Pattern Sharing/Trading

We want to thank our friends, fans, and family for listening to our ranting and raving today.  As some of you may or may not know by now, a friend pointed me in the direction of a Pattern Sharing/Trading Group on Facebook this morning.  She was concerned because she had seen a young lady offering to trade a copy of our Ninja Turtle Hat Pattern.

Before I get into things, please know that this group does not appear to have been created with the intention of being a sharing/trading group.  The majority of the posts are actually just people posting photos of their own crocheted creations or asking for tips/suggestions regarding issues they are having with certain patterns. Unfortunately, just with many things in life, there were those who took advantage of this group and were offering patterns they had purchased for sharing or trading with others.

The girl who was offering to trade our pattern had in fact purchased the pattern from our Ravelry page on December 31st.  I wasn't initially able to confirm this since Ravelry wasn't showing it, but I was able to locate the purchase this evening.  She insists that based on information she found on the website Tabberone.com, patterns in general are not bound under US Copyright Laws.  This means, according to her, that she is free to do with our pattern as she pleases.  I am, as a business person, looking into this further.  In the meantime, she also claims that according to this article she found, "Selling an item relinquished future control over that item unless BOTH parties agree otherwise or unless otherwise specifically stated by law."  As we pointed out to her and want to make clear in an effort to prevent any future issues, by purchasing or winning any patterns from Hooking Housewives, you are agreeing to the terms that are stated within the pattern.  This includes, but is not limited to, the purchaser having no rights to the sharing, trading, or redistribution of any kind of our patterns.

In addition, regardless of whether the print and/or pattern are covered by US Copyright Laws, copyrights of photographs are legally binding.  Many of you may not know that I am, in addition to a crochet designer and creator, a photographer.  It is not my career choice any longer as it is not a realistic way to help provide support for my family.  I do, however, still retain the copyrights on every single photo that I publish, whether as a part of a pattern that we create or as a photographer under the name of Sophisticated Snapshots Photography.  If you choose to share or trade our patterns, you are also doing so with my photographs, which is a separate violation of US Copyright Laws in itself.

Please understand that we here at Hooking Housewives are not trying to discourage anyone from purchasing our patterns or those of another designer.  We regularly purchase patterns from our favorite designers, many of whom were also being shared/traded within this group.  The designing community is aware of a new and now private group on Facebook that is still sharing our designs illegally.  For those who are not members of this group and who do not wish to partake in this dishonest practice, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!  We do not want to alienate the large number of you who have been so supportive of us.  As stay-at-home mothers, this is the main way that Kathy and I are able to contribute to our families' incomes.  Kathy is disabled and unable to work so every penny counts.  I am able to work, but because of the job market in the rural area in which we live, it's more financially beneficial for me to stay at home rather than putting my youngest son in childcare.

To thank those of you who want this pattern but have not wanted to pay the regular $2.99 for it, we are offering a special for you from now until the end of the day on Wednesday.  Through our Ravelry page.  you can purchase the Ninja Turtle Hat Pattern for only $0.99 using the coupon code "thanks".  You can get to the pattern from here. 

We plan to have several new patterns coming your way in the spring.  We will start working on the writing of a few hats soon and will be looking for testers so keep a look out the announcement!

~ Jamie