Hello Etsy!

Welcome to Portland! Last weekend was the global Hello Etsy! event. Here in Portland, ours was held at PNCA – a great and wonderful partner to our local Etsy team. The combination and relationship that both I Heart Art Portland and our PDX Etsy street team have with the college is fantastic and allowed us to have the perfect space for this event!

I volunteered in the morning, working with other fellow Etsians, to bring a plethora of muffins, croissants, and fruit to the masses. Now, if you are wondering what happened with the coffee, let’s pause for a moment to explain… the first huge percolators blew one of the fuses, so what should have been ready (had it started brewing when it was supposed to) was not. When I got there, we were told it was going… and going… and the coffee colored water started flowing. Yup. It was really just dirty looking water. Fortunately (for those of you that *got* coffee before the opening remarks), I found the “restaurant style” machine in the back kitchen area. We started brewing those, and then moved one of the large machines in the back. Which promptly blew another fuse… once it was finally working, I was pulled off of that duty to go be a ticket taker/bouncer/slide flipper for one of the presenters. So. My most sincere apologizes for the lack of caffeine!

The presentation I attended/bounced/was AV tech for, was held by Andrea Mansfield, of Brand and Bloom (@brandandbloom on Twitter). Called ‘Tasty Branding’, this session was about building a successful brand and recognizing the core values and principles that you want your small business to model… and how to get there successfully. Of all of the morning sessions, this was the one that I was hoping to attend, as I felt it would be the most useful to me! I did learn some interesting techniques and heard some useful questions and commentary. (Though the copyright/intellectual property lady was probably in the wrong seminar to be asking what she was… it was almost as if she was asking the question to show that Andrea didn’t know what she was talking about, and so she could answer herself – my two cents).

We were able to make some adorable little journals; an activity that was presented by Collage PDX, and was able to meet some of our Etsy peers. The Keynote address, featuring Duane Sorenson of Stumptown Coffee, and Rebecca Pearcy of Queen Bee Creations, was both informative and hilarious. And yes, I can TOTALLY see employees crashing on Duane’s couch. The lessons that they talked about and how each of them started (in very different ways) were very interesting, in that each demonstrated you don’t have to have a MBA to have a successful business. I think that in today’s business climate, people often get wrapped up in not having the degree and think “I couldn’t possibly…” or, on the flip side, they DO have the degree, but an intense lack of passion.

Unfortunately, I had to leave the conference at the midpoint, but from what I heard, and the vibe that was to be had (and my twitter feed later that afternoon), it seemed as though the second half of the day went just as well as the first! Some people I was glad to catch up with (or meet in person – not just on the twitter machine) were Janelle of Prunella Soap and Cool Jane Designs, Helene Hughart of HHKnits, Dryden of Designated Dryden, and also Kirsten of PiperEwan. AND my pals from Supportland! I did miss out on meeting up with a couple of people… so to those, hopefully soon!! SO many talented, terrific individuals to be had in one small area!

Thanks to all for a fantastic morning and I’m so glad that I was able to participate!!

I'm Baaaaack!

Goodness.  It kind of feels nice to type!  I have been hard at work on multiple projects... a set of legwarmers for a friend, two baby beanies that came up unexpectedly (many thanks to the husband for letting me know one of his family friends since childhood was having twins...), a few little things here and there (some mommy and me socks for Etsy) but the one that took up the vast majority of my time was this custom order.

What on earth could take a month?  Well, when you want something done right, you take your time.  Finding the yarn for this project was challenging enough.  Ever tried to match reasonably priced yarn to an album cover?  Then, finding a pattern that would lend itself to alteration... then creating the alterations...

I digress.  I received an email in January from a prospective (and LOCAL!!) client wanting to commission a custom sweater.  Cool, right?  Little did I know how HUGE of a fan Michael is... fortunately, he is also patient.  Having two kids and popping in an extra project or three along the way gave me time to take breaks from this sweater and go back, make the necessary changes to have a successful product.

I used Berocco's Comfort yarn for this project so that it would be washable (although, I would still say handwash it!!!).  Working off of an image that Michael gave me, I took a pattern from Bernat design and added in stripes, as well as a design worked in intarsia into the front.  This is the first time that I have done extensive intarsia work, and I am rather pleased with how it came out.

