Adventure

I’ve embarked on a new adventure. I’ve enrolled in Shirley Paden’s Handknit Garment Design class on Craftsy. Like all adventures, it’s the journey as much as the arrival your intended destination that changes you. I’m not very far along. I know what I want to design. I know the purpose and shape of the garment and the yarn I want to use. My initial concept was a summer top with gansey stitching, bust darts, and short sleeves. 

My concept collided with reality over the past two nights. 

The yarn is Berrocco Remix: a 100% recycled non-wool tweed worsted weight yarn made from five different fibers. I’ve knit a swatch for another project with three different needle sizes, washed the swatch and know that the yarn grows when hand washed and lay to air dry. 

It slowly dawned on me that most gansey garments are made from solid colored yarn and that the garment would either be too busy with an all over pattern or the pattern would be swallowed by the tweediness of the yarn. 

Bust darts would add the complication of continuing a pattern and knitting the darts simultaneously. This is going to be Herculean feat from jump. I decided to apply the KISS principle: 

• Channel Island cast-on, to create a little interest at the bottom. 1x 1 ribbing (haven’t decided how many rows yet). 2 to 5 rows of garter stitch a row of corn stitch and then stockinette stitches. I’ll report on how it all works out as I knit the first swatch with these elements.

In a week of thinking, looking at stitch dictionaries, looking at projects made from the yarn on Ravelry and reading reviews and comments, this is as far as I’ve gotten. Granted, I’m a newbie; this is my first time out of the gate. 

But this week has engendered in me a deeper appreciation of the process every knit or crochet designer goes through. I appreciated designers and the work they put in before. But it’s a very different walk when you’re wearing those shoes.  

So, when I discovered from an old email and a Ravelry post that one designer has had

1. a crochet pattern sold on and published by Love of Crochet without payment or notification from All Craft Media
2. a sewing pattern sold on without notification or attribution by All Craft Media to Igloo Books for inclusion in A Guide to Sewing
3. a knitting pattern sold on without notification or attribution by All Craft Media for inclusion in A Guide to Knitting

that familiar rush of the anger and outrage at the downright disrespect for the creative ideas and work of another person that I felt at this time last year when I first learned that designers had not been paid, and that arose when A Guide to Knitting and A Guide to Sewing were discovered for sale, returned.  

The management who made those decisions, signed those contracts to sell on, and collected the money is and will remain justifiably infamous.

 

Why are Crafters So Generous and Other Random Bits

In addition to support, encouragement, and admiration when non-knitters and crocheters have heard the Friends group’s efforts on behalf of all those affected and those still being affected by KAL, ACM, CM Ltd., there has also been surprise expressed consistently involving the use of the words knitters and nice.

Well knitters and crocheters are nice. Actually they are some of the nicest, most generous people I know and have known. A few days ago, I discovered a quote which I think explains a good part of our niceness:

“We don’t knit to make things. We knit to make ourselves happy!

This is from Annie Modesitt’s online class page (Check out her new book: History on Two Needles published by Cooperative Press.) I was struck by the truth of these statements and it was reinforced by a remark from one of my classmates yesterday about how easy it is to lose an entire day knitting. All of us at the table nodded and made noises of agreement. You can only lose yourself in something when it makes you happy ergo knitters and crocheters are happy people. And happy people are nice people. Happy people are also generous people. I have a crocheting friend whom I have never seen crocheting anything or planning a project for herself. Every time I see her with a project or hear about a project it’s for a family member, co-worker, or friend. I think I would get general agreement that fiber crafters turn to each other for help. And what we ourselves don’t know, we point the questioner to a resource that can help.  

I admit to being a selfish sewer. I don’t like sewing for others. I enjoy sewing. It actually zones me out more than knitting. I’ve learned to schedule myself when I sew because I found I forget to do basic things like eat. I think it’s the process of construction in sewing that I find so relaxing. 

No process is perfect. Knitting, crocheting often involves ripping back hours of work or getting part of the way through a project or to the end to realize the yarn and the design weren’t meant for each other or the item doesn't fit or that gorgeous colored yarn in entire garment makes one look dreadful. Or realizing at some point that this isn’t what you want to make (Us fiber crafters all have works in progress (wips) hidden away that someday will get frogged or finished). And most projects aren’t perfect but learning to live with the imperfections, our failures and our successes is part of the joy. 

