Pattern Copyright Info

Everyone knows that copying a pattern is a no-no. Designers who create these awesome fashions deserve to be paid for their time and their efforts in the form of crafters buying their products. When a pattern is copied, the designer is cheated out of that money.

But, did you know that every individual designer has a slightly different take on just exactly what pattern copyright means?

For example, some designers are basic and simple as in: “Don’t copy my pattern in any way shape or form, but after you make it, you can do whatever you want with it”. These patterns are widely used as bazaar items, for charity… you can make and sell, make and give away, make and distribute anything you create from this pattern as long as you don’t copy the pattern itself.
Some are a bit more finicky, “Not only can you not copy the pattern, you also are restricted in what you do with the finished items”. The best course of action? Email and ask.

The Girl From Auntie has an excellent guide to copyright laws, you can find that here: http://www.girlfromauntie.com/copyright/index-guide.asp . Another great resource is Purple Kitty Yarns, here: http://www.purplekittyyarns.com/info/copyright.html

For a more complete guide, you can go to the US Copyright Office here: http://www.copyright.gov/

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

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