Questions and Answers
Strickmich! Club membership and options
How and when do I get the Club knitting patterns? What types of patterns do you have?
Every Strickmich! Club membership contains four new and exclusively designed knitting patterns by Martina Behm. The patterns will be available four times a year as PDF-downloads. Each pattern will be exclusive for Club members for 12 months after the cast-on of each project.
For an additional cost, the knitting patterns will also be available as printed booklets. If you choose this membership option, you will receive each printed pattern by postal service in time for the cast-on events (four times a year) in addition to the PDF download. The additional cost for this option covers printing the patterns and postage fees (which vary by region).
How much yarn do I get in Strickmich! Club
The single yarn option contains enough yarn to finish the projects as designed. Martina herself uses the single yarn option to design the knitting patterns.
The double yarn membership is ideal for knitters that like larger shawls or cowls or want to knit the Club project twice (one to keep yourself and one to give to a loved one). There will be instructions in the knitting pattern on how to make the Club projects larger using the double yarn option. Please note however, that the double yarn option may not be shared between two people: Each membership contains only a personal license for the knitting pattern and passing on the pattern to someone else will violate copyright laws (independent of PDF or printed pattern).
We are also offering a Club membership without the matching yarn. In this case, you will only receive the exclusive PDF download knitting patterns. This membership is made for you, if you always prefer to select your own yarn for each pattern. As a truly online Club, you will also be independent of changes in the shipping conditions of your country. However, we hope you understand that the patterns will not account for other yarns and we cannot give advice on other yarn choices or support in adopting the patterns to other yarns.
How about those live classes, what can I expect and how do they differ from cast-on videos?
As before, Martina will introduce each Club project with a cast-on video on the internet, that is accessible to everyone. Also, her patterns will continue to contain links to unusual techniques and short videos if necessary.
The live online classes can be booked as an additional option to your membership. You will then get a 1.5 hour live class with Martina Behm for each project (four during the Club year). Martina will explain all the techniques used in the current project and you will go the first steps of the project together with her. There will also be enough time to answer your questions and exchange thoughts (we plan about 60 minutes lecture and 30 min. Q&A depending on members needs).
Martina will offer different time slots in English or German to accommodate different time zones and groups will be small enough to allow for meaningful exchanges. Every class member will also get access to the recording online for a couple of weeks. This way, you can still get all the learnings if you cannot make a class date.
Especially for people who cannot travel to Damsdorf, Germany, in person, this is a great way to meet Martina live online. The online classes can also be added to a PDF-only membership making it a truly virtual and worldwide Club experience.
Sign-up and payment
I get an error during sign-up…? The check-out does not work, what is wrong?
Unfortunately, our online shop system is not ideal for the specifics of the Club. Therefore, if you get stuck in the check-out process, please go back into the store and re-examine the following:
What country do you want the Club to be shipped to? Does it match the type of membership you are trying to purchase?
Do you have only one membership at a time in the shopping basket? If you want to buy two separate memberships, please buy them one at a time.
How do you want to pay? If payment is by PayPal or money transfer in Europe, make sure you have selected “€ EUR” as currency in the store (top most menu of the page). Only bank transfer, credit card or Apple Pay outside the E.U. work with “$ USD” selected as currency and only for International -NON E.U. memberships.
In any case, if you have problems during the sign-up, send an email or call us and we will be happy to help. If you write, please note where you encountered which kind of error message as this helps solving the problem.
Do I need an email address to participate in the Strickmich! Club?
Yes, an email address is required to be part of the club. You will receive your PDF download link for the knitting patterns via email. We will also send receipts of payment, acceptance of the membership and all relevant information only by email. Please make sure that your email address is correct when signing up and that a potential spam filter will not hinder emails from the domain @strickmich-club.de or @strickmich-shop.de.
Can I buy the Strickmich! Club membership for someone else as a gift?
Of course! And what better gift for a true knitter for Christmas or the Holidays! It is only important that you clearly distinguish between shipping address and billing address in the sign-up. We will send the package to the shipping address if this is filled in, therefore, this should be the address of the gift receiver. Since we will send the download information for the Club patterns to the email address on file, this should be switched to the Club member at the beginning of the year.
If you buy the Strickmich! Club for yourself as a gift, only one address is required. Should you want to buy a membership for yourself as well as a friend, please register with two different email addresses, creating an account for each membership. This will make communication and delivery of the Club a lot easier for us.
How can I pay for the Club? Do you accept … as payment?
You can find information about payment options here: Payment/Shipping.
I want to pay in US Dollars instead of EURO, how?
Members living outside the European Union can now choose to pay in US-Dollars as well.
This can save you money since PayPal or your credit card usually charge a large fee to exchange your money into Euros either by having an explicit exchange fee or by using a very bad exchange rate. We can offer a fair price in US$ that we update daily based on the current mid-market value of the EURO.
If you decide to pay in US$, please switch the shop to “$ USD” before check-out (top menu of the shop). Continue through check-out and only payment in US$ will be presented. You may either use bank transfer or your credit card or Apple Pay. (If you want to pay by PayPal instead, you have to switch the currency back to “€ EUR” first.)
You will find all the bank details in your order confirmation if you decide to pay by bank transfer. Please make the transfer immediately using your bank system as ACH transfers can take a few days. Make sure the full amount for your membership is deposited into our account, check with your bank if any fees apply for the transfer and cover it.
Are taxes (VAT etc.) included in my membership price?
The price for the Club membership includes all taxes and fees relevant for shipping into the different regions. Therefore, the price in Germany and the E.U. contains the appropriate VAT of your country. The price for the Non-E.U. membership does not contain VAT, and none will be added. However, please note that you are responsible for all cost your country might charge upon importing your Club package (such as customs fees, taxes etc.). Please check with your local authorities before signing-up for the Club.
