I’ve set the price at $4 Australian. The Dandelion Beret which I made available for free was downloaded over 200 times in the first few days of being available.
I think a lot of people will download a free pattern just because they can, and they might want to knit it one day but it doesn’t matter if they don’t because it was free.
I’m sure that having to pay for a pattern makes people stop and think about it a lot more first. I don’t expect anything like the same number of downloads as I got for the free pattern but I’ll feel quite rejected if NOBODY buys a copy.
There are so many patterns on Ravelry, (49,884 downloadable at the time I’m writing this), that it’s hard to get attention. I think that good photos help and when I get the fancy new camera (currently in line behind the fancy new computer to replace the electric abacus that I currently use), this will improve.
Speaking of photos, I didn’t really enjoy being the model for the Starflower Beret. I’ve got a head like a melon and skin like white paper, so I look like a big, washed-out pumpkin head.
I made the man take the photos and we eventually had to get into the shade after discovering that my skin colour was too bright in the direct light. I’m pretty happy with the pics but I will always use someone else to model if given the choice. I’m just not that interested in having my photo taken and I also prefer to control how the photo looks by being behind the camera.
Still, I’m really happy with this pattern, especially the eleven-pointed star on top. I worked the decreases a few times to get it right and I don’t think I’d change anything if I were to do it again. I also really like that it’s an eleven-pointed star – there is something quite pleasing about that given most people design around a six or eight section decrease.
I hope it goes well. Off now to write up a free mini-pattern.
