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!

Etsy, Regretsy and Resellers

I've had my Etsy store for a few years now, and when I first joined I thought the company and community were fantastic. Handmade goodies everywhere, the admins and crafters were happy and nice, and I felt like I had a fighting chance at selling some of my stuff.

Now, my sales could be much better if I put some more effort into it (and I intend to), but I've noticed a startling trend of late - resellers are taking over. April Winchell aka Helen Killer over at Regretsy brought my attention to it in her fabulously snarky way. It's tough to compete with resellers. They buy cheap stuff from China, Tibet, etc. and jack up the prices until they're similar to (yet slightly lower than) many of the gorgeous handmade products that Etsy has to offer.

For the first time in months, I took a look at the front page Featured Treasury and noticed a familiar pocket watch. Last year I went shopping for Steampunk fob watches on eBay and discovered a multitude of cheap, mass-produced watches. I snatched one up for $5 and planned to someday spruce it up with a Knitted Steel watch chain and sell it as a complete piece on Etsy - focusing on the chain and using the watch as an accent. When I saw the watch in the Featured Treasury (April noticed it too) I decided to explore the seller.

Lo and Behold, I found my $5 fob watch... and again. Look at the prices. Look at the other watches in that shop. There are a LOT of shops like this. Buying cheap bulk items that look handmade and vintage, and reselling them, is against Etsy's terms of use. So why are they promoting this crap on the front page? Why aren't these shops being shut down? Why does Etsy punish those who notice rather than exile those who blatantly ignore the Terms? This community doesn't look so friendly anymore.

Image Credit: Helen Killer, Regretsy.com

Thank you, April, for bringing this to light in such a hilarious and simultaneously serious way. I was nervous to participate in the forums when I first joined Etsy. Now, I'm afraid. I love constructive criticism. I love having a sense of humor. Neither of those seem welcome in that community.

I do like my watch. It's nice, durable, and an excellent addition to any steampunk costume. But you can't have it; it's unique! If you'd like an identical, unique, handmade pocket watch, I've put together this lovely Treasury of my own for you to peruse. Please enjoy. I'll let you know if something happens to my store because of this.

If any of you dear readers out there know someone who knows how to make and maintain a secure online store, please contact me at jules (at) knittedsteel -dot- net. I can't offer much compensation other than product and promotions; perhaps some graphic design?

ComiCon!

Just a quick post, which I will update later with stories of shenanigans.

Click the link below to see the Q13 FOX Photo Gallery from ECCC! It was great to represent work and have a different reason to attend a show. I've now been volunteer, vendor AND media at various conventions and fairs. Volunteer's still my fave, I think.

http://tinyurl.com/ECCCpics

When I return, I shall tell the tale of how one group of crazies invaded a small pizza place/bar and used up all their drinkware.

2011 Conventions

What a busy year this is already shaping up to be! How is it March already?! With March comes madness, and with madness comes SPARTAAAAAA!

Just kidding. But March DOES bring the beginning of the convention circuit for my 2011, and that makes me a little crazyface with excitement.

First up is this weekend - Emerald City ComiCon
  For the first time ever, I'll be representing with a media badge! I snagged one through work, so if you see me at the show my hands will be full of camera lens rather than pliers. When I return to work Sunday I'll weed through all my photos and post them on one of our websites. I hope to take a LOT of cosplay photos, so if you're dressed to the nines (or Seven of Nine) come find me and I'll take some pics.

Next weekend (March 11-13) - PAX East
  I'm still sad to be missing this one. I know my fellow Enforcers will take good care of the show and its attendees, but it feels weird to miss a PAX after working every one since 2007. This doesn't stop me from participating, though. I just finished up a bit of a secret project for a very cool attendee. I can't say/show what it is now, but I will post again once the show is over.

There's a big break around summertime. I'll either be feverishly cranking out lanyards and wedding invites in this time, or I'll find a show somewhere to go to. Maybe one of the local street fairs around Seattle/Bellevue? Another Punk Rock Flea Market?

To start the fall off in the last weekend of August - PAX Prime
  Back to the normal shenanigans and lanyards, dicebags and earrings. I'll be enforcing again, as well as setting some time aside for personal maille deliveries at the show.

A few weeks later (October 8-9) - GeekGirlCon
  Despite the fact that I won't be attending due to a schedule conflict, I may still get to represent. No official announcements yet, but I'm talking with another vendor about carrying some of my goodies. If that pulls through, I'll let you all know which booth is the coolest.

