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Top Down Hoodie Pattern
This is going to be a big hit! I love this pattern. pssst You can get it at Craftsy or Ravelry. The very simplicity in knitting and wearing it will quickly make it the go-to pattern or sweater for all of us. The pattern I am working on right now is for infant sizing but I am planning to develop this knitting pattern for children sizes as well as adults and plus sizes. The elegant look and simple styling of this pattern is apparent at first glance but the true beauty from the knitter’s perspective is the method and simplicity of knitting it. It begins at the top with a…
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Photography and 2 Patterns Finished
Yipee, 2 knitting patterns all ready to go. After an insane amount of spinning, knitting, math, photography and computer time I’ve got 2 patterns finished and I’ve aquired a whole new respect for those self published “Indie” pattern desginers out there. WOW. One of the most fun parts, after the spinning and knitting, is the photography. Today I studied my “shoot it” course on Craftsy then I dressed up my dolls and did a shoot for the new Alpaca Baby Pattern and Kit.
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Bookkeeping
I haven’t posted for a few days because I’ve been trying to figure out how to download transactions from Paypal to Quickbooks. Well, it’s not going to happen using only the Paypal downloads. it’s just not robust enough. Firstly, I am in Canada so my main accounting currency is Canadian but most of my sales and expenses are in USD. Paypal allows me multicurrency within my account as does Quickbooks but the download doesn’t work. We don’t even have our date formatted the same way and the month and day are reversed when they come in among various other issues related to currency. There is no way of associating a…
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The Alpaca Pullover
Thanks Ann, for ordering this pattern before it was even written up. You’ve encouraged me to go ahead and pursue the pattern designs. I’m actually getting excited about all of this! This one is a tiny bit more complicated because of the set in sleeves and perhaps a bit unusual where the shoulder buttons up, but it’s still easy to knit by following the instructions and images. I’ve also included line drawings of the shapes for reference. There are no fancy stitches and the pattern is easy to memorize. You can purchase the Knitting Pattern, or The Handspun Yarn, or the Kit, or even the finished Handknit Sweater in 2…
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The First Pattern – Stretchy Cast off
I’ve decided to write up some of my designs and have developed a whole new appreciation for the designers, especial those who self-publish. This is difficult work and requires some serious concentration and math skills as well as the ability to multi task on a whole new level. Free Download on Craftsy or Ravelry (limited time only) My first attempt will be the lovely Garter Stitch Baby Cardigan. It is so simple and fun to knit. The construction is top-down and there is so little shaping and NO sewing together. just put on the button and sew in the ends. What will make my designs stand out? I want them…
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Goals
Today I will set myself some goals to reach before I can begin the promotions because I’m confindent that these promotions will get things moving quickly and I want to be ready. Goal time: September for knitters, November for gifts (Christmas Shopping) 15+ – Finished Handknit Projects online for sale 10+ – Handspun Luxury Natural Fibre Yarns with colour choices 3+ – Original Design Knitting Patterns – Simply Elegant Kits for all of the Knitting Patterns to buy All Projects, Yarns and Patterns Posted on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy, Facebook and Web Site.
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Knitting Pattern Designs
I have decided that there will be no problem selling handknits or handspun yarns once I get started. People need to see and feel how special the knitwear and yarns are and know how easy it is to get help from a real person who is the artist and designer. Before I can promote the site I need some handspun yarns and some pattern downloads to be available. My next project will be to spin a variety of handspun luxury fiber yarns and put them up on Etsy and the Web site and to use these yarns to re-knit some of my designs. I’ll take lots of pictures and write…
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Selling on Etsy tips
I’ve only been on Etsy for a couple of weeks but here’s a few things that I have discovered so far. I paid for the advertising for a week as an experiment. Although I did not keep accurate data I did discover from the charts of hits and favorites that I got more favorites and visits when I put up new products. That seems to be the best way to get your shop on the front pages… better than the advertising. The week of advertising did not get as many visits as putting up a few new products did. Somehow, listing the items puts you back at the top of…
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Reputation and Time
I am beginning to realize that it will take some time and work to get my designs out there so that people can actually see them, feel them, wear them and talk to each other about them. I have no doubt that once a few people aquire my work my business will be growing quickly by word of mouth. They will recommend me to others and I will have more work than I can keep up with. When this happened to me a few years ago I had orders backed up for more than 6 months and ended up just giving up in frustration. I was afraid to take custom…
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More Updating
I’ve been working on putting up some “Share” buttons on the web site and updating some of the Social Sites. I am trying to remember to Tweet about new products as they go up as well as add them to my Facebook page. I now have about 16 Original handknit and handspun projects on Craftsy, Etsy and for sale on the Nancy Elizabeth Designs website. I will be adding these as projects on my Ravelry as soon as I have the patterns written up and ready for sale as I would like to like the project to the pattern if I can.
Simply Elegant Timeless Classics – Handspun and Handknit Luxury Heirlooms
