Friday, October 08, 2010

We’re going to Loch Fyne today – train to Glasgow, and Alexander will pick us up there. I should be back by Tuesday or so with cute pictures of grandsons and distressing ones of what the deer have done to Alexander's nascent cider orchard.

Knitting progresses. There was some trouble yesterday – a dropped stitch, which has been recovered without too much damage, although it’s visible. And a mistake which I simply don’t understand in a roundel, so easy one ought not to be able to fail. Again, visible. The difficult centre section remains near-perfect.

Knit Camp

More brooding. The organizer’s post implies that they suffered from a lack of capital – banks wouldn’t lend, no grant. The Scottish press is full, these days, of stories of people who did get loans and grants for big events, and went belly-up anyway. A notorious “Homecoming” thing a couple of years ago has sucked in a lot of taxpayer’s money, and the ice rink in Princes Street Gardens at the New Year -- one wouldn't expect trouble there -- has been a major financial flop. I think on that one, it was the banks who suffered. Or was there some involvement of the Edinburgh ratepayers?

But how would money have helped Knit Camp? Other, of course, than by paying the tutors and moving the loss elsewhere? Which presumably is not how it works at XRX.

Punters (me, for instance) paid up front, and at least some of them (me, again) paid early. I don’t see that there was much to be paid out by the organizers in the early days. They didn’t even confirm bookings by mail. They didn’t advertise much, except on-line. There won’t have been much to pay out except office expenses. Maybe she means they could have hired staff. That would certainly have made things run more smoothly, but would it have affected the overall financial result?

From every account I have heard, the actual event has to be ranked a success. Tutors and campers pulled together and knit and enjoyed themselves.

I had best begin the process of revolving in slow circles which precedes the catching of a train.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:11 AM

    It is my understanding that the organiser was an undischarged bankrupt when she started promoting Knit Camp. As such, she certainly would have had trouble obtaining bank loans.

    Posh Knitters on Ravelry is a good place to look for information.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dont forget that they will have needed to pay the venue too. Presumably they had to pay for this upfront, so i guess that's where most of the money ended up.... It's a real shame because I was looking forward to UK knit camp being a regular event, and I couldnt make it this year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. In response to that phrase about having to think twice about a trip to Denver, sixty miles away, I have made a small donation to the Tutor's Fund. It is a question of national honour, I feel. However, a little part of me thinks that the person responsible will be let off the hook if the community rallies round.

    ReplyDelete