Keyhole vs. Short

Funny story about this scarf. The stitch I used is mock cable, love! The pattern I thought I was using is keyhole, a keyhole scarf. I knew such a thing existed. I knew I had seen pictures. I truly thought that was what I had made by forming one end of the scarf into a loop so the other end could be pulled through. Isn't that like a keyhole? Sure! But, of course this is after I listed it and tagged it with keyhole, keyhole, keyhole, my husband was perusing one of my knitting project books, an unusual activity for him, and he says, "Oh, wow. I thought you made that term up yourself. Here it is right here, a keyhole scarf." I glanced at the picture, and froze. That scarf looked nothing like the one I made! Their keyhole was in the middle of the scarf! Doh!

Well, first things first, I looked up pictures of the scarf style I DID make, and it's called a short scarf. Yep, that's it. Short scarf. Definitely not as cute and peppy as keyhole scarf, but whatever. I changed all my tags and titles and relisted it as a short scarf. Then I added a vintage button from the bag of buttons my grandmother gave me. I love it! The button really adds a lot. So, here it is, a Kelly green short scarf!

When I'm looking at the stats for my shop, one number I always compare is the listing viewed to the listing favorited. In other words, I want to know if the numbers match. Did the shopper favorite the item viewed or not? You want favorites if not sales! This gray headband got a lot of views, but not many favorites. This was boggling to me since it is such a cute piece. Hmm. As with most of my knitting lately, the headband needed something, some pizazz, character. I added the black trim and changed my pictures. Immediately the favorites started matching the views! I am learning so much from running this Etsy shop! I know my knitting is in a evolutionary phase and I'm surrounding myself with different techniques for finishing projects. It's more work than simply binding off, but absolutely necessary.

I have so many projects on the needles right now. I have finished a few that are awaiting that final inspired touch. I have yet to pick up my needles today. You can read about it here. Time to make some coffee and get busy!

This and That

This has been a very busy week for stinkR! I was learning about the daily promoting committments on PFT and it really blew my mind how far-reaching it went! These artisans are the serious-minded sales group I need! One of my goals was to hit 500 circles, or followers, so I could participate in all the promoting for my own shop. I had been climbing steadily for a week, then stalled out at 465 on Monday. I doubled my efforts and hit it yesterday. DH knew what a big deal it was and brought me flowers with a note, "Happy 500!" Love that guy!

More good news: I sold two bags this week to someone I don't know! Yay! I also sold the white eyelet scarf, my beautiful first-time eyelet lace pattern, to someone I do know. Still a yay! My shop had so many hits and favorites! Definitely a great week.

So, Valentine's Day approaches, which means I move on to the next holiday. St. Patrick's Day! I don't have any real themed projects, just a lot of green planned. This is a double beneft since green is the hot color for this year, according to Pantone anyway. I am aiming more toward a Kelly green right now. I also have a lot of spring colors in my stash, no pastels, just bright pinks, yellows, and greens, of course. I have a scarf on the needles right now, a chunky green yarn called Sprite. I love it! Being Irish, this color trend really appeals to me. :)

Here is the mock cable scarf I finished. I decided to turn it into a keyhole scarf. I'm pleased. I will do a photo shoot on Monday morning to start the week off with a full shop. My goal is to finish six projects this weekend. They will be small, but I want to build my inventory. I'm still looking for that niche project to focus on! I have a bridal shawl on the needles, but no end in sight. Too many other knitters are selling headbands and mug cozies and cowls and scarves. Focusing on afghans would take a major time committment so I am holding off on that until summer.

This week I learned how to make pom poms and tassels. Here is the first pom pom. DH claimed it since he helped me figure out the little pom pom maker gadget. The directions were all pictures, like reading a map, something I am notoriously not good at!

This is the purple pouch bag I deactivated becase it was too plain. Not anymore! I added some black trim, doubled the drawstring, and attached a tassel. Lovely! Tassels are big for me right now. I also added them to the dark red lined bag, and it sold the same day I updated the pictures! Progress!

I am up early to blog real quick and then get busy knitting. I have so many projects in my mind and on my needles! Time to get to work! Enjoy your day!

 



A Productive Day

Wow! Since I made the decision to get serious about my Etsy shop, my knitting life has become much more busy. Today I spent a lot of time knitting, compared to the last two days which were devoted to the business end of an online shop. I'm waiting for one more step at Etsy, joining a team and getting a mentor, and then I think my commitment to my shop will officially be a second job.

Or would that be a third job? Homeschooling counts!

Here is a picture of the Kelly green scarf fresh off the needles tonight. I knit this in mock cable stitch and it is just lovely. I'm planning to add a button that can slip right through the cable, making this an adjustable cowl.

I also cast on the bridal shawl, finally! I have had this pattern in my magazine stack and mental file for months. Two weeks ago, I went through all my magazines and removed the projects I knew I wanted to do. The bridal shawl was at the top of the pile. I bought the needles and the yarn last week, but I needed to finish a couple other projects before starting this one. Finally, finally, it is on the needles! I'm so excited to see how this turns out. I think it will be a beautiful addition to the shop.