Cheap as free

I've not spent a lot of time perusing the Ravelry message boards, but I'm certainly aware that copyright is a primary, if not the, hot button issue. Some will not abide xeroxing a pattern from a library book or even loaning books or patterns to friends. While such stances verge on the extreme, if not downright ludicrous, in my mind, I suppose one could make the case that those actions are no different than ripping a borrowed CD to one's hard drive.

Suffice it to say that it's a complicated matter. This article details one solution for knitting pattern writers who get compensated for their work but don't necessarily benefit as much as their publishers. (This tends to be the argument employed by the most active music and movie downloaders. They're not hurting the artists but the corporation raking in voluminous profits.)

Twist Collective's idea seems like a good, sensible one to me. I've never checked out the site, but one of the founders designed the famed Clapotis. It's interesting to read how she made out for writing that exceptionally fared pattern.