From January 1st 2015, how the EU will treat tax on digital sales is changing. This will have repercussions for EU buyers and sellers, as well as for sellers of digital goods (digital patterns, eBooks...) all over the world. You can find out more about VAT MOSS here.
Up to December 31st 2014, small businesses based in the EU and selling under a certain threshold (€35,000 in Ireland, £81,000 in the UK, €100,000 in France...) did not have to register for VAT(Value Added Tax), therefore they did not have to charge VAT to their customers.
From January 1st, the above rule does not change for sales within a seller's own country or from a seller located in Europe to a buyer outside of the EU.
To make things easier (NOT!), there are currently 28 EU member countries and each EU country comes with its own VAT rate (varying between 8% and 27%), which is why the new VATMOSS system is being implemented.
Don't take me wrong, I don't mind paying for VAT (well, I do, but if I must, I'd rather be legit about the taxes I owe), but if I register for VATMOSS, I must pay VAT for the sales of digital products I do within Ireland as well (which according to Irish law, being under (well under!) the VAT threshold, I shouldn't have to pay), as there doesn't seem to be a possibility of opting out of one's own country.
Normally, small businesses like mine selling via a platform like Craftsy, Etsy and Ravelry shouldn't have to worry about the new VAT rule since the law states that it is the platform that is responsible for VATreturns in the relevant countries, but unfortunately I haven't found any statement from Craftsy whereas Etsy stated that they are in the process of developping a tools to help sellers that should be ready in early 2015, until then (and I have to assume after that too), sellers have to take responsibility for the new VAT rule; I suspect that their tools may just be something to help sellers block buyers from the EU from buying certain items (which would be a disaster for Etsy's EU customers, who hopefully won't take this lying down!).
Ravelry and Love Knitting are doing something about this: by teaming up together, they are allowing Ravelry designers to upload their designs to Love Knitting, which will collect and pay VAT on behalf of the individual sellers.
The only options I can see for in order to comply with this contradictory law, is to stop selling my knitting patterns on Craftsy and Etsy for now, as these two seem not to be aware or really care about the fact that all sellers including those outside Europe have to pay the EU VAT rate of the country in which the buyer is located - who knows? Etsy might see the light when they lose out on all the listing fees that stop coming their way, since lately they showed how they seem to only understand the language of $$!.
I am still awaiting instructions from Ravelry on the process of importing my knitting patterns to Love Knitting, but as far as understand from all my reading, there will be no change for buyers located outside the EU (as well as those located in the same EU country as a EU seller), as they will still be able to purchase through Ravelry at the same price as before. Buyers located in the EU (if in a different EU country than the seller) will be redirected to Love Knitting in order to complete their purchases, which will be taxed at the relevant VAT rate.
For all pattern sales from an EU country to another EU country, the customer will have to pay more, as the relevant VAT rate will be added to the inital pattern cost: this does not mean that designers will be getting more money, as the added VAT amount will eventually be paid to the country where the buyer is located.
I am still hoping that the EU authorities will come to their senses and either introduce a new - common to all EU countries - threshold for digital sales, or agree on one low tax rate that is the same in all EU countries, because this new rule which was introduced in order to combat big companies setting up in low tax locations in order to avoid paying high tax rates is ultimately hurting small businesses (who can't afford an accountant to handle the extra paperwork) AND their customers more than corporations that can well afford all the extra paperwork and probably won't need to hire an extra accountant to make sure they're tax compliant).
All this to explain why from January 2015, you may not find my patterns available for sale on Craftsy or Etsy (well, at least not until I know and I am happy with what is this mysterious new tool Etsy is working on), but you will still be able to purchase them through Ravelry, but if you are in the EU (Ireland not included), it may take some time to have my patterns listed on Love Knitting as I haven't got them accepted there yet.
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Sophie's Knit Stuff features hand knit accessories I've designed, free and paid knitting patterns and crochet projects I am working on.
Dec 29, 2014
Dec 10, 2014
Hi, My Name Is Sophie And I'm A Craft Addict...
I'm tyiping this as I'm starting to seriously worry about the growing number of craft addictions I'm falling victim to!
First there was knitting, which I still do with a passion, then last year I learned how to crochet and even though I know I still have a lot of crochet techniques to learn (like lace crochet), I am now pretty comfortable with it and I enjoy discovering new ideas of things that can be done using knitting and crochet.
