YG is FINALLY Open!

Come join in the celebration as Yarny Goodness has finally reopened for business! New artists will be added every day or two, and I hope to add many over the weekend.

There are many new features (internal), and we will also be having an Artist of the Month. That artist will be announced on the home page of the shop; I'm also hoping to have each artist dye a special skein (or create a special notion) for the shop.

Welcome back!

Shop to Reopen Thursday, June 18th

Finally... the shop is scheduled to reopen Thursday, June 18th! It's been a long and difficult time, but I think that everything is as settled as it's going to get. We'll be having a 15% off sale through Sunday to celebrate. Come and see all the new artists and merchandise. I hope to see you there!

One-Year Anniversary Sale!

Yarny Goodness is pleased to celebrate our first anniversary by having a one-week sale. Beginning Monday, March 9th and running through Friday, March 13th, everything in the shop will be 20% off. New items will also be added during the week, so keep checking to see what's listed!

Thank you for your loyal patronage this past year. We hope to see you often during this year, too!

http://yarny-goodness.com

Shop Open for Business

Since we're now in our new home (although not completely unpacked), I've opened the shop for business again. There may be a slight delay in getting orders out because I have to continue digging out stock, but please feel free to shop. I'll also be adding several new vendors in the next few weeks, so watch the site for an announcement.

We'll be celebrating our one-year anniversary next month and will be having a sale to commemorate the event. Watch for news of the sale here, at:

http://yarn-goddess.blogspot.com

through iContact, and on Ravelry at the Yarny Goodness forum.

Thank you for your loyal patronage!

15% Off Sale

We're having a 15% off sale December 8, 2008 through December 9, 2008. Come on by and pick up some unique gifts at a great price!

http://yarny-goodness.com

Yarny Goodness Is New Again

Hello everyone... Hubster here.

We've been reading over the referral statistics for Yarny Goodness, and we noticed that quite a lot of folks are coming over via this site here, even though we haven't updated it since April 2008.

So, for those of you monitoring this blog, we wanted to let you know about what's new and interesting on Yarny Goodness.

• New Vendors!
  
  We now have work from 84 artists from which to choose.


• New Stuff!
  
  We're no longer just limited to yarn and roving along with a few notions. We now carry yarns of all weights, soaps, balms, gifts, patterns, bags, gauges, knitting needles, crochet hooks, needle cases, spinning accessories, ... Well, you get the idea.


• New Style
  
  We've redesigned the website so that it's a bit more compact and easier to navigate.


• Easier Browsing
  
  The left column on all of our pages now has a directory of all of our items grouped by category (what-is-it) and artist (who-makes-it). There's also a built-in search function that allows you to search for just about anything, such as all merino, fingering-weight yarn in blue.

Thank you for supporting us and our indie artists! Don't forget to tell your friends about us too! :)

We look forward to seeing you at the shop.

FLAT FEET ARE MARCHING INTO THE SHOP TOMORROW!

I know... I said I wouldn't use this blog for shop news, but not enough people are reading the shop blog yet. This is too important to risk having you miss, so here it is:

FLAT FEET WILL BE STOCKED IN THE SHOP TOMORROW, APRIL 9th (Wednesday).

I'm sorry for shouting, but this is just too cool.

I've been waiting for these since February, and they finally arrived today. They are too cool for words. We'll be taking pictures tonight and posting them - they'll be there when you get up tomorrow morning or arrive at work (or whatever). I can't give you an exact time; as usual, I'll be working all night to get them listed. They come in warm, subdued, and cool, and within those categories, there are bright, neutral, and pale. It's difficult for me to tell what they are (unless it's on the label - I haven't looked yet), but you'll see the colors as true as we can get them.

For those of you who don't know what these are, they're blanks of yarn which have been machine knitted into fabric. Then they're handpainted. You unravel the yarn as you knit, which means that you don't have any mess to contend with, no knots, no nothing except blissful knitting - and it's very portable. Plus, it's a lot of fun to see how the design develops.

There is a strip made of waste yarn which runs right down the middle, selvedge to selvedge. You cut it apart on the waste yarn so you can knit two socks at once, or you can leave it as one piece and knit one sock at a time. It unravels very easily, but only from one side - if you have trouble unraveling it on one side, merely use the other. They're all painted individually, so each is a work of art. You also can't tell what the pattern is going to be on the finished sock, which is a great deal of the fun - the blank may not look all that gorgeous, but the socks turn out too cool for words!

They're also portable - you can roll your needles up inside the fabric and stuff it in your purse or knitting bag. There are no balls to roll around on the floor, no winding (you do NOT wind this on a ball winder) - you merely lay the fabric on your lap and pull out enough yarn to cast on, then start knitting. I can't wait to begin knitting with mine.

The cost is $25 for approximately 400 yards. You also get your choice of one of three patterns, which will come to you in hard copy - Basic Socks, 3 Ridge Socks, or Ladder Socks. When you check out, please indicate which you prefer in the message box. I'll stick it in a sheet protector and send it along.

Please... no requests to hold one aside for you. I tried to do that, and it's just too complicated. I also don't have the time.

