if macgyver had been a knitter...

...this is the type of shipping envelope he would make.

first off, full disclosure: in my years working at lorna's laces, i came to know the folks at jimmy beans as some of the nicest, cleverest people in the industry. they are a marketing powerhouse, and those limited-edition colors we dyed for them each month, in addition to the huge amounts of yarn they'd order in addition to those, certainly puts them in a category all their own.

so when i start fawning over their newest innovation without having a portion of my paycheck sponsored by jimmy beans, hopefully that means something to my dear readers (all two of you!).

here's what they said in their October newsletter:

Yes!! In our constant quest to go AGAIN where no yarn shop has gone before, to do what no one in the yarn industry has done, we at Jimmy Beans Wool have unveiled shipping envelopes printed with a FREE LORNA'S LACES SOCK PATTERN.

If Limited Edition Baby Me Boo wasn't impressive enough, hold onto your hats because our new Project Packs will definitely rock your socks! What are these Project Packs you ask? They are our new shipping envelopes that not only keep your yarn clean and safe on its way from Jimmy Beans to your front door, but also include a free pattern on one side of the envelope itself! They are waterproof, rustproof, even bulletproof!! Ok, maybe not bulletproof, but you will be able to cut this pattern out, punch holes, and keep it in your personal pattern binder. We'll be using these envelopes to ship approximately 75% of our orders, so chances are high that you'll get one. And as a special celebration this month, we promise that if you place a Goblin order, you'll receive it in one of these extra special Project Packs #1.

Project Pack #1
Honey-Do Socks
Written for Sock, Sport, or Worsted Weight
Ships w/ All Goblin Orders!!

Hint: We suggest that you save each pattern in the series - you just never know what kind of silly prizes we'll be giving out next year for the person with the biggest collection!

I mean, who doesn't want to open up their mailbox and see a pattern staring them back in the face? How did no one think of this beforehand? If anyone in the knitting community needs a crash course in Marketing Genius 101 (myself included), just read some back issues of the jimmy beans newsletter.

Shall we place bets on how much time elapses before other online shops start doing this?

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