I feel its relevant to compare how much people will spend on coffee a week, and think nothing of it, yet complain at spending money in knitting patterns. If the designers are not remunerated (and make no mistake, the prices charged no way reflect the effort that goes into creating them), they will stop creating patterns and everyone would lose out. We deserve our work to be valued.
This is such a relevant topic, and one that, as a crochet designer in the making, giving my first steps after a long time ruminating, has been one of the major issues stopping me from releasing a first pattern.
For someone starting, and particularly on the handicrafts arena where women are the majority, it's easy to devalue ourselves and think our work is not worthy of a higher price tag. But we have to consider issues like the impact a lower price has on the overall community of designers that rely on pattern selling for their income, even if only partially. It can also affect the perception of value from the customers, leading to misplaced or unfair comparisons between patterns based on the price. On the other hand, pricing is essential to make designing a finantially sustainable activity for the designer in the long run.
One other issue is that, since there are no standards and common practices or pricing tables, so to speak, not that I'm aware of, it's very difficult to decide on a price. (Also, the country of origin of the designer and of the maker gives different meaning and "weight" to the price.) And of course, for the designer, it also comes down to how many pdf downloads a certain pattern is expected to sell, which depends on several things and implies time also after publishing, to promote the pattern regularly and properly.
I think a lot about this, and I tend to lean into higher pricing (which doesn't mean high or expensive prices) and/or the PWYC model, with free patterns being an option for entry-level, simpler patters, that can help designers showcase their work and get people into the craft and their designs, and also help them better sell the patterns that are not free.
On the other hand, knitting or crochet patterns are not a basic necessity like water, food or shelter, so, if someone can't afford to buy a pattern, there are a lot of free options and resources to choose from, I guess. The generosity of the community and of designers is quite amazing, and there are so many free online resources available to learn. It's not like higher priced patterns will cut access to the craft. There's the issue of more complex techniques or designs, and that's where a higher price can have a detrimental impact if people with less or no disposable income can't access these, develop their skills and tap into their potential to the point they can also regard designing as a source of income or extra income.
Not sure if I've seen it with patterns, but an option is to use the extra revenue from selling higher-priced patterns to put up a system where the designer offers patterns to people who can't afford them. Something like "buy one, gift one". (Just woke up and I'm sure there is a whole terminology I'm missing here...)
I hope I'm making some sense, but just wanted to jump into the discussion, because I think it's so important. I do believe it's worthwhile discussing it, and building community, raising awareness, educating ourselves, the designers, the makers, can have a positive impact on everyone. But it is a marathon, not a sprint. :)
Congrats for lighting up the discussion, Nara, and for a very interesting and thoughtully written piece.
<3
PS: I also wonder what the differences might be on this pricing issue between knitting and crochet. Any idea?
As knitters, we choose the price of the yarn we use. I don’t hear much criticism of spinners, dyers and mills, yet yarn prices have increased considerably in recent years. Yarn is by far the highest expense in our craft. Interchangeable needle sets cost in the hundreds of dollars. An individual fixed length circular is twice the cost of a pattern. Pattern cost criticism preys on the least powerful, most necessary and most creative player in our resource circle. If we want innovation, technical expertise and careful proofreading, we will pay for it. Designers should not be guilted into reducing already reasonable prices. When I truly couldn’t afford a pattern, I went to my library, chose leaflets or individual designs rather than collections, or made a pattern I owned again.
I feel its relevant to compare how much people will spend on coffee a week, and think nothing of it, yet complain at spending money in knitting patterns. If the designers are not remunerated (and make no mistake, the prices charged no way reflect the effort that goes into creating them), they will stop creating patterns and everyone would lose out. We deserve our work to be valued.
This is such a relevant topic, and one that, as a crochet designer in the making, giving my first steps after a long time ruminating, has been one of the major issues stopping me from releasing a first pattern.
For someone starting, and particularly on the handicrafts arena where women are the majority, it's easy to devalue ourselves and think our work is not worthy of a higher price tag. But we have to consider issues like the impact a lower price has on the overall community of designers that rely on pattern selling for their income, even if only partially. It can also affect the perception of value from the customers, leading to misplaced or unfair comparisons between patterns based on the price. On the other hand, pricing is essential to make designing a finantially sustainable activity for the designer in the long run.
One other issue is that, since there are no standards and common practices or pricing tables, so to speak, not that I'm aware of, it's very difficult to decide on a price. (Also, the country of origin of the designer and of the maker gives different meaning and "weight" to the price.) And of course, for the designer, it also comes down to how many pdf downloads a certain pattern is expected to sell, which depends on several things and implies time also after publishing, to promote the pattern regularly and properly.
I think a lot about this, and I tend to lean into higher pricing (which doesn't mean high or expensive prices) and/or the PWYC model, with free patterns being an option for entry-level, simpler patters, that can help designers showcase their work and get people into the craft and their designs, and also help them better sell the patterns that are not free.
On the other hand, knitting or crochet patterns are not a basic necessity like water, food or shelter, so, if someone can't afford to buy a pattern, there are a lot of free options and resources to choose from, I guess. The generosity of the community and of designers is quite amazing, and there are so many free online resources available to learn. It's not like higher priced patterns will cut access to the craft. There's the issue of more complex techniques or designs, and that's where a higher price can have a detrimental impact if people with less or no disposable income can't access these, develop their skills and tap into their potential to the point they can also regard designing as a source of income or extra income.
Not sure if I've seen it with patterns, but an option is to use the extra revenue from selling higher-priced patterns to put up a system where the designer offers patterns to people who can't afford them. Something like "buy one, gift one". (Just woke up and I'm sure there is a whole terminology I'm missing here...)
I hope I'm making some sense, but just wanted to jump into the discussion, because I think it's so important. I do believe it's worthwhile discussing it, and building community, raising awareness, educating ourselves, the designers, the makers, can have a positive impact on everyone. But it is a marathon, not a sprint. :)
Congrats for lighting up the discussion, Nara, and for a very interesting and thoughtully written piece.
<3
PS: I also wonder what the differences might be on this pricing issue between knitting and crochet. Any idea?
As knitters, we choose the price of the yarn we use. I don’t hear much criticism of spinners, dyers and mills, yet yarn prices have increased considerably in recent years. Yarn is by far the highest expense in our craft. Interchangeable needle sets cost in the hundreds of dollars. An individual fixed length circular is twice the cost of a pattern. Pattern cost criticism preys on the least powerful, most necessary and most creative player in our resource circle. If we want innovation, technical expertise and careful proofreading, we will pay for it. Designers should not be guilted into reducing already reasonable prices. When I truly couldn’t afford a pattern, I went to my library, chose leaflets or individual designs rather than collections, or made a pattern I owned again.