Thanks for joining me the past several weeks as I took you on this odyssey of Knittn’ Kitten projects! Especially to those of you outside of Portland who can’t physically make it to the Kitten! For those of you who ARE in Portland but haven’t checked out the store, you really should! Make a date with your craftiest friend and hit this store up. I promise you won’t be disappointed!! Also, if you’re in the vicinity, you should definitely sign up for the store email list because if you do, you’ll be able to take part in super events like yesterday’s super secret invite-only sale! Susan, Diane and I went to the store with our invitations in hand (okay, not really – they were virtual invitations), parked in the back of the store, and entered in the secret invite-only entrance, and we found the mother lode of fabulous goodies to purchase.

Look: a bin of fabulous vintage fabric at super prices. Susan picked up that brown/black/cream piece to make curtains for her awesome retro rec room! I got some Betty Draper/Mad Men pink and beige plaid — fabulous!

I also snapped up this big piece of vintage Tall Ships fabric! I love all things tall ship, so this was a score. Not sure what i’m going to do with it, though – any suggestions? I got 3 yards.

I kept looking at this amazing hand-dyed silk ribbon (originally $25, only $5 at the Kitten), but I didn’t know what I would do with it. I left it there – wonder if anyone else snatched it up yesterday, or if it’s still there?

There was a stack of Christmas fabric (and some fall-themed fabric next to it that I didn’t photograph).

Ethel added some new vintage linens to the VL room!

Here’s Diane’s amazing sample project & accompanying sheet for patchwork dishtowels.

Which brings me back to this week’s project, which is by Bridget Benton and is super cool: a recycled t-shirt and doily scarf! So pretty! Bridget said about her project:

“This project sheet was inspired by a scarf pattern I saw in Generation T: Beyond Fashion by Megan Nicolay and by all the awesome crochet-adorned garments in, yes, Crochet Adorned by Linda Permann. I can’t crochet, but I can sure as heck buy crocheted doilies from the Knittn’ Kitten, and experiment with 100 ways to get them off the couch and onto my clothes . . . I heartily encourage you to do the same!”

This is my last post about the free Knittn’ Kitten projects EXCEPT for the soon-to-be-released eBook collection of all these free patterns, which I’ll let you know about as soon as it is available.

Oh, and here’s a shot of Baby Gideon, who joined us for the shopping expedition:

He’s a month old today! Can you believe it?

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What do you think about Social Media (by which I mean social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter)? Do you use them? Have you jumped in with both feet? Do you spend too many hours a day on them? Are you afraid to dip your toe in? Do you have absolutely no use for them?

I use both Facebook and Twitter, but for different reasons. I keep Facebook mostly personal, to keep track of friends and family I know in real life (or have a pretty comfortable online friendship with). I use Twitter as an outlet for my more online crafty pursuits, sharing good craft links, links to my current online crafting offerings, connecting with online crafty acquaintences, and sharing and some personal (but not too personal) insights about my life. Follow me on Twitter — be sure to send me a note to introduce yourself!

I signed up for Twitter a couple years ago, but started using it regularly last year after Sister Diane from CraftyPod wrote about how much she enjoyed it. I now use it as a part of my everyday online crafty life.

Well, Sister Diane recently wrote an eBook called “Social Media for your Crafty Business,” about, you guessed it, using social media sites as a tool for your crafty business.

If you are looking for a hardcore online marketing bible about giving people the hard online sell, this is not the book for you. But if you’re looking for an honest and down-to-earth guide to what really works in your online social community, Sister Diane’s book is a great resource.

This book isn’t shy in telling you that old-school, traditional “broadast marketing” (think traditional one-way advertising where the marketer sends out a message to everyone and there is no back-and-forth between sender and receivers) probably isn’t the most effective way for you to use your social networking time and presence. The book will tell you how to build trust and relationships with people in your social network, and why that is the best way for you to use social networks to their best advantage in your crafty business.

Who is the book for? Those who are already involved in social networks (specifically Twitter and Facebook), or wish to be, and who have a crafty business or blog, etc. that they’d like to tie into their presence on social networks.

What will you learn from the book? General info about social networking, friends and followers, and how to provide value in the social networking space. Also, tips for using social media to its fullest, and managing your time on social networks.

What I like about it: This book has a lot of information, and a lot of good principles to think about. It will help you determine why you are involved in social networks, what you hope to accomplish on social networks, and help you make a plan for using them. Sister Diane writes in an engaging voice, is easy to read, like a friendly note from someone who really wants to help you.

Where to get it: It’s available at the CraftyPod Shop for $12.50

FTC Disclosure: Thanks to Sister Diane for providing a free review copy of her eBook for this article.

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This week’s free pattern from the Knittn Kitten is by one of my favorite crafters of all time, Lee Meredith of Leethal Designs. These Lined Zippered Knit Coin Pouches are so nice – definitely something to add to the Holiday crafting list! Lee says:

I had fun combining knitting and hand sewing together in this project, and seeing the different pouch types you can get from different gauges. This isn’t exactly a quick project, with all the hand sewing (at least not for me!) but it’s so satisfying when it’s finished and looks all neat, with the bias tape and lining.

Be sure to stop by the Knittn Kitten this week to pick up your free project sheet along with all the materials you’ll need to make your own batch of these cute coin purses.

For those outside of Portland, we’ll be offering all the patterns together in a free e-book when our in-store promotion is done! Stay tuned for details!

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Portlanders, this week’s free project sheet at Portland’s Knittn’ Kitten is brought to you by Susan Beal, of West Coast Crafty and author of books, her most recent being the excellent jewelry-button mashup, Button It Up! Stop by the shop and request the project sheet and pick up supplies to whip up a bunch of these adorable pincushions, then mark some people off your holiday giving lists — simple, isn’t it?

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Ooh, aren’t these cupcake appliques so cute? You can use them to adorn anything! Yum! Thanks to Christine from Flapper Girl, who created the free project sheet for Portland’s favorite craft thrift store, Knittn’ Kitten! If you are a Portlander, swing by the store this week to pick up the free project sheet, and some supplies to make these tasty treats.

This tutorial features easy-to-follow instructions and full scale pattern (no resizing is necessary!) to make your own iron-on cupcake patches from felt! The finished patch measures 3.5″ high from the top of the cherry to the bottom of the cup, and 3″ across at the widest point. The tutorial also includes instructions on how to attach the patch to your garment.

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