For years, I’ve heard designers complain about having their patterns ripped off, and it never seemed like a big concern.

Then It Happened to Me!

Recently, I had a spike in sales on Ravelry for my Koigu Cross Stitch Scarf.

This pattern is one of my favorites, and is by far my biggest selling pattern (Thanks mostly to Theresa, the Keyboard Biologist, who has knitted this a couple of times and blogged about it…every time she does, more people want to make it).

I was looking at others who have made this scarf and came across someone that purchased the pattern with the yarn from their local yarn store…a yarn store that as far as I know has never purchased this pattern.

I finally understood how annoying this is.

Don’t get me wrong…it’s petty theft at best when a person or a yarn store does this kind of thing.  And honestly, they did sell Koigu yarns, which was an important reason I designed this scarf.  I  mean, it’s not like the time I was at stitches with a designer friend of mine who saw her design hanging in someone else’s booth…with the pattern and the yarn for sale and all attribution for the designer removed from the pattern (which she was still selling in her own booth at the very same Stitches).  But it was kind of disappointing to know that someone felt like they could justify doing this with my pattern.

Current Knitting

Continuing on with the niece blanket with no other knitting distractions (shockingly).

I’m liking the fabric more and more as the blanket gets larger.  It’s turning out soft and drapey and quite warm.