My new Christmas crochet pattern has been released so that will be mentioned in the newsletter of course. There's also a bit about an upcoming "chance to win" and a question about how reviews are seen in your country. Also some news from home. Cannot forget that bit.

My new Christmas crochet pattern

Here are some pictures of it:

This crochet pattern is called "Merry Christmas elf". The crochet pattern is of course available in several language: English, Dutch, French, Spanish, German and Italian. Of English there are 2 versions: British English and US English.

As usual the crochet pattern is available in all my official shops:

1. Craftygenesindonesia (with PayPal and credit card): https://craftygenesindonesia.com/shop/christmas-crochet-patterns/merry-christmas-elf/
2. Haked.nl (with Bancontact, IDeal, bank transfer, SEPA, KBC, Apple Pay,..): : https://haked.nl/product/haakpatroon-merry-christmas-elf/
3. Etsy: https://craftygenesindonesia.etsy.com/listing/4606203655/merry-christmas-elf-digital-christmas
4. Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/merry-christmas-elf
5. Payhip: https://payhip.com/b/zYLtR

Note: if you were to purchase this crochet pattern and have trouble downloading or you cannot find the download email = don't panic and just email me at craftygenesindonesia@gmail.com with some sort of proof of purchase. I will then email you the pdf file in a normal email.

In case you wonder: the little 7.5mm bells, the 10mm bells and the 20mm bell can be purchased on Haked.nl (if you're from West-Europe). Those outside West-Europe can definitely find these bells on Amazon, Temu, Ali, .... .

Upcoming chance to win

Put a reminder in your phone for next Saturday. In that newsletter there will be new chance to win. That is for the crochet pattern I am working on right now. This one is for Christmas again and if it turns out as I would like it, then it's going to be a stunner!

1 person that guesses what it is will then get that crochet pattern for free from me by email.

About reviews

I love to study people, traditions, cultures, ...those subjects are absolutely fascinating to me. Because I live in a touristy area of Lombok (in Indonesia) I see a lot of tourists from different countries. The way they behave, dress, talk, eat, ...is all different. After all these years I can easily tell who is from which country. People can be so fascinating to watch!

I have also noticed it's the same for crochet pattern reviews. Just from the review alone I can often tell from which country that particular customer is. It's totally fascinating how different countries view reviews.

How are good and bad reviews and the star ratings viewed in your country? I would love to know 😁😁

I'll start with Indonesia and I suspect many countries will totally disagree with how reviews are seen here in Indonesia.

• Item good, really good or amazing= 5 stars

There's no in between here.

Indonesian culture highly values politeness and avoiding public confrontation. Leaving a scathing public review can be seen as the very opposite of helpful critique. Bad reviews in this country are quite taboo. Anything less than a 5 star review is seen as a personal attack on the seller and brand. it is seen as arrogant, self-important, rude, ... . Complaining about minor details is seen as whiny behavior you would expect from a 3 year old. (I know what you must be thinking...It's a very shocking way of seeing things isn't it?)

In case of very bad reviews, a seller is allowed (and often even expected) to take legal action.

Whenever people here are not satisfied, they send a polite message to the seller and ask for help so both parties can be satisfied. There is something called Musyawarah (deliberation to reach a consensus) and that is a cornerstone of Indonesian culture, deeply embedded in everyday life, business, and national philosophy (Pancasila). Its goal is to maintain rukun (social harmony) and ensure everyone leaves the table happy,

I'm sure many of you will think this is crazy and very different from how reviews are seen in your country. I know there are countries where a bad review is seen as helpful critique and even encouraged because many cultures value directness but then there are others who would find it totally shocking and taboo 😬

When I grew up in Belgium, I was taught to speak up and that expressing one's opinion is a good thing. You can imagine how that went when I moved to Indonesia as a 13 year old and faced the Indonesian way of doing things 😂😂😂😂. That was one big culture shock for me! It did not always go very well, especially with me being a very opinionated teenager back then 😂😂😂😂😂. And to be honest, I still don't agree with everything they do here. The way people driving on the road is one example of that. I hate driving here. It feels like driving in a horror video game with attacks from all sides. I'm totally exhausted after driving just half an hour.

News from home

This week's news from home is actually just an extension of the previous part of this newsletter. The drive home from church last Sunday is something worthy of talking about. Saw a woman with 4 kids on a motorcycle (crazy!). Then a bunch of goats crossed the very busy street without warning and they did not even wait for traffic. They just crossed the street right in front of a bus and some cars (crazy!). Then there was a little kid on a motorcycle. He cannot have been more than 12 years old. Looked like he just stopped wearing diapers. That kid was driving a motorcycle in Sunday traffic (crazy!). Add to that 2 fire trucks, several very slow horse carriages, a granny crossing the street without looking, a dog sitting and scratching himself in the middle of the street and you get = NORMAL SUNDAY TRAFFIC in Lombok 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

If you ever come to Lombok, be safe, get a guide and don't rent a motorcycle. You'll enjoy your stay here much more with a guide driving you around instead of "enjoying" the view from a hospital window.