Knits and Thats: Tits for Tats

It's ALIVE

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:57:00 +0000

Knits and Thats

Providing all the features Etsy couldn't including:

- color options
- size options
- shared categories (ie: an item can be listed in multiple categories without issue)
- subcategories
- CC info not defined by Paypal
- no listing or selling fees
- custom layout, messages, receipts, and newsletters from me, not me with a bit Etsy attached

Multitasking

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:23:00 +0000

Not only am I working on my research, writing my thesis, and the regular Etsy gig, but I've been building my own personal shop on top of it all. I get maybe an hour a day to work on it, though obviously it's not every day I get a chance to. Currently I have maybe 5 items listed, just enough to give me an idea of what tweaks I need to make to have it look and function well.

The shopping cart program I'm using is free and called Zen Cart and I highly recommend them. The only catch is that it has a rather steep learning curve, and I can honestly say I've learned more about CSS and style sheets than I cared to. Still, it's incredibly customizable and it is that feature that drew me to it. I like being able to have templates for products, streamlining the checkout process, and giving an option for proper coupons, gift certificates, and newsletters.

Hats!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Examples of my latest had creations, one knit and one crochet. I have a few others but am lacking the energy to list them all just yet.

It's about dinner time, yet another cup of coffee is calling...

Someone lost their head?

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:44:00 +0000

I got a Styrofoam head for the purpose of photographing and displaying the hats I've made. Since it shipped as a plane, oddly proportioned head I had to go through and even things out via papermache. The end result got blasted with some varnish and was air drying outside (propped up on a broom handle).

Thankfully a crack of thunder this afternoon gave me enough of a warning to bring it back inside before it started to rain. The finish is taking a little longer to finish drying because of the humidity, but hopefully I can start taking pics with it when I get back from lab tomorrow!

PLEASE - spamming Etsy will spoil it for everyone

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:06:00 +0000

There has been a lot of valid concern about Etsy shops and SEO/page ranking with Google. Times are tough and it makes running an online business even tougher when our tried and true methods are drying in the dust. An unfortunate side-effect of this is the "grasping of straws" so many of us do, often without realizing.

We might be bogged down by the distractions of the real world, and one-trick-wonders for improving page ranks and Google search results is even more tempting than usual. It'd be nice to think that spreading the word about your shop, or your Twitter or blog or Facebook would do no harm, but it does. Etsy urls have been banned from a number of social networking sites because of the insincerity and blatant disregard for the sites' Terms of Use.

When Etsy shops, either yours or others, are farmed out like this, it is considered spam. Because NO ONE likes spam, it puts Etsy in an incredibly negative light and cripples its reputation.

So please, take a little bit of time out of your day to read up on these things. Don't just take some guy's word that spamming your shop will get you sales. Here's a great post I recommend to everyone who's interested in learning how to promote and do it right:

Important Google Page Rank Information

"We are not so different, you and I"

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:51:00 +0000

As I sat down at my lab bench today, it occurred to me how incredibly similar my "academic" and "etsy" lives are.

Consider my thesis; a document containing the history of, methods behind, and future of the research I conduct. An entire chapter of my thesis is dedicated to spelling out step-by-step instructions on how to repeat my experiment. These directions need to be clear and understandable, as people may use it for their own research in the future. Missing one step, or explaining one process in a muddled way, could ruin their work and put all the years of mine into question.

While writing knitting and crochet patterns isn't so 'life and death' the same principles apply. Clear instructions. Precise descriptions. Explanation of equipment used and a guide to abbreviated terminology. Without any one of these the product would simply unravel...

Writing out Knitting Patterns

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:10:00 +0000

While it's generally easy for me to read patterns, I'm finding it difficult to write them. I have two down so far, and ultimately plan to make them available on Etsy as a nice PDF. I'm posting the current bare-bone patterns here in an attempt to get feedback and constructive criticism. All the details on needle size and yarn weight would come later, I simply want to make sure the actual patterns make sense.

