How-To Tuesdays: Going in Crochet Circles pt. 1

One of the fundamental skills a crocheter should acquire is crocheting circles. This form provides basis for many crochet projects, is effective and, in fact, very simple to create.

Today I will show you the simplest method of starting crochet circle.

1. Crochet 6ch (in case you are using bulkier yarn, less ch may be in order)







2. Join the the last and the first chain loop by slip stitch. This is your foundation circle







3. Put the hook through the whole in the middle of your foundation circle. Pull yarn through so that you have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull it through the two loops. Repeat all around the foundation circle. You can make the stitches tighter or less tight depending on how many stitches you need.




4. When you have stitches all around the foundation circle, join loops with slip stitch and start next round. From the second round pull hook through back of first round stitches. You can use single, half-double or double stitches.

DO NOT forget to increase the number of stitches to keep your circle flat.

How-To Tuesdays: Getting the Most Out of Your Twitter Account

Once you follow more than 200 people it becomes difficult to really use Twitter for what it is - minibloging platform. The constant stream of tweets can become overwhelming, making many users discouraged with the tool. Below are my ideas of how to not only manage Twitter information flow but also get most advantage from your account.

1. Take time reading at least some of the tweets on your time line - after all this is what Twitter is all about. I am constantly amazed at what wonderful things I find by following tweets. Obviously it is impossible to read all the tweets, unless you want to do only this all day long. I find it is a good practice to take set aside a given amount of time every day to read a sample of tweets. Treat it like the daily newspaper. This solution has the added benefit of making you more careful about who you want to follow. You can't read all the tweets - so make sure that you only see the ones that count!

2. Read all tweets of a few chosen people. Among those that I follow, there are several fantastic bloggers. Each and every of their tweets carry great value and I don't want to miss them. I keep a their twitter pages bookmarked and at least once a week read all of thier tweets. It is always worth my time.

3. Take time to check who follows you. Every day I check the list of my new followers. I do not blindly follow back. I open every account, read their bio and follow the webpage link they provide. This not only allows me to weed out the spammers and "instant_money_makers", but I get the chance to discover interesting websites and find great craft shops. I only follow people who have the potential to add value to my stream of tweets.

How-To Tuesdays: What Should I Tweet About

There has recently been a lot of chatter among the social networking savvies about the quality of tweets. According to data analytics provider, Pear Analytics, 40% of all messages on Twitter constitute pointless bubble. What they mean by pointless bubbles is not even spam (3.75%) but rather messages of the "I feel like ice-cream" kind.

Sure enough, the numbers change if we pay more attention to who we choose to follow. Nevertheless, these stats uncover the sad truth about Twitter - many people don't know what the tool is for and don't know how to use it.

What should I tweet about? - the answer will vary from person to person, depending on their personal style, the reason they joined Twitter in the first place and what their followers might be interested about.
When you are a crafter you should divid your tweets into two categories: self-promotional and community-minded. Use 15% to 20% of self-promotional tweets and 80% to 85% community-minded ones and you will be fine.

1. Because Twitter is ALSO a marketing tool:
Let's not kid ourselves, most of us joined Twitter to promote our craft. Yes, we want to connect with other crafters and read what's new on etsy but mostly, we are there to let people know about our latest projects. And that's ok.

Twitter is a potent marketing tool and, if used properly, will direct traffic to your shop and blog. Tell your followers about new handmade items you posted to your shop. Most of them follow you for this information exactly. Tell them about the great feedback someone left, after purchesing the fabulous bracelet you made. They will share your excitement.

2. Because Twitter is NOT ONLY a marketing tool:
Once you shared links to your shop and blog, realise that Twitter is not only about self-promotion. It is also about the community:

- share knowledge (by posting links to articles, tutorials and blog posts)
- share finds (by posting links to craft artists or objects you find amazing)
- retweet valuable tweets
- share your craft moments (tweet about inspirations or lack of these)

And most of all, be personal about your tweets!

How-To Tuesdays: Twitter 101 - How to Get your First 100 Followers

To keep myself in check and post regularly, as well as write quality content for you guys, I have decided to start a new posting series: How-To Tuesdays. Once a week I will write how-to posts about craft techniques, craft projects, online marketing, blog writing, selling craft and whatever else will come to my head.

Today first of the series: Twitter 101 - How to Get your First 100 Followers

Twitter is an extremely useful online marketing tool for craft sellers. 140 character messages - the essence of Twitter - are perfect to notify your followers about new items in your shops, articles you wrote and interesting things you found on the web. But for the tool to be useful you have to ensure that a considerable number of people read what you are writing. Here is how to go about getting your first followers in 5 steps:

1. When you create your account do not neglect adding photo, bio and link to your shop, blog or webiste. As with any other online activity, empty profiles work like repelants to online community.

2. Once you have created your account, go ahead and follow big brands and authorities in your field. If you plan to use Twitter to promote your etsy shop start by following Etsy or Artfire . If you are more interested in human rights, follow Human Rights Watch etc.

3. After finding the big names, check who follows them. If someone is interest in etsy, there is a good chance they will be interested in your crafty tweets too. Follow them. Do not be afraid to follow too many people. You don't have to read each and every tweet. If someone turns out to be spamming or boring you, you can always unfollow them. Following people is the best way to get followers!

4. Use Twitter Directories such as WeFollow or TwitR. Add yourself to categories that describe your interest (for instance craft, handmade and etsy or humanrights, travel and development). In each directory you can only use three tags so choose them carefully. Thanks to directories, other Twitter users will be able to find your account. But remember to also use the directories to find people you might like to follow.

5. And last but not least create valuable content. To make sure that people will follow you and stay loyal to your tweets, make sure that what you're writing is of value and interest to others.

And always remember, Twitter might be a very easy way to promote your shop but it doesn't mean that you don't have to put any effort. It takes a certain amount of work to create and cultivate good relationship with your follower base. Don't believe in easy solutions ("I'll show you how to get a 100 followers a day!") and stay personal.

Next Tuesday: What Should I Tweet About?