I'm not sure if this is where you want a reply or not as the click here to reply to you didn't work. I'm easily confused so I'm hoping this is right!

I could not feel more strongly that she is wrong. I think she is getting to hung up on the word "free" and I do understand her point of view. I was in sales and marketing and you are taught that word can have a negative effect.

I think it is often the only way a new designer can gather a following. Unless their first design is something so earth shattering that it is going to garner a huge amount of attention, it will probably get lost in the sea of designs available by established designers. I also think it's the best way for a designer to get finished objects completed on their pattern page. When I see a lot of projects on a pattern page, that makes a difference to me and often influences me to start following that designers work.

Also, I personally pay a lot of attention to designers who occasionally offer "free" patterns and will then turn to them to reward their generousity time and time again by purchasing many more patterns. I'm so grateful for the gift, I go to them first when I'm searching for a new project.

It's actually interesting that you asked this today as just last week I made a decision based on a designers goodwill. A designer was coming out with a new pattern and offered it free to anyone who showed the yarn they would make it in. By the way, I think that is a genius way to offer a free pattern as it generated a lot of interaction and discussion. It brought her to my attention and I ended up spending $25 in her store.

In contrast a designer I like very much, came out with a pattern and I recieved a newsletter via email from her. She offered a 15% off coupon and I went to check it out. She was charging $6.95 for a pattern for a decorative object in a universally known shape that had been done over and over again. To me, there was nothing about this design that was worth that price and quite frankly it irritated me. It had a theme that would have been perfect for giving as a free gift, maybe even to her previous customers or newsletter subscribers. Within minutes I found a free pattern on Ravelry for the same shape and I ended up buying several more patterns from that designer.

I have bought many patterns and even books from the designer that was charging for this simple pattern, but I won't any longer. For some reason that bugged me so much, right or wrong, it turned me off. Maybe if it was a nominal amount, I would have been OK, but my finished product from the free pattern, was no different then from those from her $6.95 pattern.

Truly, I think that the designer that started this discussion is getting to hung up on a word. For me, it is positive, I do not devalue artistry based on that word and I am aporeciative and much more likely to spend more money with someone who occasionally throws some love my way.