Yesterday I found myself in Camberwell, in Borders, holding a copy of the Fall Interweave Knits.
Now, I had a little arrangement with my local newsagent that he’d get this magazine in for me. I started with IK to see how well it worked out. Unfortunately it didn’t. First the order was lost, then it was lost again, then they presented me with Interweave Crochet. Even when IK did come in, it always arrived six to eight weeks after it was released in the US. (This is partly due to the fact that newsagents have a heirachy, and little ones like my local are low down in the heirachy.)
Holding this issue in my hands I thought “I bet if I don’t buy this, in six weeks time my order will stuff up in some way and I’ll regret not buying it while I had my hands on it”.
So I bought it, and popped into the newsagent to cancel my order this morning. As I arrived the newsagent enthusiastically announced that my magazine had arrived. I felt a moment of guilt and dismay.
And then he presented Interweave Felt.
Relieved, and feeling sorry for him, I bought the magazine and told him to cancel the order. As he tapped away on the computer he said “Hmm, your name is down for three or four magazines here. All beginning with ‘Interweave’.”
I’m tempted to subscribe, yet this has made me fear the subscriber curse even more. Clearly it can lead not just to the magazine turning cr*p. It counts ordering through a newsagent as a subscription, and attacks computers and staff there instead.
I think, for everyone’s sake, that I had better go back to just buying it where I find it. It really is safer that way.
It is a game of chance, isn’t it?? My newsagent puts magazines of various persuasions away for me and is pretty good. He had the I Felt last week and I bought it as a show of good faith. I too live in fear of missing out. Still!!!
I have the problem that I have subscribed, but I forget to which magazines, so I buy them when I see them, only to have them turn up a few days later.
David.
i used to buy it at borders because they get it in early but at an inflated price. so now i subscribe and get it late ( sometimes very late ) i have not got the fall issue yet. it’s a lottery !
How can someone not know the difference between knit, crochet and felt?????
Alas, not everyone is wise in the ways of fibre arts.
Well, having bought off the shelf and also subscribed for a year or more, I think I will be more inclined to buy off the shelf in the future (when my sub runs out). I like that you get a chance to review the patterns before purchase. Maybe there isn’t anything in there I want and I don’t need another mag taking up room on the shelf. Also, as you know, they invariably arrive in shop a week or more before the subscribers receive their copies. I know, everything doesn’t have to be instant, but don’t you want more for your subscription, not less? Anyway, I think the Fall issue is rather a nice one, some I’m glad we’ve got ours! Thanks for listening to my rave!! I’m not always so cranky!