Giveaways - how hard can it be...?

If there's a easy way and a hard way to do something, why do I always find the hard way...?

So, I mentioned before that I was having trouble writing down my sheep knitting pattern in a way that others will be able to follow - but now I have the dilemma of how to distribute this pattern.

My plan is to do a giveaway for the first week, and then charge a small amount for the download. I had hoped to place this giveaway in my little bookshop - right at the back (bottom of the page), to draw customers through the shop past all the books - but it seems that my website shop doesn't understand the concept of a giveaway, and demands payment... or maybe I'm just on one of those learning curves again and have missed something...

Anyway, if all else fails I will post it on one of the pages of my website, or even here in my blog - so watch this space...
Free knitting pattern coming soon!! 
Then you can knit your own sheep - you know you want to...!  :)

 

Knitted sheep pattern... diversification or just procrastination?

Why is it harder to write a knitting pattern than it was to design the pattern...?

As I knitted the first sheep, and admittedly there were a few false starts, I scrawled down the pattern in note form on a ball band, knowing that I would know what I meant. But to write a pattern for others to follow I feel I should put in a bit more effort, not to mention details...

But am I diversifying or just procrastination...? Do people really want to go around knitting sheep, or is it just me?

Comments would nice, to allay my suspicions that I'm just rambling into an abyss,  or add a comment on my facebook page if that's easier...

Knitting pattern to follow...

Knitting a cat... how hard can it be?

So... the sheep have gone down so well at book signings, that for my next challenge I'm going to knit Basil from Basil and the Flappy Thing...

I've got the wool, the knitting needles are raring to go, so what's missing? Well a pattern would be nice, and once I've knitted the first one, I'll have a pattern for any future Basils, but for now, I'm doing what I do best... winging it!

I'll be posting the results as Basil emerges in wool - that is if I can keep my cats away from the wool long enough to knit it... nothing like a bit of pressure to get a project started!

Random thoughts about characters and where they come from

Characters - where do they come from?

Sheep - what is it about sheep that makes them so appealing in story books?

When I started writing But I'm Not Sleepy I can't remember having sheep in mind at all, I simply wanted to write a bedtime story. Then the idea of not being able to get to sleep started to take over my thoughts, and most of the plot of the story unraveled itself in a swimming pool, as I swam up and down doing some lunchtime lane swimming...  I never count lengths, I simply swim up and down and let my mind drift where it will...

The sheep soon became very real, and it was the obvious progression for a sheepdog to turn up in Lucy's bedroom. Then the sheep became quite rebellious and decided that they were tired of being rounded up...

This is a clear case of characters popping up in a story and making it their own. Next came the cardboard pop-up sheep on my table at book signings, which attracted people's attention - it seems sheep are very popular. Before long I found myself knitting sheep, and I used to say I'd never make characters to merchandise my books - never say never! The knitted sheep went down very well at Christmas fairs, and earned their place at the fairs: form the little tot who said "Baa", persuading her parents that they must buy a sheep, and then ended up buying the book too, to the lady who bought one for herself for her crib scene.  

I even have a spin off book planned which is sheep based - is it any wonder my nearest and dearest are now thinking of me when they see anything sheep related, and sending me all sorts of links to funny sheep stuff...

Sheep production line... and new colours on the way!

Sheep production has become a bit of a production line this week, after running out of black wool, I knitted 4 sheep bodies in one evening, but only one had a head and they were all legless ad earless - so last night I knitted the other 3 heads and attached them, and did a line a ears which are all still connected like a a line of spaced out punting... So that means tonight must be faces and legs night. I think I prefer knitting one sheep at a time...

Sheep production is about to branch out into other colours - I've just been knitting cream sheep with black faces and legs so far, but I now have some black wool and some grey wool ordered, and I might even branch out into rainbow sheep - if there is a demand - views anyone...?

Merchandising a book on a shoestring

OK so I seem to do everything else so why not merchandising too...? and so production has begun on a flock of sheep to go with my best seller But I'm Not Sleepy. And when I say production has begun I mean I have knitted a sheep's head... but the rest will follow I'm sure, after all following is what sheep do best...

So, after two false starts, where I realised that 11.30pm is not the best time to start a new creative project, I set off again with knitting needles and wool, and made a start. What was that, do I have a pattern...? No of course I don't, that would be far to easy... after all the wool started off as a sheep, I just have to turn it back into a smaller sheep - I don't think I'm quite ready for a life sized sheep to take along to fairs with me, I do have a wheelie crate now to take the strain, but that might be taking things a bit far.

As soon as I have a completed sheep I will post a picture  - oh dear, I do like to put pressure on myself don't I...