I told you knitting is cool...

... and as proof, I offer up concrete, printed evidence: there's even a comic about it! So there. Now please excuse me while I go shop for yarn and enter a contest to win the first issue, to try and distract myself from nervousness about the fact that my first INCrowdteam Interview is going live tonight (technically tomorrow, since it's scheduled to post at 12:01 a.m.).

Yarnburners in June issue of Indianapolis Monthly!

Keep your eyes peeled for it; my dentist's office got the new issue in the mail yesterday. On page 34 there's a little interview with Strick 9 and one of my photos (below), complete with photo credit! I'm so thrilled for "Ms. Stitchley" - the magazine chose this piece of hers from among about a hundred photos, and it's no wonder; this was the first thing I saw on installation day, and was one of my favorites, too.
June 5: we're tagging - errrrr, yarnbombing - the outside of the Harrison Center with the Indy Craft Mafia... come on by!

I went to A & W last week...

... and surprise, I had a root beer float. Ever since then I've thought that would be a fabulous theme for an Etsy Treasury. I'm not a fan of root beer in general, unless, of course, it happens to be in combination with vanilla ice cream -- and I don't usually make color-themed Treasuries (you know, the ones that seem so popular, and get tons of clicks), but I decided to give it a try. Anyway, enjoy... and if you decide you need a root beer float yourself, call me. I'd like another one.

What the what?!

(I just borrowed a line from 30 Rock.) Ha!

Now that I have a decent number of entries here in Blogspotsylvania (ha times two!), I've officially started notifying people of this new blog. Poor things... I'm afraid the non-knitters among them will be bored to tears. I'm sorry, Darlings. You know all I ever want to talk about is knitting, anyway.

Question of the day: what kind of crazy person decides to whip up a scarf for an out-of-state cousin who's graduating next Friday?! Oh, right - me.

Mistake rib...

... is anything but! I've started on G.'s alpaca scarf, and decided I'd like to try this mistake rib stitch pattern I keep seeing. Gorgeous! I feel almost as enamored by this stitch as i did by the linen stitch. Hot damn!

The boys are playing Wii and I've knit about three feet on this beautiful scarf. Did I mention there were fresh strawberries and pound cake after the cookout? Every Monday should be this way.

I'm a winner, Corny!

A few days ago, I entered this contest on Etsy Stalker and today I was notified that I'm one of the giveaway winners! How exciting - my prize is 10 digital collage sheets from piddix! How delightful, really. Cowboys and spacemen and hula - oh my! Just when I thought a day of coffee, a trip to Silver in the City for birthday cards, a delicious chicken pita and finishing the green hat couldn't get any better!

Confession.

Hi, I'm Stockannette and I have a problem: I'm addicted to making Etsy Treasuries. I just put up another one. I couldn't help it, this time, though. When I saw that the current Treasuries were down in the 300's this morning, I thought of a Memorial Day Weekend concept, and had to hang around until I could pounce. Check out all the cool red-white-and-blue stuff that people in Indiana made.

Alright, it's time to watch a bunch of bad t.v. shows from the DVR. Happy weekend, everyone!

Team playa.

The INCrowd Team has featured an interview with me in the blog - and soon I'll be interviewing the Hoosier team members myself! So cool!

Is it weird that I've already started a spreadsheet? Hee hee.

Alright, I'm going to knit whilst I wait to post a fun new Treasury!

Really, I'm not one of "those."

Yeah, I'm in Mo'Joe on my laptop right now. So? I've got my knitting with me. And my camera. In fact, here is a photo I just took of the tag I left here during the Yarnburners' meeting last week:Check me out, experimenting with a subtle tag! Hee hee. It's harder than you'd think to tie that stuff to a table post without looking.