A few months ago, I bought my first sewing machine: I used to think sewing was quite boring, and I am the first to confess I'm quite clumsy with sewing thread and needles, but after a browse on Pinterest, my mind was blown when I started thinking of all the possibilities: I may not be able to sew neat straight stitches by hand but there are so many cute sewing projects that can be achieved with the help of some preparation and a sewing machine!
Talking about sewing, here are the two owl cushions I finished making for my two daughters during the week-end: they are not perfect but I think I learned a lot doing these (taking the plunge and making something is the only way to learn), and as long as my daughters are happy with these, I'm happy. I got these as kits including the fabrics and patterns from Fiddlesticks at the RDS Knitting and Stitching show. I'm thinking of adding some simple sewed items like phone and tablet covers to my Etsy shop when I've had more practice with my sewing machine.
Another thing I am currently falling in love with is cross stitching (yes, my addictions are getting way out of control!). Since I'm very weak a the moment after a long time of not treating myself to clothes, wool or anything I wanted to buy but didn't need to (thanks to being broke), I broke down yesterday and bought this magazine, which also blew my mind when I leafed through it:
Before I make anything else than the gift tags (the kit was included in the magazine, I'm just like a 3 year-old buying a child's magazine just for the toy!), I've asked my daughter's permission to finish the dolphin kit she got about two years ago and that she finds too difficult to finish: I've started indulging this morning. I'm not sure how permissible it is for a left-handed person like me to finish a project started by a right-handed person but I can't see anything stopping me.
As my addictions for everything wool and fabric-related grow, there is only one thing I can ask Santa to give me this Christmas even though I know this will not be possible: more hours for crafting every day!
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First there was knitting, which I still do with a passion, then last year I learned how to crochet and even though I know I still have a lot of crochet techniques to learn (like lace crochet), I am now pretty comfortable with it and I enjoy discovering new ideas of things that can be done using knitting and crochet.
A few months ago, I bought my first sewing machine: I used to think sewing was quite boring, and I am the first to confess I'm quite clumsy with sewing thread and needles, but after a browse on Pinterest, my mind was blown when I started thinking of all the possibilities: I may not be able to sew neat straight stitches by hand but there are so many cute sewing projects that can be achieved with the help of some preparation and a sewing machine!
Talking about sewing, here are the two owl cushions I finished making for my two daughters during the week-end: they are not perfect but I think I learned a lot doing these (taking the plunge and making something is the only way to learn), and as long as my daughters are happy with these, I'm happy. I got these as kits including the fabrics and patterns from Fiddlesticks at the RDS Knitting and Stitching show. I'm thinking of adding some simple sewed items like phone and tablet covers to my Etsy shop when I've had more practice with my sewing machine.
Another thing I am currently falling in love with is cross stitching (yes, my addictions are getting way out of control!). Since I'm very weak a the moment after a long time of not treating myself to clothes, wool or anything I wanted to buy but didn't need to (thanks to being broke), I broke down yesterday and bought this magazine, which also blew my mind when I leafed through it:
Before I make anything else than the gift tags (the kit was included in the magazine, I'm just like a 3 year-old buying a child's magazine just for the toy!), I've asked my daughter's permission to finish the dolphin kit she got about two years ago and that she finds too difficult to finish: I've started indulging this morning. I'm not sure how permissible it is for a left-handed person like me to finish a project started by a right-handed person but I can't see anything stopping me.
As my addictions for everything wool and fabric-related grow, there is only one thing I can ask Santa to give me this Christmas even though I know this will not be possible: more hours for crafting every day!
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Nov 27, 2014
Knitting Tools DIY Alternatives
If you've ever opened a recently written knitting book, you'll know that the first few pages are usually dedicated to the different types of yarns available and the tools needed to knit.
All of these tools may seem confusing at first to a person just wanting to start with some basic knitting without all the bells and whistles.
This is why I decided to write a post and show you how you don't have to buy every single tool: I'm a seasoned knitter and there are a few tools I do without.
The mains tools you need are knitting needles. Some like straight needles, others prefer circulars. If you're a beginner, I'd recommend first buying a cheap pair of straight knitting needles in the size required for the yarn you're using (if you're not sure, just ask the person at the counter).