When you are happy, when you are part of a community in which generosity, cooperation, and support are naturally occurring, these values and behaviors become inculcated and affect your behavior and attitude in other areas of your life.

What’s on the Needles

I am participating in the Folk Shawls forum KAL on Ravelry knitting the Wool Peddler’s Shawl from the book Folk Shawls. I’m should begin the lace part tomorrow. And unless there is any more hidden in my stash, this project should use up the last of my Knit Picks Special Buy Pumpkin sport yarn.

 

I should also finish the second sock of my Knee High First Time Tube socks. I’ve modified the pattern to add an afterthought heel and I’m knitting the foot in stockinette.

 

 

I’m totally in denial about the other wips on the needles.

Knit Picks Customer Credit Card Information Compromised. Click

If you have shopped online at Knit Picks or any of the Crafts Americana businesses, please check your credit/debit card/bank statements. If the Ravelry topic on this issue is any gauge, a lot of people have been affected.

Eyes Wide Open

As the end of the year approaches, I’ve been reflecting on the ongoing efforts of those in the Friends group on Ravelry, our allies and partners and recognizing that the struggle we’ve been engaged in for most of 2012 (and many before then) has been a struggle for justice.  

It is an injustice that designers, writers, photographers, employees, contractors, printers, many commercial vendors, advertisers, landlords, subscribers, lace, sock, and amigurumi club members either:

• Weren’t paid for goods or services they provided
• Weren’t provided goods they paid for
• Didn’t have their goods transferred to be published by the purchaser of the magazines sold by the Administrator
• Didn’t have their goods submitted for payment and publication returned as promised
• Had patterns sold on without payment or in violation of contract or where no contract existed
• Had work published without permission or payment
• Saw goods paid for provided to the public free for download from the Internet
• Allegedly had advertising run without agreement
• Were engaged to collect disputed or uncollectible debts

For a history and more detail: Click

AND MORE THAN ANYTHING

To have the reasons for and the defense of the above and more be that mistakes were made and the companies’ liability is limited under UK law. To quote the oft quoted Mr. Bumble from Oliver Twist:

“…the law is an ass—an idiot. If that’s the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience.” 

There are those who still sleep, doze, or continue to imbibe the intoxicating potion ladled out by those whose refuge has been and remains the crenellated walls of the law and who publicly swear that certain individuals have done no wrong. Personally, I wish you well with that. Hope it works for you. But I fear, and think I speak for many more than you know, that one day you will reap Mr. Bumble’s wish and find out the worst: that your eye has been opened by experience.

Craft Magazine Shop's Simply Sewing Magazine Available to Download Free

If you are a paid subscriber to Simply Sewing, click here to find out how to contact Essex Trading Standards to complain that the magazine you paid for is available free for download after you were told it on 11 October 2012, subscription copies were delayed due to a change in print vendors.

Email, call, send letters to demand the money you paid for your subscription be returned by Craft Magazine Shop.

It is outrageous that a company, any company, can take money from people for a product and then provide that product free on the Internet.

Craft Magazine Shop UK - Beware

Modern Quilting
Simply Sewing
Handmade Fashion
Simply Beautiful

The above titles were sold to Derek Barnes of Craft Magazine Shop. Simply Sewing is the new title of the former magazine Sew Hip published by All Craft Media (ACM). For more information, click.

Information

Sorry I've not updated since the weekend...life, you know, sometimes gets in the way.

ALL CRAFT MEDIA (Administration Details) Anybody who is owed money or goods, including advanced subscriptions for Magazines, sock, lace or crochet clubs should use this address:
The details of the Administrator are:
FRP Advisory
10 Furnival Street
London
EC4A 1YH In
Alistair Holt-Thomas
Tel: +44 (0)20 3005 4000
Fax: +44 (0)20 3005 4400

If you have submitted designs or have copyright/contract questions about published or unpublished designs, the address above is who you should contact.

