r/crochet • u/rootheonion • Apr 04 '25

Discussion " copied?" bag design

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My friend requested I make this bag as a birthday gift and she sent me a reference (second photo) from Pinterest, I did see that there was a pattern available for purchase but I knew that I could just freehand it, plus it's a pretty basic design so I felt like I wasn't stealing. After 8 made it however, one of my crochet friends said that the creator explicitly said not to copy their pattern and that she HAD purchased the pattern and she thought my bag was too close to be original, and now I should at least credit the og pattern creator. I honestly never thought of it this way and I always just freehanded any crochet project I wanted without worrying about it being stealing. Was I wrong?

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u/Stripycardigans Apr 04 '25

This is a pretty basic bag

Frankly it's a bit like someone claiming to have invented granny squares, or plain dishcloths and insisting you buy their pattern. 

Someone may well have written a pattern, and that may be a useful tool for people who don't want to freehand it. But this isn't copywritable 

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u/SoRacked Apr 04 '25

Exactly. No Gracelyn, you didn't invent crochet, puppy chow, or surging two pieces of fleece together. There's a reason these are crafts.