While I was ordering my lunch (a delicious iced peppermint latte and chicken salad sandwich) and asking how to hook up to the wireless network, the barista asked, "Aren't you going to be knitting?" to which I replied that I might do a little knitting and a little web-surfin'. The guy behind me in line chimed in with, "Excuse me - did I hear you say you are a knitter? My wife is a knitter, too! She meets her knitting friends at the library every Saturday morning at 11:00. But not this Saturday. There's no meeting this Saturday, because of the [Indy 500 Festival] Parade." I responded, "Very cool! The Central Library?" and he elaborated that yes, their meetings are right near the main entrance every Saturday - but not this Saturday - at 11:00 a.m. What a good Knitter's Husband he is! I'm going to try and go to that meeting sometime, just so I can find out whose husband he was, and tell her how proudly he proclaimed that his wife is a knitter! It warms my heart.

During the upcoming long weekend...

Since I've already put together a crazy Treasury (yes, I really did come up with the concept because two coworkers' kids and one salesperson's kid came down with conjunctivitis at the same time), I'll be trying to figure out a pleasing concept for photographs of the next item I'm going to list, a set of three notecards for knitters (at least I hope they'll appeal to knitters; see scan below).

The other two cards in the set feature an angora rabbit and an alpaca! It's kind of stumping me how to make a photo of flat paper items look dynamic. Suggestions would be appreciated! Otherwise, I'm going to browse around Etsy and see what other people do to have such darling photos of notecards.

I'll probably also be finishing a hat and the "tree sweater," since the office closes at 12:30 tomorrow and doesn't reopen until Tuesday!

Oh, here's another question: why is Star Trek only playing at midnight at our chosen IMAX this weekend? Crazy talk, I tell you!

What's missin'?

I'm sure my two darling readers have noticed something around here looks funny. Look for it, look for it ... I'll give you a hint: there are only five items pictured over there in my items for sale on Etsy widget!

I made a sale! I'm thrilled to pieces!

Frogged.

I suppose I could have considered it a bad sign when I liked how the yarn looked when I pulled a little center chunk out of the skein to find the end. Last night we were at Mo'Joe knittin' for the outside of the Harrison Center, and I knew I should have cast on for my light pole sweater beforehand! Doh. Really, once I finished the tree sweater with the lei pieces knitted right into it, I had a feeling that my second project couldn't top it. Ah, well. So I cast on using 50s (big needles) and two strands. Everything proceeded to get all ugly and tangle-y and all I could think of was, "But I wanna knit the feather boa in there now!" I ripped it out. Take two, with smaller needles: tonight.

And now for something completely different: two weeks ago we named the new fish Jules Winnfield, and yesterday it came to me - the perfect name would have been Henry Rollins. I'll just file that one away for future use.

Critical thinking.

Regarding my beloved Etsy, I have noticed a few things that disturb me, so I thought I'd jot them down here, then let them go:

1. I don't think a "Street Team" (group) bio containing typos makes a very good impression on prospective members and customers. Personally, I would think twice about joining a group seemingly lacking in proofreading and/or spell-checking skills. (I know you know I'm not referring to the INCrowd; the Indiana Team bio and blog are quite well-written.)

2. This new trend of curating a Treasury and featuring one of your own items rubs me the wrong way. I'm not sure why, as I can read the bottom-o'-the-page-rules and see that it's within those rules, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Seems like bad form to me, really.

3. Feedback might be just as important to your buyers as it is to you as a seller; don't forget to leave some.

Do babies need hats in June?

I dunno. While I'm on the questions, how big is a typical baby's head? I went to a baby shower today, and I did not provide a hat for the baby! I know, darling readers, this shocking revelation must have knocked the wind right out of you. I started a hat, and it seemed small enough, but then I decided the yarn was more textured than I'd want a baby to have to wear. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the whole baby-head-hat-June concept, plus there have been no babies handy when I have a measuring tape in hand. So now I am going to wait until after I meet the baby to make the hat - is that weird? Oh, well.

My visit to the Trading Post.

I brought my camera just in case I might be able to see some alpacas out in a field or something. I thought yeah, maybe I could get a shot like this:

or maybe even a llama...

Then after we checked out the new yarn shop, the owner, Susan, took us to meet some of the herd. I guess it'd be called a herd. Anyway, WOW! The alpaca are soft and gentle and somehow mesmerizing. The llamas are big and curious and sweet (and boy did they ham it up for the camera)! Enjoy these pictures, and then go meet some llamas and alpacas when you can; they are delightful and amazing.