It just won't end! (October 14-16) - SteamCon III
  A lovely con with amazing costumes and creativity, I've had the wonderful opportunity to work in the art room for the past two shows. I hope to do so again this year, and maybe have some space of my own if I can get some show-worthy pieces put together in time. Last year we had an open wall from a no-show artist (artists, NEVER leave your wall blank) so I got to fill it with my sea nymph costume. Since this year is along that 20,000 Leagues theme, I may submit the costume as a feature piece.

I'm always looking for more! If you know of an art/craft/nerd show around Puget Sound, I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment or drop me an email with details. Cheers!

Wow, This Place Got Dusty.

After a long absence, it's time to write again. I took a bit of an unexpected, unannounced hiatus from the world of mailling and small business, and I apologize profusely to those I've inadvertently ignored. It was nothing personal, nor was it in any way professional. I have a back log of orders now that I will address this weekend and get everything straight.

So what happened? A helluva lot! After PAX I was a little burned out on maille. I picked up knitting as a hobby again (a hobby to escape a hobby?) as well as a second part time job, a weekly sport, and most importantly and wonderfully - I got married. Life has been blissfully crazy and busy and amazing since October. Now with the new year and practically a whole new life, it's time to get back at it!

Coming up first: PAX East. I will unfortunately not be attending this year. 2010 was a whirlwind and I'm sad I can't make it back, but I am still making lanyards. I won't be taking any more orders for this show, but I plan to get through the orders I have stacked up now. Again, I apologize for keeping anyone waiting!

This new hobby, knitting, is just that: pure hobby. I have no intent whatsoever to sell any knitted goods as they are all made either out of love, or out of experimentation. I do, however, plan to incorporate this hobby into Knitted Steel with a side project called Steely Knits. I will be opening a second Etsy shop to sell knit and crochet patterns, as well as maille knitting supplies including fancy stitch markers. The shop (not yet open) will be at steelyknits.etsy.com. Yay! Patterns will include hats, gloves, scarves, cowls, and maybe even handbags and range in difficulty from super easy to intermediate. I'm still working on pricing and such, but they will be sold either in PDF or printed formats.

My next huge goal is to become a vendor at Geek Girl Con, whenever that happens this year. I have high hopes for this show, and after meeting some of the organizers at their last fund raising concert, I'm even more excited. If I get the space, I will be stocking my table with loads of jewelry, lanyards, hopefully some knitting patterns, and maybe some bigger projects like the fishnet shirts and bikini top I still have. Time to really get serious about this stuff.

Before/After GGC, I will most definitely be attending PAX Prime again. I'm still far, far away from ever becoming a vendor there, and honestly I prefer the Enforcer shift anyway. I will be taking orders for Prime lanyards and goods after East is over, and I will make an official announcement for that. Sometime between now and then, KnittedSteel will also be getting its own Facebook page. The account is already active but it is completely bare. Another announcement will be made once that's up and running more than just bare bones.

GGC UPDATE: UGH. Looks like GeekGirlCon just announced the dates and other than PAX Prime weekend, this is the only other weekend this YEAR that I can't do. The only way I can attend now is if other plans (which take extreme priority over a convention) end up moving. I'll know for sure in a week or two. Boourns!

In the meantime, I need to work and work more and hobby more and exercise and love my hubby and ohmagawdsomuchtodooooo! Here are some links entirely unrelated to maille, but I think you may still enjoy.

www.lionbrand.com - has some great free knitting patterns that have taught me new methods and inspired some of my own patterns
www.curlingseattle.org - For the Puget Sounders, Curling is a hilariously fun sport and this club is having open houses in February and March! Go try it out for $15.
www.ravelry.com - for you serious knitters, this is the best community I've found online for all things yarn-related. Patterns, forums, friends, and oodles of knit/crochet photos.
Jonny Nero Action Hero - An amazing chiptunes artist who performed at the GGC fund raiser. Everyone NEEDS to check out his first album, EXPERIMUTATIONS.

There's a new convention in town

As if Seattle wasn't jam-packed with enough stuff for gamers to do, an up and coming convention is about to bring some more feminine wiles to the community. Check out GeekGirl Con if you haven't heard of it yet.

Set to premiere next year, it's going to focus on the softer awesomer side of gaming and I hope to snag a vendor spot in the expo hall. But before that can happen, the convention needs funding to run.

To help the show organizers along, I've donated one of my lovely lanyards to auction! It's going on right now, and ends Friday night at 5pm. The lanyard is pictured below - pink, silver and black. It normally retails for $45, and I'd be sad if anyone bid lower than that. Very sad indeed. Step it up! Send bids to sponsor@geekgirlcon.com ASAP if you want it.