Next up?  A quick sweater for me, then another custom order for some yoga socks!  Oh... and did I mention I finally taught myself the beginnings of crochet?  I even bought a book!  We'll see how this goes... :)

Not Holiday Projects... but perhaps something better.

Alright, since the ladies at The Bitter Baking Co. were kind enough to give me a vanity post... I thought I would do the same - I like to share the love.  :)

Not long ago, I was making an Etsy treasury for the zillion pregnant people that I know... okay, maybe not a zillion, but if you look at my feed on Facebook, it certainly seems that way.  I came across these fantastically awesome cookies with fun (and raunchy, and some oh-so-wrong) little sayings on them.  Things about baby daddies, and Twilight halloween costumes, and some others that, well, I'll let you take a look, which I highly recommend, because they're AWESOME - like I said.

Not only do they have the fun and raunchy ones, but they also have their "Sweet Sayings" collection which would be more appropriate for say, your stuffy boss that you know you should get something for, but somehow the "Everyone knows what you do in the Break Room" cookie isn't going to quite work.  AND, they also have partnered with the Camaraderie Foundation  through True Blue Treats which helps troops transition (I really wanted to use re-assimilate, but that sounds like their rejoining society after being a part of the Borg) back into civilian life.  Coming from a military family, I can certainly understand the importance of this particular organization.

Anyhooo, long story short, now we're Twitter friendsies. I can't believe the number of really cool people I have met using Twitter... there will be another post about that next week - and social media in general.  For now, I HIGHLY encourage you to go - NOW (okay, finish reading this first) to their site: http://www.bitterbakingco.com/ and check them out - you can also find them on Twitter, as well as on Etsy.  And just in case you need this one after Holiday break for that really classy girl at the end of the dorm room hall... it's available.  ;)

Where Have I been? Sheesh...

I know that all six of you wait with baited breath for each new blog post that I write, but it helps clear my head and gives my fingers a different type of exercise than what they get from playing with needles and yarn.  :)

So.  What have I been up to lately?  Well.... I met with the lovely Kate Sprouse, owner of the sugaring shop, Sugar Me  in Northeast Portland and she decided to include some of my items in her super cool shop.  Let's get down to basics before we talk about the yarn...

What on earth is sugaring?  Well, think waxing, but without the super hot wax or chemicals.  Anything that can be waxed can be sugared, and well, I would think that it would also be slightly less painful.  Also, on the upside, sugaring doesn't require the length of hair growth that waxing does either.  Cool, right?

Located in the super cool neighborhood in Portland, don't be thrown off by the "NE Portland" address.  Near Acadia Bistro, as well as Caffe Destino, New Seasons, a Starbucks and various others, Sugar Me fits in well with it's surroundings.  The community feeling of the area also seems to be working for Kate, who had said that the local merchants and businesses are all very supportive of each other.  (Some of you MAY remember this particular area as having been home to the original Peanut Butter & Ellie's, back in the day... okay, it wasn't really that long ago, but they did close, sadly.)

Back to the yarn... once the girlies over at Sugar Me get everything set up how they want, hopefully (you hear that Kate?!?!?! :) ) I will get some pics of my stuff in the shop, but included in the order were six sets of armwarmers in three different designs, six cowls/neckwraps in three different designs, some coffee wraps, a bunch of washcloth soapy bags, as well as some fun little freebies for the sugaring queens.  :)  Multiple colors, sizes, and styles give a great selection and compliment the already existing products of soaps, lotions, and various jewelery.

Never been sugared?  Give 'em a call and try it out!  Also, if you tell me that you went, and can tell me the name of the other girl who works there (Not Kate or Katie - nice try!) I will give you a discount on any Etsy purchase!

Two Other things for Today....

