Permission Denied.

Hello, Friends! Madrona was a complete delight, and I "may" have recruited a few more brave souls for our big knitalong. Yay!

I've hit a bump in the road, however, by being honest. To understand this, you must be aware that:

A. I am in no way affiliated with Rowan, so when you buy the original pattern, I don't receive any payment.

B. Because I didn't create the original design, even though I paid for my own private copy, I have no right whatsoever to tamper with it for anything but my own personal use, without express permission from its owner(s).

I sent a request to Roan for their permission to publish my redrawn chart for you:

Dear Rowan;

I seek permission to use a Rowan pattern as the basis for a newly reinterpreted design. To whom may I address my enquiry?

I have been asked by my students and followers to rework Martin Storey's "Roan" so that it may be constructed circularly, with steeks, rather than knit flat. I also will be altering the silhouette so substantially that it will bear little resemblance to the original. This requires me to redraw the chart, to which I will make other modifications that will allow my students to knit it more easily. Having invested many hours in this project, I would like Rowan's permission to charge a nominal fee for the new chart and instructions. I intend to fully credit Storey as the original designer, and Rowan as its publisher. I believe that my modifications to the design will be substantial enough that it may be considered a different pattern in its own right, simply "inspired by" the original. I'd be delighted to send a digital copy of my work for your consideration, if you agree. Please let me know with whom I should correspond in this matter, going forward.

Thank You Sincerely, Mary Scott Huff Independent Knitwear Designer and Author, USA

And finally, here is their response:

Thank you for your enquiry.

We have consulted both Martin Storey and the Rowan Design Manager and on this occasion, they feel that this would breach our copyright too much for them to give permission.

Kind regards

Knitrowan

Which means that not only have they denied permission to me, but also that Rowan is now aware of this project, and they are likely to check up on me.

It also means that I may not put the redrawn chart anywhere online, and I can never be paid for it.

Having already done all the work to redraw the chart, and promised you to deliver it, I now have only one option. I must, as your casual personal knitting friend, send the chart to you individually via e-mail, free of charge.

While I'm happy to still be able to share my work with you, I now am prohibited from posting it anywhere online for future knitters. And of course, I am forbidden to be compensated for it.

So here's how it has to work: If you would like a copy of my re-tooled Roan chart, please send me a personal e-mail at mary@maryscotthuff.com. The "contact" button on my website also goes to this same address. Please put "Permission Denied" in the subject line, which is what I am now naming my chart. I can't reference Rowan or Martin Storey regarding this project any longer, because to do so opens me up to legal action. You can now search here for all the blog entries about it by typing "Permission Denied" in the search bar.

If, after you receive your copy of "Permission Denied", you like it and think I deserve to be paid for my work, you could maybe sometime take a class from me, or buy a book of mine, or download a pattern I DO own from HERE. I'm sorry to make the delivery more complicated, but it's the best I can do to keep being honest, and keep myself out of trouble. Thanks for your understanding, and of course feel free to tell your knitting friends how to obtain their FREE copy of "Permission Denied".