One of my initial blog posts after All Crafts Media (ACM)
was put into Administration was about Community. In almost a fortnight, the
one-year anniversary of the birth of our community will be reached, marked, and
celebrated. Hundreds, if not thousands of people around the world who don’t
knit, crochet, or sew, haven’t been on Ravelry, and who never knew of the
existence of these companies, its management or publications are now aware and
either involved (through their own volition or by developments that directly
impact them or their business) or are following events with avid interest.
The developments of the last two weeks brought me back to
the idea of community and what community holds. I’ve been thinking about the
title of a book I’ve ordered and its relationship not only to both the
professional and volunteer work I do away from my hobby but to the developments
and the events of this past year. The title of the book gave me a new framework
for the ideas which have been fermenting recently.
Although I did not write those words about community
blithely last year, I’ve discovered that my understanding of community, what it
holds, and what it can achieve was not as fully developed as it has become. I
have watched and participated in the community coming together in recognition
of our mutual experience on a variety of levels, the recognition of our
interdependence, and that by steadfastly holding the container to
support customers and contributors of CM, ACM (also and previously KAL Media
Ltd, Hipknits, Magknits) as they seek resolution of problems such as unpaid
designers, missing designer samples, goods not as described, and unsuitable
yarn club substitutions (to name a few!). We champion support of Indy dyers and
buying patterns direct from designers and through other magazines/books with a
less tarnished business history.
I’ve relearned that community by its very nature is
interdependent. Interdependence creates or opens up space not only in the
community as a whole but in the lives of each of its members. Because of mutual
experience, each agrees to join with others. Skills, talents, and experiences
beyond the reason for the community’s formation are shared, discovered, and
resourced forming even deeper individual and community bonds. From all of the
above comes, inclusiveness because each member and the community as a whole
recognize the shared pain of The Other.
It’s not simply a case of ‘build it and they will come.’ It’s
what is built, with what intention, and how the framework is held that matters.
By documenting a fact-based History of the diverse enterprises, businesses,
their management and practices and steadfastly holding that as the foundation
and framework to guide our behavior, decisions, and actions, we have
concomitantly created a resource and repository for partners and allies.
So when the patterns in
A
Guide To Knitting were recognized, there was a place and people with whom
the information could be safely shared with the assurance that appropriate
action would be taken. Guided by our framework, a designer whose uncredited,
and—it turns out (to no surprise)—unpaid work was published in A Guide to
Knitting was contacted as well the publisher,
Igloo
Books. And as before, work was sold with the understanding that the seller,
Handmade Living Magazine (a former ACM publication), had the rights to sell.
Once again, we are seeing a situation where both a designer and a reputable
publisher have potentially suffered financial, legal, and brand damage because
of the actions of the management of these companies. Igloo has pulled both this
and another book of patterns from Sew Hip (an ACM publication sold to Crafts
Magazine, Ltd., after the Administration) from its online catalogue. And
because it is suspected that several of these sold and published designs were
in the production pipeline for Yarnwise (formerly Knit) when ACM was put into
Administration, and not forwarded to Tailor Made, which purchased Yarnwise
and the content in the pipeline for
publication, that Tailor Made may now have to devote time and resources to
investigating and determining if there is any action they should pursue.
This week subscribers to Modern Quilting (CM publication)
received the following email:
1st February 2013
Dear Subscriber
Modern Quilting
Magazine
It is with
regret I have to inform you that on 10thDecember 2012 Craft Magazines Ltd
ceased trading as we had insufficient funds to pay our bills or to carry on
trading.
We wrote to all
our trade creditors giving them 30 days to accept the situation or to petition
the courts to force us into liquidation at their own cost, which has not
happened.
We have during
this period been actively trying to get another publisher to take over the
magazine, but as yet no one as been prepared to do this, although we will
continue to try and find someone.
If anyone would
be interested in taking over Modern Quilting Magazine or wishes to contact me
please do so at the above address, as we have ceased trading this email address
is not monitored on a regular basis.
Kind Regards
Richard
Rycroft
Director
Craft Magazines Ltd
Simply Sewing, Modern Quilting,
Simply Beautiful
Interesting, Simply
Sewing (formerly Sew Hip) announced in October that it was only publishing digitally.
One edition of Simply Sewing was published digitally. No paper copies or
refunds to subscribers—despite emails and phone calls to CM Ltd.—was ever supplied
to subscribers, let alone a reply to their queries. Modern Quilting’s Christmas
Edition was last seen on the shelves on November 3, 2012. Simply Beautiful has tweeted this week that
it is not owned by CM Ltd., will publish quarterly, has gone to press, and
copies will be with subscribers and contributors next week.
I suggest that it is
interesting that the signature on the email letter was not modified to reflect
that only Modern Quilting remains as a magazine in CM Ltd.’s stable.
For more history of
all the companies and management involved, Click
and for a detailed update of current developments Click;
if you are a member of Ravelry, please Click.
The journey that was
started on almost a year ago has no foreseeable end. Events are, as they have
always been, not in our hands. But our community continues its mission to
discover and ensure the verifiable facts see the light of day and to continue
to give support to all those so terribly affected by the actions of these
companies and their management.