If you regularly patronize a yarn or fabric shop, please let the shop owners know about the Administration as there are crafters and shopowners who are not on the Internet or Ravelry. UK newsagents and other shops who manage subscriptions, may also be unaware that ACM has gone into Administration. Passing the information and the Administrator contact details will assist them in responding to customer queries.

And the winner is....COMMUNITY

Everyone has lost. Designers, subscribers, writers, club members, advertisers, printers, contractors and employees... in short, anyone and everyone ACM touched has lost.

Some losses can be calculated in dollars, pounds, and euros. How does one price disillusion and disappointment or the hours spent making an idea into a creation,

Crocheters have lost the only UK-based print crochet publication. Knitters have lost a magazine which once showed amazing promise and introduced us to innovative designers featuring designs in a range of sizes; and, unlike other British craft magazines, regularly using models of colour to model those designs. Quilters and sewers have lost magazines featuring their craft.

Businesses aren't often successful; and failure, however, unpleasant is acceptable. What is unacceptable is the unwillingness to recognize or the total disregard for the community a business creates. The failure to recognize and respect the symbiotic interrelationship between customer and product, supplier and product and employee and the business owners is unforgiveable.

ACM is in Administration and it is still early days and much is still to be learned about what the final disposition will be of the titles ACM once published as well as what compensation, if any, can be given to thosse unpaid or unfulfilled. But what survives in the crafting community IS COMMUNITY.

Generous offers have come forth from suppliers, designers, dyers to make lace club and sock club members whole. Knitters and crocheters have offered postage support. Other publishers have reached out to unpaid and unpublished designers. We are even looking at ways to help employees who've lost their jobs.

If you need information or assistance, reach out to the communities in the list below:

The Sewing Directory
SewHappyGeek
Friends of the Group Once Known as... (you'll have to joined Ravelry to access information; but I will also publish the Administrator contact details as soon as we have them.)

In Administration

There is not a count today for the lace yarn or magazine subscriptions because

ALL CRAFT MEDIA (In Administration)
ACM declared this morning (4th May 2012) that they were going into administration.
As soon as we know the name and details of the administrator, we will post that information here and in this group. We will also give all the details we can about lodging creditors’ claims for those who are designers, contributors, members of various clubs that haven’t received their goods and subscribers.
On Monday 30th April 2012, a new company, Handmade Living Limited, was incorporated with one Director, Richard Rycroft, who is Kerrie Allman’s father. We have at this time no details of the shareholding but will investigate and post that information here.
ETA: The administrators of ACM will be FRP Advisory. Further information will follow.

The details of the Administrator are:
FRP Advisory
10 Furnival Street
London
EC4A 1YH
Tel: +44 (0)20 3005 4000
Fax: +44 (0)20 3005 4400

It's the same old song

Day 22 No verifiable member of the Knit Magazine (soon to be Yarnwise Magazine) Lace Club has received the last shipment of yarn.

Paper subscribers have not received their Issue 49 of Knit Magazine and there are no copies in the shops. Apparently subscribers to other ACM publications are having the same problem.

As are designers and contributors to other ACM publications: Samples not returned and contracts not paid for work completed, submitted and published.

Good news: Argentgal received her sample of the Isambard Corset in the mail today. Now she just needs paying.
29 days ago, the Sock Club members were told their printed booklet of patterns was expected from the printer any day now. Members have only received a .pdf of the booklet.


Now for the good news:

Chroma Yarns: their shop is updated on Sundays. Check out the spiderlace yarn.

Enfys crochet designs come highly recommended especially her crochet barefoot sandals patterns.

New quarterly knitting mag: PomPom Mag coming out soon.

And me:
At work we had a 10th Anniversary Party Tuesday night. One thing I've learned about very nice people, they have very nice friends. I work with very nice people and the friends, current and former board members, supporters and partners who came last night were a delight to host. The food from Green Plate Catering, as always was superb.

After the good time last night, this morning it was back to working on the Convening in June.

Distribution

Day 21 No verifiable member of the Knit Magazine (soon to be Yarnwise Magazine) Lace Club has received the last shipment of yarn.

DISTRIBUTION
There have always been many distribution problems with this company’s magazines – copies being lost by Royal Mail, TNT not delivering on time, printers who were supposed to be sending out the copies. It would appear that many avenues have been used but issues are invariably late or don’t arrive at all. There are recurring problems also downloading the digital copies.

