It has (and continues to be) a busy design year for me. Heck, it's just been a busy year in general, so I value my design time. In one of my absolute busiest periods in the early spring I took time out to create a series of designs for a major, big box yarn manufacturer. I ultimately only worked up two of the designs proposed (for a host of reasons, none of which I will go into in this post, know that I am not upset one little iota about that point).
I discovered last week that one of the designs created has actually been published on its website. It did not inform me of the publication, but I did a quick search not only to satisfy my own curiosity but, for contractual reasons, to also keep track of any publishing date (since my rights in these two designs revert back to me two years after initial publication). Let me also state right up front that the yarn manufacturer has done nothing contractually wrong - it has control over the timing of initial publication including, but by no means limited to, never publishing either of the designs. That is its sole right.
Said yarn manufacturer also has the sole right to edit the design and/or use it in whole or in part (again) as it sees fit. That is exactly what it has done - on the right is the design as I worked it up in the spring. The yarn type and colors were all approved beforehand, as well as the stitch pattern. What has been published (and I will not link to it - you will have to do some investigating on your own, dear reader, if you would like to see this design in final published form) has been added to and embellished a fair bit. If I am being completely honest, I am not thrilled with the additions. Nevertheless, I still think this works out well for makers - they actually have an opportunity to view both versions, download the project directions from the yarn manufacturer's site (it's a free pattern!), and then work up the design in whichever form best fits them. (I also will be creating a Ravelry project page with this sample project, so makers can look there for yarn particulars, although the design has not yet made it to the Ravelry database, and since I have no control over nor responsibility in initially publishing this design, I will not be adding it myself.)
Beyond that, however, I did not pay attention to my own complete history with this company. I have a design track record with it (and it's several sister yarn labels) both directly and from third party design publications. You can read about some of the positive interactions here; alternatively, you can also read about one (of many) not-so-positive exchanges here. Because the history is long and mixed, and personnel has changed and/or otherwise shifted, I thought I would give working with them another shot. Situations (and people) can change.
However, I should have listened to my own voice. Some of the same issues (including actual non-receipt of yarn!) still exist. More importantly, I think that some fairly fundamental business and other viewpoint differences between myself and this yarn manufacturer exist, do not mesh, and cannot be reconciled. Full stop.
I am frustrated most with myself - I expended precious time and energy that I cannot ever get back in a result that does not satisfy me on most levels. I reiterate that this yarn manufacturer has done nothing contractually wrong, yet I have a sour taste in my mouth. It is a fairly safe bet that this spring's designs submission is the last I will produce for this yarn company.
C'est la vie, and all that.
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