In which there was no Day Ten. And that was a conscious decision rather than not getting around to posting. When I looked at my list of things I was going to write about in this Christmastide, I changed my mind on one subject and as Friday is a busy day I decided to not post.
Today I want to write about designers, specifically pattern designers. I have written previously about not knowing what you will get when you purchase a pattern online. And as my last mystery pattern shows, you cannot always rely on the designer’s previous publications as a guide to the quality of their latest patterns.
I am going to ask a controversial question. Should pattern designers make a living from what they do? In other words if this was all they did, could they live off the income without having a second job or a supportive partner? I don’t think there is a correct answer to that. I appreciate all the designers and their work but it certainly isn’t necessary for life, and, although the piece of work derived from the pattern could be considered art, the pattern itself is not necessarily a piece of art.
The pattern design world is like sports and music a few top names and many wannabes. This does not mean the top designers are better than the others but that they have been successful in getting name recognition. In the fan world of the internet, these designers can do no wrong so they will continue to stay at the top making it harder for new designers to get noticed and, therefore, start receiving an income.
For some items the hardest part of the pattern design process is writing and formatting the pattern. So many people need their hand held when following a pattern that a lot more goes into the printed page than I deem necessary but there is the problem that once one designer has done it, now everyone has to. A good example is charts or words. It used to be that patterns would have one or the other. Now knitters are demanding both increasing the work of the designer. Have prices increased to reflect this? And I am having to pay for all these extra words and pages that I do not need. I’d rather pay more for a concise, well written pattern.
The internet has made it easier for independent designers to publish patterns but it has given all the knitters/crocheters the chance to become a designer. I really do not want to see another pattern for an asymmetrical, two-colour, garter stitch and lace shawl. A quick search on Ravelry for triangle shaped shawls using more than one colour and incorporating some lace came up with 1113 patterns. Over 100 of them are free. Is it any wonder that new designers cannot get recognition and established designers cannot make an income?
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