April went to the dogs!

Hi everyone and welcome to May. I can not believe how fast the year is speeding on by!

First of all I want to thank everyone who took the time to enter our April free beanie giveaway. We received over 230 entries this time which was fantastic. I hope the lucky winner will enjoy their made to order beanie. Stay tuned for what hat will be given away at the end of May...

The most popular made to order hat for April was the puppy dog earflap hat. Runners up were the ever popular newsboy and newsgirl cap style.

Puppy dog crochet earflap hat by Meys Made - Cool Crochet For Cool Kids

Since there was such a high demand for this hat style I have decided to do a special for all of May. Order an acrylic puppy dog hat in any size up to 52cm and you will only pay $24.90! This includes FREE tracked postage within New Zealand (RRP $34.90 plus postage). This special is strictly available in our Felt and Etsy stores only. I have reduced their price so there is no coupon needed. Please note that this excludes all other hat styles including custom orders and does not include 100% wool hats. You may chose any two of our acrylic colours to make up the hat. Free NZ wide postage will apply to the whole order so grab all your other winter hats while you are at it.

Here is something for all you dog lovers. I have found some great dog themed products that will compliment your Meys Made puppy dog hat:

1. This Chihuahua bibble is made with 100% cotton and backed with thick Egyptian cotton toweling to keep the neck and clothes dry from dribble. Available from Bibbles - Dribble Bibs.

2. This cute toilet aiming sticker starts out as a car, and with each wet warm accurate hit a dog appears. Available from Weepals.

3. These up-cycled and double-sided vinyl Splat Mats are great for your dogs or messy children. Available from Outie.

4. This dog sewing pattern would make a great toy for your little dog lover. Available from Elf Pop.

5. This beautiful lead or leash hanger is a must have for any modern dog owner. Available from Sally Grist Artwork.

6. Finally these cute original sock dogs are custom made to immortalise your favourite dog. Available from Original Sock Dogs.

Please feel free to share this blog past with any of your dog loving friends or family.

Remember our little miss Ella is turning two later this month. She is the reason I started this business so there will be a celebration and it will be based here on this blog so stay tuned.

What is the difference between pure wool and acrylic hats? What one should I order?

I get asked this question all the time when my customers are placing an order. So if you don't know the answer you don't need to feel silly. I'm going to try and explain the pros and cons of both in this post.

First things first though. I have found here in New Zealand most people refer to ALL kinds of yarn fibres as wool. Wool is wool which is a type of yarn. Acrylic is not wool, it's a different type of yarn. So when you are referring to anything used to crochet it's called yarn.

Let's look at acrylic yarn. This is a man made or synthetic yarn that is relatively inexpensive to buy. That means it is cheaper for you to buy items made from acrylic yarn. It is very easy care and won't irritate your skin. Acrylic is a lot lighter than wool which is great for items for little kids.
That all sounds great right? Well there are some downsides to acrylic also. Acrylic doesn't burn when it is heated to high temperatures, it melts which means you need to be very careful when it is in use near a heat source. It doesn't breathe as well as wool either which can make you sweat if you are in a warm climate.

Now let's compare that with 100% pure wool yarn. This comes from the fleece of sheep. Or as my toddler calls them "baaaaap" (the p isn't a type error). That makes it a natural yarn and because of that it requires a higher level of care than acrylic yarn. Wool is really nice and soft, and breathes well to eliminate that sweaty feeling when wearing it. It is great at keeping you nice and toasty warm. Unfortunately wool is quite a bit more expensive than acrylic, which is why my wool items have a higher price tag. Wool can sometimes irritate sensitive skin. I am one of these unlucky people that find wool really itchy so I spent ages finding a range of wool to use for my work that wouldn't irritate me. I found a lovely soft range that doesn't seem to irritate me at all, so hopefully you will all like it too.

Hopefully that explains the benefits of each of the two yarn types I offer here at Meys Made - Cool Crochet For Cool Kids. The best choice for you will depend on your circumstances. Low budget = acrylic, cold climate = wool, sensitive skin = acrylic, renewable resource = wool.

