I feel as though I’ve done nothing since this month has begin, but really it has been spent socializing and out in the real world to an extent. I’ve managed to start and knit a couple of rows on my Hitofude. Other misc projects have started, but nothing I’m dead set on committing to as my main project. Honestly, I didn’t mean for this post to turn into a book, but it needed to come out of my head as it’s interfering with my knitting.
I’ve also been following the fallout of a particular MKAL with popcorn in hand. It’s not so much that it was a disaster from a shortage of yards recommended, but the designer was incompetent on many levels from the beginning, and it wasn’t the first time that they had screwed up with orders and delayed and MKAL based around that, but they also didn’t knit it, or test knit. So dredging through the forums on Ravelry has brought to light a certain behavior or cycle per say. Screw up, flagellate self in public, give an indirect apology, spend months “fixing” problems, repeat.
So needless to say I’ve had a lot of interesting reading, years worth to be truthful. I’m not saying this in an aggressive tone, or to be mean, or to drag down the designer, in fact I will not even name them for the sake of embarrassment. Facts are facts. The designers initial response to people asking for refunds was to call them names and start a thread insulting and belittling them, looking for answers as to why they haven’t received their yarn or beads that they paid for over a year prior.(because said designer said they don’t check their email or Ravelry mail, so they had no choice but to oust their issues in public-which I’m sure is nothing short of embarrassing for both parties)
The designer also had pattern collections that were supposed to include multiple patterns, reduced without prior indication and no refunds offered until people pointed it out in public forums. (many are using the way back time machine to compare the prior releases to what is currently up, and there is literally no apology or mention of reduction) More push backs. Faulty dye jobs, wet/smelly yarn being sent to people, everything late after having a sufficient amount of time to get it done. (nearly 18 months from announcement)
So to say that my mind is anything short of boggled with how one is still on Ravelry putting out patterns with such things going on is beyond comprehension at this point. If you were to check out the forums that have been screen capping the whole scenario, you’d be inclined to agree that they are someone who has taken on more responsibility than they are quite capable of handling. It’s quite sad to see someone who hasn’t figured that out by this point in their business and offered nothing more than mere “I’m disappointed in myself too” in response to the debacle.
What initially dragged me into this, was that I had been looking forward to this particular MKAL for a while, but hadn’t had a chance to start anything with a couple of sweaters on the needles. By the time I did get the chance to start anything, there were major issues arising, and you can see that on many of the project pages of people that participated in this MKAL. After reading one thoroughly written notes section I was sent to a forum that had been advising people how to deal with getting their money back and other issues associated with the pattern collections from the same designer, as certain promises were made, not met, and therefore constituted as fraud and they were due a refund. This group was helpful in showing people how to navigate the waters of Ravelry and issuing the proper complaints necessary to warrant their money back, or if they got the patterns as a promotion, to report the designer for altered and delaying of collections on behalf of those unaware that had paid. The fact that there is probably a group of people out there, be it small, that is unaware of what is going on and are paying customers is why this group has taken a foothold on this problem.
The collections were pretty well unnoticed until this group started pointing out the issues when the MKAL blew up. There are 7 pattern collections that have been altered and/or delayed somehow. This MKAL still isn’t complete. The original pattern still hasn’t been tested and knit by the designer, but they have put out one smaller version that they had someone else knit as a 3rd version. A second version is being knit in the yarn meant for the MKAL. But there seems to be no conclusion to this, and a lot of people have wasted their time and money on this and are not getting what they originally expected. It’s sad to see that there was little consolation to this other than a free pattern or refund of goods purchased, but at your expense of return until received.
My brain hurts to see so much going on with little resolution offered but promises. It seems as though things are slowly coming to an end, it’s not an end for those that have more invested with that designer, as more MKALs roll out and more patterns are due to be released and the excuses for delays have already popped up again. The clarity that should have been there from the beginning has just started showing up, but will probably fade as people forget the disaster that the MKAL was.
I’m just disappointed with the flakey behavior and overall attitude from the designer who has had no problem with jumping into the next group of projects and leaving behind a bunch of people still waiting for answers. Thankfully there are ways of helping people, and people have been able to get help from all of this. It’s a great takeaway lesson into paying more attention to the designers you choose to purchase and invest in, especially when it comes to MKALs and unreleased pattern collections.
TL;DR: designer royally screwed up (also has a history of this), major fallout occurred, fraud has happened and refunds are being issued on behalf of that-yes Ravelry is aware and managing it.
Knitastrophe - a catastrophic knitter's blog 