Creator Handbook.

Welcome to Ply. Your account is created as soon as your application is approved. You'll receive a confirmation email with a link to set your password and access your creator dashboard.

Start by completing your profile: add a bio, profile photo, and links to your social accounts. A complete profile helps knitters trust your work and follow your patterns. You can import your existing pattern catalog from Ravelry in one click using our import tool, or add patterns manually.

Your Indie tier is active immediately. There are no setup fees, no subscription charges, and no minimum commitments. You can start earning from your first sale.

Patterns are your storefront. Each listing includes a title, description, cover image, PDF upload, and metadata (craft type, difficulty, gauge, yarn weight). Write clear, honest descriptions — they're your best sales tool.

We support PDF pattern files up to 50MB. You set your own price in EUR or GBP. Ply takes a 3.5% platform fee on pattern sales (you keep 96.5%). Patterns go live within minutes of submission — there's no manual review queue.

Ply is non-exclusive: you can sell the same pattern on Ravelry, your own site, or anywhere else simultaneously. We believe good distribution helps everyone.

This is where your second income stream comes from. When you publish a pattern, tag the Yarnhause yarns it's designed for. Each tag creates a direct link: when a knitter buys that yarn after viewing your pattern, you earn a share of the gross profit.

Tagging is simple: search the Yarnhause catalog by weight, fiber, or name, and select the yarns that work for your pattern. You can tag multiple yarn options. Attribution is tracked automatically — you'll see every yarn sale your patterns drive in your dashboard.

The more patterns you tag with the right yarns, the more income you generate. Accurate tagging also helps knitters find exactly what they need, which drives repeat purchases.

Your creator dashboard is the command center for your Ply business. It shows real-time data on pattern sales, yarn-driven revenue, total earnings, and your current tier status.

Key metrics include: pattern views, conversion rate, total pattern revenue, yarn revenue attributed to your patterns, your GP share earnings, and a progress tracker toward the next tier. All numbers are transparent and auditable — you can see exactly how every euro was calculated.

The dashboard also shows your best-performing patterns, which yarn tags drive the most revenue, and trends over time. Use these insights to decide what to design next.

Payouts happen monthly via Stripe Connect. Your earnings from the previous calendar month are calculated on the 1st and paid out by the 10th. Minimum payout threshold is 25.

Stripe handles KYC (Know Your Customer) verification. You'll need to provide identity documents and bank details through Stripe's secure onboarding flow. This is a one-time setup.

Ply does not withhold taxes. You are responsible for reporting and paying income tax in your country of residence. We provide a downloadable annual earnings statement that you can share with your accountant. For EU creators, VAT on pattern sales is handled by Ply (we're the merchant of record for digital goods).

Ply has three tiers: Indie, Pro, and Branded. Everyone starts at Indie. Tier upgrades are automatic — when your yarn-driven revenue reaches the threshold, you unlock the next level.

Indie to Pro: Unlocks when your patterns drive 5,000/mo in yarn sales (measured as a 3-month rolling average). Pro bumps your yarn GP share from 30% to 40%, adds featured placement, and includes a 200/mo co-marketing budget.

Pro to Branded: Unlocks at 10,000/mo yarn-driven. You can launch your own co-branded yarn line manufactured by Yarnhause, with a 50% GP share. Learn more about Branded.

Tiers are sticky: if your revenue dips below the threshold temporarily, you won't be downgraded immediately. We use a 3-month rolling average with a 2-month grace period.