On patterns, copyright, and being a cheapskate

I don't like to pay for patterns. I'll say that upfront.

I think the practice of spending money on patterns for garments is a little silly. Think about it: you're paying someone else to give you a set of plans for making a garment. The plans are not tailored to your body size (unless you are very lucky). They may not use the yarn you plan to use. They might not even get the gauge you do, or (worse) they may have stitch gauge but not row gauge. You're going to have to modify the plans as written if you want a well-fitting garment, unless you are extremely lucky.

Let's imagine you are not so lucky. You spend a fair amount time modifying someone else's pattern to fit you properly in the yarn you'd like to use. At some point in the process, you realize that you'd rather have a different neckline, or that you'd like to work some lace into the hem, or 2x1 rib is just prettier than 2x2. So in addition to your shaping changes, you're making stylistic ones as well.

What did your pattern money buy you? You got something with a rough shape (that you changed anyways) and a general stitch pattern (which you modified in part), written for a (somewhat similar) yarn. You got to send (some) money to a designer (maybe -- they might not see a dime of it).

Now, if you don't understand how garments are constructed, you might want to learn how patterning and shaping work. If you're not sure how to translate shaping ideas (like darts) into stitches, you might want a quick tutorial. If you like a stitch pattern and can't figure it out for yourself, you should probably consult a resource (like someone else, a book, or the internet).

Some people learn best by example, and looking at other people's patterns can help. Depending on your level of expertise and confidence, it may be sufficient to finger others' FOs or even just look at them. It's not wrong to check out other people's sweaters on the bus, then go home and make a sweater inspired by them. (Though, if you must check out other people's sweaters on the bus, be careful when you're inspecting the front shaping. Just sayin'.)

So, to review: paying money for the plans for something you're going to heavily modify is a little silly, but may hold appeal depending on your expertise and confidence level.

Where does that leave us? Make your own patterns, citing inspiration as appropriate.

This humdrum solution was just fine until I encountered Ravelry. Ravelry makes it super easy to find patterns and projects that use those patterns. Ravelry makes it kinda difficult to find (say) sweaters that are ribbed, form-fitting, and v-necked but do not explicitly use a specific pattern.

I want my objects to have as wide viewing as possible (within the confines of propriety), so logically I should make objects using other people's patterns. However, for reasons stated above, I don't use other's patterns often, if at all.

What to do? Well, here's my solution. I seek a better one. I make objects, then find a semi-popular pattern on Ravelry which looks pretty similar (more-or-less). I note my deviations from the pattern in general terms (switched yarns to DK weight from aran, put shaping at hips, etc), as gleaned from looking at pictures.

Anyone have a better solution?