Thursday, December 17, 2009

On Being 'Harlotized'

Many of you have heard by now. Even more of you are here just because of it. But for those of you who don't know, it's true... I've been 'Harlotized'.

You may be wondering why there is a can of spam(the oh-so-delicious pork and ham treat) in a post about being 'Harlotized', but there are some who are wondering what it even means to be 'Harlotized', so I'll start there.

It all began last monday night, December 7th. I was checking my email when I noticed that a certain Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee purchased my French Press Felted Slipper Pattern. Could it be? The Yarn Harlot herself was purchasing one of my designs? I went straight to her Twitter Feed to read "buying yarn for French Press Slippers".

Just because of this little mention, I saw a small spike in slipper pattern sales over the following days. I had to ask myself what kind of crazy power this woman has...she didn't even put a link up and people started buying my pattern!

Fast forward a couple days; this is where the real craziness began. On Thursday, I got home from work to find my email address flooded with new mail. Not only were there hundreds of new emails, but every time I glanced down at my laptop screen, there were more- the list just kept growing.

At first I assumed there was something wrong- but then the realization hit me... I had been 'Harlotized'. No sooner than this idea popped into my head, I went straight to the Yarn Harlot's blog. And there it was!

Oh, to write with such power to command thousands of reader's attention. No one does it in a way quite like the Yarn Harlot does. As you can see, the post needed no pictures. There were just a few links to click along the way... and the results were astonishing!

I didn't even read the whole post before it struck that I had to start sending out emails as fast as my fingers(or the three year old computer) could. You see, when a customer purchases a pattern from me on Etsy, there is no automated system like Ravelry. I have to do the grunt work myself- send out an email with PDF attachment. (And contrary to popular belief, I didn't actually sell out of the PDF- the link Stephanie used was one specific pattern. When that one pattern sold, it said 'Sold Out', but there were always others up in the shop).

I got to work on the emails and it was not long before I got this:

I was flagged for spamming for sending out too many of the same thing to different email accounts. I changed my email address in Etsy, got back to work, and encountered this:


And so it continued for 6 different email address before I realized I could upgrade my Google account to Google Apps. I quickly shelled out $100 and started sending emails from the original address (after a few hours had past and I gained access again, of course!). It wasn't too long after that I ran into this problem:


AGAIN!!

Things have slowed down to a point where I am not getting locked out anymore, but I'm afraid Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail will probably be monitoring my IP address for the next year or so!

All in all, I can't thank Stephanie enough for giving my pattern so much exposure. She has quite the following, and I am blessed to be mentioned on such a wonderful blog. I am forever indebted to the Yarn Harlot for her 'Oprah effect in the knitting world'!

What about you? Do you have the pattern yet? If not, head on over to Roxanne's blog, the 60/40 where she is hosting a giveaway. Two copies of the French Press Felted Slipper Pattern will be given away on Saturday. All you need to do is get to the post and leave a comment about your favorite holiday tradition.

While you're there, check out the rest of Roxanne's 'Homespun Holiday' series, you'll be happy you did!

31 comments:

  1. I'm here because of the YH mention. Those slippers are soooo cute. I bought the pattern, added your blog to my "must reads." I am saving the pattern for an after-the-holidays treat. Thanks!

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  2. Wow, that is fantastic, Melynda! Congratulations - you absolutely deserve the notice. I hope your fingers aren't too tired from all that emailing!

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  3. I also came across you due to Stephanie...she is quite powerful, no? ;)

    Cast on for the slippers last night and can't wait to see the cuteness unfold :)

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  4. Congrats! They really are darling slippers and deserve all the attention. Maybe I'll let the dust settle a bit for you before I order the pattern. :)

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  5. congraulations on being harlotized -- the accolades and attention are well-deserved. It's a really cute, simple pattern that makes a great gift and knits up ridiculously fast. Congrats all around.

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  6. Your story had me rolling on the floor!("Oprah like affect" HA!) More like a truckload of spam than just a can, no? You're so deserving and I'm so very happy for you Melynda. Merry Christmas!

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  7. I saw your slippers for the first time on Yarn Harlot and thought they were so so cute! Then I wandered onto your blog and felt so lucky to have found the amazing knitter behind such cute slippers! Congratulations on such a coup!

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  8. Congrats Melynda! I saw your pattern on her site the other day while I was catching up on some blogs. I'm hoping in the new year to take a crack at your slippers :)
    Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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  9. I'm a ravelry buyer.