Now you will know what type of Meys Made hat your cool kid needs this winter. Head on over to my Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/MeysMadeCoolCrochet) and place your order before 8pm 26th April NZ time. Why? You will get 15% off your purchase of $30NZD or more using the coupon code YARNFIBRE .

As always if you do have any questions about yarn types please just ask.

- Sarah <(")

WIN a FREE Basic Beanie with Meys Made - Cool Crochet For Cool Kids

Congrats to the lucky winner of our April giveaway. There will be one different hat style up for grabs every month until October so make sure you are a fan of Meys Made so you don't miss out on the promotions! www.facebook.com/MeysMade

From Tuesday 7th May through to 12:00am Saturday 1st June you can enter the draw to win a cool Meys Made basic beanie valued at $24.90 plus postage.

The hat will be custom made to fit your cool kid in easy care acrylic yarn. I will make it in any size up to 52cm head circumference. It will be made in your choice of colour from our acrylic range and posted within New Zealand for FREE.  If a fan outside of New Zealand wins the hat postage will be at their expense.

How do you enter? The giveaway widget is right here =================> ready for your entries or you can click on the link to take you to our giveaway tab on facebook and go from there: https://www.facebook.com/MeysMade/app_228910107186452 You will be given three entries into the draw if you follow both steps in the giveaway.

Good luck and please share this giveaway with your friends and family :)

Terms & Conditions:

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY.

Prize includes ONE crochet basic beanie in acrylic. It will be custom made in any size under 52cm.

The hat will be posted within New Zealand for free, if the winner is from outside New Zealand then postage will be at their additional expense.

The winner will be announced on our blog and will need to email MeysMade@gmail.com with the hat size required and postal address in order to claim their prize.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of this Facebook page and not to Facebook.

WIN a FREE newsboy OR newsgirl textured cap with Meys Made - Cool Crochet for Cool Kids

Congrats to the lucky winner of our February giveaway. There will be one different hat style up for grabs every month until October so make sure you are a fan of Meys Made so you don't miss out on the promotions! www.facebook.com/MeysMade

From 12:00am Monday 4th March through to 12:00am Monday 1st April you can enter the draw to win your choice of these cute Meys Made textured newsboy of newsgirl caps valued at $29.90 plus postage.

The hat will be custom made to fit your cool kid in easy care acrylic yarn. I will make it in any size up to 52cm head circumference. It will be made in your choice of colour from our acrylic range and posted within New Zealand for FREE.  If a fan outside of New Zealand wins the hat postage will be at their expense.

How do you enter? The giveaway widget is right here =================> ready for your entries or you can click on the link to take you to our giveaway tab on facebook and go from there: https://www.facebook.com/MeysMade/app_228910107186452 You will be given three entries into the draw if you follow all three steps in the giveaway.

Good luck!

(Pattern by http://www.etsy.com/shop/Oodles4Noodles)

Terms & Conditions:

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY.

Prize includes ONE crochet textured newsboy OR newsgirl cap in acrylic. It will be custom made in any size under 52cm.

The hat will be posted within New Zealand for free, if the winner is from outside New Zealand then postage will be at their additional expense.

The winner will be announced on our blog and will need to email MeysMade@gmail.com with the hat size required and postal address in order to claim their prize.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of this Facebook page and not to Facebook.

Master & Miss Meys Made: WIN a $25 custom order store credit

Here at Meys Made - Cool Crochet for Cool Kids, I love to see happy cool customers in their Meys Made gear. Master & Miss Meys Made is a competition set up to thank my valuable customers for purchasing from Meys Made.

If you have purchased from Meys Made and want to be in to win a $25 custom order store credit simply email me a photo of your cool kid in their Meys Made gear with the subject heading "Master (name)" or "Miss (name)" and you are in to win. It's that simple!

At the end of each round one lucky Master and one lucky Miss will be randomly selected as the winners of a $25 Meys Made custom order store credit EACH! This can be used towards your next custom order from me.

There are four competition rounds per year:
1st January - 31st March
1st April - 30th June
1st July - 30th September
1st October - 31st December

You can enter any of the competition rounds provided you were not the winner of the round immediately prior.