APRIL/MAY 2012: Subscribers to Knit Magazine and Inside Crochet are waiting for their overdue copies. The following email has been received from ACM by some subscribers:

“In order to smooth the subscription process, we have outsourced our subscription management service, and starting from this month, your magazines will be posted out direct from Unique Magazines in Newcastle.
You’ll find their contact details on the subs pages of this issue and they will be your first port of call with any queries.”

Because of the large number of enquiries that Unique Magazines has been receiving from ACM subscribers, a representative of the company joined Ravelry on 1st May 2012 and posted the following:

“Good aftenoon my name is john Porrett from Unique magazines, i thought it was best to clarify the sitution with regards to Unique magazines and the management of All Craft media subscriptions.
Unfortunately Unique magazines were unable to agree terms on the management of All craft media publications, in the interim period the publisher has printed contact details within the magazines that Unique magazines are the new contacts for All craft media subscriptions.
We have agreed with All craft media that any contact made with my company would be redirected back to All craft media to be dealt with.
I can confirm that Unqiue magazines have not taken receipt of any magazines to dispatch as the agreement was never finalised.
if i can be of further help please do not hesitate to contact myself by email john.porrett@uniquemagazines.co.uk my team will continue to take calls and pass the contact details to customers for contacting All craft media - basically the contact details that can be found in previous copy of the relevant magazines.”

Resolve

Day 16 No verifiable member of the Knit Magazine (soon to be Yarnwise Magazine) Lace Club has received the last shipment of yarn.

Like Nightline did during the Iran Hostage Crisis, until the members of the Knit Magazine (soon to be Yarnwise Magazine) Lace receive their yarn,  the first line of every blog post will list the number of days that have passed since 11 April 2012 .

Work has been punishing. Not much on the needles on the moment and no progress to report on what is on the needles.

The History

This history was patiently and dilligently contributed to and researched by a great many people. It is being compiled by the moderators of the Friends of the group once known as... forum on Ravelry. Like all histories, it is ongoing and will be updated as relevant verifiable facts are obtained.


KAL MEDIA LIMITED

KAL Media Ltd was incorporated in August 2008 and comprised two Directors, Kerrie Allman and Louise Butt, who had previously traded as a partnership since 2006. Louise Butt resigned from KAL Media in October 2009 and has no further connection with the business.

Since 2009 therefore the company has consisted of one Director, Kerrie Allman, who held all the shares.

On 17th June 2011 the company resolved that it be voluntarily wound up and liquidators, Carter Clark of North Chingford, were appointed. In the Director’s History of the Business included in the initial report, Kerrie states that her “plans for the company became frustrated due to a County Court Judgement being entered against it for approximately £4500 with a threat of enforcement action being taken”.
“Faced with a loss-making business now under threat from creditors” a liquidator was appointed. Initial accounts presented to the liquidators show a deficiency of some £201,000, with £189,000 of unsecured creditors.

The liquidators are currently finalising their report which will be available shortly.

It is believed that the unsecured creditors’ figure will be greatly increased in the final accounts as a number of creditors were not declared to the liquidators. Many creditors were not even aware that the company had gone into liquidation until they read about it on Ravelry.

If you believe you are owed money by KAL (not All Craft Media Ltd), you can contact the liquidator at Harrison.Smith@carterclark.co.uk (Tel: 0208 524 1447).

ALL CRAFT MEDIA LIMITED

All Craft Media Ltd was incorporated on 3rd May 2011. The sole Director is Wayne Allman (Kerrie’s husband) and Companies House shows that Kerrie Allman owns 100% of the shares. ACM paid KAL £3,000 for the goodwill of the company, which included all the magazine titles.

Because of the time lag between commissioning and publishing in this industry, a number of patterns and articles published by ACM were commissioned by KAL and not paid for. A number of designers commissioned by ACM are now also complaining about non-payment and the company has already acquired 4 County Court Judgements against it.

One of the CCJ’s was obtained by a designer who submitted her work and invoice to KAL but the patterns were subsequently published by ACM, after KAL’s liquidation. She therefore re-issued the invoice and sent it to ACM. They failed to pay her so she issued a summons and obtained a County Court Judgement against ACM, which they paid with interest and costs.