    In Australia worsted weight (or 10 ply as we say) is not a big seller, so I'll be going on line for my slipper yarn after I finish the Kiki Mariko rug. Maybe I'll felt them all at the same time...

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  10. Congratulations!!

    It is not very often that I have knit something before the Harlot but in this case I can say that I did. :)

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  11. holy moly that's AWESOME!! also means i'm somewhat cool as i found you before the harlotization.

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  12. Wow, you've had a wild ride!
    I'll be purchasing the pattern...but maybe I'll wait a few more days so things can settle down for you!

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  13. I, too, purchased the pattern after the Yarn Harlot. I bought the pattern with a specific person in mind; until she told me that she already had slippers. Then, I showed her the picture. She claims to no longer have whatever slippers she had before. :) Thanks for a wicked cute pattern!

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  14. Well, I'm happy to say I found the pattern before the YH craziness, but I'm very happy that you saw such a boost in sales as a result. She is a crazy, wonderful woman and she apparently really loves your slippers!

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  15. I found my way here because of the Yarn Harlot and I am so glad! I'm working on my 2nd pair of slippers, hope to be done with them today as they are a christmas gift. Did you see the NYTimes article about Etsy shops? After looking at the numbers on Rav, and reading your blog, and then seeing this article... it definitely made me think of you!

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/fashion/17etsy.html?_r=1

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  16. I'm a lemming, but I'm so glad. The slippers were like magic, it seems impossible that the large limp knitting that I did could become those cute slippers - bit it did! I'm happy to have learned of your patterns through the YH.

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  17. I first saw your pattern at the end of october and added it to my rav faves so I didn't forget... kept coming back to it and would *almost* buy until I'd talk myself out of it again. Then I saw Stephanie's post about how your slippers are like knitting crack, and I admit - I succumbed and bought the pattern! I felted my first pair this week, and now I'm addicted! Thanks for a great pattern and also an interesting blog to add to my reads!

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  18. Lauren~ Too funny you should mention this article. I read it last night and yes, I totally agreed with everything. It kind of made me a little emotional! I do still work full time, so basically real work + knit work is all I do anymore. Right now I love it, but I don't have a family yet, just me and the hubby. When that changes, I know its going to be a rough transition for me!

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  19. I just purchased your slipper pattern, before the mayhem got too bad :) I'm happy to say I'm sitting here in my living room wearing my first ever pair, and I love them. You can see mine on my blog leeper2005.blogspot.com.

    Thank you! And I'm glad you got such great exposure.

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  20. how fun for you! even with the headaches.
    i'm a ravelry buyer and i'll share the ravelry link.
    enjoy the fame.

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  21. I am so happy for you, Melynda! I hope you can take a much needed break and relax over X-mas break :) We should have a coffee date soon!

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  22. Congratulations. What a wonderful blessing. I found the pattern through my friend activity on Ravelry...but who knows how/why she queued them? What an amazing effect.

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  23. Congratulations and Wow that can of spam says it all. How funny. We all saw and faved and loved your pattern way before SPM said they could be made in 90 minutes!

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  24. Doh! If I had known it was sold through Ravelry I would have gone that way instead! You were so fast in e-mailing it though. I can only imagine what it's been like for you. I loved the pattern, and do plan on making more.

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  25. Hi, saw your cuties before the YH mentioned it but had too much to knit so I saved them for later - but I fell for it now! I tried it with felt yarn (german brand) but apparently the gauge and felting didn't match up...sigh! So I went to check where to buy cascade yarn - I'm not giving up - I have to have them! Just this morning I got a message that my parcel with the yarn arrived-can't wait to go home and start! Merry Christmas and keep on going!

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  26. I'm surprised you weren't inundated from the start. I LOVE your pattern! Glad it saw success.

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  27. I am dying to know how many you sold???

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  28. I tried to join in the crowd (baaa) but I was too late. Are the patterns going to be available again in the new year? I fear being torn apart by angry sisters if I can't make the slippers that they have now fallen in love with.

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  29. They are still available- go to the top left of this page to buy via Ravelry, or go to my Etsy shop at http://frenchpressknits.etsy.com

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  30. Whoops! I must have needed to refresh the page for your Etsy shop, as right before I posted it they were still listed as sold out. Thanks!

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  31. These are lovely slippers. Both daughters got a pair for Christmas and loved them. Now to knit a pair for me.

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