Q. I can't/don't want to pay. Can I still read Knitty? A: Absolutely, yes!
Q. When will you first press the GO BUTTON (the button that tells Patreon that you’ve produced a new issue)? A: The first issue that Knitty Patrons will be supporting is the Deep Fall 2015 issue! To give the program a little time to get started, I won’t push the GO BUTTON until the end of September, 2015. You’ll have the whole month of September to decide if you want your pledge to get charged or not. If you don’t do anything, Patreon will put your pledge through on October 1, 2015.
Q. And just so I fully understand, when will you push the GO BUTTON next? A. Our next issue comes out in early December 2015, so I’ll push the GO BUTTON at that time. Your pledge won’t be charged till January 1, 2016. So I’ll be pushing that GO BUTTON once every 3 months, for a total of 4 pledges per calendar year. (The surprises are included in the issue.)
Q. I was charged at the beginning of the month following the new issue, but I’ve decided I don’t like the issue and want a refund. A. When a new issue goes live, you have till the end of that calendar month to decide if you’d like your pledge to get charged or not. If you don’t do anything, the pledge is charged on the first day of the next calendar month. Once the pledge has been charged, we’re unable to make refunds.
Q. If you get enough support, will you remove advertising? A. Knitty exists for two main reasons: to help find and promote new and existing knitting design talent and to support the knitting industry. A huge part of what we enjoy as knitters are the yarn, books, tools, bags and knitwear designs that are created for our benefit. We consider the ads on our pages an essential, fundamental part of our mission, and we very much enjoy seeing what our advertisers have to offer! Giving manufacturers, designers, retailers and publishers an affordable place to share their products with the knitting community is important to us, and we do not plan to eliminate that vital platform of communication.
Q. Can I make a one-time donation instead of becoming a Patron?
A. Absolutely! Thank you! But Patreon doesn't have a place for that, so the easiest thing to do is to send your donation to us via Paypal. Just click the cute pink button on the right.
Q. By request: I'd like to send you a donation monthly without being part of the Patron
program. How do I do that? A. Wow! Okay, we've set up two subscription levels for you. If you'd like to donate either $5 or $10 per month, just click the appropriate button and it will take you to Paypal. Once there, you can fill in your details and Paypal will bill you automatically for that amount every month until you cancel. THANK YOU for your support!
Q. I would rather send you a check than use a credit card or Paypal. May I?
A. Absolutely! Thank you! However, we have no way to track you within the Patreon platform without an accompanying online contribution, so we are unable to offer you the rewards you'd normally get as part of one of the Patron levels. We will investigate this to see if something can be done to change this.
If you're okay with donating without receiving rewards, here's our address:
Knitty magazine
2255b Queen Street East
#527
Toronto, ON
Canada
M4E 1G3
Thank you!
Q. I signed up for a level that offers a tangible goody like a sticker or patch. When will I receive it?
A. To make the best use of your donation, we'll be ordering items like stickers and patches in bulk, when we have a large enough quantity of Patrons in each category to take advantage of bulk discounts. We'll keep you posted about the status of these goodies on the Patron News Feed, so you'll know when they're ordered AND when they're shipping. We don't want you to wait any longer than necessary!
Q. What logo will be on the swag?
A.The logo you see at the top of this page will be on all swag! We think it's pretty neat and hope you love it, too!
Q. I signed up for the Mellow level, but would like to change to a different level. Can I?
A. Yes, you can change your Patron level at any time! We'll let you know how we're going to handle the change in tangible goodies like stickers and patches once we're underway (this may take some time to work out), but you'll get the appropriate access to any online goodies right away after making the change. For example, if you go from Tangy to Piquant, you'll get an invitation to the next Webcast!
Q. What’s the difference between a WebCAST and a WebCHAT?
A. A Webcast (offered at the Piquant level) is a one-way party! You’ll get to see and hear me (and my occasional special guests) on screen, as if you were in a big auditorium. You can type in questions and our moderator will pass them to me so I can answer as many as possible! All you need to enjoy this Webcast is a current computer and high-speed internet.
A Webchat (offered at the Extraspicy level) is a smaller, more intimate gathering where as many as 6 of the 30 Patrons attending the Webchat can be on screen at the same time. We will invite you on screen for part of the chat, and then the next group, until we all get a chance to see and be seen! (If you’re shy, you can type in your questions and comments instead of being on screen.) We will be able to get to know each other as time goes on, can share stories, show what we’re working on, ask questions, get knitting support…that sort of thing. We’ll have occasional special guests. In order to participate fully in this Webchat, you’ll need a current computer, a camera and microphone and high-speed internet.
Q. When will the Webcasts and Webchats take place?
A. For the Piquant Webcast, I will vary the time and day issue to issue, in order to give everyone a chance to be there. Once I see the geographic locations of the Patrons in this group, I can better target it to a time that should fit a majority of Patrons. I expect late afternoon to evening is the best time, and probably a weekday vs a weekend.
For the Extraspicy Webchat, since we’re a more intimate group of only 30 people, I’ll use a handy web tool that asks when each member is available from a list of possible dates and times. That gives me the best shot at pleasing the greatest number of people. If we miraculously find a time that works for everyone in the group, I’ll keep it consistent issue to issue.
For both Webcast and Webchat, the events will be archived and you’ll have password-protected access to them, so even if you weren’t able to attend, you won’t miss out!
Q. You said you were going to do X when you launched the Patreon campaign, but now I see you’re doing Y. What’s going on?
A. This Patreon campaign is a whole new way of existing for Knitty. In order to keep it working well, make things better and toss out ideas that end up not being good ones, the principals of Knitty (that’s me, Jillian, Kate and Christopher) will need to make adjustments to the program as we go. Our intention is only to improve things, not take away something that you’re loving. Remember, you’ll have access to the Patron News feed to get info directly from us, and you can talk to us there and tell us what you think, about the Patreon campaign or Knitty, at any time!