[edit] Trimmed up as the revised and corrected versions are now available as PDFs in my shop

How Much Is Your Etsy Shop Worth?

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:39:00 +0000

I came across this nifty little #!etsyhack that will tally up how much all the items on your shop total, the average amount, and a few other neat statistics.

Here are mine:
Shop value for Zantie.etsy.com
total $1392.90 (97 items)
low-high $1.95-$60.00
mean $14.36
median $10.00
mode $6.50

My first reaction was "that high?" though the more I think about it, the less 'amazing' that total feels. It's less than what I make in a month as a graduate student, and it took more than a month to accumulate 97 items.

If anything, I've learned that I should to get even more items made to raise a sustainable amount. *and* I have to find a way to do so more efficiently. It's ok if I consider it as a "part-time" income, though it'll need to improve if it were to become anything more.

Kitty Glitter

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:58:00 +0000

This is what happens when I leave the room for a second. Working peacefully on my dress, get up to refill my coffee, then bam! Kitty Rush.

Can't get mad at him though, just too cute :D

Usually I'm all for protecting individual rights but...

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Posted from Overlawyered"

"A bill to extend intellectual-property concepts — and litigation based on those concepts — into the world of fashion and design is pending in Congress. Kathleen Fasanella, whose Fashion Incubator site has done much to advance the CPSIA fight, warns the law will be enough to sink many small apparel and fabric firms that can’t afford lawyers to fight big firms’ infringement claims — and that it could spell an end to her own advisory/website business as well. “If CPSIA was an amputation, the Design Piracy Prohibition Act is a beheading.” A view in favor of the legislation: Counterfeit Chic. The Council of Fashion Designers of America, representing many big-name fashion design houses, has pushed for the bill, while “the largest industry group, the venerable American Apparel and Footwear Association” is opposed, predicting it will lead to “an environment of ubiquitous lawsuits between legitimate companies”."

I understand there are serious issues with copying and out right counterfiting clothing and accessories, but I fail to see where there are any kind of clear cut guidelines. It's hard enough to decipher copyright law, and I have the sinking suspicion that this will confuse it even more.

Full text of Act submitted to the Senate

A Productive Day :)

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 02:06:00 +0000

- Scanned and listed 10 matted prints
- Scanned and listed 8 moleskine journals
- Photographed and listed first messenger bag
- Photographed dress prototype!

For my dress I went through with my own kind of hybrid pattern and whipped up a prototype using some cotton sheets I had from Goodwill. Put together it looks pretty neat, though I'm going to make the two front-most pieces into one, as I don't like that center seam.

I'll need to pad out the hips on my dress form...though leave the top a bit loose since I'm fashioning a corset to wear underneath it. I'm also trying to figure out a way to make the skirt secure yet detachable, but that won't be for awhile I think.

Ultimately there's some tweaking with the pattern, and with a budget of $100 for materials, seeing what kind of fabric would work :)

DIY wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:51:00 +0000

Peter and I got engaged about 2 months ago, and I hadn't really begun to start thinking about actual 'wedding' things until the past day. Part of the difficult we face is that he's in the UK, and we can't do anything until his Fiance' visa is approved. We have no idea when that will be (other than a ballpark 6-9 months) and therefore can't really schedule anything.

What we'll be doing is having a quiet court ceremony done here in the states, and then for our 1st anniversary, celebrate with all of his friends and family in the UK. Given that I'll have at least the rest of this year in time, I figure it'd be nice to put some of my new sewing skills to work.

Updates are likely to be scarce until I finish my thesis in August, but I do hope to post some progress pictures over time.

My Very First

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Yesterday I attended my very first Farmer's Market as a seller. To be honest I was pretty nervous, and slightly under-prepaired (only because I didn't think I'd be in the sun for the last 2 hours).

Despite the sunburn, I had a pretty great experience, and look forward to splitting a booth with Cori and Patty (fellow Etsy members) sometime soon :)

I sell CHILDREN

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:59:00 +0000

I started the Etsy Seller Payment Survey and couldn't help but have a good laugh at this.