Talk about hopeful!

Hey, my Hopeful Hat is featured in PipingHotPapers' Treasury West! Woo hoo! What a nice way to go into the weekend!

Speaking of the weekend, there's the Indiana Knits Ravelry meet-up tomorrow at The Trading Post, which I'm excited about, and then Sunday I get to see some of my favorite people, and there might be presents involved, which is always exciting.

Treasury West!

It's like the Treasury, but it's... west? Well, anyway, I got one today! Check out my new Treasury West, featuring items that are all $5 or less! Who says it's too expensive to buy handmade? Not I, darling readers!

Twittering Ravelry: May 21!

There's a bunch of people talking about trying to get Ravelry and knitting into Twitter's trending topics (never really paid much attention to them, myself); apparently it all started with someone from Blink 182 tweeting something about knitting, it went to the number one trending topic... and soon the cry went up, "Let's tweet Ravelry!" So don't be surprised on the 21st when you see a tweet from me that may or may not have a "#Ravelry #knitting" in it, which apparently is some sort of tagging shortcut. I'm confused, but I'm in!

International shipping.

I put items up for sale on Etsy for the first time in April. I was aware that there might not be a lot of people shopping for knit hats and scarves at this time of year, so I also listed some gift tags and that vase (substantial, yet inherently fragile, as it is made of glass), I decided not to tackle international shipping right off. I thought it would be kind of weird if I said, "Sure, you can buy this hat or these tags if you live overseas, but you can't have that vase."

An interested party in South America did contact me a while back and ask if she could buy the vase, and I had to tell her sweetly that no, even though the vase would be meticulously packed, that's just too long a trip for me to risk it getting damaged in transit, and that I while I certainly did not enjoy disappointing her by saying no, I would not want her to receive a broken item, and thus be even more disappointed.

So now, as I patiently await my first sale, I'm thinking, if someone would buy the vase, I could change my shop info to include shipping my knitted and paper items to other countries. I wonder if I am losing potential customers because right now I do not ship internationally.

Is shipping internationally worth it? I just don't know - but I will figure it out.

Front Page - woo!

The Lemon-Lime Fuzzy Popcorn Scarf made it to the front page! Who's thrilled to pieces? I am! Wheeee! Happy Monday, all!

Mother's Day and knitting

I called my mom today, to wish her a happy Mother's Day, and after she thanked me for the flowering plant we sent, she asked, "What are you up to?" and in unison, we said, "Knitting," and then laughed. She asked me what I was knitting, and I told her about the Just In Case Hat. She, being a nurse, asked brief medical questions; then, knowing that whole situation would be a sore subject, said, "Have you given crochet another try yet?" I told her not since the two earflap hats with crochet borders.

"I'll get there, Mom."
"What about those crusty crawlies?"
"Yes, Mom, those are first on my list of things to crochet; the Just In Case Hat is for the mom of one of the boys who gave me that book."
"Well then, you have my permission to finish the hat first."
"Gee, thanks, Ma."

She's crazy, and funny, and I love her, and I wish I had paid attention when she tried to teach me to crochet when I was little. Happy Mother's Day.

Busy Etsy Treasury weekend!

This afternoon, I decided to take a little break from knitting on a hat and check my Etsy, and you'll never guess what happened. I looked at the Treasury and got one, and while I was making it, someone put my scarf in their Treasury! Fun, fun; check everything out, darling readers!

Optimism!

C'mon, Etsy sales; you can start pouring in any time now! I've already decided that with my first profits, I'm going to buy some handspun and/or hand-dyed yarn out of my Etsy faves. Sort of a good-for-karma thing, I think.

The other thing I'm considering is making a pink scarf and donating the money to charity, either starting or finishing it in the mammogram center's waiting room (next month). Instead, perhaps I could give a discount to any buyer who promises to go get a mammogram, or take their mom in for one, if the buyer is "too young."

Wow!

