Sale!

My current coupon code at www.etsy.com/shop/ThatSingularAnomaly is BICYCLE. Enter it at checkout for a 25% discount and help me get my bicycle fixed!

My Current Obsessions

Crochet (obviously) and Sherlock BBC. It sets Sherlock Holmes in modern-day London.

Behold!

I'm trading this one with a tumblr user who blogs as though they were actually Moriarty, to use as a voodoo doll, in exchange for a diabolical Moriarty-themed notebook. But you can order one custom-made at http://www.etsy.com/listing/94369861/sherlock-plush .

Mad as a Crocheter

I bought a miniature top hat for costuming purposes, only to find that the band was a little too small for comfort. So I made this fellow instead. Care to join the tea party?

Geeky Hats Galore

(Available at www.etsy.com/shop/ThatSingularAnomaly as well as in the sidebar on the lower left of this very blog.)

Perfect for a five-person tag flash mob, making silly sound effects all the while!

I made the ghost beanies and then had no idea how to make the central figure we know and love, until a friend suggested it be in beret form.

I actually made the whole beret, start to finish, this afternoon and evening. Then I was contemplating the colors of yarn I have available - I use Plymouth Dream Baby acrylic because Old Town Yarnery carries it for $4 a decent hank and it's soft and machine washable - and my covetousness towards a friend of mine's Jayne hat from the show Firefly, one of my absolute favorites. So I went on Etsy and looked at the various designs and came up with this in about two hours:

This one is available on a made-to-order basis, because that used up all my solid orange yarn and I want to keep it for myself. I'm very proud of it and am restraining myself from singing "The Hero of Canton".

So this is how I've been trying to healthily expend my manic energy. Now for another pair of fingerless gloves and hopefully I'll be able to sleep.

Etsy Notes

I haven't had any online sales in a while, though a few face-to-face commissions. My Etsy store is still raising funds for Save Kelsey's Heart, the medical fundraiser, and throughout the month of February HEART4HEART will get you 40% off anything in that shop.

Meanwhile, I've been included in a treasury, hooray! The other people in it are great and I am proud to be in their company. Go to http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTY3NzQxM3wyMDM0NTM4MDk4/rawr to see it, and preferably click on things.

Hail Cupidthulhu!

To the sides you can see my Cupidthulhu prototype. I will be offering them mid-January onwards when my shop reopens after Break, just in time for Valentine's Day shoppers. I stopped using Red Heart and now use solid-color Cascade yarn from Old Town Yarnery. It costs more, but not too much more, and is much, much more pleasant to work with. I will be charging $17 to fellow students in person and $22 online for these pink ones, because the buttons drive up cost of materials (as opposed to the standard green, which are $15 in person and $20 online). I think it's worth it though, for teh cutes.

Sigh. Got a Chinese exam this afternoon, even though I'd rather huddle in my room and drown my sorrows in yarn. Until next time.

I'm making little Cthulhus again

During Winter Break my Etsy will be in vacation mode, but I will be building up stock and taking photographs in preparation. I've found Red Heart kelly green yarn works fine for Cthulhus, though if I marathon crochet the rough texture hurts my fingers. Have to take breaks.

I will also be adding samplers to the mix, since I have rediscovered my love of embroidery. Going to Hobby Lobby today to get safety eyes and embroidery hoops.

Black Friday Sale to Save Kelsey's Heart

My Etsy shop is currently having a 50%, yes, 50% off sale. This goes all weekend. Proceeds are going to benefit Save Kelsey's Heart. Use the code BLACKFRIDAY to get the discount.


Here is Kelsey's explanation of the situation:

When I was born, I started turning blue (known as cyanosis). My mother’s doctor in Denison had me care-flighted to Medical City. Once there, they sent me to Children’s Medical Center. They did tests and concluded that I was born with a congenital heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot. The word “tetralogy” indicates that there are four abnormalities when ToF is present. Two of my main problems were that the valve used to pump blood to my outer extremities was missing, and I had a hole in my heart. I had my first surgery on October 13, 1990, when I was barely one day old. The doctors put in a temporary shunt to basically keep me from dying until I could have a total repair surgery. They said that they did not want to operate on a newborn heart unless it was absolutely necessary. I had my open heart surgery to repair the birth defect on January 31, 1992, when I was fifteen months old.

Babies who are born with ToF are supposed to have regular check-ups done by a cardiologist, usually every eighteen months or so. During the course of my life, my parents gained and lost insurance due to their income. While I was still covered, however, my cardiologist told my parents that I would probably need the valve that was constructed for me replaced when my heart reached adult size, because the valve would not grow with the heart, thus not allowing the heart to pump properly. According to the American Heart Association, “Some long-term problems can include leftover or worsening obstruction between the right pumping chamber and the lung arteries. Another problem can be a leaky pulmonary valve and enlargement of the heart’s right side. Patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot have a higher risk of heart rhythm disturbances called arrhythmias. Sometimes these may cause dizziness or fainting.”

In 2007, I was without insurance and started having symptoms concurrent to those attributed to patients whose valves had been repaired initially and were beginning to malfunction as described above once they entered adulthood. I voluntarily went a local emergency room, but nothing was done. I also visited my former pediatrician in 2008, who suggested that I see a cardiologist on the grounds that he suspected that I had acute ventricular tachycardia. However, I was again unable to see a cardiologist for lack of funds.

