Better late than never — I was trying to avoid the “named days” like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc, since everyone is inundated by emails on those days and my little notification would likely be lost. Then I lost track of time and here we are, merely 2 weeks from Christmas.
But just because I’m late doesn’t mean the info’s no good — in fact, Christmas may be the thing on a lot of people’s minds right now, but there are countless other gifting occasions throughout the year. I just wanted to offer some ideas in case you have giftees who have expressed interest in double-knitting.
Books and patterns
People frequently like to give physical goods, and my books are indeed physical. However, if digital is also important, buying physical books or patterns from my website gets you (or your giftee) a free digital download — and I’ll even sign the book if you like. You can get my two main books on Amazon, of course, but while you might be able to get fast and free shipping, you can’t get the free digital download or a signed copy that way (also, I don’t really make money on Amazon sales; I have books there because it’s foolish not to put my books where people will actually look for them.
As I do every year, from Black Friday through the end of the year, I’ve removed Media Mail from my shipment options. This means shipping is more expensive, but it’s also less likely to be stolen or lost, as the post office takes better care of Priority Mail packages. It also means that your package is more likely to arrive before Christmas.
Digital books and patterns
For digital stuff, Ravelry has its own gifting process. You can buy one of my ebooks or patterns and send it to your Ravelry user (or non-Ravelry user) of choice as a gift.
Workshops & Recordings
Because virtual workshops and recordings hosted on my site use a user-specific access process, it’s harder to gift these to other people. I’d recommend you consider getting a gift card in the appropriate amount (see below for more on gift cards), and add a note to your giftee with your intention for their use of the card. Of course, it’ll be up to them and they might even choose a different workshop or recording (or book or pattern, since gift cards can be used anywhere on my site).
Gift cards
If you don’t know what to get, there’s always a gift card. I’ve made sure my gift cards are as robust as any you’ll find in higher-end shops. You can choose any amount you like (you’re not limited to a set of pre-ordained options), and redemption is as simple as applying a code during checkout. Your giftee can even store the gift card in their account for later use (right in their account dashboard) so they don’t forget about it. If a gift card isn’t used in full, the remaining balance is stored in a giftee’s account for next time they buy something, or if your giftee chooses to check out as a guest, the same code will work the next time for the remainder.
Remember, small businesses like mine are the best thing to support when you’re gifting — for big companies, your money is a drop in the bucket and most goes to the pockets of people who really don’t need more money. For small businesses, every dollar helps us justify continuing to put out more creative stuff.
Thanks for your interest in double-knitting and Happy Holidays!
Alasdair Post-Quinn, Fallingblox Designs