Art shows

I've participated in two art shows to date, but no luck with sales. I'm about to log on to Etsy and cut my prices dramatically. I need the cash, and inventory isn't moving.

Thankfully, the show tonight produced a lot of interest. One woman in particular was very interested in the scarf LPF commissioned for her sister. She's supposed to e-mail me tomorrow to inquire about other colors for a gift for her niece. I have to block LPF's scarf tomorrow night after dinner with my girlfriend LB.

Projects in the queue:
- Ribbed SWS scarf (need to block, list on Etsy)
- LPF's scarf (need to block, list on Etsy)
- MAS' socks
- ERH's socks
- GEH's socks
- Branching out (for me)
- Sonnet (for me)

I'm a little bent out of shape about some personal stuff, so I'm going to close this entry and hopefully have something more pleasant to say Friday or Saturday.

Art shows!

I've been invited to participate in my first-ever show! I received a convo (private message or e-mail) through Etsy inviting me to join a local artists' show presented by one of our local downtown art associations. I was very surprised but quite pleased and honored.

The invitation provides me with quite a dilemma. I've been to one art show in my entire life, and it was strictly paintings. I've never attended a craft show. I've never been a vendor! So I'm having to figure out very quickly if I want to do this, first of all, and second of all, what I need to DO. I have e-mailed the organizer back and hopefully I can get some questions answered promptly so I can get my ducks in a row. Thankfully, my husband is quite arty and is already scheming displays and set-ups.

Here are some random thoughts:
- Need to find out what kind of space I will have and what type of table I need to bring
- Must use a white or cream-colored table-cloth - no black or dark colors to show lint (or cat hair!)
- Need a small, attractive mirror so people can look at my wares on themselves
- Should I swatch some of my yarn stash so people can get an idea of future items? (probably)
- How many of my items should I bring?
- How do I handle sales - can I have a computer hooked up so people can go through my Etsy store? Would that be too tedious & time-consuming for this type of event? Probably - but how else am I going to accept credit cards? They would need to at least have a PayPal account for CCs. I will need to have some cash for change. What about invoices/sales slips? This brings me into a whole realm of marketing that I haven't had to address just yet because Etsy has been wonderful.
- Thank goodness I used that particular website for my business cards; I know I can customize postcards and other little dealios for marketing purposes.
- Where oh where can I get a mannequin head or wig stand? I know I can get one off of eBay or an online retailer but for whatever reason, I'm really stuck on being able to see & touch it before I buy it. I want to be sure it's worth my money AND displaying my goods!
- Not to mention, it would be very nice to have a dress form or mannequin torso for scarves - the torso and head would be super-useful for future (hopefully) shows AND for photographing items to show on Etsy.
- I think having a little guestbook might be a genius idea for people who are interested in my products but don't have time/money/interest in current items.

Have to get back to my day job for now :-) Any feedback would be much appreciated!

[2 weeks and counting]

And two days and counting.

I voted early on Friday, and the line was two hours long. I didn't mind at all - I had been sure to wear comfortable shoes and brought my knitting. The lady in front of me even asked about what I was working on, so I was able to chat a bit about what I was doing and my Etsy store.

I have learned how to knit socks! Knitting from a book while in line was quite interesting. I was concerned about dropping needles & stitches, but I didn't have any problems. My class sock turned out quite nicely. I'm not sure about the kitchener stitch to close the toe, but I'm sure that will improve as I knit more.

My Ravelry page is finally pretty well updated. I have some items that Bradley is going to photograph for me; once I have his pictures, I'll be able to post final pictures on Ravelry and then the items on Etsy.

The banana cozy commission is going well. I finished one with quite a few tweaks and have started the second one with even more variations. I will be stopping by the grocery tomorrow to pick up bananas to be sure they fit.

Tuesday night has me on the verge of hyperventilating. I am so ready to be done with the election season and move on to real work. At this point, I do still care who wins the presidential election, but I am hoping that after the dust has settled, we'll be able to turn purple and end all the divisiveness. I am so tired of hearing all the negative stuff on TV and the news sites. I don't want to hear the candidates tell me what the other candidate did - all of that stuff is in the past. I wish they would speak for themselves: What are they going to do for my future? For the future ahead of my nieces & nephews? For your kids & grandkids? How are they going to improve my situation? Tell me your OWN agenda and quit tattling on the other candidates. I had had enough when I saw an ad on TV the other night where the opposing party didn't even name the position the candidate was running for - it was obviously a local race, but seriously - what the heck. I hope I can stay at home and knit the night away without breaking any needles or throwing anything at the TV. I might have to pull out my Options needles or some of my old Boye needles so that I don't break any of my Takumi dpns or my new Harmony circulars!

Upcoming projects:
+ After I finish the cozies for LP, I am going to go back to Branching Out, I think. I love the alpaca I bought over the summer, and it feels like it would be a great weight for the pattern. I know I need to block the laceweight I'm using right now before I make the decision to frog it.
+ Now that I've knit a class sock, I'm planning on knitting a pair for myself. I bought 2 skeins each of three different colorways, all of which will be appropriate for work.
+ I have some ideas for using up some leftover bits; I have to flesh out the ideas, but I think they will be a lot of fun.
+ After I use up the yarn in my stash, I think I'm going to start working with lighter-weight yarns instead of bulky wools. For Floridians, wearing something cotton or bamboo would be much more feasible.

Au revoir - I'm off to bed! Busy workweek ahead.

[studying]

That's pretty much all I've been doing lately. Oh, and going to the doctor. I spent this past Friday night in the ER with severe abdominal pain; the diagnosis from the ER doc didn't make any sense to my own doctor when I went in for a follow-up on Tuesday, so we're still working on figuring out the cause.