So send those photos in now to be in to win! MeysMade@gmail.com All of the current entries can be found in our facebook album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.294049217275195.89046.272156832797767&type=3 Feel free to like your favourite cool kid.

Terms & Conditions:
1. $25 custom order store credit can be redeemed for any made to order or ready to ship item on our facebook page.
2. Entries for each round close at 8pm on the final day of the competition.
3. One entry per child per round.
4. Professional photography is welcome.
5. Store credit can not be exchanged for cash and no change will be given.
6. The photo you submit will be posted on our facebook page into the competition album.
7. The winners name will be announced on our facebook page and will have 3 working days from that time to claim their prize. If the winner does not claim their prize during this time another winner will be drawn and announced.
8. All photos provided may be used for future advertising purposes by Meys Made. Please inform me via email if you do not wish for your photo to be used in this way
9. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of this Facebook page and not to Facebook.

WIN a FREE penguin crochet earflap hat with Meys Made - Cool Crochet for Cool Kids

It's time to start our 2013 giveaway season here at Meys Made. There will be one different hat style up for grabs every month until October so make sure you are a fan of Meys Made so you don't miss out on the promotions! www.facebook.com/MeysMade

From 12:00am Monday 11th February through to 12:00am Friday 1st March you can enter the draw to win this cute Meys Made penguin earflap hat with optional bow valued at $34.90 plus postage.

Penguin earflap hat valued at $34.90 plus postage

The hat will be custom made to fit your cool kid in easy care acrylic yarn. I will make it in any size up to 52cm head circumference. It will be made in the same colours as the picture and posted within New Zealand for FREE.  If a fan outside of New Zealand wins the hat postage will be at their expense.

How do you enter? The giveaway widget is right here =================> ready for your entries or you can click on the link to take you to our giveaway tab on facebook and go from there: https://www.facebook.com/MeysMade/app_228910107186452
You will be given three entries into the draw if you follow both steps in the giveaway.

What you will be asked to do:
Step One: Become a fan of us on facebook www.facebook.com/MeysMade
Step Two: Refer 5 friends to this blog post http://meysmadecoolcrochet.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/win-free-penguin-crochet-earflap-hat.html and get them to comment below saying you sent them e.g. John Smith sent by Mary Smith.

Want to order the penguin earflap hat in wool? Or a different colour? Check out our listing on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/121753459/crochet-penguin-earflap-beanie-hat-cap You can like it, pin it, tweet it, favourite it or of course buy it and have your very own cool crochet this winter.

Good luck!

Terms & Conditions:

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY.

Prize includes ONE crochet penguin earflap hat in black acrylic with yellow braids and optional bow. It will be custom made in any size under 52cm.

The hat will be posted within New Zealand for free, if the winner is from outside New Zealand then postage will be at their additional expense.

The winner will be announced on our blog and will need to email MeysMade@gmail.com with the hat size required and postal address in order to claim their prize.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of this Facebook page and not to Facebook.

Purchasing from Meys Made - ETSY 101

Hi cool fans,

as you probably know we are now live at MeysMadeCoolCrochet.etsy.com - a great site to find unique handmade items.

Some of you may already be members of etsy.com but most of you probably won't be. So this blog entry will teach you all you need to know about purchasing from Meys Made on etsy.

1. Click on the link to take you to Etsy: etsy.com
2. Click 'Register' next to the Etsy logo. You can either sign up using facebook (which is really easy), or fill in your details to create an account.
3. Head on over to our store: MeysMadeCoolCrochet.etsy.com where you will see the following store. Take your time and have a look around. Make sure you are familiar with the features I've labelled below (click the picture to enlarge)

4. Click on an item that you would like to order or learn more about.
5. Read the item information and if you wish to order, select a size and add to your cart.

6. You will then be taken to your cart. You can now continue shopping or check out with PayPal. Don't forget to add your colour preferences and head circumference in the 'note to seller' section.

7. Follow the instructions to pay through PayPal. Make sure your postal address is accurate as I will use this to post your item.
8. You will be sent a receipt for your purchase. I will have been informed of your purchase and your order will be added to my order list.

Feel free to email me at any time with questions about your order.

Thanks everyone and I look forward to making cool crochet for you all.
- Sarah