Worldwide Wednesdays from PPP!

I know that most of you may already know about the very supremely cool PPP - Pay Per Post.com

If not, here’s a refresher: it’s a fantastic organization that gives bloggers around the world a chance to post about products, articles or topics in their blogs and get paid for it! Honestly, it’s as simple as it sounds.

Though this organization is based in the United States, I noticed, it has a very large following / fan base all around the world. Their advertisers are mainly from the United States and sometimes the companies target the population of U.S. bloggers. International Posties (that’s the cool name for us bloggers outside of the U.S.) are usually not entitled to these Opportunites (Opps).

Ever since I joined, I’ve had the most fantastic time looking out for Opps and posting about them in here. And sometimes I see awesome Opps for U.S. bloggers and I think…. “sigh….” Heh.

No more sighing for me bebeh! PayPerPost has now introduced Worldwide Wednesdays that run on Wednesdays at noon EDT to Thursday noon EDT and are available ESPECIALLY for us International Posties!!! How awesome is that?!!

YEP it’s true, between the times mentioned above, special Opps under Worldwide Wednesdays are expressly available to bloggers outside of the U.S.!! That’s me ME!!! Wooooot!

Oh trust me; you’d want to get your hands on these Worldwide Wednesday Opps: two US$50 Opps and one US$150 Opp!!! Bring it ON!

Thank you PayPerPost for thinking of us international posties and making this possible for us! Worldwide Wednesdays are simply awesome and I can’t tell you how excited I am waiting for the Wednesdays to roll in =)

Who’d have known Wednesdays could be such fun eh? Got to freshen up and get ready to grab those awesome Opps hot off the oven!

Thanks PayPerPost for being so considerate because Worldwide Wednesdays just made my day!

Belated Bloggiversary

Just this morning I realised that I actually missed my own Bloggiversary - one year of blogging. Here, I was thinking that I surely must have started somewhere at the end of this month only to find out, well...I was wrong.

August 6th 2006 was the beginning of Rain's Knit-Bits (formerly Knit-Addict), the rollercoaster ride and it was an amazing ride. I started out in an empty car with no one riding with me and now look, there're so many new friends sharing this odyssey with me.

I want to say that I'm so grateful to all you wonderful people out there and to the numerous good friends that I have made in this journey. For each and and everyday you have brought a smile to my face as you shared a part of your life with me and I with you, distance never hindering the long and wide bridges that we built.

The good times and the bad, sharing it with all of you made the pains bearable and the joys more exhilarating. Your kindness and generosity has been overwhelming and I know I'm very lucky to have known all of you.

So here's to another year of blogging, making new friends, sharing hopes, dreams, highs and lows!

Source: http://bushwhacked.net/bits/hugs.jpg

Good CTR on sponsored posts!

As y'all may have noticed, I have been posting some sponsored posts on this blog after joining PayPerPost.com. Sometime I did wonder whether there was good exposure for sponsored posts till I came across this a very interesting post that shed some light on the matter.

I was actually surprised to learn that based on a study of a population of over 40,000 bloggers and over 8,000 advertisers that the average Click Through Rate of sponsored posts was 10.545%!!!!! That is pretty amazing when what some people are saying that sponsored posts are not the best choice of advertising medium that should be used. Here is proof proving them wrong, hands down! This is an average value of course and based on individual posts, I am sure that there are much higher rates than the average here and even lower rates too. This average just levels out the fluctuation and still comes off with a good rate.

The results of this study have been compared with other advertisers and found to be much better. Different advertising strategies like Google Adwords and campaigns on MySpace have been studied and it was found that the average click through rate for these were approximately between 0.5%-1.5% CTR and 0.05% CTR respectively. Comparing this with the average ctr of 10.545% shows how well sponsored posts are doing. But this does not mean that the other media used are not successful but instead adds to the diversity that represents the marketing world.

What does this all mean for us bloggers you might ask? Well honestly, this does what every blogger strives to do best: blog interesting posts and increase traffic to our sites! The extra exposure to a wider audience never hurt anyone.

Now with the study on Click Through Rates, you can see that sponsored posts do indeed direct good traffic to your site and the advertisers get more exposure too and everybody wins!

Singapore Loot

It's long overdue and I only just managed to get some good pictures. Here is what I brought back from my awesome trip to Singapore.

This is the collective loot.

The grey yarn and the orange on top of the pyramid was a lovely surprise from the fabulous Regg. Thanks gal! I love it.

It has an unmistakable sheen and is so soft. I was at a loss at what to say when I received it.

Sigh...thank God for wonderful friends!

