FAQ

Thank you for your interest in using my patterns! Listed below are my terms of use and frequently asked questions. Hopefully, this can help answer any questions you may have ! If you don’t find the answer here, feel free to use the contact form on my webpage to contact me.

WHY SHOULD I BUY YOU A CUP OF TEA?

For starters tea is heaps better than coffee! Buy me a tea is a platform that many small creative designers use to gain support. It takes an enormous amount of time and effort to provide premium patterns, free patterns, blog content accessible to supporters and pattern support. It may only be a small thing that supporters can do, but small things can make a difference in a huge way. It can decide if designers of small creative businesses can keep providing designs and support. If you enjoy my patterns, my free content and perhaps reading some of the ramblings I write on my block then ‘BUY ME A CUP OF TEA’, I drink quite a lot of tea!

CAN I PRINT YOUR FREE PATTERNS FROM THIS WEB PAGE? CAN I CREATE PDFS OF YOUR FREE PATTERNS?

Many of my free patterns are available on ravelry to download in PDF form and I do provide some of them as PDF downloads on my web page.. Some patterns that appear free on my webpage can be purchased for a very small sum on ravelry. If however, you do decide to print a PDF from my webage p all ads included, please create them for your own use only and NOT for distribution! Please remember free does not mean all copyright has ceased.

CAN I SHARE YOUR PATTERNS WITH OTHER PEOPLE?

I love work from my patterns appearing online etc, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

Please add a link to Auburncraft Design whether it be a link to my webpage, ravelry, etsy or other platform (connected to Auburncraft Design) that you bought or downloaded the pattern from. If however, you do decide to create your own PDFs or print my patterns, all ads included, please create them for your own use only and NOT for distribution! Please do not claim any Auburncraft Design pattern as your own creation, as that is considered stealing my work. If you purchase one of my patterns please do not share it with friends etc. Each time you do this it is taking revenue from my potential sales away from me.

DO YOU OFFER PATTERN SUPPORT?

I sell fully tested patterns. Once in a while an error may sneak through the test process, but generally my patterns are error free due to the stringent test process they go through. My team of pattern testers are of a high stand. While I do try to offer pattern support where I can, most of my patterns are intermediate level or above. I DO NOT offer video tutorials or step by step crochet tuition, so please keep this in mind when purchasing. My homepage has a list of what platforms I sell from. If you have purchased from other than those listed, please do not ask for pattern support as the pattern will more than likely have been a stolen copy. This happens often and while I love to help those who have purchased from me, I do check where the purchase was made and will not help any who have bought an illegal copy of my pattern. Many of my patterns are also one size specific due to the design. If you wish to resize a blanket etc then your own calculations will be required.

WHY DO YOU HAVE ADS ON YOUR WEBPAGE? I HATE ADS!

I think that everybody hates ads! Having ads helps me to keep providing quality pattens and also freebies. It basically helps pay the bills and is only a small inconvenience to my followers and affiliate links with ads is a necessity.

ONE OF YOUR LINKS IS BROKEN AND I CANNOT ACCESS THE PAGE I WANT?

Everything you see on this page is done by myself. The formatting and web design are my own (using squarespace templates). This is an incredible amount of work and I miss things. You will probably find typing errors and the odd spelling mistake too! If you find a missing or broken link, send me a message so I can correct this.

WHY SHOULD I SUBSCRIBE?

I value my subscribers and try to give back when I can. On pattern launch days, my subscribers get the best discount on offer and notification of a new release on the day of release! I don’t send out any more than 2 or 3 emails a month as quite frankly I can’t afford to. These cost me! So if you want the best discount codes (usually for use on ravelry) then please subscribe.

WHAT ARE AFFILIATE LINKS?

This website contains affiliate links. This means that when you click on ads contained within this site and make a purchase, I will receive a commission. I belong to a number of affiliate programs and these help me to ensure I am able to offer you premium patterns at a reasonable cost, in addition to the free patterns I have on offer. This costs you nothing.

ARE YOUR PATTERNS IN UK OR USA TERMS?

My patterns come in Uk and USA terms although free patterns on my webpage are usually written in USA terms. When purchasing my patterns on other platforms such as Ravelry and Etsy you can choose which terms you download and for Lovecrafts I combine both patterns into the one large document so print which pages suits you. I also have some patterns in Dutch but these are limited. I am often looking for people who have very high skills in language, written process and crochet to translate my patterns to other languages. So if you could be interested in doing so and can provide references then please use the contact form on my web page to contact me.

