Chains, Catalogs, Jean Leanhauser, DRG, etc.

[mrs who]

I want to thank tween for mentioning an excellent article - actually interview - with Jean Leinhauser. It was really enlightening and a little sad!

 

I knew Annie's Attic Catalog no longer belonged to Annie, but I didn't know the history of Needlework Shop Catalog or ASN Catalog and House of White Burches, and that they're all owned by the same publishing conglomeration - "DRG". I'm not sure how I feel about that. I liked the idea of small, personal businesses. It seems like everything is a jumbo conglomeration now, sometimes. Don't get me wrong - I love the prices from JoAnn and Walmart, I couldn't feed my family or buy any yarn without the great prices, but I feel a little guilty sometimes. KWIM?

 

Do you think there's an insatiable thirst for more and more because of the internet? When my mother crocheted in the 70's and 80's, friends might xerox an out-of-print pattern or two. That's a far cry from the type of distribution that happens now. It's especially sad because even out-of-print patterns can be gotten relatively cheaply on ebay.

 

Are any of you old enough to see the change in things? What do you think of it? It's a mixed bag, I think. I like having so much available to me - patterns to order, freebies, people to write to, new ideas, flickr photos, etc. But there's a down side and something seems to be lost a little. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

 

Did any of you read the article? Do any of you have thoughts about things?

 

hugs,

[darski]

I believe I know what you are saying and I do remember in the 50's when a craze might hit once in a while for a new pattern that got shared around. There was something in that that caught the imagination of a little girl.

 

However, I find so much added to my enjoyment by the Net and access to others who are as passionate about crochet as I am because I have not been able to find a knit or crochet group where I live. I have met so many people from all over the world who share my interests and I consider myself far better off than my grandmother and aunts in their day.

 

I can see that freebies all over the net can be a challenge for companies but since my only extravagance is my internet connection (instead of tv) I appreciate that I can get patterns that fit my budget ($0.oo)

 

I do share your concerns about one large company deciding what WE want to crochet and knit. I also think that this is where the Net is a plus because good designers have a market available to them they could not reach otherwise.

 

I am interested in what others have to say here. My thoughts are rather rambling at this point so I will keep reading and considering.

[Empress Busy Bee]

I haven't read it yet but will shortly.

 

It seems like everything is a jumbo conglomeration now, sometimes.

You'd be surprised just how much this goes on now. Make up and beauty actually belongs to only 4 maybe 5 large companies now with very few independents left.

Even things you think are small business, like Tom’s All Natural Toothpaste, aren’t. They’ve been sold to the big companies.

[WendyLee]

However, I find so much added to my enjoyment by the Net and access to others who are as passionate about crochet as I am because I have not been able to find a knit or crochet group where I live. I have met so many people from all over the world who share my interests and I consider myself far better off than my grandmother and aunts in their day.

 

I can see that freebies all over the net can be a challenge for companies but since my only extravagance is my internet connection (instead of tv) I appreciate that I can get patterns that fit my budget ($0.oo)

 

I also think that this is where the Net is a plus because good designers have a market available to them they could not reach otherwise.

 

I agree. The net has provided me with friends that share my passion/obsession! I think because of it we have much more to crochet and far better patterns.

 

I don't worry to much that "they" are telling us what to crochet because I don't have to buy what "they" offer. Nor do I have to download it simply because it is free!

 

The people that are willing to attempt a design and share it with the rest of us may not have gotten the opportunity without the net. I think that many of us are obsessed with getting more patterns but we would be even without the internet. We would just be terribly frustrated because a lot of what is published takes to long to get out there!