Hi There, Knitterati:

Several items for this week:

Reminder: First Time customers can still get 20% off their first order from the BRS page -(http://www.knitivity.com/blog-reader-specials/ OR the Custom Dyes page (http://www.knitivity.com/custom-dyes/) . Just tell me in your emailed request that you’re a “newbie”, I’ll check the records for name/email, and write up your request to reflect your discount!. This offer expires tonight; i.e., your email request must be time-stamped before midnight tonight.

I’ve spent the day (a couple of days, actually)  hauling yarns outside and back inside hoping for all these yarns (3 racks of them!) to get dried enough for reskeining and packing.  It doesn’t look like many will get shipped tomorrow, which means Sunday will be a work day and Monday will be a shipping day.  Yayyy.

There are still several skeins of Primo, a few empty skeins of Indulgence and a couple Knitterman’s Fingering that can be ordered if you are interested in something in particular.  I’ll be turning them into Blog Reader Specials this weekend if they aren’t spoken for soon.

Knitterman’s Dozen
Several years ago, back when I was still using hang-tags on the yarns instead of bands, I had a loyalty program called “Knitter’s Dozen” — very simply, you purchased yarns and saved the hang tags; when you collected a dozen, you mail them back to me and claim a free skein of yarn.

I preferred this instead of “Sock of the Month” or similar subscription plans where you paid up front and whatever was dyed is what you got, like it or not.  My way allows customers to select what they want, when they want, and send in their collected labels at their leisure.

Near as I can recall, only two, perhaps three people actually took advantage of the idea (and one stands out because she sent back 36 tags at one time!), but I’m wondering if this is something you would want again?

So far, only one person that I recall has commented on the fact I included a stitch pattern inside the bands during one month in the summer.  There is not a lot of space, but room enough for simple patterns, tips, charts on the reverse of the labelling bands.  Is this something you would want or find useful?  I have to print labels anyway, so it wouldn’t increase the cost of the yarns to include a little lagniappe on the back.

With several dyers leaving, I’m hoping to expand and remain viable for the long haul.  I’ve made it for 7 years, and would love to make it to ten!   I’ve tried to stick with consistently available, fairly standard yarns, rather than the come-and-go trends, and find my niche with color rather than fanciful fibers that look dated in a year or two.  If you have ideas that would improve my product, please do speak up.

Meanwhile, Friday evening has arrived in Houston, and it looks like it is almost Beer O’Clock!

Happy Yarning!

Ray Whiting

knitivity.com