Project # 2!!

Yep! I have moved on to project #2 and I can't wait to see how this one turns out. I still have 2 and a half balls left over of TK Yarn in Delicious Tweed, so I'm going to see if I can combine two of my designs and make either a capelet or a sweater...hmmm...this is going to be interesting! :-)

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!

Returning from a long vacation is never easy...getting back into the daily grind of the ole routine...homeschooling, running a business, being a wife and mother. It became very overwhelming as I thought about my upcoming BlogTalk Radio interview on August 2 with Jahzara Bradley, and the new video that I had to work on for my store, along with developing new strategies to promote my new website Yarncoture.Com AND work on a custom order that one of my dearest childhood friends placed while I was on vacation. Nevertheless I have decided to grab the reins and keep on bucking! Bessie is kicking up a lot of dust but hey, the only way I know is to keep on riding, so giddy-up Bessie....we've got things to DO! :-)

I Got Some YARN In The Mail!!!

Yep! Here's a pic of my gorgeous yarn that I won from KittyGrrlz !!!! Here are the specs:

~ 58 Yards
~ 2.4 oz.
~ 70 grams
~ 80% merino
~ 20% silk

Overall the yarn has a nice feel to it..the colors are beautiful..reminds me of my dream granite counter tops that I hope to own someday! Flecks of teal, muave, blue,and wine are evenly distributed through out the skein. Also included in the package was a lovely bookmark that is actually a photo print of some of her beautiful yarn...thank you KittyGrrlz for this wonderful yarn and cool bookmark! I have some ideas as to what I want to make from this but until then...MY LIPS ARE SEALED! :)

Annnd..

I bought some gorgeous destash yarn from My Mix Mix that I've had my eye on for quite some time. This yarn is a really beautiful colorway from Gedifra Yarns. This yarn is super soft, not itchy (I ran it across my neck to be sure!) and will be just perfect for a neckwarmer for the Fall/Winter season.


I know EXACTLY what I'm making from this yarn, as most of my yarn projects are born from the texture and quality of the yarn...trust me, it's going to be fabulous!
;)

Mitts For My Sis!

I came across these mitts today while packing an order for a recent customer. I knitted these gloves for my older sister...*ahem* last year, but never gave them to her.. Fingerless gloves have been on my mind a lot lately which means that I've got to get cracking so that my shop will be well stocked for the upcoming winter season. These particular gloves were knit using soft acrylic yarn and will be available in my store soon!

Knitting BLING!!

I just can't stop finding all of this wonderful bling on Etsy! I came across Max's World, a wonderful shop that specializes in miniature jewelry made from yarn balls!



This pendant is a wonderful gift idea for a fashionable knitter, or anyone obsessed with yarn (like me! :-) ) Max's World also offers earrings and complete earring, necklace and brooch sets! If you love yarn and knitting, do give her shop a look...oh, and tell her "Yarn" sent ya!

I've Been FEATURED!!

I woke up this morning to check my emails and whaddayaknow? I got an email informing me that the talented Lucky Girl Trading has featured me on her blog!! About a week ago, she purchased some washcloths from me and liked them so much, she featured them on the Lucky Girl Trading Blog! In her Etsy Shop, you'll find everything from vintage sewing patterns from the 70's to beautiful art glass pendants. Do make it a point to check out her Etsy Shop, and don't forget to tell her "Yarn" sent ya!

A Bit :E:D:G:Y:

Ok, here is my latest design.."The Jester"!! It's a bit edgier than my other designs which allows me to transition to the "couture" part of Yarncoture. It was handknitted in an alternating seed stitch design, and then finished off with crocheted jester-like curls on the border. It's very versatile...can be worn with the curls facing up or down and depending on how it's worn, it can definitely be a showstopper accessory. It's finished off with some very nice tangerine red vintage buttons that I bought off Ebay. Depending on the feedback that I get from this piece, I will hopefully introduce an entire line of "The Jester" in the future!

Double WHAMMY!!

Wow what a glorious Monday morning! I woke up and snagged this treasury and I can't begin to tell you how EXCITED I am! I included many of my favorite Etsy artists whom I admire and respect. THEN I got this convo from The Silver Dog Jewelry to tell me that she's included my fingerless gloves in this treasury! I truly hope that one of these babies makes it to the front page of Etsy, and that a lot of unrecognized talent will finally have their spotlight moment!

Why Do I Feature Shops On TWITTER???

I'll tell you why. When I opened my shop in July, I was sooo excited! I just KNEW that I would get my first sale within the week. Well, I didn't. In fact, I didn't get my first sale until October 13! Before that happened I tried to frequent the Etsy forums and quickly learned that I needed to advertise my store OUTSIDE of Etsy. Occasionaly I would even see people posting threads encouraging others to post their shops for a "chance" to be "picked" to be featured on a blog or something. I tried posting my shop, but I was never picked and after being disappointed I decided not to do that anymore. I stumbled upon twitter by way of some discussion threads mentioning it in the forums and quickly learned that twitter could be an awesome way of promoting my shop and others as well. However, I still didn't want to make people feel like they had to be "picked" and I didn't want to promote shops that were always picked. I wanted to focus on the store owners that had the guts to open a shop but unfortunately were buried in the Etsy database of shops. I decided to develop a simple criterion which would give everyone a shot:

~ Promote shops with 5 sales or less

~ Require that they have a Twitter page

~ Tell them to tell all their friends (by doing this, they help promote their
shop as well)

Remember, all multi-million corporations were once the "little guy", but they were fortunate to get their foot-in-the-door and through time their businesses skyrocketed. Hopefully I represent the "little guy" and am trying to do my part in contributing to the success of the handmade movement.