I've already placed my second order - this time for 50 - but it won't be in until the end of June. The good folks at Conjoined Creations are working as fast as they can to get these out.

Good luck tomorrow, and have fun!

Small Update Completed

There has been a small update completed on the shop site. You'll find new bags from Stuck in Illinois, as well as two additional new vendors:

Craftiness - nostepinnes, knitting needles, pens

Japanese Handmade Etc. - exquisite sock knitting bags by Satomi

There will be another update next week.

Enjoy!

Hand Cream on Shop Site

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm working on an update and have just added a delightful hand cream by "Purple Ducks & Stuff".

Thank you!

Late as Usual

As you know, I had intended to have the update finished last night. Unfortunately, I had a lot more items than I thought and, as has been happening lately, I wore myself out. I will resume working on the update when we get back from brunch tonight. I cancelled our trip because of the workload. I also will not be going to the prison on Monday so I may get the update done.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and, if you have little ones, that they find lots of eggs and goodies. :)

EASTER UPDATE!!!!

I'm in the process of updating the shop and will be finished tomorrow night. Drop by and see all the new items, from yarn to notions to roving and everything in-between. I'm also adding some items which are exclusive to us.

One of the things being added are patterns by Randi K Designs. The "Helene" patterns were designed to raise money for the MD Anderson Cancer Research Center in Houston in honor of the designer's sister, who is battling breast cancer. All proceeds will go to the hospital. Yarny Goodness is proud to be carrying these patterns in order to help raise money. Many women in my family have either died from breast cancer or lost a breast due to it, so it's a personal issue.

We are experiencing periodic power outages tonight, so if you write and don't get a reply, you know why. Also, any purchases will be mailed out Tuesday. We are leaving tomorrow night after I finish the update and won't be back until late Monday night.

I wish all of you a safe and enjoyable holiday. :)

Going To Prison

Hey Everyone -

Folsom Prison has come out of lockdown, so we're leaving for my usual Monday stint there. We'll be home tomorrow night, so anybody who places an order will have it shipped out on Tuesday.

I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Have a lovely day!

Odds and Ends

Thank you, Syd! I'm delighted you like your package. :)

I just wanted to mention a few things that have happened.

We're now up to 58 vendors (it's hard to believe, but true). I've not received work from several of them, so we should be having updates for quite some time to come.

I've just placed my first reorder, and that was from Enchanted Knoll Farms. Josette has a new base yarn which is a merino/silk blend. I ordered that instead of the merino/nylon blend to see how you all like it.

I also just paid for my first shipment of a new tool which is near and dear to all of your hearts. I hope it goes over well.

I'm waiting to hear back from about seven new (I hope!) vendors. Their work ranges from yarn to roving to... uh... something that nobody else has. I really, really want that one.

Today, I signed up for a mailing list program that will allow me to set up and send out newsletters, as well as maintaining two mailing lists - one for vendors and one for customers. If you would like to receive our monthly newsletter, please make sure that you open an account with the shop and check the box that says you want to receive it.

I'm now taking special orders for anything you want from any of our vendors. If you have such a request, please send me an email, and I'll do my best to accommodate you.

I've also taken out two Ravelry ads - a banner and a small box. They won't run until April (I was too late to do anything for March), but they'll begin running April 1.

The shop is doing very well. I'm pleased with our progress and hope that as we add new vendors, you will continue to find things that you can't live without. I'm not going to announce updates anymore; it seems like I never can make the deadline. Instead, I'll just do the update and then announce it.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or problems, just drop me an email. Either Mark or I will address you personally.

Thank you!

February Payments

All payments have been made. Your vendor pages won't reflect those payments yet; Mark is working on that feature.

Thank you so much for your business!

News Items

First of all, the orders which were placed over the past few days have gone out. You should all have them in a few days.

I had to raise the cost of postage because I was losing close to $2.00 on most of the packages. The raise in price is still a good bargain. A lot of individual vendors don't have a flat rate; it's a larger amount for the first item and a lesser amount for each additional item. Since most of you are buying more than one item, this should cover everything. I'll still lose money on international packages since I send things Global Priority, but I'd rather lose money and ensure that the packages arrive instead of charging less and having them go via porpoise.

I totally forgot to send out prizes (I think there are three of them) to people who didn't buy anything but still won in the hourly drawings. I found that out today when I was looking through inventory. That is being remedied, and I apologize for my oversight.

I'm finding my rhythm with inventory, orders, mailing, etc. I knew it would happen; it was just a question of when. Now that the initial rush has ended, I have time to log things in my ledger immediately, pick orders when they come in, etc. Things will get done in a timely manner and will be more streamlined.

I have several new vendors coming onboard who offer an incredible array of merchandise. Not all of it is yarn, either. I have two vendors in particular who are offering totally unique things; I'm really excited about all of them. I'm also in negotiations with several other people.

Thank you again for being so supportive and understanding. I underestimated how long it would take to do certain things. I'm no longer under such illusions. I now have more realistic timelines for things.

I'm processing payments for consignment vendors right now. Mark is working on a page for vendors which will allow them to check on the status of their goods - how much I have on hand, what has sold, etc. It will eliminate the need for a monthly report and will allow them to check whenever they wish- this way, they won't have to wait until I issue a report once a month.