Why is there a different price depending on the shipping region?
We are using different shipping providers for different countries with varying service levels and shipping costs. Especially overseas shipping is a lot more expensive now than within Europe. Also, shipping to countries outside the E.U. is creating higher costs and complexity for us both in shipping and handling as well as significantly higher fees. Therefore, the European membership outside the E.U. is slightly more expensive than within the E.U. Within the E.U. we now have to charge the VAT of the recipients country, therefore this changes the final price of the membership by country.
What if I have changed my mind? How can I get out of the club after having received the confirmation?
Please check our AGB (Terms and Conditions) for the legal aspect of it. As there are only limited memberships and skeins to go around, please think about the Strickmich! Club conditions before you join. Do you enjoy being surprised? Will you be excited to receive a new pattern by Martina together with great yarn by different hand-dyers throughout next year? If you change your mind after signing-up, please note that you can only withdraw from the whole club, not send back parts.
About the Club year
When do we start? When will the yarn and patterns arrive? When do I have my classes? How does the Club timing work?
If you have a Club membership containing yarn, you will receive one package containing all the yarn for the whole year in time for the first cast-on date. To not spoil the surprise, the yarn will be in separate paper bags by project.
Every Club member will get a PDF download with the knitting pattern for each project (four times a year). Members that have booked printed patterns will also receive their pattern booklets in time for the events by post.
If you have classes included in your membership, you can reserve your slot in one of Martina’s classes that take place shortly after the cast-on dates. You will of course receive an email with detailed information in time for each project.
What should I do if I do not like the yarn?
If you really do not like a yarn, please do not send it back right away. We are certain that there will be a lot of interest from other knitters to get their fingers on your skein. The yarn colorway is exclusive for Club members for at least 12 months, therefore we believe you will be able to trade an unwanted skein with someone else via Ravelry etc. Please do not sell your yarn to someone else as the experience shows that this will create negative feelings in other Club members. If you really don’t know what to do with it, please let us know by email and we will help you to find someone who loves to take it from you. Of course, Martina’s pattern will work with all yarns of similar strength just as well.
What if I want more of the Club yarn? Could I just buy it elsewhere?
All Strickmich! Club yarns are dyed exclusively for the Club. This is a very time consuming and artistic process. The capacity of the dyers is very limited and we are very fortunate that we could get 4 of the greatest yarns for the Club. All dyers want to continue to sell their yarns in other colours as well and therefore each Club member can only get the skein ordered as part of the Club membership. This also means that you cannot switch from a single to double yarn membership or vice versa. After the exclusivity period of 12 months after their cast-on date has expired, the dyers could sell the Club yarn regularly. However, it is up to them if they want to do that.
When and how will I get the Club pattern? What is the difference between PDF and printed pattern? How is the exclusivity for Club members handled?
Every Strickmich! Club member will receive an exclusive, new knitting pattern four times a year. The pattern will be a PDF file for download and the download link will be delivered by email in time for each cast-on date.
Members that have purchased the “printed pattern” membership option will also receive a high-quality booklet of the printed pattern by post (in ADDITION to the PDF).
Each Club pattern will be exclusive to Club members for at least 12 months after its cast-on date and not available outside the Club. Strickmich! Club members will receive a personal, non-transferrable license for the patterns and are not allowed to publish, distribute or copy them outside of their own personal use.
Can I send the pattern to someone else, duplicate it or post it online?
The Strickmich! Club patterns are subject to strict copyright rules. Please respect Martina’s intellectual property, she is constantly thinking about new and exciting designs for us to enjoy. Therefore, please note that the pattern in the Club is your personal copy and it is not allowed to duplicate it other than for your personal use. The copyright especially prohibits anyone from selling it, scanning it and distributing it in electronic form or posting it on the internet. Please check the terms and condition for details.
As it often happens: Please make sure the pattern pages are not visible in your project pictures, because people might be able to read the instructions from that.
How can I get in touch with other Strickmich! Club members?
You can turn your Strickmich! Club experience into a virtual social club as well. This year, we are introducing our own social media network: Strickmich! Netz. Strickmich! Netz is a place for you to share your knitting and Club experience with fellow knitters. Since it is our own network (on the mightynetworks platform), no algorithm or advertizing will interfere with your experience. There will be knit-alongs and discussion groups for each shipment of the Club, we have live chat functionality and even zoom meetings through Strickmich! Netz and of course participation is free. It will be a lot of fun to see how other knitters’ projects will grow and turn out.
We also have a Ravelry group which you can use also: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/strickmich-club
On the other hand, it is not necessary to join Ravelry or Strickmich! Netz to enjoy the Strickmich! Club. We will send all relevant information to everyone by email, you can ask questions of Peter and Martina by email etc. (see below). Also, all your personal information is safe with us: that means that we will never give out your contact information or email address to anyone not involved in the shipping of the Club etc.
What can I do if I have questions regarding the pattern?
For all your questions, Strickmich! Netz will also be a great first stop. Maybe someone else has already posted your question. Martina will also be part of the discussions there. Ravelry is another source of knitting advice. If you have a problem with the pattern or if you are seriously stuck, you can also contact Martina by email at: mail(at)strickmich.de.
And finally: How will I get all the important information about the Club? Who do I contact for further questions?
We will send all information to you by email to the address you have used for the sign-up. Please make sure that your server does not block the domain strickmich-club.de and check in your spam folder. Ute and Peter will be your contact for all questions regarding shipping, processes etc. Their email is: info (at) strickmich-club.de Please also include your membership number with all enquiries. Martina will answer your questions regarding the patterns, problems with the knitting techniques: mail at strickmich.de