I have this terrible habit of not reading the whole pattern before I start. I'm a bit like a fire horse in that way. Just point me in the direction of the cast on numbers and charts and I'm good. The first time I knit with DPNs, I made Marley's Ghost. I can do my own research and don't need my hand held. Hello!
Remember when I mentioned Magine last week? I had not yet cast on but did shortly thereafter. I cast on without really reading through the pattern because it's a simple garter scarf. Not exactly lace in the round from a German chart or something.
Friday night, I finished the increases and read the pattern. Turns out there is no decrease chart. This is a pattern that has the charts added as an afterthought. It is also mentioned in bold that this pattern was "tech edited". Yeah, should have known...
The yarn was a gift and the colour is very flattering. I figured a mindless garter stitch scarf would be a good for me because last week was epic. I can be so naive at times.
The pattern was clearly written towards newer knitters and the charts were done after people had requested them Done by the "tech editor" as it turns out.
Anyway, I left a comment on the pattern page about being disappointed with the pattern. No decrease chart. I asked a friend and she thought the same thing. Always reassuring to know it's not just me.
So the designer replies on the pattern page. Not helpful and I ignore. Glare at the knitting for ten minutes, come up with a plan to fix this mess and move on. I made a venty comment in Team CrankyPants without mentioning pattern name or designer because I was annoyed and we have a Cranky thread for a reason.
The next day, Team CrankyPants has a visitor. A rude visitor who claims to be the "tech editor" for this pattern. She assumes she knows what pattern I was complaining about because the designer has been complaining about me in another group. She tries to defend the designer and herself and offers to teach me how to read charts. I actually hurt myself laughing at that... and had a bit of a diva moment. Clearly, these people don't know who I am.
Not only did the "tech editor" visit but she brought people with her. People who clicked buttons and came to visit my blog. It was clear that the designer was talking about me somewhere and her "tech editor" decided to go make things worse. While she clearly had NO IDEA who I am, I have very much seen her around.
While the "tech editor" was typing away, I was replying to the designer's PM to me. She had clearly gotten some advice from people with more experience. (I know where she got the advice and also know that I've been labelled a "troublemaker"*.) She was asking me for input and offered to refund me, which was kind but clearly not her idea and unnecessary. You buy a pattern and take a risk. This was hardly the first wonky pattern I've gotten off the Ravelry Machine. At this point, I want an apology but given who's involved that won't be happening.
I deleted my comment o the pattern page, the "tech editor" was banned from the group for violating our rules, and I asked the designer to call off her dogs. As means of reply, I was sent a refund that I didn't need or care about. Feeling bullied does very interesting things to me.
I will make that scarf into something wearable**, and, maybe by next winter, the sight of it won't annoy me. In the meantime, my takeaway is how the designer and "tech editor" behaved and how the one clearly has no respect for the other or for me/my group/yatta. I won't be buying anymore patterns that either are involved.
Oh, and there's more wrong with that pattern than just the lack of decrease charts but I wasn't being paid to fix her pattern and she's not a friend, so I didn't help as much as I could have. Imagine if I had. o.O
In happier no-drama news...
Started another Mont-Royal. This time with merino/cashmere/nylon yarn that did not want to be run through the ball winder. That was fun. o.O
I think this is my third time knitting this pattern but Ravelry says no. I'm wondering if there's an undocumented hat out there somewhere. Would not surprise me. You would be shocked if you know how many projects never see the light of day.
Love the pattern. Like the designer. Nothing missing or weird here. A wonderful cure for the other one.
Speaking of love...
My mum's fancy daffs are in bloom AND have bounced back from all that nasty wind we had last week. Happily, they do not smell as much as the paperwhites, so my allergies are behaving. Even better? Saw the baby snail before the flowers came inside. o.O
Yay!
Hoping it's a good, quiet, drama-free week!
* If I was a troublemaker, I would have posted in Patterns about this pattern that is missing a decrease chart and about how the "tech editor" and minions were harassing me, so I couldn't ask the designer for help because she's been bitching about me in a way that lead to the harassment.
** The project page will be EPIC because if you want to be taken seriously you do not run around disrepecting people. Nor do you draw attention to yourself or make yourself look like a horse's arse. Also? People skills are good for more than just meetings. Hello!