As new things come up, I'll post them here.

Shop Update

I'm announcing both here and on the shop blog that the shop has been updated. You will find all new vendors:

Three Fates Fiber
Halftone
Lena Brown Angora Blend Yarn
Martina's Hand-Made Stitch Markers
FreckleFace Fibers
Debra's Garden

There are several other new vendors (and new items in KaratStix), but they will be included in the next update.

Hubster has also updated the look of the site. I think you'll enjoy the pictures and layout a lot more than before. Enjoy!

Pam's been put to rest for a bit...

Howdy all, Hubster here.

Well, Pam's been going like crazy setting up the inventory, tagging and updating books. She's been going non-stop doing all of this since early this morning, and it's nearly morning again. If she doesn't get a bit of rest, she'll be as crazy as me, and that's not a pretty sight.

So, I've sent her off to bed. After she's had a bit of rest, she'll be working on the picture taking of the new stock, and will begin the laborious procedure of uploading pictures either late tomorrow night or early on the next day. Why is this taking so long??? Because there's over 200 new items..... they may not all go up at once, but I've seen all sorts of yarny happiness that I'm certain will make for some very happy yarny days ahead.

Take care,
Mark

One Final Delay

I'm sorry. I need to push the update forward one more day to tomorrow, Thursday, February 28. I'm exhausted from having put together all the orders. I know that if I continue to push myself, I'll get sick. I can't afford that. So I figured it would be better to do the update tomorrow night, since I have to log everything, take pictures, tag each item, etc. If I tried to do that tonight, I'd be doing it all night. I was so tired last night that I fell asleep at 1:00 a.m. on the pot, fell off it two hours later, whacked my face on the toilet paper holder across from where the toilet is, and hit the floor on my knees while my face slid down the wall. Then I woke up Hubster and fell asleep again. Funny thing is, I don't remember sitting at the computer, because I woke up this morning at 11:00 a.m. with my face plastered on the keyboard. If I didn't have wrinkles before, I'll have them now from smooshing my face so many times.

The good news is that all 20 orders are on their way to you now! I didn't quite finish them last night, so I took care of them today. Wow. That was a lot of work for someone who hasn't worked in years. Who knew that doing this would take real work? You could have knocked me over with a feather - literally.

In any event, I'm going to rest up the remainder of tonight and take care of all the email that's been stacking up. I'll be doing all the work for the update tomorrow; it will be up tomorrow night. I hope you enjoy seeing what's new in the shop!

Thanks, as always, for your patience. This should be the last time I have to postpone something. From now on, I shouldn't be getting so many orders. As they come in, I'll fill them and mail them out. I think that's the last glitch in all this. We should be running smoothly from this point forward.

Update Date Changed

It looks like the update will take place tomorrow night (Wednesday) rather than tonight. I'm exhausted - in fact, I just fell asleep while writing notes for the purchases. I've yet to wrap things for the orders to be shipped, and I'll be working on that all night. I'm so sorry for the delay. The problem is that the great majority of the orders were paid for last night and the night before, and I was also waiting for the remainder of the contest winners to send me an email. I had hoped to get everything out today, but it's a lot of orders to fill. I'm doing it by myself - Hubster is busy working on the site. They'll definitely be done tonight, though, and in the mail tomorrow. Other than overseas orders, you should all have them by the weekend since they're all going out Priority Mail. Future orders will be filled as soon as they're paid. Now that all the bugs have finally been worked out (and it's true - I got an order last night without having to issue a manual invoice), things will go much smoother.

As for the update, there will be no new items added to existing vendors. New vendors will be added. I also have new vendors going on the "Coming Soon" list. Those vendors have just committed to selling through the shop, but they haven't had a chance to get their shipments to me. That's fine, though - it just means we'll have another update next week!

I'm working as fast as I can. Please know that I'm not knitting, watching TV, or doing anything tonight other than working on getting your orders out to you.

Thank you again for your patience while we get ourselves settled in and the details worked out. It's been a lot more work than I thought, but that's okay. I just feel bad that you haven't received your orders already; however, there wasn't much I could do until things were paid for and the bugs worked out. We're good to go now.

Shipments and Releases

I wanted to let you all know that I'm working as fast as I can on getting all your purchases ready to ship. I hope to have everything done by late tonight; I'll then go over to the post office and drop them off.

I've also released some items back into the shop for sale. These are from shopping carts that were not claimed or paid for. I released four carts, so there are some more needle gauges and yarn. I'm also working on getting the update done. If I don't get it finished tonight, it will be up by tomorrow night. Please check back both on the site and here to see the status - I'll keep you all up to date.

Thank you!

SHOP UPDATE

Yarny Goodness will have its' first update tomorrow night, Tuesday, February 26th. I will be adding some new vendors for your shopping pleasure.

I'm also in the process of packing boxes for shipment. Please give me a few days to get this done; I'm new at this and am trying to get everything done in a timely fashion while still making everything pretty.

That is all.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Keep an eye out for the launch of the Official Blog of Yarny Goodness!