FDIC - Rainy Day Fund? - No such luck

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:06:00 +0000

The Boston Globe posted a rather interesting and fully depressing article on the FDIC.

Some key snips:

"The federal agency that insures bank deposits, which is asking for emergency powers to borrow up to $500 billion to take over failed banks, is facing a potential major shortfall in part because it collected no insurance premiums from most banks from 1996 to 2006.

"An important lesson going forward is we need to be building up these funds in good times so you can draw down upon them in bad times."

"Then, a booming economy left banks flush with cash, and by 1996 the insurance fund was considered so large that it could grow through interest payments and fees charged only to banks with high credit risk. Congress agreed that premiums didn't need to be collected if the fund was sustained at a level that was considered safe. Thus, about 95 percent of banks paid no premiums from 1996 to 2006, including some new ones that did not have to pay a premium, the FDIC said.

"Congress mandates that the insurance fund must stay between 1.15 percent and 1.5 percent of all insured deposits. The reserve ratio on Dec. 31 was 0.40 percent, down from 1.22 percent at the end of 2007. The FDIC has increased premiums to increase the reserve ratio, as well as proposing a one-time emergency assessment that could raise as much as $15 billion."

Snow, snow, and more snow

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Usually, I like snow. It's fun to romp around and take pictures of icicles. But there comes a time when there in fact can be too much snow.

That time came and went months ago, yet the snow still persists. A couple weeks ago the wind was strong enough to knock power out for my town, including campus, which made the halls and my windowless lab incredibly spooky.

Thankfully, the power hasn't gone out again since Thursday, which means I can actually work in my lab without fear of my assays being compromised (or getting stuck in the elevator). Unfortunately, with the new layers of snow, it's become difficult to get out of the driveway. For whatever reason the city puts off plowing till the snow is likely to stop (it hasn't yet).

The wonders of off-etsy promotion

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:54:00 +0000

From mid-January to mid-February I had two banner ads on rotation at a forum I frequently visit. The people there are my prime market, and I'd average ~150 views/day. Since my ads have expired, I've watched my views plummet down to roughly <50 views/day. Likewise, my sales have also plummeted.

It's not terrible at the moment, quite frankly a relief (5 doctor's appointments in 2 weeks, I'm ok, just tired). Still, it goes to show how important it is to promote off-Etsy, and that it's not worth renewing items when the same amount of money can easily triple your views and sales!

Diversifying

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Branching out into Paper Goods for a change of pace. Knitted and sewn items are still being constructed, but these are a touch bit faster to make, and loads easier to do when vegging out in front of the tv :)

Aww

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:18:00 +0000

I received a small stuffed panda as an early Valentine's gift. Not only do I think it's lovable and cute, but so does my cat :D

Playing host

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Later this week my lab-mate and I will be hosting two prospective graduate students. They'll be staying here for about 3 days, and while one of those day is scheduled out with meetings and tours, we still need to come up with ideas on what to do off campus.

In some respects I'd like to have a plan and a backup plan, yet I also realize things like taking them to dinner, will largely depend on what they like. Are they vegetarian, is one in the mood for Chinese while the other wants Mexican? Things like that. I am glad to have a lab-mate help me with this. While I've been at this university for ages and know the area pretty well, getting another perspective an input is exactly what's needed. :)

You know that warm, fuzzy feeling inside?

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Received my very first appreciation photo from a buyer. This was sent by thekorubranch, and has me grinning like an idiot :)

Cambridge Who's Who - Likely a scam

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:43:00 +0000

I checked my mail this morning only to find a "complimentary" CD from H&R Block, and a thin letter from a company called Cambridge Who's Who.

They claimed to have already "nominated and approved" me for some kind of representative for female executives and professionals in Pullman. On the back of the letter in small writing it stated, Cambridge Who's Who is proudly NOT associated with any other Who's Who Publication or Organization." As if things weren't already fishy enough...