I love when my Etsy site gets random clients.  It makes me happy.  Especially when after they purchase something from me, they then decide to order more!  I like a) selling things, obviously but b) I like finding and trying and modifing other patterns.  For example... here is another freebie pattern that I am offering up.  It is a single cable scarf, done in a Super Chunky [6] yarn on size 13 needles.  You can find the story behind it on the actual .pdf, but suffice it to say, I am getting better at this pattern stuff!  :)

Single Cable Chunky Pull through Scarf - Level: Advanced Beginner (due to cables)


This is a take off on the Lion Brand Pattern “His & Hers Easy Cabled Scarves” that can be found in their “University Knits” booklet. I didn’t like how wide the scarf turned out for the women’s version, I also like my cables spaced closer together. The original pattern calls for fringe at the end, which I don’t include, but you are welcome to add. I also added the pull through, merely because with a super bulky yarn, it can get hard to tie under jackets. This is also easily scaleable for a child – just use a worsted weight and smaller needles…

A few abbreviations to know:

C6F – Slide the next three stitches to a cable needle, let it lay in front of your work, knit the next three stitches, then knit the stitches off of the cable needle.

Materials:

Size 13 or 15 (US) needles

Your favorite Super Bulky [6] yarn… this one is pictured in the Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn, but will also work with everything from a Malabrigo Super Chunky to a super chunky organic cotton (all depends on how much you want to spend).

Alright, Alright! Here are the instructions:

CO 18

Odd Rows 1-7: P2, K2, P2, K6, P2, K2, P2

Even Rows 2-8: K2, P2, K2, P6, K2, P2, K2

Row 9: P2, K2, P2, C6F, P2, K2, P2

Row 10: Same as Even Rows

To Make Pull Through (close up pictured at right):

After 5 pattern repeats, work rows 1-4.

On Row 5: P2, K2, P2, BO 6, P2, K2, P2

Row 6: K2, P2, K2, CO 6, K2, P2, K2

Continue with rest of pattern repeat

After Pull Through is completed, continue pattern repeats until scarf reaches desired length, BO in pattern (I’ve found it looks the best if you BO on a row 6 – then there is half a cable repeat, just like at the beginning), and weave in ends.

Notes, Disclaimers, etc.:

I am not claiming this as a completely original work. I have merely altered it from an existing pattern that wasn’t to my satisfaction. Please do not sell this pattern, as the original is available from Lion Brand, although you are certainly welcome to sell objects made from it, as stated on their site. I would appreciate if you give me or my blog a shout out, should you choose to use it. Thanks and enjoy!

The other thing for today, I put these little stitch markers up on Etsy last week, and oddly haven't really gotten much interest in them... I can't imagine why, as they are AWESOME and really not expensive at all!  Check out the full details on the Etsy site by clicking here.

A few weeks later...

A few weeks ago, I had written that I was nervous about writing my own patterns.  Well, I can't say that I have overcome that... not even close.  SO.  Instead of worrying about that, I decided to start with something a little easier.  I have managed to convert a fairly simple free cabled hat pattern from Bernat to a "knit in the round" pattern.  It is coming along pretty well, and I'm hoping to have it done tonight.

I have begun enlisting the Kusala legion... I have discovered a loyal fan in Pittsburg who has ordered several things from the Etsy site, as well as enlisting a custom order from me - for two hats!  Those were completed last week and received today!  They love them and I am very excited to have fans across the country. 

I have also been working on some designs... i.e. I take patterns and modify them to make them mine... :)  and I have come up with this cute little cabled pull through scarflette...  It is PERFECT for when you are chilly at work, but can't have the length of a full on scarf to get in the way of typing or writing.

One of my goals is to get put in a few more shops.  I made a connection with a knit shop in North Portland the other day about the cool end stoppers that I had made, and I need to see how that is going to pan out... I need to email her.

I'm working on the Fall/Winter collection for Etsy and hopefully will have more pics to post soon!

Cool New Stuff!

Alright, so it's been a bit since I've written, and it is because I've been working on these:

Totally cool, right?  They are needle stoppers made from corks that I have collected and decided, "Hey.  This would work!"  I went looking for stoppers after my youngest pulled one too many projects from my needles and I was ready to... well, you know.  Scream.  Yeah, scream.  :) 

I have about ten sets of ten stoppers available on the Etsy site in different fonts and different papers.  They're sealed on the ends and use either real cork or the synthetic variety.  Check 'em out by clicking here, or you can also use the link in the upper right corner of the blog!

Two New Finished Projects!