1 - The cable needle: this is a short needle that is double pointed and is curved in the middle. When you knit cables, you need to slide a number of stitches onto this needles so that you can knit a few other stitches from the main needle before knitting the stitches left on hold to get the crossed effect. If you have regular double-pointed needles, you don't need to buy cable needles: I actually find curved cable needles awkward to use, and I'd rather use a straight one.
2- Still with the cable needle, the size of cable needle (or double-pointed needle if that's what you're using for your cables): you don't need to invest in every single size of cable needle. You'll only be using them to hold stitches for less than a minute. You need to make sure your cable needle is not too small, to avoid the stitches slipping out too easily, and not too big, in order not to struggle trying to put those few stitches on the needle and stretching the stitches. For example if you're using DK wool with 4mm needles and you only have a 5mm cable or double pointed needle, just use that! You can invest in a 4mm one later if you know you're going to need them a lot but I wouldn't worry about having only a size up or down.
3-The stitch holder: sometimes you need to leave some stitches on hold (for example for a thumb while you're knitting the rest of a mitten) and you may think you need to buy the large plastic contraption that looks exacly like a large safety pin. Well I've got new for you if you're a minimalist like me: you have at least 3 other alternatives that work just as well!
3a- Use a length of yarn about double the size of the stitches that need to be put on hold, carefully thread this through your stitches, remove the needle and tie a knot to keep your stitches secure.
3b- Use a spare circular needle if you have one, place the stitches to be put on hold on the cable part. The extra needles may get in your way when working the rest of your knitting but if you can live with it, so can I!
3c- If Mc Gyver was a knitter, he'd use a safety pin and I've tried this myself but you need to be very careful of this method as the tip of the safety pin can be very sharp and may split the yarn if you try inserting the pin too fast (mind your fingers too!).
4- Stitch markers: these are very cheap and I do a lot of circular knitting so I did invest in a pack eventually, but when starting out you can just use a small bit of yarn tied in a knot, looped around your needle. You can also use a small elastic band. If you have children your house is probably full of these loom bands that are all the rage at the moment: if you're going to use some, just avoid the glittery ones unless you want your hands and knitting full of glitter (glitter sticks and is pretty difficult to wash out, believe me I've been a glitter victim before;-)
5- Pompom makers: different types of pompom makers, usually made out of plastic, are available now: I just wonder what happened to cutting 2 circles with a hole in the middle out of an empty cardboard cereal box?
That's all I can think of now, but I'm sure there are a lot of other tips out there, as more often than not, logic takes over as necessity arises. You're welcome to add some of your tips in the comments section: I'm sure I've left out lots!
Don't forget of course the knitting needles, yarn and the measuring tape;-)
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All of these tools may seem confusing at first to a person just wanting to start with some basic knitting without all the bells and whistles.
This is why I decided to write a post and show you how you don't have to buy every single tool: I'm a seasoned knitter and there are a few tools I do without.
The mains tools you need are knitting needles. Some like straight needles, others prefer circulars. If you're a beginner, I'd recommend first buying a cheap pair of straight knitting needles in the size required for the yarn you're using (if you're not sure, just ask the person at the counter).
1 - The cable needle: this is a short needle that is double pointed and is curved in the middle. When you knit cables, you need to slide a number of stitches onto this needles so that you can knit a few other stitches from the main needle before knitting the stitches left on hold to get the crossed effect. If you have regular double-pointed needles, you don't need to buy cable needles: I actually find curved cable needles awkward to use, and I'd rather use a straight one.
2- Still with the cable needle, the size of cable needle (or double-pointed needle if that's what you're using for your cables): you don't need to invest in every single size of cable needle. You'll only be using them to hold stitches for less than a minute. You need to make sure your cable needle is not too small, to avoid the stitches slipping out too easily, and not too big, in order not to struggle trying to put those few stitches on the needle and stretching the stitches. For example if you're using DK wool with 4mm needles and you only have a 5mm cable or double pointed needle, just use that! You can invest in a 4mm one later if you know you're going to need them a lot but I wouldn't worry about having only a size up or down.
3-The stitch holder: sometimes you need to leave some stitches on hold (for example for a thumb while you're knitting the rest of a mitten) and you may think you need to buy the large plastic contraption that looks exacly like a large safety pin. Well I've got new for you if you're a minimalist like me: you have at least 3 other alternatives that work just as well!