Google Results!
- The Consumerist - Empire Who's Who Service Gets Imperial
- Rip Off Report - Who's Who uses ego to rip you off
- Creative Arts - Scams to make you feel cool
- Annoyed Librarian - The ALA Sells Me Out to Scam Artists
- Writer Beware - Who's Who Schemes
- DogsCatsKidsLife - Metropolitan Who's Who aka Metropolitan Registries, Inc.
- The Southern Conservative - Who's What? Part II

And published just today!
- The New York Times - Who Are You? Why Are You Here? "Finished entries are not uniformly fact-checked."

Another odd and disappointing note is that all of the links I found directing to the BBB are now 404. I was hoping to get in a good read on their complaints list, oh well :(

Psychiatrist knits anatomical brain

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Psychiatrist knits anatomically correct woolly brain

Dr Norberg used different colours to represent parts of the notoriously complex organ.

The frontal cortex is cream and pale green, the visual cortex a mix of blue, purple and turquoise while the hippocampus is made up of baby pink wool.

The two sides of the nine inch brain - one and a half times life size - are joined together by a zip with the cerebellum knitted in blue and spinal cord trailing off in white strands of wool.

Dr Norberg, from the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said she was determined to finish her challenge once she had started: "It was a labour of love.

"For me, there were two humorous aspects. One was simply to undertake such a ridiculously complex, time consuming project for no practical reason.

"The second was the idea of making a somewhat mysterious and difficult object - a brain - out of a 'cuddly', cheerfully coloured, familiar material like cotton yarn."

Dr Norberg said the wool lent itself to creating the right "rippling" effect for parts of the brain and was easier to manipulate than other materials.

"The process of construction was much more similar to the actual growth of a real brain than it would have been if I'd been using a material such as clay or metal," she said.

"You can see very naturally how the 'rippling' effect of the cerebral cortex emerges from properties that probably have to do with nerve cell growth.

"In the case of knitting, the effect is created by increasing the number of stitches in each row."

Dr Norberg said she started knitting the individual parts of the brain - such as the cerebellum, brainstem and amygdala - separately before bringing them together.

Her patience paid off and the woolly brain is now on display at the Boston Museum of Science.

The psychiatrist is now looking for other ways of using her creativity: "I'm thinking of posters or t-shirts, but I am not so sure whether people will want to walk around with a knitted brain on the front of their clothes."

No Effing Way

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:34:00 +0000

I've been selling on Etsy for...5 months now (almost to the day) and had my shop for 3 weeks of time period. And while I still feel like a newbie at a lot of this, and that I'm flattered and amazed each time I find an item in a treasury, I had never expected to be on a Gift Guide. To me that'd be like making the Front Page, though the trade off in exposure is time increase granted.

The only clue that one of my items was being featured somewhere was all the favorites it kept getting. I merely assumed someone had been passing it around in an email, or posted about it on their blog. It took a congratulatory convo from another seller to make me realize the scope of things.

Goddamn. First breaking 60 sales and now this? I'm ecstatic but honestly, it also feels like I'm in a car that's gradually accelerating and there aren't any brakes. At what point will time conflicts between research and etsy become too much?

Ah, updating from the lab

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:51:00 +0000

A few prints have been put up on Seasonal Snaps and they're getting some nice views.

I also want to mention quickly how glad I am that Etsy has finally implemented Google Analytics. It's not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than no statistics, and aside from the odd search keyword, my stats have been quite accurate. Some of my items have been posted on a forum that I frequent, and it shows the hits from that thread. It also shows the hits I receive from the ad I purchased just a few days ago! So sure it might be screwy if you want to know if people are finding your shop from Showcases or Etsy threads, but the main positive I'd like to focus on is that we now have the stats for off-Etsy advertising and promotion, and that's really the most important.

Right, the timer for my DNA samples has gone off, time to get back to work :)