If you wish to pursue a claim against ACM for non-payment, information is available on the Citizen’s Advice Bureau website at http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/your_rights/legal_s... or contact your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau (or solicitor).

If you wish to make a consumer complaint against this company, ie for non-delivery of goods, you should contact Consumer Direct, Tel: 0845 4040506

ACM CONTACT DETAILS

Address:
Bayleys Barn
Bullocks Farm
Bullocks Lane
Hope End, Takeley
Herts CM22 6TA

Tel: 01279 879038

Registered Office:
The Chestnuts
Brewer’s End
Takeley
Bishop’s Stortford
Hertfordshire
CM22 6QJ

Email: Kerrie@Allcraftmedia.co.uk
Ravelry: AllCraftMedia (used by all staff) and ACMKerrie
Facebook: Knit Magazine (not functioning at time of posting), Inside Crochet, Modern Quilting
Twitter: KerrieAllman, KnitMagazine, InsideCrochet
Blog: http://yarnwise.wordpress.com/

ACM PUBLICATIONS

Knit Magazine (Formerly Yarn Forward, to be re-named Yarnwise from Issue 50)
Sew Hip
Handmade Living
Inside Crochet
Simply Beautiful (online magazine only)
Modern Quilting
Handmade Fashion (Launching April 2012)

DESIGNERS

Designers for Knit Magazine have long complained that they have problems getting paid and/or getting their samples returned to them. They also complain regularly about not automatically receiving contributor copies of the magazine.

See this thread started in March 2011 but which covers designers’ dissatisfaction with this company going back many years.
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/designers/1554827/1-25

Designers for Inside Crochet have also had the same problems. In addition, a number of them have discovered that their designs have been sold onto an American crochet magazine publisher without notification or recompense. In some cases, KAL or ACM had not paid for the original designs.

See details about this in the Crochet Designers’ group at:
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/crochet-designers/1972432/...

KNIT MAGAZINE’S SOCK CLUB

The Sock Club was launched by the magazine early in 2011 at a cost of £ 96 for 6 skeins of indie-dyed yarn to be delivered every 2 months from the end of April 2011, with a pattern. According to KAL, this was limited to 100 members and was over-subscribed, with a waiting list.

This date was before KAL went into liquidation but it would appear that some members of the club paid ACM (not KAL) via Paypal.

The deliveries made were as follows:
May - Skein Queen Entwist - 100g - fingering/4ply - 100% Merino - 366m/100g
July - Yarn Yard Crannog - 150g lace/2ply - 100% Merino - 500m/100g

Aug/Sep - HipKnits Organic Merino 4 ply - 100g - 100% Organic Merino - 338m/100g
Nov - Wollmeise 100% Merino Surperwash - 150g - fingering/4ply - 100% Merino - 350m/100g
Jan/Feb - Sparkleduck Jenny - 150g - 75% Superwash Wool 25% Nylon - 260m/100g

March - Rico Superba Poems - 100g - fingering/4ply - 75% Superwash wool 25% Polymide - 420m/100g
The patterns were NOT designed to match the yarn and were as follows:
Patterns
Precious Little Diamonds 72sts 2mm
Amethyst Socks 68sts 2mm
PUUC 64sts 2.25mm
Sophie Socks 92/100/108/116sts 2mm
Brickwork Socks 60/72/84sts 2.25mm

The 5th shipment had been advertised as Easyknits and was late being sent to the members because they claim they were still awaiting delivery from the dyer and were “stalking the courier every day.” However, Easyknits confirmed that no order had been placed with them and they were totally unaware that Knit Sock Club members were waiting for their yarn. At the last minute, Sparkleduck stepped in and supplied the yarn for that installment.

The final installment was a skein of commercially dyed yarn (not an indy-dyed yarn) – Rico Poem, which retails at under £7 in the UK. The final pattern for the sock club, together with a printed booklet of all the patterns, was supposed to be sent to the sock club members by the end of March.

On 3rd April, the members were told this booklet was at the printers and would be arriving “today or tomorrow”. On 16th April, a member was told after a phone call to ACM that the PDF of the booklet would be sent out by email that day. It eventually arrived with sock club members at about 11.pm on Tuesday 17th. ACM claims that the printed version is still at the printers (after some 3-4 weeks). When it is received by members, this post will be updated.

