Custom Orders Closed! and a note on Social Networks

This post comes with two subjects!

Lanyard Crafting for PAX Prime 2009

Custom Orders Now Closed
Thank you all for your lanyard orders! I came just shy of my 50 cap; perfect. My final materials order for the summer is made, and I'm going into blackout mode. What does this mean? I won't be taking any more custom orders until September. I will, however, be updating my stores at Etsy and Storenvy. Whatever materials I have leftover from custom lanyard orders will be put toward making a few random lanyards to sell online. Their base price will be $50 each, with the usual +$5 per color beyond the standard 2.

This will be the new standard base price starting September 1st.


Any orders I get AT PAX will still start at $40. More on that later.

So many choices!

Knitted Steel's Presence Online
There is a LOT happening with social media and networking right now. It can get a little overwhelming and there is more coming down the pipeline to pay attention to. With two stores, a blog, a facebook, and a twitter, it's getting kind of crazy on this end. I'm going to break it down a little.

Etsy:
I'm getting a little tired of Etsy. Granted, I haven't put a whole lot of effort into it lately. But it seems like the quality's gone downhill since I originally joined. A lot of it is filled with, as Regretsy queen Hellen Killer puts it, Whimsicle Fuckery. Please don't comment on the spelling.

There are some amazing stores on there and some truly wonderful people, groups, communities and products. But it's getting harder and harder to find unique and admirable handicrafts amidst the "vintage" junk, resold Chinese knockoffs and upcycled crap. It doesn't seem like the admins are doing much to clean up the site, either. I am going to slowly let that store disappear as I delve further into Storenvy.

Storenvy:
I really, really like this website. It's customizable, it's free, it's SUPER friendly and it's not yet overrun by people who don't really want to be there. This is where I want to set up shop for now, and this is where I will be posting my lanyard leftovers before PAX this summer. Best of all, Storenvy is still in Beta, which means I can grow as it grows. And speaking of Beta...

Google+:
This is amazing. I got in really early on the Beta and I'm happy I did, because I've been able to add my feedback to its growing pains. One feature I love is the Hangouts. Google has yet to roll out business profiles, but they are taking applications for the business beta. I just filled out the application and I sincerely hope they let me join. I want to implement Q&As and Tutorials via Hangouts. I want to organize my customers by what they're interested in. And I can't wait until Google+ integrates Blogger.

Facebook:
I'm still on Facebook, and I will be for quite some time. It's great for creating events, there's an app for each of my stores and for the most part it's simple to use. I've never been impressed by the privacy settings, and a lot of the customization is just plain confusing. Unless they can announce something truly awesome (and I don't think adding Skype is that awesome, because Skype is nothing new) I'll continue to be unimpressed. Really, the fate of my Facebook page hinges on the future G+ business profile. Even after that launches, I'll likely use my Facebook page to forward links to my G+ page.

Twitter:
I'm at a loss for what to do with Twitter. I get several follows each day, but 99% of them are spam, or other crafters who follow me 3 times per week in hopes that I'll follow them back. I don't like that strategy. Annoying me is not going to make me want to follow you more, fellow Twitcrafters. If I don't show interest in your Twitter feed, don't be offended. It's likely because I hardly log on. I hope to use it more often as Google+ and Storenvy progress, updating with new products and events. For now I just don't have much to offer via Twitter. Don't give it up yet! I won't.

All in all, I hope to streamline my online presence with the help of Storenvy and G+. G+ will especially make everything online more efficient, and Storenvy provides the edge and style more appropriate to my brand than Etsy.

TL;DR - No custom orders until September, and Social Media is running amok. Cheers!

PAX Prime 2011 Lanyards - Order now!

'Tis the season once again to gear up for PAX Prime in Seattle, WA. I'm doing things a little differently this year, so please read this entire post.

First off: All orders must be emailed to me by 11:59pm Pacific Time on July 6th. I'm sticking to a very hard deadline this year with the hopes of preventing burnout.

Second: I am only taking 50 lanyard orders. If the 50-mark is hit, I'll update the blog saying so.

If orders are cut off for either reason (deadline or hard cap), you can still find some lanyards on my Etsy store but I will NOT take custom orders.

Third: Unless you specify otherwise, all lanyards will be hand-delivered at PAX. Time and location TBD, once I get my [Enforcer] schedule.

A new feature of all my lanyards is that the badge clip is affixed to the neck strap with stainless steel, for extra durability. If you have an older lanyard that doesn't have this feature (yet) I'm announcing a soft recall. Find me at PAX during my delivery times and I will upgrade your lanyard for free.

ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Choose your colors.

There is a variety of colors to choose from. For $40 you can have one or two colors. Each additional color is an extra $5. If you want a 3-color lanyard, it's $45, 4-color is $50, etc. These lanyards are made of anodized aluminum. They are brightly colored, durable, lightweight and more often than not have zero negative effects on people with metal allergies. Other metals are available, but often times more costly (contact me for prices), less comfortable and have a tendency to tarnish and leave marks on the skin.