DO YOU HAVE PRINT ONLY PDF’S WITHOUT IMAGES?

At this time I only offer my patterns in the one format which includes photographs. I realise that some people would prefer just a text copy, but I just cannot find the time to format each and every pattern this way. I also firmly believe in crediting my pattern testers and their work with credit will usually be added at the end of my patterns. They put in an enormous effort to ensure my patterns are as error free as humanly possible (but we are all human) and so should have credit.

DO YOU HAVE VIDEO TUTORIALS OF PATTERNS?

As stated in a previous question, the answer to this is NO. At present I do not do video tutorials. My life is very busy with what commitments I already have and allows no time to produce a video to the quality it would need. I do not allow others to make video tutorials of my designs. The exception to this is my good friend Fiona from Flos Crafty crochet who has kindly done some stitch tutorials for me. If you find any other video tutorials of one of my designs online, please notify me.

I WANT TO DO A VIDEO OF YOUR PATTERN IS THIS OKAY?

Simply put, NO! I work hard on my patterns and they are all covered by copyright. Creating a video of my designs in tutorial form is a copyright infringement. I do at times give permission to my close friends or pattern testers to create a specific stitch tutorial for new stitches I may have developed. These will clearly state that they have my permission and will be linked to myself. Any other videos done without permission is not acceptable.

I DON’T KNOW HOW TO CROCHET, BUT WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HAVE ONE OF YOUR DESIGNS?

You will find some pre-made items in the section with this heading on my webpage. These are generally pro-types for the design. You can contact me for pricing. At this time I am not interested in commission work. I can attempt to connect you with one of my amazing pattern testers who could make an item for you. I have testers all around the world who take on commissions. You would be required to purchase the pattern of my design and provide the tester with this, then all dealings would be your and the testers responsiblity. Feel free to contact me via the contact form attached to this webpage to be connected to one of my incredible pattern testers.

ARE YOUR PATTERNS WRITTEN AS LEFT HANDED OR RIGHT HANDED? I am right handed and my patterns are written as such. A couple of my pattern testers are left handed and seem to manage the patterns, but I do not offer specific instructions for those who are left handed.

CAN I SELL FINISHED PRODUCTS MADE FROM YOUR PATTERN?

Yes, you may sell finished items made from my patterns. When selling online or in person, please give credit back to me, Auburncraft Crochet Design and a link to either my webpage auburncraftcrochetdesign.com or the platform I sell on such as ravelry, etsy, lovecrafts, bendigo woollen mill or ribblr or back to the original pattern post. You cannot however manufacture and mass produce my designs for sale.

CAN I USE YOUR PHOTOS TO SELL MY FINISHED ITEM? CAN I CROP OUT YOUR WATERMARK?

No, you may not use Auburncraft Crochet Design photos to sell your finished products. If you want to sell your items, you need to take your own photos of your own items. Using my copyrighted photos is illegal and your buyers should know exactly what they’re buying! You may not crop or alter my copyrighted images in any way!

CAN I TRANSLATE ANY OF YOUR PATTERNS FREE OR PAID FOR USE ON MY BLOG, FACEBOOK, YOU TUBE OR FOR CROCHET-A-LONGS?

I do not allow translations of my patterns to be published on other blogs or Facebook groups. I do often require translators for my patterns and, I can publish your translation on my website and other platforms which your audience could then either access or purchase. For any of my free patterns it can then be linked to my site from your blog or from your Facebook group. I will give you full credit as the translator.

CAN I BUY YOUR PATTERN AND THEN USE PART OF IT TO CREATE ONE OF MY OWN?

My patterns are copyright protected and I will pursue any who use part or all of my patterns to create their own. For instance my Dragonfly design used a specific unique stitch combo. If you buy my pattern to then create your own, I will have a record of your purchase and I will pursue any avenues I can to prevent you from stealing my intellectual and written work.

I DON’T NEED A PATTERN, CAN I JUST COPY YOUR DESIGN FROM YOUR PICTURE?

Designing patterns is a labour of love. It is time consuming and I hate to see my hard work stolen by others. The designs I create are from my head, imagination and hours of trial and error. Many seem to think it is okay to copy, but you are stealing my intellectual idea. Just because you can copy does not mean you should. I take copyright infringement very seriously.

