Free patterns are great, right? We open up a world to many who may otherwise not afford to pay for a pattern. It is also a great way for beginners to try out new things when they are not yet as invested in spending money on a new hobby.  Living in a third world country myself where we have to compete with a much stronger dollar, I understand that paying between $5 and $7 for a pattern may not be affordable to most.

There are many reasons why designers can go the free route. They may have the financial backing of a yarn company or their own website may drive enough traffic that they get a passive income from those visiting their website or YouTube channels.  There definitely are also designers who do not care for any financial gain and simply bring out patterns as a hobby to share their creativity with the world.  And then there are patterns that simply aren't difficult enough that you can charge for and they get published for free.

Many hours are spent developing a pattern from concept to launch (think swatching, making a sample, drafting the pattern, having it tested, all the admin in getting it published) and time is probably the most expensive commodity. Then there are the obvious cost involved such as the yarn used for 1 or 2 samples (I very seldom get yarn support). Don't forget about the hidden costs.  Fees payable to Ravelry, Etsy, Paypal, the bank, tech editors, subscriptions fees to uphold a website and mailing company.  Financially it won't make a lot of sense to have all of these expenses with zero return (unless you are married to Elon Musk). The "return" comes from either having the backing of a yarn brand, income via your channels or charging for a pattern. In my case, it is the latter.

So how do I decide if a pattern will be free or not? I've only published 2 patterns in the past as a free download on Ravelry. The Malva Potholder and the Lily Lace Cowl.  The Malva Potholder pattern is a very basic, beginner friendly pattern and was one of my first patterns ever written, so I realized it wasn't something I could charge for.  The Lily Lace Cowl was an add-on pattern to the Locklace Sweater using leftover yarn from that project so I wanted to make it free.

As I evolve as a designer I may in future retire some older patterns and turn them into free downloads, but for now the reason why I charge for my patterns will remain unchanged.  That being said, I still believe my patterns are reasonably charged with my pay-what-you-can discount coupons that you can apply at checkout. If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you will also get even bigger discounts when I launch a new pattern.  Will I ever get rich from my pattern sales? Not likely. 

All that being said, if you love a free pattern, don't feel guilty using them. Check out my Malva Potholder pattern that has an added bonus in the form of a recipe for Malva Pudding included!