BUT. I have been knitting while watching the study lectures, so I have several scarves and hats waiting for my B. to photograph, and then I'll be able to list them on my Etsy store.

I have had several commissions lately:
- a hat for a co-worker
- banana and apple cozies for one of my knitting group girls (she's actually a crocheter)
- a scarf for a co-worker's sister

The cozies & sister's scarf are still in progress. The hat got rave reviews when the co-worker went to Atlanta recently; he said it was exactly what he needed while he was there and made sure to promote my store to his friends there.

I've been working on the business side of this Etsy thing lately. Ordered new business cards with my store's actual name (prior versions had an incorrect French translation); downloaded QuickBooks Simple Start (I would love to have the full version like we have at work, but I am not forking out how ever many hundreds of dollars it would cost me); set up templates for product labels; and have been researching the best way to deal with making this little thing legal. I think for now, I'll just register a fictitious name entity and report it on my Schedule C; I need to register with Florida for sales tax purposes and start filing those reports. Since I'm a tax accountant, I don't really have the ignorance excuse - to say the least!! I'm thinking of getting some postcards from the site I used for the business cards (www.123print.com) to distribute at work, craft shows, restaurants, and other places where I can advertise.

In yarn news... the cozies I'm making for my group member are cotton yarn, which I have never really worked with in the past. It's interesting since I've been using so much wool. I have some delicious buttery-colored alpaca that I'm planning to use for a Branching Out scarf for myself or for a gift. My friend KD and I figured out that the Noro yarn she gave me would be perfect for a belt! I love interesting belts since I wear grey, black, or khaki pants all the time. I saw a picture of the Forest Path stole recently, and that inspired me to find a lace pattern that would work for the belt. I have to do some more digging in my stitchionary, but I'm confident I'll find something soon. KD suggested crocheting - but the hook scares me! I'll stick to my needles.

Life is interesting

Things have been a little crazy in my little corner of the world. Work is good. The husband is good. The cats are good. Knitting is good.

I have had a recent spate of interest in my Etsy shop! I knitted a baby blanket for a co-worker & his pregnant wife and was able to have it finished in time to give them at the firm-sponsored baby shower. When other co-workers realized I had made it myself, many of them asked about other things I could make. I was able to distribute business cards and show people other projects on my Etsy site. My officemate LF bought a scarf this week to give to a friend who lives in a colder climate, and another co-worker has commissioned a beanie. Yay!

I'm beginning to work towards incorporating my little store; as a tax accountant, I can't really claim ignorance about collecting & remitting sales tax or paying income tax (if I ever actually make a profit!). But being a tax accountant will make the process easier, since I'm familiar with the process and the consequences.

I have plenty of scarves in inventory; I've whipped out a few hats recently and am going to work on some mittens & arm-warmers soon, I think.

OK, that's all I have for now - I have to get back to the CPA exam studying. :-(

Two at once

My usual scheme with life is one thing at a time. One book at a time, one knitting WIP at a time, one TV show at a time, one hobby at a time, etc. I've been working on adding variety in the past few months. I don't like it when different parts of my meal touch when they're on my plate - juice from my spinach running into my mac & cheese grosses me out to no end. But lately, I've tried some new things to see how I like them. I still can't read a different book while I'm studying for the CPA exam, but I cast on a new knitting project before I finished my current one.

I've been producing some scarves for my Etsy shop and still haven't knit anything for myself since I picked up my needles last year. Yesterday, I cast on Branching Out. I started it a few months ago and frogged it; using size 8s with the yarn I'd picked (KnitPicks Shimmer) made the stitches far too airy to even recognize a pattern. Last night, I went down two sizes to a 6 needle, and it's easy to see the pattern now. I've done about 4 repeats of the pattern, and I love it. The project I haven't finished is another My So-Called Scarf for Etsy. It's in Classic Wool Merino by Patons in Palais, and I love the rich colors - brown, purple, maroon, and blue. Today, I was catching up on my TV shows on the DVR, and switching from size sixes and laceweight yarn to size elevens and much thicker yarn was definitely an adjustment for my fingers. I didn't find it difficult, though, which was good.

I could knit all day, but it's 3:30 and I really need to get some chores done around the house. We have the Litter Robot for the cats, and it's time to change the bag. I'm also going to switch from clumping clay litter to crystals this week; several fellow cat caretakers (cause we all know that cats simply refuse to be owned) have confirmed that the crystals virtually elimiate the dust that comes along with the clay litter. My kitties have successfully used the crystals in the past, so I don't have to worry about them refusing to transition. I've already taken care of the kitchen; now it's just the rest of the house!

Ugh, and let's not even discuss the studying I have to do today. [Insert whining, bitching, & complaining here!]

Hmph.

That's how I'm feeling today. Work is a little crazy today, and I've been ready for the day to be over since about, oh, 10 AM. I have an unbelievable amount of laundry to do tonight, and I would like to hurry up and leave already to go home and start on it.

Two scarves are at home waiting to be blocked and then listed on Etsy. I sewed in the ends last week at TNKC, and since it's almost that time of week again, I feel like a slacker for not getting at least one blocked. It's not that difficult; I've been busy and have been working on everything BUT knitting.

My friend Becky, the Amazing Survivor Girl, was visiting over the weekend and told me how she really enjoyed the hat I made her with stones on it. I think I'll have to investigate that a little more; I think that others would like the hat as well, but I remember having a hard time finding beads that would thread onto yarn thick enough to make a warm hat.

While she was here, Becky and I went to the beach yesterday. The water was really cold, and we were both very surprised since it's July in Florida. We had a lot of fun splashing around and letting the waves nearly knock us over (as if we really have any choice in the matter!) - it was just what I needed before this week. I have to begin studying again for the next section of the exam, and it was wonderful to go cut loose and have a good time before becoming a hermit and studying all the time again.