some thoughts on pattern designing

As I have been organizing, re-writing, and re-knitting many of my tried and true patterns in hopes of inspiring more fiber lovers with them, I've also been thinking about how to release them. Thoughts like: how should I post the patterns on the blog?  Should I leverage the instant download options from tools like Ravelry? Should I continue to provide many of my patterns for free?

When I sat down to reflect on how I wanted to share my designs, I made the choice to allow others to make and sell their own handmade products using my designs.  I benefited from the enjoyment of making and selling at markets for many years before, and now I want to share, inspire and motivate others to do the same. I feel I can best do this by offering my knowledge and experience to my community.

However, as I do this, posts like this one, remind me that sometimes reality can be discouraging. Despite this, I am hopeful I made the right decisions about how I put out my work and I hope I that my ideas and my content will be respected. So for now, most of my designs will be free and I'll put my trust in my fiber-loving community. To read about my design usage policies, visit this my patterns page.

Community over competition.

xo