Further, every sock club member was promised a Christmas present but none appears to have been received with ACM claiming that the entire shipment was lost in the post.

When members complained about the quality of their final shipment, the non-delivery of their Christmas presents and the late delivery of other installments, they were told that they were lucky to get anything as the sock club was set up by KAL which was now in liquidation so ACM didn’t have to honour this contract but that Kerrie Allman had personally funded the continuation of the Sock Club to the tune of £6000.

Sock club members though were NOT listed as Creditors in the accounts given to the liquidator in June 2011.

There is a Knit Magazine Sock Club group here: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knit-magazines-sock-club

KNIT MAGAZINE’S LACE CLUB

The Lace Club was launched by the magazine at a cost of £70.50 including UK postage for 4 skeins of yarn each with a pattern.

The deliveries made were as follows:

50g Hipknits
50g Malabrigo
100g Filigran

The fourth and final shipment was to have been Wollmeise Lace to be delivered by the middle of March. ACM announced (on their Facebook page – now deleted) that they had ordered this on or before 1st November 2011. “And we ordered some Wollmeise lace yarn for our lace club members final package, now that is exciting and unexpected - we hadn’t planned to but thought everyone deserved a treat.” )

On 16th March ACM said, when requested by phone, that Wollmeise had inexplicably returned their payment.

Claudia from Wollmeise posted this here: “ Oh my god! I didn´t read all and what I understand is that many people paid for a club shipment, which should be delivered soon or now? In autumn we´ve got an order about laceweight and we said “yes”, but we only do prepaid orders for some people. In December or January we wrote if this order is still wanted, no sign no response. In January we deleted this order and I sold the collected yarn. In the beginning of March we´ve got payment from an unknown person and an unknown company for the laceweight (no comment, no explanation) and we sent money back. I´m so sorry for all of you, but it isn´t a good idea to do business with people with no moral sense (it would´nt be helpful to send her yarn and I´m not sure you´ll get it). It´s a hard wording to say “no moral sense”, because I know internet is an virtual world and very cruel, but everybody has the chance to jump in to explain what´s happened!!!!
If I´m wrong I´ll beg pardon”

Colourmart stepped in to supply the yarn (a 47% merino, 30% viscose 15% polyamide and 8% cashmere base, compared with Wollmeise’s 100% wool), which was to be dyed by an unknown (but ‘professional’) dyer in Hertfordshire. ACM also promised an additional skein of Sparkleduck yarn in the same shipment.

ACM claims that all packages were posted on 11th April 2012. The members of this club have already received the pattern which is for a cobweb yarn, and therefore not designed for either the Wollmeise nor its replacement.

At 26th April 2012, we know of no member of the Lace Club who has received this final shipment. However, ACM is adamant that three members have contacted them direct to say they’ve received it.

This post will be updated as further information comes to light.

There is a Knit Magazine Lace Club group here:
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knit-magazines-lace-club

INSIDE CROCHET’S AMIGURUMI CLUB

This Club was launched in Issue 17 of Inside Crochet in April/May 2011 at a cost of £80 within the UK for 6 kits designed by Irene Strange.

The original advert stated: “You’ll receive 6 different parcels throughout the year, each one containing a brand-new original pattern from Irene, together with all the yarn and others bits that you need to make the project. The kits will be beautifully wrapped in re-useable packaging and will include extra goodies each month. The first parcel will be sent out at the beginning of May, then further parcels will follow every two months until March 2012. Extra kits will be available for purchase by club members each month in case you want to give one as a gift…”

The kits when they arrived were not exactly as described:

1) There was no “re-useable packaging” apart from a small tote bag with first kit, and were packaged in plastic mailers with no enclosed letter.

2) There was no option given to purchase extra kits.

3) There were no additional goodies except for a free ball of wool with the first installment which the members were told was as an apology for the delay in shipment, so was not part of the kit, and there was an extra pattern and some yarn with the third installment. The first installment was supposed to contain an extra pattern but this wasn’t the case.