Moda Vera - Merino Acrylic, I love the colour of this yarn and it seems soft enough. Well that should be expected from merino and acrylic I guess.

The colour pretty frickin' awesome. A lovely shade of magenta.

Destined to be a top? Tube? Cami? My crystal ball wasn't too clear on that.

I've never heard of this brand but since it was 100% mercerized cotton, I snapped it up.

Okay I lie, I think I thought about this for at least one and a half hour before impulsively buying just before we left the store.

I'm quite awful when it comes to deciding what to buy. But then if I don't get it and my gut says I should and didn't: I can't sleep at night. It's true. I swear. Then I'd fret till I finally get it.

I'm neurotic like that.

This is 100% acrylic that was within my little budget. There were six balls originally.

But one has become this:

It's the back of a hoodie that I'm knitting.

Notice the rope cables? Thats from Knitty's Mariah. The rest is my own pattern. I HOPE IT'LL TURN OUT NICE.

Sorry...just had to break the jinx that I might have brought upon it by blogging about it so early.

One of the balls is currently doing this:

'Kay the ball ain't doing that. I am.

Last but not the least, the gorgeous Peony which has become this:

Back of a cropped jacket using a lace chart from Kitman and the rest of it is my own pattern.

*dances around the room twice on one leg* - jinx-breaking ritual from the tribes of Knittingville.

OMG I love this yarn. Soft. Shiny. Soft. Shiny. Yeh, I could go on. It's frickin' wonderful to knit with. Who wudda thunk acrylic cud be so love-ley eh?

That's all for now. Back to pretending to study =D

Cheers Chicas

Rockin' Bloggeroo

I've seen this cool pink badge floating around the Blogsphere and well, heck I wanted one too!

Oooo lookie, Sally and Annie nominated me for it:

Ain't it cool?

Thank you:

Sally who is a knitting speedster I tell you! This Rockin' Girl (Mom) ought to be given a speeding ticket! Her FOs are super fab! And Annie - *drool* check out her FOs, worthy of all Rockin'-gness bestowed upon her.

As a Rockin' Chica now, I get to nominate five more Rockers. Since most of you already rock...here are my nominations:

Ennairda Knits - Lovely blog with all her yarn eye candy and cool FOs. She has the cutest hamsters.

All Tangled Up - I'm sure all of you know this wonderful blog. I don't think I have to say more!

Knitty Kitty Kat Chat - a soon to be mum and she's got her own etsy shop and podcast!

Frog in Knots - Another Rain who's lots of fun and has lovely FOs.

Compassion Knits - love your Yugioh pattern over n over! Here's to many new patterns from you =D

Keep Rockin' Gals!!

On God's Business

As a Christian, many of us hear the words missionary quite often. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this involves the propagation of religion worldwide.

At my church here in Malaysia, which is rather small, I keep seeing groups of dedicated people traveling to the poorest, most remote areas in the world to spread the love of Christ and the word of God. It's so heartwarming to see the difference that they can make to so many people.

Now another thing I've wondered about it is how these missionaries travel the world. I learnt that it's not so easy and they have to work hard to stretch their budgets. I'm sure that those of you who know of missionary groups would be interested to know that there is a travel agency that actually caters to missionaries as well!! Golden Rule Travel strives to provide missionary flights with the best rates and the praise by their faithful clients are a true testament to their service.

Day or night, if any missionaries are looking for a flight out, their 24/7 phone service is available for missionary flights airfares with personalised service from the dedicated founders and staff who themselves are former missionaries. Their special deals and agreements with airlines make it easier for missionaries to get the best deals in airfare.

So if any of you do know of missionaries in need for the lowest fares to travel, Golden Rule Travel might just be the travel agency they've always wanted for the best missionary flights. Spread the word, it'll be your good deed for the day!

SP 11 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
According to weather conditions, cotton is the best to knit and I love it. I also do love Misti Alpaca, its the softest yarn I've ever used. I like merino wool too and I've never tried silk but would love to. Not a fan of acrylic (except for Japanese Peony) or eyelash yarn. Oh, I'm allergic to mohair.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Needles are currently in a jazzed up Pringles tin. Hooks are in a in a see through plastic pouch.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've seriously been knitting for about one and a half years but I learnt more than ten years ago from my parents.
I think I would probably call myself an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yep, check the side bar.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Don't call me an oldie but I love Rose.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Dark chocolate and After Eights can rock my world bay-bay!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Other than knitting, I crochet and err... nothing really. I don't spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like alternative rock, eg. Lifehouse

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
My favourite colour is purple but I like wearing black and white. I like deep blues, maroon, dark green.
I hate yellow and beige....BLEARRGHHH, but other than that I would like to say I'm tolerant.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a room-mate and four hamsters =D

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yep I do wear ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like knitting tops, nice and flattering ones. Stuff that I can actually wear out.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A cropped jacket and a hoodie.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I like to be the one doing the knitting but other stuff is cool.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer circulars definitely and aluminium too.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Unfortunately neither.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Er that would be just around one and half years old.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas...and does my birthday count =D ???

