Good morning (well it is at time of typing!) everyone, hope you are all well and enjoying the warm and sunny spell we are currently basking in, I know yesterday that records were broken with high temperatures but I wonder if new records will be set today or over the weekend?
Anyway, as I am currently working on Winter warmers, with more ideas running around in my head I thought I would take time out to start working on design ideas and content for my website for when it goes live!!
I have plenty of ideas but thought I would ask followers and readers if they have any ideas themselves, as I am sure that we have all seen and used sites that are both good and bad. What kind of things do you like...galleries of work done/available, separate pages for different categories, multiple sizes/colour options, do you prefer simple uncluttered backgrounds or textured/patterned backgrounds, what kind of colours work and what colour combinations don't?
I would appreciate any input that you have as I want to create somewhere that is a pleasure to shop in and who better to ask than those who shop?
Thank you in advance for reading/suggesting, catch up soon!
Friday, 30 September 2011
Friday, 23 September 2011
What are you working on....
....right now?
Hi there everyone, I am sitting here in the middle of quite a large project and just got to wondering what you are all working on?
I am currently working on a bespoke piece. My customer has two shawls in her collection and cannot buy any more as the shop she bought them from has stopped making them, which is why she has come to me to see if I can re-create the pattern. Here is one of her shawls;
and a close up of the shawl;
The order she has put with me is for mainly black, grey and white with a high contrast of blue. After working out the pattern (which was not as easy as I first thought) I started to make the coloured flowers/centre of each motif, here is a pic of just a few of them, actually in this photo are the centre motifs for just the first 3 rows of the shawl;
There are 72 grey flowers and 62 white flowers needed to be made before being joined together with black like in this photo;
It should look quite striking when finished shouldn't it?
Well that's me, I would love to know what you are all working on right now?
Catch up soon!
Monday, 19 September 2011
Decision made!
Well, after my last post and a number of conversations with various people I have finally come to a decision about where and how to sell items made by Loves a good yarn!
I would like to state that I support handmade, however its made. For more information on this there is a badge on the right of this page or click on SHHIM.
I am going to go down the route of my own website, www.lovesagoodyarn.co.uk. I am going to keep my shop on Folksy, even though I am not too happy about how Folksy have gone about things and their timing is dire but as I have spent a fair amount of time promoting this shop and have built up a small reputation with some buyers but I intend to use it in future to feed through to my website. It will be stocked with a selection of crochet items but it will be clear in the shop description that more sizes and colour options will be available on the website.
I will also have to change blog providers as the template that I am planning on using for the site will work with a different blog but I will be letting you all know over time before the move occurs (so if you wish to carry on following me you can).
In the meantime I will keep you all updated with the goings on in the world of Loves a good yarn! and I will keep posting photos of products on Loves a good yarns Facebook Page.
Thanks for reading and catch up soon.
I would like to state that I support handmade, however its made. For more information on this there is a badge on the right of this page or click on SHHIM.
I am going to go down the route of my own website, www.lovesagoodyarn.co.uk. I am going to keep my shop on Folksy, even though I am not too happy about how Folksy have gone about things and their timing is dire but as I have spent a fair amount of time promoting this shop and have built up a small reputation with some buyers but I intend to use it in future to feed through to my website. It will be stocked with a selection of crochet items but it will be clear in the shop description that more sizes and colour options will be available on the website.
I will also have to change blog providers as the template that I am planning on using for the site will work with a different blog but I will be letting you all know over time before the move occurs (so if you wish to carry on following me you can).
In the meantime I will keep you all updated with the goings on in the world of Loves a good yarn! and I will keep posting photos of products on Loves a good yarns Facebook Page.
Thanks for reading and catch up soon.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Decisions decisions decisions!
Sorry I have been a bit quiet lately, I seem to have a lot going on and most of it is inside my head!
I am a great believer in fate, what is for you won't go past you and all that, sometimes things happen for a reason or make you change direction. Well it would appear that now is one of those times.
There has been a change or a tightening up of criteria on one of the selling platforms that I use to sell items made under Loves a good yarn's name, as it happens most of my makes are still suitable but before this was clarified I had to consider the option of not using that platform any more and striking out alone, selling through my own website.
With my own website, I wouldn't be charged fees or commission, I can list decent stock levels, I would have full control over how my site looked, photographs, backgrounds, multiple pages, it would all be mine to control.
I can promote my own website as much as I was promoting my shop on the other site, or more. I can link it in to all social media that I use, create a brand image that is mine and mine alone.
On the other hand, I don't have the publicity/promotion budget of selling platforms, or the protection of selling under their umbrella so to speak. I have a few return customers and have built up relationships with fellow crafters in the forums, some of whom have been converted into customers might I add.
Or do I keep my shop/keep a presence while I get to grips with my website and then use it to drive customers to the website.
As I said in the title, decisions, decisions, decisions!
If anyone has an opinion either way or any advice then I would love to hear from you, in the meantime I will continue to ponder (whilst crocheting of course!)
I am a great believer in fate, what is for you won't go past you and all that, sometimes things happen for a reason or make you change direction. Well it would appear that now is one of those times.
