Creative Commons
All the text on my pages, all the pictures on my pages, and all my patterns are licensed under the Creative Commons: specifically, the BY-NC-SA license.
What does BY-NC-SA mean?
This page has a full explanation, but the short version is that you're welcome to share AND remix anything you find on my site, so long as you a.) attribute it to me (the "BY" clause), b.) do not use my work for commercial purposes (in other words, you can't sell my words or pictures for a profit — the "NC" clause), and c.) allow anyone else to do the same thing with the things you come up with (in other words, if you make a new pattern based on one of my patterns — say I post a sheep body and you develop a wolf head for it — you must release your pattern under the same conditions, allowing people to share and remix your work so long as they don't make a profit — the "SA" clause).
So I can totally print your patterns and share them with people?
Yes, so long as you retain the part where it says "by Anjela Bugher of http://sheeponmystuff.com".
Does that non-commercial thing mean I can't knit your patterns and sell them on Etsy?
No no no! Knit as many of my patterns as you want and sell them for whatever you want wherever you want. You are selling your work and your item — I don't own your hands, your knitting needles, your wool, or your finished products. However, if you do this, I ask you to please credit me and provide a link back to my website (http://sheeponmystuff.com). If you're feeling really nice, you could even link me to the places you're offering these items for sale. I'd love to see!
Can I sell your pattern on Etsy?
No. The pattern, no. The item, yes.
Can I include your pattern in a "scarf kit" on Etsy?
You can include the pattern for free. If you're selling a skein of yarn at $10, and you want to include a free pattern — so the buyer's still paying $10 — go ahead and use mine if you like, so long as you credit me, link back to my site, and keep the part where it says "by Anjela Bugher of http://sheeponmystuff.com" on the pattern itself. If you're selling a skein of yarn at $8, and including my pattern raises the price to $10, no. That's not okay!
Can I sell your pattern for charity?
Er, no. But you can give it away for free if that will help your charity, so long as my name and website are still attached!
Can I sell items I make from your patterns to raise money for charity?
Absolutely! Once again, anything you make is your item, not mine. I don't own your hands, your knitting needles, your wool, or your finished products.
Is it really ethical to write up patterns for really simple projects like that and claim a license on them?
I would have serious ethical issues with it if I were trying to say that no one may ever knit a basketweave scarf with I-cord edging ever again. But everything I publish on my site is released under Creative Commons, which means I fully support and endorse people continuing to create, share, and expand on anything I do. I don't want my patterns to be the stopping point of creativity; I want them to be a potential starting point.
Will you link back to my site if I "remix" your pattern and stamp a Creative Commons license on it?
I totally and completely will! That would be made of awesome.