PATTERN ALTERATIONS.

Many of my patterns do not have an obvious pattern repeat and in fact many are different for every round/row. Any calculations required for any alterations to the pattern will need to be carried out by yourself. I am happy to help with general questions but re-designing a pattern to alter size etc is very time consuming.

PATTERN PRICING: I try to keep my patterns at an affordable pricing and you may notice the same pattern appearing at different pricing, depending upon selling platform. I have no control over the fee structure of some platfroms and Etsy generally takes a larger percentage of each pattern sale from me. In order to sell on different platforms I have to cater for many different fee structures for each platform.. If you feel that any pattern is more than you would like to pay, please stop to consider the hundreds of hours spent by myself in order to get this pattern out into the world.

DIGITAL PATTERN REFUNDS ON PURCHASE: I do not offer refunds on digital purchases. Please keep this in mind when purchasing. Once payment has been received, the buyer is capable of downloading the pattern immediately. This makes refunds not possible.

ARE PATTERN REVIEWS IMPORTANT? Yes they are. Designers are small business people and I know I endeavour to produce patterns that people wish to buy and can easily use. I do have a focus on intermediate level crochet, with some of my patterns having challenging sections Platforms like Etsy hold sellers to ransom with reviews and each time a review less than 5 stars is placed on my selling platform it effects my ratings for the next month. Yes buyers should be able to state if they have a bad experience with a product but getting a 4 star review most would think is okay, especially with comments such as ‘love the pattern’. The frustrating thing about this is that it lowers my star seller rating for the next month. Etsy then email me to tell me how I can ‘GET BACK ON TRACK’ for the next month as though I have been put in the naughty corner. So please ontact me with any issues before you decided to leave a review if there is any issue!

I HAVE AN LYS STORE AND WANT TO RUN CLASSES FROM YOUR PATTERN , IS THIS OK?

I love to support LYS stores but will pursue any that use my patterns without permission and/or purchase of pattern. You cannot purchase one pattern and then provide a class full of people, use of it.

I encourage any LYS Stores who would love to feature my designs in classes etc, to please contact me. Apprise me of either the fact that class participants will be purchasing the pattern via one of the outlets I sell on: Ravelry (click here), Etsy (Click here), Lovecrafts (click here),Bendigo Woollen Mill ,and coming soon Ribblr.

Or if you would like to pay a contract fee on an agreed amount for patterns, for each class participant, which will entitle you to copying the pattern for each class member. This could be arranged at a discounted price, if the conditions are right. So send me a message via my blog or find me on Instagram (click here) and Facebook (click here).

Any advertising of classes must have the designers (Auburncraft Design) name and credit for the pattern attached to them. Class fee structure needs to clearly state that this includes a fee for the copyrighted pattern. Then we are all good. The LYS is happy, those attending the class are happy and most of all I am happy.

DO YOU WORK IN WITH LYS STORES?

I am always interested in working in with LYS or indie dyers etc who would be happy to provide yarn support and are looking for unique designs to showcase their product. Contact me if you wish to discuss this.

Or if you would like to promote your business in several facebook groups either via yarn support or a general discount code then please contact me. I run/co-run several groups online. One that is designer based and has nearly 400 crochet designers worldwide and others that have thousands of members.

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. It is Auburncraft Crochet Design’s policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect from you across our website, http://auburncraftcrochetdesign.com, and other sites we own and operate.

We only ask for personal information when we truly need it to provide a service to you. We collect it by fair and lawful means, with your knowledge and consent. We also let you know why we’re collecting it and how it will be used.

We only retain collected information for as long as necessary to provide you with your requested service. What data we store, we’ll protect within commercially acceptable means to prevent loss and theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.

We don’t share any personally identifying information publicly or with third-parties, except when required to by law.

Our website may link to external sites that are not operated by us. Please be aware that we have no control over the content and practices of these sites, and cannot accept responsibility or liability for their respective privacy policies.

You are free to refuse our request for your personal information, with the understanding that we may be unable to provide you with some of your desired services.

Your continued use of our website will be regarded as acceptance of our practices around privacy and personal information. If you have any questions about how we handle user data and personal information, feel free to contact us.

This policy is effective as of 11 August 2020. and updated January 2024