Can your designs be used in a different technique? I ask this because I had a very bad experience with a very well known mosaic crochet designer... I purchased their pattern and instead of working it in classic mosaic crochet, I worked in Tunisian mosaic crochet, took a picture and tagged them in my stories (specifying that I used the Tunisian technique)... They were furious, really offended that I didn't follow their technique. If I had known this earlier I wouldn't have bought the pattern (15$ and not even a disclaimer before buying), I felt so bad, they even blocked me on IG even after I apologized and said I wouldn't do it again just because they also wanted me to agree with their view on the topic.
Yikes! I'm so sorry that designer put you through all that! What a bizarre, counterproductive response to someone thoughtfully and creatively engaging with one's work! Work that they paid for! Work that they were actively trying to promote on one's behalf! Sheesh!
I enjoy crabbing, and I crab a little when people here tag my posts "embroidery" because I don't want people to think that's what the technique is in those photos. If someone wanted to actually embroider my motifs β or work them in Tunisian mosaic, or render them as stick-and-poke tattoos, or whatever! β they would not need my permission; I would be delighted, and I'd certainly want to see how it turned out.
I'm a visual artist by training and a conceptual artist by disposition, and I'm basically out here busking. I make "motifs" and PDFs that explain how I go about crocheting them, but the motifs themselves are just ideasβinformation, arrangements of lines. Once I've shared those ideas in any form they justβ¦ are, and anyone can make or do whatever they want with them! That's how ideas work!
I do love it when people crochet my patterns exactly as written. I have a lot of negative beliefs about my ability to communicate with others, so it's still moving every time someone posts their "perfect" Patch, because it means I've been understood perfectly, by a stranger halfway around the world maybe, and it's bonkers to have concrete proof.
At the same time, I love it just as much when people reverse-engineer (bootleg) my motifs β that is still a person in the world chewing on my art for hours on end, and it means I've had an idea worth biting! I love when people make "mistakes" and when people reinterpret the motifs to meet their own needs, because that's also how real communication works. If I didn't want to see variations on my designs, I would have them machine-embroidered in a factory somewhere (and the factories have been in touch, let me tell you!)
Crochet is an unruly medium: an early 19th century variety of imitation lace that popped up suddenly and immediately started calving new techniques, each a grotesque new metastasis of slip stitches whose inherent, redundant complexity means you can tweak or fuck up virtually any aspect with little fear of the thing falling apart. I think that's beautiful. Do what you want forever, and buy something when you can (I'm working to make that easier) so I can, in turn buy groceries.