Resolution: A Brief Update

I got my money back. However, this simple statement does not begin to convey the stress, difficulty and discomfort that was involved in doing so. All attempts I made to connect with the seller as a knitter and a person were in vain. Her single minded goal was to keep my money, and she never once veered from this track.

After one week of being deliberately ignored by the seller, I filed a claim through Etsy. Within the day I received a rude email from her, telling me that I am unable to read a knitting pattern. I expected that. I reiterated my concerns over the stitch count and sizing, and hoped she would soon relent.

But no. The next morning she sends me a photograph of the boot cuffs in a different color, claiming a “friend” made them for her from the very same pattern. By now I was picturing her gripping my $4 with white knuckles. With a heavy sigh, I sent her a screen shot of the cable pattern, where it states clearly that it is made up of 14 stitches.

Actual Footage. 

What I got in return was a long, convoluted message where she tried to explain that the 14 stitches actually work out to 10, and that she writes patterns in her “own way,” and that everything was my fault—but that she would issue a refund by Friday evening.

Monday afternoon rolled around and I still had no refund. I messaged her about it, and at 3:40 PM the money pops up in my PayPal account. At the same time she sent the money, she messaged me saying that she had already issued the refund and I should take it up with PayPal. I called her out on this, telling her I knew she didn’t send the money when she promised, and that it wouldn’t be cleared until Thursday.

I believe that if I didn’t push her on Monday, she would have never refunded me.

Let’s back up and talk about her “own way” of writing patterns. Knitting is creative work filled with endless possibilities, but what she is doing is disgraceful. I have spent 10 years of my life learning to read standard instructions and abbreviations. These rules exist to make life easier for everyone, so we are able to become more skilled and creative. Asterisks, parentheses and other nuances used to indicate repetition are totally lost on her.

Her worst sin is how she writes cables. In her special instructions, a basic cable four forward (C4F) is conveyed as K2F, K2. Wow. I’m actually at a loss for words about this. It is egregiously illogical, and I am going to leave it at that.

From now on I am only buying published patterns. These patterns have been tested, vetted and edited for clarity. As wonderful as Etsy can be, the risk is too high of stumbling across a person who is only a novice, but markets themselves as a master knit wear designer.

As uncomfortable and dirty as I may have felt while dealing with her, I am glad this happened. I can use the experience to get it out there that not all slick, modern Etsy shops are what they apear to be. I want to “out” her so badly, but I won’t. Instead I will only say this: If you ever come across an Etsy shop full of pride for the state of Maine, and they are selling mostly PDF downloads, run! 

I would have rather dealt with this moose!

Very...appropriate...