Fiber Arts and Social Media (by Jenifer Rank)

As a knitter or crocheter, when your hands are supposed to be occupied with needles, hooks, and yarn, what on earth can social media portals like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and others do for you?

I joined Twitter last year after swearing I would never, ever participate in something as silly as that service.  Bear in mind, I also said the same thing about Facebook.  There are several reasons that these types of services can be of great help to artisans.

First, say you are working on a pattern and you get stuck, don’t know what an abbreviation is, or are having a problem selecting a pattern.  Head over to your “Tweeps” and ask!  This is a great resource for finding new patterns, getting opinions on patterns or yarn that you are considering, etc.  I found Cookie A’s Monkey socks pattern in exactly this way. 

Second, as a stay at home mom, it is really nice to be able to “chat” with others when I’m sitting at home watching endless hours of kid’s movies and cartoons as I’m working on my various projects.  It’s even nicer when these relationships that are developed online transition into the real world.  I’ve met several of my knitty tweeps in real life for knit time at local yarn shops, and they are just as delightful in person!

Third, if you are a seller on Etsy, Artfire, or simply in craft shows, social media is a great way to promote your items and what you are doing!  Pattern notifications, both for sale and that are listed for free… those postings run rampant on Twitter.  Special sales, discounts, and promotions are consistently listed on social media.  I’ve found out about huge sales from Lantern Moon and Blue Moon Fiber Arts through these channels and have saved a ton because of it!

Finally, it can result in great opportunities both for individuals and businesses.  I have made enough connections that I will be working with a dyer and spinner in the future with her new business that she is starting up!  I’ve always been computer savvy, but was late to the social media game.  I am so excited to say that I have embraced it whole-heartedly, and I wish more crafty types would do the same!  It really is a great networking tool, and can be used as much or as little as you like. 

www.twitter.com/naughtyknitterz

 

Holiday Knitting Is A Marathon (by Robyne Devine)

Say what you will about me, but I’ve already begun my 2010 holiday knitting. One of the joys of the holiday season for me is giving the gift of something hand-made; from hats to sweaters to mittens, I love the look on a loved-ones face when they open a package full of items I’ve made just for them.

Gifting handmade takes far more time than gifting store-bought, however. Making each individual item takes a far amount of time – there’s the picking out of patterns and yarn, sizing items properly, not to mention the actual knitting! To keep myself from losing my mind (and giving myself Carpel Tunnel) this November, I’ve already begun my holiday knitting.

Getting your holiday knit on this early is as easy as a few simple planning steps. Here’s how I got myself into the holiday groove so early.

First, I spent some time making my Gift List. I put everyone’s name into a document on my computer, and started to figure out what each person might like. For some, it’s as simple as a hat or a pair of mittens. For others (like my nieces and nephew) something more substantial like a sweater was in order. I made this list as large and “Ideal World Knitting” as possible – practicality comes into play later.

Once the list was made, I started to figure out what I already had yarn for. This is key in getting as many hand-knits made for the holidays as possible, truth be told. If you’re constantly running to the store for more yarn, you’re cutting into precious knitting time and spending far more money than you may want.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find much of the yarn you need in your stash – in my case, I had enough yarn for at least five of the projects on my list. That’s when the fun really starts. I updated my list to reflect the yarn I already had, so that I could start figuring out what yarn I needed. If you don’t know what you need, you won’t know what to get!

I watch the sales at my local yarn shops as well as at the big box stores, and when I saw yarn on sale for a holiday knitting project I wanted to tackle, I snapped it up. Thanks to this, I was able to purchase almost all the yarn I’ll need for holiday knitting before April 1!

Once you have your yarn, or have begun to figure out what yarn you already have for your projects, you can begin knitting! I started knitting some of the smaller items (scarves, mittens, etc) right away. With the weather turning warmer every day here in the Midwest, I don’t want to get bogged down with too many larger pieces on my lap. Plus knocking out a bunch of smaller items will get more names crossed off the list faster – a huge mental boost! Figure out which project you want to knit first, and jump right in!

Finally, I designated an area in my craft room for holiday presents – it’s actually the top drawer of my “knitting dresser” for now. As I finish gift-able hand-knits, I write down basic information (who it’s for, yarn content, care instructions) and pin that piece of paper to the hand-knit so it doesn’t get lost. Then I store finished items until it comes time to gift! You may also want to keep a running list of what you’ve knit up and who it’s for, to help remind you at a glance which projects still need to be tackled. I’ve been using Ravelry for that so far, with much success.

Even if you don’t start your holiday knitting as early as I do, if you love to gift hand-made presents, a little organization can go a long way to keeping your gift-giving in order – and help keep you sane!