Colors below may vary slightly as I have no control over the anodizing process (think of it like a dye lot for yarn or cloth). Click on the images for the full size, courtesy TheRingLord.com. The second image is bright (silver) aluminum.

Step Two: Choose your stripes.

The lanyard can be given horizontal or vertical stripes. In the image below, you can see a solid (brass, on the left), vertical stripes (blue & yellow on the right) and horizontal stripes (black, purple and silver in the center). If nothing is specified, I will assume you want vertical stripes. Horizontal stripes will be equally sized unless otherwise requested.

Step Three: Contact Me!

I won't know what you want unless you let me know! To order a lanyard, please email me at jules@knittedsteel.net with the following information:

-- Write "PAX PRIME 2011 LANYARD" in the subject line

-- Name & Handle (nickname, gamertag, etc)

-- Your choice of colors and stripes

-- Any other questions or requests

-- Your payment option (paypal or cash)

Step Four: Pay Me Please.

Once I receive your order by email I will reply with your total and arrange payment. You will not receive your lanyard until I receive payment in full, no exceptions! I take PayPal in advance of the convention (preferred), or cash in person.

These lanyards are not exclusive to PAX! In fact, they are in no way affiliated except that I'll be there, enjoying the weekend with the PA community. If you want a lanyard for another event, let me know and I will ship it to you for an additional $3.

If your lanyard becomes damaged, minor repairs are free. If the clip breaks, if the lanyard becomes entangled on something and pulls apart, if a few rings become scratched, I will fix it!

Commissions

I am chugging through these lanyards, and about ready to order the next batch of materials. Below is my pending list of projects. Finished projects are not listed. If you would like to order something, contact me or comment on this post and let me know! I will be making my materials order in the next 2 weeks.

++Commissions++ (Paid = Italics, completed = Bold)

Minja -- 2 bracelets, green/silver 18g 3/16"
Tajah -- red/gold
redhalo -- solid red
nightrunner -- solid bronze ($50)
Predd -- red/blue
Kala -- Turquoise/Orange
Mojo -- fancy watch chain
nightrunner -- fancy watch chain
Gary Fultz -- Camelot bracelet
Jaxx -- blue/black (blue on the outside)
Chelseabot -- blue/purple lanyard + black/blue glow choker ($85)
Rogue_Hunter -- black/violet
Snifit -- Red/Black
Doxy -- green Ti & orange ($50)
MSpencer -- flattened steel ($45)
VThornheart -- Black/Yellow
xxhennersxx -- Black/Pink
Accalon -- blue/silver
Wil Wheaton -- purple/gold
[435] -- Red/Brass ($45)
Turduckin -- Black/Silver/Gold ($45)
Jonny Nero -- black/silver horiz. stripes
Sean Celaya -- flattened steel ($45)
Spectre -- Black/Red
Sweety -- Black/Violet

Please note: If you want your item for a specific date, let me know and I will prioritize accordingly. Cheers all!

Brief Glimpse at PAX 2008

Wow. just wow. Not WoW, although there was plenty of that. just. wow. From what I've heard this was one of the most difficult years to run. I only have last year to compare it to, but my feet were definitely telling me how much I'd worked by Sunday night. I loved every minute of it. I only wish I'd had business cards. I think that'll be my next side project to kill spare time. Cards for Knitted Steel. Why? Because I was showing off my best bling at PAX. If you clicked on the link to Kemper in my last post, you'll have seen this picture:



Those are my friends, Kemper and Haikon. Kemper worked in Line Management and Haikon is personal assistant to the Enforcer Prime, PRD. The photo was taken and provided by the lovely PlusOne. Not an Enforcer, YET. Kemper is also my most awesome customer/model. The vest is blue anodized aluminum scales with steel split rings. It weighs in at just over seven pounds, and took me 115 hours to make. My first shirt! His bracers were new for this year. 16g 5/16" blue anodized aluminum and black EPDM. I used a half-persian 3 in 1 sheet 5 weave for this. In retrospect, I should have used the sheet 6 weave. I think that would have prevented the ends from curling. I'm still very happy with the way they came out, and so is he. That combo plus the hat got him so many compliments over the course of the weekend. It's difficult to see in the picture, but Kemper got MC Frontalot to sign the front of the shirt! HOLY CRAP AWESOME! Since the photo was taken he's collected a few more autographs on the back and shoulders.

I had a few other pieces wandering around PAX as well. Like any good convention, we wear our badges proudly on lanyards. Well, before I found out that this year's lanyards were going to be all cool and glow in the dark, I made a few of my own to give out as birthday gifts. I've yet to find photos of the lanyards on their newfound owners, so here's the one I made for myself to use at work:



Stats: 16g 5/16" (again. I had a lot of leftovers from a previous order) half persian 4-in-1, connecting it at the bottom with 3 in 1 sheet 5. I picked up the badge clip in a 12-pack at Office Depot. It is very sturdy and very comfy. The ones I made for friends were all black, and half black half blue. They work pretty well for holding decorative buttons, too.

There were also some bracelets and other goodies of mine wandering around PAX, but the ones I included here were the ones I really care to show. It was an amazing weekend, and I still can't believe that it is over. I wish it wasn't.