A fellow INCrowd Etsy Street Team member, Stoic, who I first spotted because of her fabulous and fun Family Guy pins, included my scarf in her weekly favorite things blog post! How cool is that? The answer: very. If you're reading this, check it out; her picks will bring some sunshine to a grey, foggy morning!

Note to self: featuring other sellers in a blog strikes me a really nice concept, so Stoic, I'm going to have to borrow the idea from you sometime soon... but I'll make sure to call it something different.

Semantics, part two.

You know what I'm not knitting? A chemo cap. Why can't I just be knitting a hat for someone's mom, just in case? It'll be seamless; I'm taking care to choose a yarn that is very soft, has no wool (in case of wool sensitivity), and is machine washable and dryable, but I'll be darned if I'm going to be calling it a chemo cap. That name scares the bejeezus out of me, and I'm not going to acknowledge it. Period.

Disclaimer: if someone out there knows of any actual specifics that must go into a Just In Case Hat, let me know. So far all I can determine from scrolling through thread after thread on Ravelry is that the required elements of such a hat include coverage and comfort.

It's a good thing I finished a new Etsy Poster Sketch last night!

I got home from the yarn shop clutching a brand-new gift certificate and logged on to Etsy just to check out the Treasuries; the number was at 335! Last night I put a list together when I found my friend Lenny's shirts for sale on there, figuring I would get lucky sooner or later. I guess it's sooner! Who couldn't use a little rockabilly on a Monday night? Turn on some Gene Vincent or Wanda Jackson and check it out!

I love mysterious emails!

I just got the following email from my out-of-state sister:

"1st of all, could you PLEASE call K. [in-state sister] (I don't have work number) and tell her to disregard what I asked her to do yesterday (Sun) afternoon (I just did it via telephone).

2nd - (any time of your choosing) you may go Mass Ave Knit shop and pick something up from me. Susan [shop owner] put it by register.

Belated happy birthday to you
~Love, S."

Woo hoo! My favorite place in the world, other than home, is my LYS (local yarn store), Mass Ave Knit Shop, and the imagination positively runs wild... could it be a Mass Ave gift certificate, the most perfect gift for me for any occasion? What should I spend it on? Could it be yarn? Could Susan have helped my sister pick some yarn out over the phone? You never know!

I know where I'm going after work!

Semantics (or, what's in a name?)

Today I learned what I hope is a very valuable Etsy tip: use all 14 of your available tags! Doh! So, in going through my items and tagging them very descriptively, I have run into a conundrum: what's the real difference between recycling and upcycling? So far, I kind of feel like upcycle is a made-up word; like a more trendy version of recycle... unless to upcycle is a just a different way to say repurposed. I just bought something on Etsy that was described as upcycled, and this got me to thinking, what about the gift tags and the vase I've got listed? Are they recycled, upcycled, or both?

Weekend update.

I'm about to settle in for a nice knit on a green hat this evening. Tomorrow's agenda: work some more on my pieces for the next knit graffiti installation. Again? So, what's the big dif, Stockannette? This one is outdoors, and I will be incorporating some non-yarn materials in my pieces. Whee! The Yarnburners will be working on this June show in conjunction with Indy Craft Mafia, in preparation for the Indieana Handicraft Exchange (whose logo completely rocks, in my opinion).

For future reference (or, things I learned my first time taggin'):

It takes longer that you'd think to stitch things to objects! It took me almost two hours to install my four small pieces (photos below). Oh, and a note on planning: think about how you are going to be installing a piece when you are binding off. Sometimes you'll want your long yarn tails to end up on the same edge of your work, and sometimes you'll want them to be on the diagonal, depending on the application.
It's exciting! People seem very supportive. A guy from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful wandered by and said, "Hey, I like your door handle!" The whimsical nature of knit graffiti makes the artist and other people smile. They can't help it.

Finally, whatever you do - don't get yourself involved with a knit graffiti crew; their stuff might make yours look like crap in comparison! I'm serious; I was literally flabbergasted when I saw what some of the other Yarnburners had done; it was immense, and detailed, and beautiful. I was completely unprepared for the quirky, random, thoughtful, colorful spectacle of it all!