I had a lot of cotton that I wasn't planning on using for much of anything, so what to do... Washcloths!  This cute little set is knit in a checkerboard type of pattern, very simple, but really cute.  And really repetitive!  Yikes.  Here's a pic... These are currently up on my Etsy site...

I really like the Lion Brand Cotton much better than the Sugar n Cream stuff.  It doesn't bleed nearly as much and it really is a lot softer.  That being said though, if you are doing washcloths for the kitchen, I've found that there needs to be a fair amount of ribbing or raised lines in order to get some scrubbing action going.

The other project that I finished was a little newsboy hat, for ME!  It's really cute and I like the way it turned out.  I will say that a friend of mine commented that I kind of looked like Link from The Legend of Zelda in the pic I took... which, really, I'm kind of okay with.  :)  I found the pattern with the intent to make one for my friend Carrie's little boy, but I wanted to practice the pattern and figure out if I needed to make any modifications before I made it for him.  Sure enough... I felt the brim was a little long for the adult version, so I shortened it, and I would also make the body of the hat a little larger - the pattern calls for it to be 5" long before starting the decreases, I think I would probably go for 5.5" or 6" instead - just to make it a little poofier.  :)   For Alex's hat, where you see the buttons on me, there is going to be a little Cowboys star (for whatever reason, his parents are Dallas fans... When I make him Cowboys stuff, I have to pretend that it is really for a Penn State fan, otherwise, I don't know if I could do it... ;)

Next on tap: a cotton market bag for my friend Meghan, which I'm going to go and get the yarn for (hopefully today, if the weather cooperates) and a few more of these hats... I've already had a couple of requests! 

Up and coming projects...

One of the problems that I tend to have is that I like to make a lot of different things.  I see a cool pattern or a cool picture and I want to try it, instead of finishing the things that I already have going...  after playing around on Ravelry today, I found a sweater vesty thing that I HAVE to have for fall, as well as a cute little shrug thing that I am going to NEED for summer... problem is that I need orders people!!!  :)  Or donations... feel free to PayPal me money.  :)  This is just a short little entry today, as I did a long one about my children's FABULOUS behaviour over at my other blog earlier this morning. 

As far as progress goes, I should finish a robot today, and another couple of coffee cup holders that I just got an order for this morning.  Unfortunately, the order that I got the other day on Etsy fell through (LAME) - she never paid for it... so, I was rather disappointed about that.  I also need to get the special surprise project done for the soon to be sis in law (who, is losing weight right now, and this might complicate things slightly... check out her getting healthy blog here.)

Prep Work

One of the most exhausting things about getting ready for a show is the two days prior.  Stressing about things like:
- Do I have enough product?
- Since I'm handing out card with info on it, how does the Etsy shop look? The blog? The Facebook page?
- Is everything that I'm taking seasonally appropriate?
- How about price? Is it all priced according to the demographic? For example, tomorrow's show is at a college.  I'm not going to take things that are $40 or $50.  I'm going to take things that are $5, or $10, or $15...
- Do I need to take the laptop? Would the PayPal app on the phone be enough?
- What about "To Do" stuff for when it's slow? Should I take more stuff to craft, or should I take stuff to read?  Decisions decisions.

Here's my take on these questions.  Having done a few shows at this point, and helped others prep as well, this is what I've come up with...
- Product: If you don't have enough product, there isn't necessarily wrong with that... have a notebook or laptop available to take custom orders! (Maybe retain one of each piece as a demo piece... or use yourself as a model)
- Web pages: make sure they are neat and tidy.  You wouldn't have guests to your home without at least straightning up a little, right?  Same idea here.
- Seasonal product... well, you're going to have a hard time selling beanies in July.  That's a fact.  However, you can mark them drastically down if you are not planning on returning to that pattern for the next season, or if you want to clear out some inventory.  Surprisingly, things like armwarmers are usable year-round... there are those like me that are freezing all the time, or that work in overly airconditioned offices.
- Pricing.  You don't want to be "that guy" as my pal Shanna of She's Crafty PDX put it.  While you want to make back your effort and materials cost, you also don't want to be the one that is undercutting everyone else.  Is selling out of product worth alienating your fellow crafty-types?  I try to keep things as affordable as possible - usually charging just a few dollars over materials cost, but that is because I make things because I like to, and also I don't think you have to pay a ton to get a quality product.
- Computers... well, I love mine.  Will I take it with me to an outdoor show? Probably not.  I need a new battery for mine and it won't work for very long without an outlet.  That being said, I would take it if I had a good battery.  I like to have a slideshow going of my previous work, and of my custom work as well.  It can be a great tool to show prospective buyers the range of your abilities.
- "To Do" stuff.  Yep, there are times it is going to be slow.  Really slow.  I take a small project - some coffee wraps or headbands, little things that are easy to pick up and put back down.  This is because you are a "seller".  You SHOULD be interacting with your clients/prospective buyers.  They aren't just buying your product, they are buying YOU.  In that sense, if you make a great impression, even if they don't buy anything but take a card, then they will think of you the next time.  If your head is stuck in a book, or in a sweater pattern, chances are they are going to think you are the crazy artist chick with 14 cats at home... not that there is anything wrong with that.  :)

