Sharing Isn’t Always Okay...

By Claudia Ostrop

Why You Usually Can´t Just Share Knitting Patterns

The crafting world is, fortunately, usually a kind and friendly place. Whether in virtual communities or in-person knitting groups, people knit together, exchange ideas, discuss techniques, inspire each other, and offer help. The number of knitters (and increasingly, crocheters) connected online around the globe is enormous. Finished projects are proudly shared on Instagram and Ravelry.

Unfortunately, there is one behavior that may seem friendly at first glance but is absolutely not okay:

Sharing patterns – whether for knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or any other craft.

Sharing Knitting Patterns – Just a Minor Offense?

Most of us know the situation: you're wearing a handmade sweater, shawl, or a pair of colorful socks fresh off the needles, and someone asks about the pattern. Often followed by: "Oh, can I have the pattern?"

Whether it’s forwarding a file or handing someone a printout — whether to a best friend or posting in a group or forum — many people don’t know (or simply ignore) that:

Knitting patterns and other instructions are protected by copyright.

What Exactly Is a (Knitting) Pattern in Legal Terms?

A knitting or crochet pattern isn’t just a list of stitch counts, increases, decreases, and motifs. It is typically a creative work protected by national copyright laws. Once a pattern reaches a certain level of creativity (known as “creative height”), it automatically qualifies for copyright protection.

This means:
Only the creator (designer) can decide how, where, and whether the pattern may be published, reproduced, or shared. This also means that even sharing a pattern “just with a best friend” is legally a copyright violation — and such violations can lead to civil or even criminal consequences.

But I Paid for It – So Why Can’t I Share It?

A common misconception is that once you've bought a pattern, you can do whatever you want with it. However, purchasing a knitting or crochet pattern only gives you a personal license to use it — not ownership of the rights.

With digital PDFs especially, many think clicking “forward” is harmless. Legally, it is not. Most patterns contain a copyright notice that prohibits sharing and clearly defines usage rights — such as “for personal use only” or “selling items made from this pattern is not permitted.”

Why It’s Also Ethically Problematic

Beyond the legal aspect, there’s also a moral issue. Designers invest a great deal of time, effort, and often money into developing patterns. A new design has to be created, knitted, graded for different sizes, written up, tech-edited, test-knit, and possibly translated. From the first idea to publication often takes months. That’s time and money invested by the designer.

When patterns are simply passed around, designers lose revenue. Their work is devalued. Who would want to work on a design for weeks or months if it ends up circulating for free in forums? Professional designers rely on pattern sales. If it’s not financially sustainable, why should they keep releasing new patterns?

Digital Patterns: Sharing Not Allowed

Digital patterns — usually bought and downloaded as PDFs — are subject to strict rules. Why? Because it's easy to create and distribute perfect copies, which violates copyright.

If you buy a digital pattern, you may use it on your devices and print it for personal use. You can knit or crochet from it. You can keep or gift the finished piece. Selling is a gray area — some designers allow it only after prior agreement.

If you post your finished piece on social media, you can (and should) credit the designer or link to the pattern’s source (e.g., on Ravelry).

What you may not do:
Distribute the pattern — whether printed, screenshotted, or as a PDF. Not to a friend, not to your neighbor, and not in online forums or groups. You also may not translate or alter a pattern and publish it yourself (even for free). You always need the designer’s permission.

Craft Books: Lending Is Allowed!

You might wonder why it’s okay to borrow knitting or crochet books from a library. Isn't that the same?

No, it’s not.

If you’ve bought a printed book of patterns, you are allowed to lend or give away your copy — for example, to a friend. This is allowed under the legal concept of “exhaustion of rights.” Once a work (like a pattern book) has been legally sold, the copyright holder’s distribution rights are considered exhausted. As the buyer, you may resell, gift, or lend your copy.

However: copying it is not allowed. You may lend the book to a friend to read and knit from — but you may not scan, copy, or photograph parts of it and distribute those.

Important: This only applies to printed books — eBooks are digital patterns and are not covered by this rule.

Paper Pattern vs. Digital Pattern – Why the Difference?

Printed books are tied to a physical copy. If you lend it out, you no longer have access to it yourself. There’s no duplication.

Digital files, on the other hand, are infinitely reproducible. One PDF can be forwarded to hundreds of people in seconds — while you still retain your own copy. This violates copyright and deprives designers of their income.

A side note about hybrid formats: Books or magazines like our Collezioni issues sometimes include codes for downloading digital patterns. You may lend the book to someone, but the code must not be used by anyone else.

Conclusion

Lending a knitting book is like lending a pair of knitting needles — it’s a single item that can only be used by one person at a time.

Sharing a digital pattern is copying — and that’s not allowed.

The difference may seem small at first glance but has major legal and ethical implications. If you want to treat creators fairly, don’t share pattern files — link to the original source instead. Knitting and crocheting are joyful hobbies for most of us — but for designers, it’s creative work and often a livelihood that deserves respect.

Please respect copyright. Be fair, and remember that designers rely on the sale of their patterns.

If you can’t or don’t want to spend money on patterns, there are countless free ones available on Ravelry — many generously offered by well-known designers. That’s their choice — but don’t take that choice away from them.