4) Members did not receive “all other bits you need” - some kits came with no safety eyes, and the third installment came with an insufficient amount of yarn to complete the hedgehog kit (which required 2 shades, only 1 included).

Kit 1: Archie the Monkey.- members were advised that this kit was being sent on 16th May. They received it on or about 10th June. On 28th May, from Inside Crochet’s Facebook page: “Hi there - they were due to go out the week before last but were held up a little due to some messing about with our Royal Mail account. Hopefully they’ll be landing on doorsteps next week. Sorry for the delay!”

Kit 2: Marty the Sea Turtle.- received on time at the end of July but with no extra ‘goodies’ and no printed pattern. Ravelry post from ACM on 29th July: “I’m not going to promise printed patterns with the next kit though, unless we can get Irina to design something a lot shorter - the cost of printing 100 x 8 page patterns every month would have pushed the cost of the club up. We should have specified that they would be downloads of the pattern when we advertised the club though and I’m sorry that we didn’t.”
(Interestingly on 11th June Kerrie had said that there were 50 members of this club not 100 as stated here) (Also interestingly, the club wouldn’t appear to have been costed before launch)

Kit 3: Cinnamon the Squirrel, (plus additional Helen Hedgehog pattern and one ball of yarn). – Email from Kerrie on 29th July stated: “The next parcel is due to be sent out at the end of September and this one will include 2 kits, your usual amigurimi kit plus a bonus gift so keep your eyes peeled for that.” On 27th September, ACM stated on Ravelry: “Just to let you all know - the next instalment of the Amigurumi Club is to be sent out next week, with another fabulous, original design by Irene Strange and a fantastic little freebie!” On 17th October, when no member had received their package, ACM posted on Ravelry and their Inside Crochet Facebook page that the kits had been sent and should be with the members in the next few days.
Kit 3 was eventually received sometime between 2nd and 10th November 2011. The extra kit that was promised in Kerrie’s email of 29th July consisted of a pattern plus only ONE of the yarns required for completing it (two different colours were needed). The response to that on the IC Facebook page was that “The Hedgehog pattern was the surprise free gift this month and it was only decided at the last minute to include some yarn for it as well.” (It could not therefore be described as a ‘kit’)

Kit 4: Theodore the Bear. – Pattern received by email at the beginning of January. On 4th January, email from ACM said “We have unfortunately experienced a delay with the yarn and are still waiting for it to arrive with us, but the kits will be sent out the day after we receive it.” The members received this yarn at the beginning of March.

Kits 5 & 6: The club was due to finish in March 2012. However the 4th kit of the 6 paid for wasn’t received until March. If any members of this club know whether Kits 5 and 6 have yet been received or what their status is, please PM a Mod. here with that information.

ETA: The proceeds of this club should have gone to KAL Media as payments were made before the company went into liquidation in June 2011 and the club was started by Inside Crochet, which still belonged to KAL. However, as with the Sock Club, the members of the Amigurumi club were not listed as Creditors in the initial liquidator’s report.

MAGKNITS

Magknits was an online knitting magazine started we believe in 2004, by Kerrie Allman. It was not part of the KAL company.

In April 2008, a designer started a thread in the Needlework on the Net group as she was concerned that a pattern submitted by her was on the cover of Magknit’s March 2008 issue and she had not received payment for it, had no response from them to her original submission and was not advised that they were publishing it. http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/needlework-on-the-net/152434/

A number of designers then wrote about their issues with this magazine which included

1.    Non-payment for designs published

2.    No acknowledgement of submissions received

3.    Failure to reply to emails.

Kerrie’s reply to some of these accusations is no longer available but from the blockquotes included in others’ replies, it would appear to be that she was having dreadful difficulty with Royal Mail, she had major problems with her server and spam filter and that because of the sheer volume of submissions received, she was unable to contact everyone.

It was of course pointed out to her that it would appear strange that emails requesting money or some form of acknowledgement were re-directed to her spam filter but that those large number of pattern submissions apparently were received without problem into her inbox.

Kerrie then closed down Magnits without warning on or about 9th April 2008. See this thread:
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/needlework-on-the-net/156889/

YARN FORWARD/KNIT/YARNWISE

Yarn Forward was published from October 2006, as a quarterly magazine – October/January/April/July. There were complaints about delivery of subscription copies from the initial issue.