MOO and Etsy and the next project!

Whooo Hoooo!  Many thanks to Etsy and MOO for having such a fantastic deal for Etsy members!  I managed to pick myself up some fantastic business cards - with my images - for next to nothing.  Seriously.  They were free, all I did was pay a whopping $5.00 in shipping!  They took about a week - which was about two weeks less than the original estimate... I love when that happens!


As for the next project, I am super excited about it and think it will go over very, very well with the college crowd that I am currently knitting for - the Earth Day Festival is rapidly approaching and I am trying to have as much stock as possible, as there is a She's Crafty PDX event following the PSU event by about a week!  I can't put up pics just yet, as I have a friend who is going to be receiving one of the items... once she gets hers, I will put up pics and a link to the fabulous pattern!

Baby Blocks

One of my great loves are free patterns.  I love that other people that are good at math are willing to share their abilities and aptitude with the rest of the knitting community.  So for those of you that do... THANKS!

The project that I'm currently working on is a set of three stuffed, felted, baby blocks.  The pattern I found was plain, so in order to "dress it up" a little, I have decided to take some scrap fabric and turn it into little number appliques for the blocks.  I am really excited to see how these turn out.  I am new to felting, so I HOPE that they work the way that I want them to.

My other great love are my product testers and friends that let me clothe their children in freebies and cover their homes in knit toys - and also use their connections to drum up sales for me, so (especially) Erin Cannon Johnson and Carrie Payton Sham... thank you so much, I love you guys and appreciate you so much! 

I hope to have pics of the blocks up soon!  Until then, keep checking back for updates!

Playing on Alchemy

For those that are fellow Etsians...  I was scrolling around on Alchemy for a little while and got to wondering if anything ever actually comes from it.  Have you had success on Alchemy?  What are some tips and pointers? 

Alchemical symbols in Kitab al-Aqalim by Abu 'l-Qasim al-'Iraqi inspired

 by Egyptian hieroglyphs in British Library in London

I saw the above image and thought it was really cool... I read a post recently from someone saying they didn't understand why the custom request board was called Alchemy.  Learn why here.  Okay, so maybe that was slightly vague.  Basically, Alchemy is the "science" of turning something into gold, or currency, or something of value... sort of like a request on Etsy... do we all get it now?  Sheesh.  :)

Setting Up

While not new to the blogging stratosphere... this one is a new venture.  I have been inspired lately by some of the other "craft only" blogs that I have been reading and commenting on.  With that being said, I thought that maybe, just maybe I could get a few followers over to my corner of the web... and maybe, dare I hope, drum up some new sales on Etsy?

However, one of my main goals here is to have some, wait for it... FREE PATTERNS!  I love finding freebies, using freebies... I'm not the best at coming up with them, mainly because I forget to write them down, but I do try, and I have made some really cool stuff.

The other thing is that I wanted to have a blog for crafty stuff that was separate from my personal stuff... don't get me wrong, they do spill over, but when I want to rant and rave about my bank, or my car, I wanted to have that on a different page!

Going, going, going.  I have a few patterns I am ready to put up, but I don't have images for them just yet.  I hope to hear from others, I love comments and feedback!

Thanks for visiting, and come back again soon!