Thursday, June 30, 2011

Phat Fiber Box


Okay, if you have never heard of Phat Fiber Box, you, like me, live under a rock.

A friend told me I should really look into contributing to the Phat Fiber Box; it is a great way to get your name out and increase business.

So I looked into it.

Once a month a husband/wife team collect samples from "contributors", gather them together, make a video, collect email addresses--which they use to inform of the super secret time the boxes will go on sale.

The "contributors" need to send in a minimum of 20 samples (but if you send in 50 samples, you will get your own box, and, as state on their blog, "a spot in our popular and entertaining monthly video!").

I was game, though trying to figure out how to make 20 or 50 "samples" of my row counters had be perplexed. I contacted the Phat Fiber lady and found out that they had too many stitch marker contributors, maybe next month.

Okay, by now I was hooked so when I found out the super secret date and time the boxes were to be sold, I made sure I was online, credit card in hand and ready to go to spend my $36 to get a Phat Fiber box.

Somewhere between finding out about the Phat Fiber Box and receiving the box I got to thinking.

There were 3 different boxes. I do not know how many each different box they sold, but you need to send in 20 samples (50 if you want your own box). So, let's just, for the sake of simplicity and argument, they only sell 20 boxes.

20 times $36 is $720. Now if they sell 10 of each box (one only fiber, one yarn, and a combo box) that would be 30 times $36 for $1080! For what? Okay, the people who put these boxes together do advertise, they do take pictures, they do organize the boxes, but......? The only thing the "contributors" get is advertising for 20 samples, or a "free" box for 50 samples, and the people who came up with the idea get somewhere around $1000?!


The box arrived and for all it's fibery goodness and hype and I was disappointed. For $36 I would have rather taken a chance on full-sized items from fellow etsians. I got less than 5 oz of fiber, in tiny batches. Got a stitch markers, a diz (I think that is what it is), coupons, etc. I did get a WAY cool "spinning because knitting isn't weird enough" button!

Are any of the contributors likely to get a sale from me? I can't say the Phat Fiber Box has really hooked me to buy fiber from anyone. I feel it is a rip off for both the consumers and those who "contribute!"

The friend who told me about how wonderful Phat Fiber was, USED to be a contributor, but has since decided she the few number of sells she was getting from contriubting to Phat Fiber was not worth the work to contribute!

edited to add: I have since been told they sell more than 120-150 or more boxes a month--this past month was $36 per box, so I'll just leave you to do the math!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

About those socks....part II





The hunting trip, and the possibility to be able to have all that time to knit, drew me to my knitting bag (which was a mess), and the three works in progress (WIP). We have those socks, oh "those socks." I am very hopeful that the hunting trip will allow me to get them done and off the sticks! I have never had so much trouble with knitting projects!






The Sad Sagga of Mom’s Socks:
· Followed lace pattern as directed, didn't like the way the k2tog tbl turned out. Tried ssk and liked it, but continued to knit, despite my disappointment of the first part;
· Continued knitting to heel turn; forgot to slip first stitch so couldn’t pick up stitches for gusset;
· Frogged back to heel divide – picked up stitches wrong, had ridges on bottom of sock and couldn’t fix;
· Completely frogged socks and started over;
· Latest issue – needle popped off cable. Purchased double pointed needles – realized I hate them and had to purchase new cabled needles;
· A couple more pattern repeats of the lace and I will be adding the cuff and binding off!
Cousin’s Socks Pair 1 – original pattern cuff down. After picking up gusset and working on gusset decrease, learned during a trial-try-on that I couldn’t get leg of sock over heel. WHAT?! I had tried them on multiple times and now they don’t fit!? Frogged them and restarted and am doing the same pattern, but knitting them toe up. Cousin tried them on when we were in Las Vegas and loves them.

Cousin’s Socks Pair 2 -- A trip to the store to purchase needles for Mom’s Socks required me to purchase several skeins of yarn (all sock yarn was on sale, I couldn't resist!). The only issue, so far, with these is that I sat in the parking lot knitting and texting my cousin about the yarn. I had the car radio going and the battery of my car went dead. These too were tried on, they will be a heavier sock and she will love their warmth this winter!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

hmmm, about those socks.....

Last post, I was madly knitting two, I mean THREE pair of socks. Trying to get two of them done before the end of May.


What happened?


Well?

The boyfriend and I decided we needed a lawn. Bring in a backhoe with a blade. He decides we need gravel -- enter dump truck with a load of gravel and two loads of dirt. Add fertilzer, shovels, wheel barrows, grass seeds, LOTS of work (BF's 15 year old son was forced into slave labor)--and you get. A back yard full of lovely DIRT! and NO knitting!

He leaves for work (he is out of town three weeks at at time), I wrap up what I can in two days before I leave for Las Vegas and come home to a "hint of green" in the back yard! A HUGE thank you to KM who watched the 15 yr old boy and watered the dirt!





I brought the socks to knit while flying, I decided sleep was more important than knitting on the red-eye from Anchorage to Las Vegas. I did knit the small amount of time we were in our hotel room. And my cousin got to slip her toes into her socks....just the toes, nothing more because that is all there is of her socks right now!

Are the socks done now? Uh, well, uh...nope! Enter more yard work, our 30 year high school reunion (that my boyfriend proudly announced SIX MONTHS AGO that we were co-chairs for the planning "committee" of two--thanks to all who have helped), the arrival of my new Majacraft Rose spinning wheel.


Knitting? uh, yeah...right!

The reunion is this weekend. After that, I'll get to knit, right?


Well, maybe!


Apparently, "the caribou are running" and hunting season starts July 1, and we are going hunting. I don't have a hunting license -- I am suspecting I will be the camp-wench in charge of "womanly chores" like cooking and skinning, and all that lovely stuff while my great-white-hunters get the family meat for the table!


It is the trip of a life-time and we are hoping a way to make up for me not taking the kid with me to Vegas! The 15 year old boy will get to bow-hunt with his dad--while his "kind of sort of, but not really, step-mom" acts as the camp wench!


Knitting will come with me, maybe then, with no internet, no yard, no shopping, nothing else to do, maybe THEN I will get at least one of those lovely pairs of socks knit! It is "Tour de Fleece" and I had such plans, but, I think my Rose will have to stay home!