There has been a change or a tightening up of criteria on one of the selling platforms that I use to sell items made under Loves a good yarn's name, as it happens most of my makes are still suitable but before this was clarified I had to consider the option of not using that platform any more and striking out alone, selling through my own website.
With my own website, I wouldn't be charged fees or commission, I can list decent stock levels, I would have full control over how my site looked, photographs, backgrounds, multiple pages, it would all be mine to control.
I can promote my own website as much as I was promoting my shop on the other site, or more. I can link it in to all social media that I use, create a brand image that is mine and mine alone.
On the other hand, I don't have the publicity/promotion budget of selling platforms, or the protection of selling under their umbrella so to speak. I have a few return customers and have built up relationships with fellow crafters in the forums, some of whom have been converted into customers might I add.
Or do I keep my shop/keep a presence while I get to grips with my website and then use it to drive customers to the website.
As I said in the title, decisions, decisions, decisions!
If anyone has an opinion either way or any advice then I would love to hear from you, in the meantime I will continue to ponder (whilst crocheting of course!)
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Folksy Friday - Crochet Thread, Stitches and Fine Detail
I love to crochet, that much is obvious but I really love to crochet in thread...to do all the really fine detailed work.
Thread crochet is exactly the same as yarn crochet except for the thickness of what you are crocheting with, fashion thread for clothing tends by numbered #3 or #5, bedspread weight/mainstream thread is generally #10 but you can get #20, #40, #80, #100 (!), I believe that you used to be able to get thread numbered over 100 in the past. The higher the number the finer the thread, the highest that I own is #80 but I have not used that yet, the highest I have worked in #20.
The stitches are the same in whatever medium, yarn or thread, plarn (plastic yarn from carrier bags, video tapes etc), T-shirt material, twine, etc.
Hooks for crochet thread go very very small, the largest you would use for thread would probably be 2.00mm and can go as small as 0.6mm !
My love of thread crochet is the reason that I chose to make a lace Christening Gown for the competition at the Anglesey Show this year.
I have had the pattern (and the #20 thread) for quite a while, just waiting for the right moment to make it, when I was told the class title was for crochet in the competition, 'A crochet item for a baby', this seemed like the perfect moment.
The excitement that I started out with turned into a typical large project relationship - more of a love/hate thing...as any knitter or crocheter...or any crafter for that matter!
The amount of Micropore tape that I went through protecting my finger, at least 2 rolls, as the fineness of the thread and the constant back and forth with the small hook meant that I just kept cutting into my finger.
However once finished, washed and put together, I fell in love with it again but now that I had to put up for someone else to judge, suddenly I lost all faith in my skills, I didn't want someone to critisize my work!
Turns out however that I was fretting over nothing as my entry was well received and I won 2 awards - Yay!
My love of thread crochet is the reason and the theme for this weeks blog, I wanted to take this opportunity to show you some of the marvellous stuff that has been created with such a versatile medium by some other Folksy crafters.
Studio Aitch~Bits&Bobs Crafts~FaustaPink900~Isamo Crochet MiCrocKnit Creations~Craft Junction
As usual, click on the image to see more info on that item or click on the shop name to browse other items that are available.
Thanks for taking time out for a read, catch up soon I hope.
Thread crochet is exactly the same as yarn crochet except for the thickness of what you are crocheting with, fashion thread for clothing tends by numbered #3 or #5, bedspread weight/mainstream thread is generally #10 but you can get #20, #40, #80, #100 (!), I believe that you used to be able to get thread numbered over 100 in the past. The higher the number the finer the thread, the highest that I own is #80 but I have not used that yet, the highest I have worked in #20.
The stitches are the same in whatever medium, yarn or thread, plarn (plastic yarn from carrier bags, video tapes etc), T-shirt material, twine, etc.
Hooks for crochet thread go very very small, the largest you would use for thread would probably be 2.00mm and can go as small as 0.6mm !
My love of thread crochet is the reason that I chose to make a lace Christening Gown for the competition at the Anglesey Show this year.
I have had the pattern (and the #20 thread) for quite a while, just waiting for the right moment to make it, when I was told the class title was for crochet in the competition, 'A crochet item for a baby', this seemed like the perfect moment.
The excitement that I started out with turned into a typical large project relationship - more of a love/hate thing...as any knitter or crocheter...or any crafter for that matter!
The amount of Micropore tape that I went through protecting my finger, at least 2 rolls, as the fineness of the thread and the constant back and forth with the small hook meant that I just kept cutting into my finger.
However once finished, washed and put together, I fell in love with it again but now that I had to put up for someone else to judge, suddenly I lost all faith in my skills, I didn't want someone to critisize my work!
Turns out however that I was fretting over nothing as my entry was well received and I won 2 awards - Yay!
My love of thread crochet is the reason and the theme for this weeks blog, I wanted to take this opportunity to show you some of the marvellous stuff that has been created with such a versatile medium by some other Folksy crafters.
As usual, click on the image to see more info on that item or click on the shop name to browse other items that are available.
Thanks for taking time out for a read, catch up soon I hope.
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