Of crochet fights and retail therapy

Pre-script ; Heavily edited, numerous times, and held back, but I need to vent, so here goes:
Are you fighting the same battle?

I had a bitter few days on my crochet group last week.

I found solace in retail therapy at the Tierlantynkie Market (joke, but it was a fruitful mission :-)

My crochet group on Facebook is now a little more than two years old.  From the very beginning, I was quite strict on what and how patterns might be shared.  No copies/scans from books are allowed, no e-books, but links to websites, blogs and free, legal patterns are welcome.

Yet.  

There will always be those who refuse to oblige, refuse to listen, refuse to understand, no matter how many times the rules are stated, explained, enforced.

It came to the point where I said that anyone breaking these rules will be removed from the group, no questions asked.  

Then these last couple of weeks, more and more mentions were made of a group where you could get any pattern, it would be emailed to you.  Now, as one goal of Ons Hekel is  to serve as a portal to access crochet-related information, groups, blogs and websites, I had to verify the nature of this, but  I couldn't.  I couldn't see the group - it turned out to be a secret group. I asked members to tell us more, as many other couldn't see it, but there seemed to be a deliberate vagueness about it. 

Then one lady reported that paid patterns were being distributed on this group, patterns from well-known websites and designers, patterns scanned from books and magazines.  This goes against the grain of Ons Hekel, and I didn't want a group like promoted there. So I said so. And other agreed.

And then all hell broke loose.

((But meanwhile, I happily skipped away to market with my aunt :-)




I checked in on Facebook every now and then via my mobile, as I realised there was an argument heating up, mostly back and forth bickering and disagreement -

- but then somebody's children were threatened per message.

What?

What the hell?

How could people threaten another, and bring race into the matter, just because she takes a stand against unethical pattern theft  "sharing"?

At the end of that the day, 15 members have left my group; I helped another 8 along.

I don't mind numbers, that's not the purpose, never have been.  I'd rather run a happy, great group with 50 people, than have 4900-something along wih bickering, constand demands,  pirated patterns, and I've said so often.

And just when I thought the message would actually sink in, Heidi Bears reported that her beautiful hippo pattern has been pirated, and she received a list of names and email-adresses of people who requested it.

Really, is there no respect for basic law and order left?  In a country where crime is a talking point every day, people wouldn't stop to think that what they're doing is exactly the same, even though "small" or "petty". And the excuses provided...they can't access overseas sources (!), they don't have the money to pay, they just wanted to help, they don't want to be selfish...and the list goes on.

(I've since looked around, and did find the same on groups all over...seems to be a wave around the world now, but, luckily, resistance as well).

Luckily there are a great group of people who are dead set against this, and who report and help, and I thank them from my heart, because makes it worth the while to admin a group like this.  To meet with like-minded hookers, to show off and admire, share and discuss about our work, yarns, hooks, husbands, kids and what not.  That's why we have crochet groups, the world over, not just to feed the pattern demand.

Phew.

So I have loot to show :-D

My credit card suffered some damage on Friday, but Christmas presents have been found for many, something or two for the house, and for me:

Pretty earrings (I love pretty earrings, and I'm a cheapskate, doesn't have to cost triple digits, and I'm very happy if it's R50 like these !)

Dainty doilies

...and a bag. 

Oh, what a bag!

I've bought a slingbag from her before, didn't realise it was the same designer - she actually recognised mine as she only makes one of a kind.
This bag is big, big enough for my wallet, diary, bunches of keys, wet wipes, pouch with lip balm & lip stick, sweets, a book or magazine, a hooky project with extra yarn plus the kitchen zink. 
It would actually work great as a cabin bag when flying.
Plus the leather...the leather is the softest ever.

Consolation :-)

Okay, I'm done venting now.

This weekend I'll finish my third washcloth (a tiny new obsession), working on the leprechaun-cardi, hook a square for the summer throw and another for Yarn Indaba's yarn bomb.


That'll sooth the feathers now.