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn, patterns, needles and pattern books hehehee.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I would love to own some Addi turbos. Yarn, I would love to try out bamboo and silk...they sound so dreamy to wear.
Patterns, I've been trying to get the Li'l Red Riding Hoodie by Jennifer Stafford; Babette blanket in Interweave Crochet.
I have no magazine subscriptions unfortunately.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Magic loop.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yep I do knit socks once in a while. I'm a size 8

23. When is your birthday?
September 21st

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes, Rainknits

Pay Per Post

It hasn't yet been a year since I started blogging but all in all it has been a wonderful ride. Honestly, I never thought I'd be the type to blog (I had an internet phobia when I was young) BUT when you start knitting and surfing the net, it's inevitable that you would stumble across some gorgeous blogs with yarn that'd make you drool all over your screen. Heh.

THEREFORE Rain's Knit-Bits began and boy was I glad I started off. With just a blog, a whole new world opened up. I made tons of wonderful friends like you guys and got a chance to showcase my knitting. How awesome is that?

Well now there seems to be much more tweaks jazzing around the internet. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that cool things are happening bay-bay! The most coolest thing that has got my attention right now is Pay Per Post or more simply known as PPP. It's a site that lets you do what you love (blog) and then get paid for your efforts too!

I was introduced to this wonderful site by Kitman and on signing up I realised what a lucrative idea this was. Advertisers post up opporunities for us Posties to blog about and on approval, you get paid! Sounds simple? Well, it IS. Not only that, you also get to interact with other Posties who are in the community and learn a thing or two about it all.

Why don't you see for yourself what you could get out of signing up with this amazing site that not only motivates your blogging but also rewards you for it?! Start planning what you can do with what you earn! Yarn...look out...here I come!

Hope you to see y'all at PPP!

Cheers

Kitty

The newest addition to my family back home is this ray of sunshine:

Isn't she the cutest little thing?

Her name's Kitty (yeah...corny...I know) and she only answers to that. Apparently she's a fiesty thing too. She LOVES mucking around in yarn and will probably be a hazard to my poor knitting.

Her best friend is Dad and enjoys climbing up curtains and sitting on top of the curtain rods. I've got a few videos of her but for the life of me, dunno how to upload them. Anyone?

How do you keep a kitty out of your knitting ladies?

Ravel me baby

I've been Ravelrised and its frickin awesome.

Unpack boxes or mess around with Ravelry? Hmmmm.

Tough choice.

Holiday Shopping anyone?

Hello everyone. I've moved =D I think it'll take just a while for life to slow down and for the dust (literally) to settle.

Half the year has zoomed by and the holiday season is creeping up upon us. End of the year always rocks, what with all the spiffy holidays coming up! Being away from my family for so long, I've come to know that the internet is simply indispensable when it comes to keeping in touch. And now, not only that, I've ventured into online purchasing, thanks to my fiber related hobbies! Sending gifts and buying gifts (even if just for myself) has never been easier!

I've been rather obsessed with buying books off Amazon since I was amazed with their efficient service and quality of products offered. I was more than happy to find out that CouponChief.com were having fantastic Amazon coupons that would offer even more value to my purchases!

Now with the substantial amount of coupons being offered, I think I can start thinking of gifts for Christmas for my Mom (who is super picky) to even my new cat, Kitty! I think Mom would probably wind up with something from Cooking.com's deals. And I believe I have found the perfect coupon for my talented brother. Guitar Trader's coupons are too good to be true and I'm pretty sure he'd owe me for the rest of his life since I'm so thoughtful hehehhee.

Hmm usually as most of us gals do know, guys are the hardest to shop for (my bro's easy going) and I'm quite bored gifting Dad with the usual perfume, tie, perfume, tie, shirt, perfume...and the cycle continues. Heh. Dad's a clean freak and Dirt Devil has the perfect gift for him, a nasty dust busting vacuum cleaner that looks like it may as well be a weapon!

Last but not the least, pets!! Duncraft a reputed pet store has a rather enticing offer that just might cause my pets to be spoilt rotten just in time for Christmas.

Funky gifts + handmade knitting gifts too = the perfect way to bring out the merry holiday spirit in any family!

Trust me, there are a lot of coupons out there that would catch your attention! Check them out, you won't regret it.