E2K Slipper Giveaway

Typically, I don't get nervous signing on to Etsy. Since opening my shop last April, it has been a place of comfort, a place where I have met so many welcoming and talented people who offer encouragement at the drop of a hat. It has been a place of learning how to run a business, and also a place for learning more about myself.

However, a few weeks ago a thought occurred to me as I began to approach the two-thousand sale milestone. My mind flashed back to my senior year of high school. News stories about the world screeching to a halt on the first day of the year 2000 were everywhere. We all imagined the worst: Airplanes dropping out of the sky, computer screens blowing up in user's faces, medical equipment malfunctions.

Could a similar crash result in the world of Etsy? I shared my ideas with no one, afraid of being labeled a 'scaremonger'. As the event horizon approached I grew increasingly anxious, but this morning as I logged on my fears were assuaged. Two-thousand sales and counting.

The E (for Etsy) 2K Giveaway is born out of that relief. We dodged a bullet folks, and things are still sailing on. In celebration, I am doing something I have wanted to do since starting this blog- a giveaway (now I just have to figure out what to do with 400 pounds of freeze-dried food and 1500 gallons of gasoline we stocked in our bunker. Maybe it will come in handy if Mad Cow rears its head again).

This week, I will be giving away a custom pair of French Press Felted Slippers (MSRP $65). These snugly little flats have been a very hot selling item in my Etsy shop since their inception in April. You may have seen them gracing blogs like the Yarn Harlot, One Pearl Button, littlebrownpen, Dear Golden Vintage, and many others. If not, let me introduce you!

So what do you need to do to enter? Simple! Just leave a comment below with your favorite slipper color and button combo. Make sure you leave an email address where I can contact you.

You can receive additional entries by completing any/all of the options below (make sure you let me know in your initial comment about additional entries):

Follow me on twitter (frenchpressknit) and tweet about this giveaway (make sure you include a link): 1 entry daily

Follow my blog: 2 entries

Subscribe to French Press Knits blog: 2 entries

Become a fan on facebook (French Press Knits Facebook Fan Page) : 1 entry

Blog about this giveaway: 5 entries

Update: You can let me know in one comment how many 'tasks' you completed for additional entries- thanks!

Update: to enter via facebook, become a fan and respond to the link I have posted about this giveaway by hitting the "like" button- this will get your vote counted(even if you were already a facebook fan)

This giveaway will end Friday, February 5th at 11:59 PM. Each entry will be assigned a number and winner will be chosen by random.org. Winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be chosen. This contest is not limited to US residents- anyone can enter!

Friday Finds- Winter White

{Snowy Creek by Imagesbylynnann}

This weekend we will be hanging out with high school students at our youth group's winter retreat. Although there is not much snow here in Michigan, it is cold! Here are a few prints and photographs I found on Etsy to help put me in the 'outdoor' mindset.

These pictures are all so peaceful and serene that when I look at them, I almost believe that I enjoy spending hours outside in sub freezing temperatures. The truth is, I don't, but have planned accordingly. The first items I packed were my knitting needles (not that this is too out of the ordinary for me).

Enjoy your weekend- bundle up, stay warm!

{Winter Cheer Print by sarahjanestudios}

{Cardinal in Snow by NatureMandalas}

{Snowfall Symmetry by Country Dreaming}

{Winter River in Snow Print by bradgoodell}

With a Heart Full of Thanks

There is no doubt that I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. God has blessed me with a wonderful and supportive husband, a loving family, and great friends.

This year took an interesting turn for me. At the beginning of 2009, it had been a while since I had even picked up my knitting needles. In February, I started getting the itch to knit again. Perhaps it was the fact that we kept our house at somewhere between 55-60 degrees due to high propane costs. I decided I wanted to make myself a cowl to wear around the house and started looking for patterns. When I didn't find a pattern I liked, I decided to just play around and figure something out.

By March I began getting ideas for an Etsy shop with knitted goods. I spent time on the forums and got myself all set up. By March 31st, I was up and running (I didn't want to launch on April Fool's Day, after all!).

I never thought about making my patterns available, but that seemed to be what I was getting contacted about the most. I joined Ravelry soon after Etsy, but was scared off. I'm not sure why it intimidated me, but it did. I still regret that decision- Ravelry is AMAZING!

A few months ago I decided to take the plunge and try to put some project pictures up on Ravelry. Soon after posting my French Press Felted Slippers people began to contact me about a pattern. This was when I decided it was time.

On October 12th, I launched the pattern. I was ecstatic to get home from work last week to see this:
I couldn't believe my slippers were the #1 "New and Popular" pattern on Ravelry. I have all of you to thank, and I will say "thanks" with a free pattern!

This is a pattern I promised before, I just worked extra hard to get it our earlier than expected! It is a simple newborn hat that is meant for the hospital. It is made a bit smaller than other newborn hats I have found(which say newborn, but end up being too large). The idea is to give baby a new hat on their first outing- from hospital to home. So I introduce you to "Bring Me Home Hat".

~A simple knitted hat in a true newborn size. Made with the softest organic cotton, perfect for the little one’s delicate skin. This hat is worked in the round on double pointed needles. It starts with a seed stitch brim that is followed with a row of eyelets. It is perfect for expectant parents who do not know if they are having a boy or a girl. They can bring both the pink and blue ribbon with them and have the perfect hat to bring baby home in.~

You can download this free pattern on Ravelry here. Not on Ravelry(you should be...it's free, and as I said before: AMAZING!)? You can download it here.

Besides this wonderful surprise on Ravelry, I also hit 500 sales in my Etsy shop last week. Maybe I'll even hit 50 blog followers today? So, as a second token of my appreciation, I have been working hard to get another pattern available for purchase on both Etsy and Ravelry. My goal is to have it up by next week.

Again, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! This has been so exciting for me and I have loved all the encouraging notes and support.