I dealt with these issues up until early 2011. In April, I had to be taken to the emergency room by ambulance because I could not breathe, walk, or talk, and my heart felt like it was quivering and skipping beats. Once there, they put me on an EKG machine and gave me a halter monitor to wear for a few days, which would then supposedly be analyzed by a cardiologist, but yet again, there was no way to see a cardiologist because I could not afford it. After this, I visited a local general physician at a clinic that has a fixed rate for all doctor’s visits. He diagnosed me with tachycardia and angina, simply from my descriptions, because he could not “catch it” with his stethoscope. No additional tests were done. Again, I was told that I needed to see a cardiologist, because he could not do more for me, as he was not a specialist in that area. He informed me, however, that he strongly believed that it had to do with the valve that I had replaced when I was fifteen months old, and that I should see a cardiologist soon. I told him that I had no insurance and no way to pay to see a cardiologist, and he gave me a prescription for a beta-blocker, that acted as an anti-arrhythmia medication. It helped for a while, but when my prescription ran out, the doctor refused to refill it.

My symptoms are getting progressively worse and I have been forced to quit college and stop working, because the strain is too much on my heart. I am getting denied insurance coverage by every company that I apply to because of my pre-existing conditions. I can no longer do simple, everyday tasks such as laundry or grocery shopping, because these “attacks” happen more severely and more frequently when I am active. However, they also happen when I am at rest; sitting in a chair or lying in bed. I feel as if I will pass out, and sometimes I do black out for a few seconds, my heart sort of shakes and quivers and seems to skip beats and I cannot breathe without gasping for air. I turned twenty-one years old on October 12, 2011.

There are a lot of causes out there, but this one is very important for me. She's only a few days younger than me but that's way too young. Without this surgery she will die. With it she will live. I like a clear-cut case once in a while. Also, what better way for me to mend a metaphorical hole in my heart than play a role in saving a woman with a literal hole in her heart?

Seller in Need

Wick'd Creation makes cool shaped and scented soaps and jewelry. FRIENDS20 will get you a 20% discount at checkout. I would buy from her myself if I were not trying to break my shopping compulsions and not spending non-essential money for the next month.

Take a look.

Gloves, gloves, gloves

I now offer shipping to countries besides the USA.

Etsy Shop Reboot

I had a few products in an Etsy shop ages ago that did not sell, and my conclusion is that my presentation was very poor and amateurish. Now that I have a much better camera and have invested in a wooden posable artist's hand sculpture to model my fingerless gloves, I hope to do better. I have also ordered a tripod to overcome how my hand tremors keep making the pictures blurry no matter how many times I take them.

My model is a lady disembodied hand named Entity - after "Thing" from The Addams Family. I've already become quite fond of her.

This is the shop.

And these are the current products:

URGENT NEED

An Etsy seller is in severe financial straits because of tumors and a lack of health insurance (curses upon the American system!) Go to her blog or her facebook page

for details. If you are able to, check out her shop or the shop of items donated to help her and buy something. They have a lot of cool stuff. If you can't, please tweet, blog, fb like, or favorite items on Etsy.

Thanks!

A New Subject for the Blog

I have been an avid crocheter for quite some time now, and though I have had limited experience selling things on Etsy, I have become quite devoted to the site and to the hilarious satire of it, Regretsy. Now I have joined April's Army in order to assist sellers in need.

"During the last week of each month, we sell a variety of items contributed by Regretsy.com fans. All profits are donated to Etsy artists and others in need. Over $70,000 has been raised by the Regretsy community for a number of great causes. To learn more, please see www.regretsy.com/charity

April's Army designates one person or charity to receive each month's profits. For July 2011, the recipient is April's Army Founder and Etsy seller WickdCreation. Mary and her husband are both unemployed and are faced with medical bills and possible eviction. They need our help to get back on track."

It is the sad truth that regular jobs are unreasonably difficult for many to come by during the current recession, and with unemployment and health benefits being slashed, any hand up for someone who is working hard to be an entrepreneur can be vital.

I am also working on expanding what little media fiefdom I have manage to build up (cue evil laugh), so I am thinking that Nat and Ferdinand plushes are just the beginning of how my writing career can have a useful partnership with crafters. Tie-in merchandise, even on a small scale, helps build a brand, and is a lot of fun to boot.

Thus, I unveil my multi-prong plan:

1. I am inviting April's Army sellers to do guest posts on this blog, much as I do with other Eternal Press authors.

2. When I see something that I think people who like my books will like, and it's being sold by someone in Team April, I will pimp it here.

3. As my discretionary income comes in bit by bit, I will slowly build a stockpile of custom-made Laconia merchandise to use for promotional giveaways and charity auctions.

Sounds good? I'm excited. Let's make this happen in our artistic ability!

A Ferdinand to Keep the Nat Plush Company

House of Plush again. Suzanne works really fast.

Oh Ferdy, I can't wait to get you in the mail and give you and Nat huggles. He's even got a little journal and pencil to write poems and stories in!

I commissioned a Nat plush!

Isn't he lovable? I got him from http://www.etsy.com/people/houseofplush for just $20 plus $3 shipping. She finished him in just one day! I think I have to get a Ferdinand to keep him company.

One of my new hobbies is giving a boost to Etsy sellers in need. Suzanne Gregg is currently unemployed through no fault of her own, and Etsy is her sole income at the moment, so supporting her would definitely be a great thing to do.