Knitting vs. Etsy

I have been so incredibly busy since the beginning of February that I am amazed I have accomplished anything with my Etsy shop, stinkR. I declared 2013 "The Year of stinkR", but 2013 had other plans. I have had to reevaluate my priorities more than once and let something go this year, like cooking better or losing all the weight. But, never knitting.

Knitting is one of my passions. If I get time alone, you will find me browsing the aisles at craft stores, touching the skeins and sighing over buttons and bamboo needles. I love knitting! Inspiration strikes at any moment, in church (looking at the curtains behind the podium), at a restaurant (people-watching), or paging through a non-knitting related magazine (ooh, I could do that with yarn). I see stitches everywhere! I look at the purses ladies carry and mentally convert them into knitted bags, sometimes with metallic yarn and sometimes with feathery. Knitting is part of me.

My Etsy store is a branch of that part of me. While I know I need the store to sell my products, I don't need it to feel complete in my knitting. Sometimes, the store adds a pressure to my knitting that removes all the joy of the process. I start thinking I HAVE to knit and make new items to list because that is what the store is FOR. Right? There is no quicker way to stall my muse than to tell me it is something I have to knit. The muse flees, runs for the hills! The project list I have? Nothing goes right. I use the wrong yarn or the wrong pattern and the results are never pleasing. I shake my head. I step back. I walk away from the needles.

During this break, the answer always comes. Relax! Your knitting is your knitting, not Etsy's. You have the freedom to list one new item a day, or week, you choose! (Of course, I have goals for inventory, but that's another conversation) I go back to my WIP (works in progress, for you non-knitters), and usually frog (tear out) everything, pull the stitches out, and wind the balls back up. I start over.

Knitting is a process for me and the end result will hopefully be something lovely I can list in my shop and sell to someone who loves it almost as much. I have scarves in New Mexico and New York! That would never have happened without my Etsy shop. (mostly because I don't know anyone who lives in those places because everyone I know has something I knit) So, the shop is secondary to my passion, not the inspiration or the reason.

If I keep the perspective straight, the knitting just flows, and if the knitting flows, the shop gets filled. You know what I mean?

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 New Project Finished!

This is definitely not a great picture, but here is the newest item for stinkR. I finally finished the first matching set of headband and mitts for runners! What you are seeing is the back of the headband, which I tied into a knot for a snug fit.

I had this idea a few months ago. I made myself mitts and I love wearing them to run. Cold hands are a distraction when I'm running. Then, I started making a leg warmer for someone for Christmas, but switched to make them something else. The unfinished leg warmer looked about right to seam and use as a headband, so that's what I did. Voila! No more cold ears! The headband covers just the tips of the ears, not the whole ear, for safety reasons. Also, I am only using bright colors, also for safety reasons. My next set will be black and neon green. I'm making a whole line of these for the shop, quick and easy.

I am getting used to waking early and spending quality time on Etsy and in stinkR. I've been trying to find my own way around Etsy for a few months and have not made much progress. I recently joined a very active team of Etsians, Promotional Frenzy Team, and I am excited to see the difference this will make. Everyone promotes everyone else's work and there are daily goals and activities to keep everyone on track. Right up my alley! I even have a mentor, wow! I wasn't expecting such personal attention. Suddenly, all the plans I have for my shop feel attainable. I feel like I am in transition from hobbyist knitter to professional knitter and I see a long road ahead. I'm ready!

Yesterday, there was no knitting accomplished. You can read about it here. Today I have lots of housework on the agenda, but also lots of knitting. I hope you have a productive day, too!

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.