In January 2008, a number of subscriber complaints were highlighted here:
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/yarnwise-knit-mag/82767/26-50

These include non-delivery of subscription copies, and no response by the company to emails. One person was awaiting back-issues paid for in December and not received at the beginning of February. Kerrie had told her they had a lot of postal problems at the moment.

In June 2008, it was announced that Yarn Forward would be issued as a monthly magazine. In March/April 2011 (Issue 36) Yarn Forward changed its name to Knit because a Canadian company of the same name had Yarn Forward trademarked in the UK.

There are still delivery problems being reported. See Knit’s own group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/yarnwise-knit-mag

A number of subscribers claim that the magazine is available in the shops before they receive their subscription copies, and some subscribers haven’t yet received Issue 47, despite the fact that Issue 49 has just been published.

There are also a number of threads in Ravelry about the deteriorating standard of the magazine.

In August 2010, Kerrie apologised for an error in the magazine and offered a prize to the reader who spotted it.
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/yarnwise-knit-mag/1261062/...

The following suggestions were made:

1.    The subscription cost quoted in two areas of the magazine didn’t agree with the price on the subscription application form.

2.    One pattern had a number of mistakes, including the suggestion that 3.5cm = 1 inch and the use of two sizes of knitting needles when only one was listed in the Notions list.

3.    Knit Camp was being promoted though it had finished before this Issue was published.

4.    A pattern for a bookmark listed its length as 147cm/58”

5.    One pattern had completely incorrect sizing figures.

The correct answer was that the Issue No. was incorrect on the cover.

The name of the magazine is to change to Yarnwise from Issue 50 (June 2012)

Mixed Emotions

Graham would have been 58 today. I miss him terribly, but at the same time, I am so grateful to him for enriching my life.  I still imagine had he lived, we'd spend evenings in the flat he was on the verge of renting the week he went into hospital;  he reading, me knitting. Talking for hours the way we always did. Graham would have really enjoyed the series of history lectures I've been listening to in the evenings the past couple of weeks. We could have resumed are continuous argument about the Sea Peoples.

Between listening to the history lectures, doing a bit a tidying, sticking to my knitting schedule and playing with puss, I keep abreast of the continuing saga of ACM's business practices and the fallout on people who subscribed in good faith to its clubs and magazines. Not to mention the designers, writers, photographers and former employees and contractors who've not been paid or had their work sold on.  For a history click and read the April 25 post.

But for all the angst, anger and bitterness ACM has caused and continues to cause, the Friends  Ravelry group soldiers on.

Some yarn yummies and a cat:

 Three yarns from indie dyers

Wildcraft BFL and Silk Lace in the Tabby Cat colourway

Willow Knits Hand Dyed DK Silk Yarn in Cantaloupe Colourway

The YarnYard Bonny in Old Furniture colourway

Toupie's response to clean sheets

March is Marching By

Where did the month go. It's been horridly warm here. So warm in fact it was still 70F at 11pm last night. All the trees are in bud and I saw a butterfly yesterday morning. I've had to run the fan because of course it's a bit muggy with the warmth.

The old saying about clouds and silver linings still holds true. Despite the continuing revelations and convolutions of the KAL/ACM magazines, their sock and lace clubs, a Ravelry group has formed to support and inform designers and writers who've been unpaid. The silver lining is that the call for indie designers, spinners and dyers has been answered and there are spectacular items on offer.

To lift them up, I've decided to weekly feature a Silver Lining list:

Literally Yarn is available from The Yarn Cafe
Swifts, Noseprinnes, Spindles, and Niddy-Noddys are available from Sunflower Swifts and Sublime Spindles
Colorimetry sells hand dyed yarn and fibre goodies both wool based and cotton/vegetable. We have sourced some unusual base yarns including a wool/linen sock blend. This Esty shop is updated on Thursday's.

Lady Kina is still on the needles, but I expect to finish by the March 31 deadline. Wearing the Lady Kina upon completion will require a return of Old Man Winter. So I shall finish, block, and store until next Fall.

Next on the needles will be the Bristol Shirt in Berocco Remix in the Strawberry colourway.