes I see the finished objects on Ravelry, sometimes I get private emails, and other times there are public feedbacks posted like these:
Sometimes designing doesn't seem to be worth the cost.
Designers offer so much value for so little acknowledgement and appreciation.
Many makers in the fiber industry depend on designers. However, I feel like what I do is treated as less valuable and an afterthought. Would the yarn industry be so vibrant and rich without the pattern support? Would stitch marker and bag makers be relevant without us, the pattern designers? Probably not.
Without pattern designers, yarn companies would have nothing interesting to show off their beautiful colors and interesting fiber combinations. Without pattern designers, crocheters and knitters wouldn't have a need for stitch markers or project bags. Having access to quality designs is helping to push the industry forward by attracting new crocheters and knitters, and revitalizing long time fiber artists.
There seems to be a disconnect in the fiber world when crocheters and knitters will spend $30 on a single skein of yarn and balk at paying $5 for a pattern that took months to produce.
"OMG...She wants $5 for that sweater pattern?"
Yes, $5 for a sweater pattern! You should be outraged at how much you are getting for ONLY $5. This cost is not an exorbitant amount, especially when the yarn used will cost well over $100.
THINK ABOUT IT: The $5 sweater pattern is less than 5% of the cost of the total project (excluding the hooks/needles, notions, project bags, etc. The pattern % cost drops significantly if those items are included in the total project cost) if the yarn cost $100 and the pattern is only $5. Actually, that is a bargain, especially when it's offered in a wide range of sizes, sometimes beyond a 60" chest measurement.
My designs are not FREE
because it took A LOT of time and work to produce
and that is worth something!
Please don't degrade what I do. I don't save lives with my designs - I'm not a doctor - but I offer value to this industry. I offer designs that allow crocheters and knitters to explore their creativity and individual style
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