Linda's Crafty Chronicles

Welcome to the March, 2000 issue of my newsletter for Linda's Lists.
I have articles this month for the following topics:

Handicraft Webrings
Handicraft Charities
For Beginners
Auctioning your crafts on the Internet
2 New Patterns
Recipes
Next Month

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Handicraft Webrings

What is a Webring?

A Webring is a series of sites linked together with a common theme such as crochet, knit, free patterns, recipes, teaching, graphics, or even users of a certain computer program or organization.

How do I access these Webrings?

Most sites have links that are used by the Webrings they belong to somewhere on there site. Some people create a page just for the ring information. Most have the following areas to access: Next(next site in the list), Previous(previous site in the list), List(list all sites in the ring), Next 5(next 5 sites in the ring), and Random(a random site in the ring).

All sites are given a number specific to their site and place in a Webring. You are first added to a waiting area called the Queue where you are given time to add the proper code to your site. You then notify the person in charge of the ring that you have added the html code to your site and are ready to be included in the ring. If your code is not on the page you typed in when applying, it is good to have a link to the Webring code somewhere on your page making it easier for the person to find other sites in the ring besides yours. The Webmaster then checks out your site to make sure it follows the rules they gave for you to follow in the beginning. They will then decide whether to add your site or not. A good idea is to apply to rings that have something to do with something on your site. You probably won't be accepted into a recipe Webring if you have no recipes on your site.

The biggest thing is to please try to follow the rules they give you. Don't join a ring and then change the topic of your page later on without notifying the ringmaster you have done so. If you want to leave a certain Webring, the ringmaster for that ring can email you instructions on how to do this.

All Webrings are run through a site titled: WebRing

You can create and/or join rings there if you know a topic but not a Webring name. When searching, be exact in the topic you are searching for.

Examples are:

I searched for the following topics and received a number of different responses:
38 rings for "crochet"
34 rings for "knit"
299 rings for "crafts"
5 rings for "handicrafts"
17 rings for "free patterns"

WebRing's search engine can be found at the following location: WebRing Search

You do not have to be a member of a ring to see the sites on a ring so enjoy and search to your hearts content.

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Handicraft Charities

There are many charities located on the Internet now. Most handicraft charities are looking for knitted or crocheted items. I have listed a few links to different places and sites that need different handicrafts for different needs. Check out their sites for more information:

Knitting 4 Children
This group needs anything knitted for children from slippers and mittens to hats and sweaters. These items are given to different charities that deal with children.

All Crafts for Charity
This site needs crafts for children and people in need.

Project Linus
This organization needs blankets, quilts and afghans(and toys) for small children, most of them are going through chemotherapy.

Little People's Head Start/ Early Head Start Lapghan Project
This is a project that I am in charge of. Last year people around the USA and Canada knitted, crocheted, and sewed 121 Christmas Stockings for underprivileged children and furnished the stuffers too. This year we are trying to create 80 lapghans for these children. We would like to make them for the siblings too, but right now are focusing on the children in the program. We need crocheted or knitted squares or completed lapghans. For more information on sizes, etc..., go to the link shown above or email me and I can help you out. We also have a contest for the most squares sent each month until December 2000.

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For Beginners

I have had a few people ask for sites that teach knitting and crocheting but also have pictures to follow for how to hold the hook/needle, how to do the stitch, etc... Here are a few links that I found that are pretty great:

Crochet Musings Tutorial - One of the best tutorials for crochet on the Internet(pictures)
Crochet Hook Conversion Chart
Crochet Hook Conversion Chart - Aluminum to Plastic and Brands
Yes You Can Learn How to Knit
Learn to Knit and Crochet - Great instructions and pictures

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Auctioning Your Crafts on the Internet

There are many places that you can auction on the Internet. Some of the most popular are E-Bay and Yahoo. Both are pretty good and are easy to work with.

E-Bay charges a fee to auction and a percentage if you sell your item(s). That is not too bad if you have several things to sell. They are very good at keeping things legal and upright. It is free to bid and buy items. Always read the rules first.

Another is Yahoo. They aren't as popular as E-Bay but they are FREE. If you have a Geocities or Yahoo account, you can auction and buy for free.

There are many other auction sites on the Internet.

You just need to remember a few tips:
Check out peoples rating before bidding and when the auction is done. Occasionally someone may have had a problem with an auction but if there are a lot of bad or poor ratings, that is a sign to beware.

Be reasonable with the price you are asking for an item. Set the beginning price that you will accept. The price will probably go up but at least it won't be a loss.

Scan in a picture of the item you are selling. People like to see what they will be getting.
Describe the item(s) you are auctioning well. Ex: printing date, color choices, materials used, condition item is in, etc... I auctioned off 3 hardbacked handicraft books with pictures. The lady that won the auction was disappointed because one was from the 60's with slight wear(it was about 30 years old) and the others were about 8 years old. She thought they were brand new. We straightened it out, but please email the auction person if you have any questions about their auction. Most serious auctioneers are happy to answer any questions you may have.

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2 New Patterns

The 2 new patterns for this month are a Fan Dishcloth and a Fan Potholder. These are 2 different fan patterns, not 2 versions of the same pattern. Maybe they will help fan some warm weather your way.

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Recipes

I have 2 great sites for any recipes you may be looking for. They are: Cooking.com
and S.O.A.R - Searchable Online Archive of Recipes

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Next Month

More patterns
Barbie Doll Clothes Sites

If you have any suggestions for topics, please email me at smile@idsely.com. I will do my best to help you out and make this an interesting newsletter.