Sunday 3 April 2011

Cider - Government Health Warning

Overindulgence in cider appears to impair one's common sense and decency - and any shreds of professionalism one may still be hanging on to.

A certain book on Amazon is causing a stir on the internet - particularly on a rather wondrous KNITTING site. Said cider drinker is a member of this KNITTING site.

A book about headwear - many many items of headwear - touted as a knitting book yet containing a teeny tiny fraction of actual patterns compared to the many MANY pictures of headwear, is gathering - er - somewhat less than positive reviews.

What? You think I am exaggerating? Read them yourselves!
CIDER INDUCED HEADWEAR

Now I have not seen inside the book other than on Amazon. The cider induced comment does not refer to the actual headwear at all but rather to what underlies this book.
I do not know any of the good folk whose designs are in it.
I can only pass on to you what is being said on the KNITTING site of wonders.

It seems that photos inside the book have been used WITHOUT consent. Without the person who created the hat being asked. Without them being achnowledged (or in some cases incorrectly acknowledged - good job too as it included email addresses!).

Buyer beware.
Amazon beware.

What we have there appears to be book packed full of photos of knitted headwear - 1,000 of them - with patterns included for TEN.
SOME of these photos appear (how careful am I being with this wording?!) to have been used with no consent asked or given.
Original price $25.00. To some who have complained the wondrous offer of a free or discounted copy of the book. Gee.

Naughty naughty cider drinker, very naughty.

I think this will be one knitting book I will pass on ......

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I’m visiting my daughter and her family in Missouri. I live in Alabama.

Me and my son in law just got back from shopping and there was a Barnes & Noble Book store having a clearance sale so we went in there.

I, of course, went straight to the knitting books and bought this book called 1,000 Hats and GUESS WHAT I found in there?

MY BETTY BOOP HAT!! It was so funny and such a surprise to be looking through this book and all of a sudden see something that I knit for my grand daughter last year!!

I could totally tell it was mine because it was laying on my boyfriends chair that he made and I could see his design.

(Awesome, but they could of at least sent me some money!)

AlisonK said...

Fascinating. I had no idea this was going on! Having poked about a bit on the aforementioned (fabulous) knitting website, it looks like there may have been some sort of "drop box" for people to submit their hats for "judging", but it would appear to me that the concept & what would happen to those pics was, at the least, not made clear to those participating.

Leaving aside the rights & possible wrongs of how the pics got where they did, I think the whole idea is distinctly, um, bizarre. Who set the author up as a judge of these matters in the first place? Basically it seems she is going to get the credit (& the money - although I know you rarely make much from a book) for a book full of others' work.

I find the whole thing very odd.

fibreclaireUK said...

I notice that the Cider Drinker is hosting her own knitting retreat soon. Perhaps she got some lessons in event management at Stirling?

Anonymous said...

I also notice that the Cider Drinker is teaching colorwork and charted entrelac classes. Perhaps she got some information about colorwork and charted entrelac from someone who gives information about colorwork and charted entrelac?

Rebecca said...

i would expect no more lol

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