3a- Use a length of yarn about double the size of the stitches that need to be put on hold, carefully thread this through your stitches, remove the needle and tie a knot to keep your stitches secure.
3b- Use a spare circular needle if you have one, place the stitches to be put on hold on the cable part. The extra needles may get in your way when working the rest of your knitting but if you can live with it, so can I!
3c- If Mc Gyver was a knitter, he'd use a safety pin and I've tried this myself but you need to be very careful of this method as the tip of the safety pin can be very sharp and may split the yarn if you try inserting the pin too fast (mind your fingers too!).
 |
| In my knitter's toolbelt |
5- Pompom makers: different types of pompom makers, usually made out of plastic, are available now: I just wonder what happened to cutting 2 circles with a hole in the middle out of an empty cardboard cereal box?
That's all I can think of now, but I'm sure there are a lot of other tips out there, as more often than not, logic takes over as necessity arises. You're welcome to add some of your tips in the comments section: I'm sure I've left out lots!
Don't forget of course the knitting needles, yarn and the measuring tape;-)
***Follow me on Twitter and Like Sophie's Knit Stuff on Facebook for more updates***
Nov 14, 2014
I'm Being Selfish For A While: Join The Knitting Queue Please!
I like being my own boss: that allows me to knit things for myself instead of for "Ze Bisnesss" sometimes. Not that I'm really successful and can afford it (selling an average of 2 knitting patterns per week is not going to put food on the table, but it helps a little going towards my yarn budget).
At the end of September I decided that I was going to knit or crochet a least 2 items per week and list them in my Etsy shop. I sort of kept it up for October but I also started knitting a jumper for myself at the same time, which I was working on at the week-ends and Mondays (Monday is when I go to my favourite knitting group). I also told my daughter I would knit her some legwarmers with some of my birthday wool (me and my big mouth:-) and I would also like to do a pair for my other daughter with the remaining colour.
Winter is nearly here (even though it's still unseasonably mild) and I'm not great at multitasking: I can't handle more than 2 projects at the time, so if I want to be finished by Christmas, I need to be selfish and knit my jumper full time - unless I get a custom order which I'll prioritize of course, because I'm nice like that;-)
I guess the fact that my jumper suddenly got more interesting has a lot to do with me wanting to finish it - I started the yoke, which is in a lace pattern, wayyyyy more interesting than stocking stitch in the main body/arms.
So here's what I'm hoping to do before Christmas, in order of priority:
1- Custom orders (if I get requests),
2 - Finish my jumper (about 1 week),
3 - Pair of legwarmers for daughter 1 (2 to 3 days),
4 - Pair of legwarmers for daughter 2 (2 days - I'll have the pattern worked out above),
5 - Have a go at my sewing machine as I still haven't started on my owl cushion kits and I really want to have them done by Christmas (time: 2 to 3 days and a lot of swearing I'm sure!),
6 - A crochet monkey my brother wants me to make him for christmas (1 day),
7 - The World is my oyster: time to think of knitting patterns for headbands, scarves, hats, phone cases...
Now I'm not really good at following my own plans, but at least once I have these written down I can free my mind for some other ludicrous ideas of how I'm going to get my business to feed my family and me some day (dreams...)
Update: since I wrote this 2 days ago (I'm not the quickest at taking blog photos!), daughter 1 decided that she'd prefer a different wool for her legwarmers (this is the wool I had planned to make her a Katniss cowl with last year, which never happened): cables won't show in this variegated bouclé wool, so they'll just be plain legwarmers, and hopefully these WILL happen:
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At the end of September I decided that I was going to knit or crochet a least 2 items per week and list them in my Etsy shop. I sort of kept it up for October but I also started knitting a jumper for myself at the same time, which I was working on at the week-ends and Mondays (Monday is when I go to my favourite knitting group). I also told my daughter I would knit her some legwarmers with some of my birthday wool (me and my big mouth:-) and I would also like to do a pair for my other daughter with the remaining colour.
 |
| These would work great as cabled legwarmers for daughter 1 |
 |
| And these for daughter 2 |
Winter is nearly here (even though it's still unseasonably mild) and I'm not great at multitasking: I can't handle more than 2 projects at the time, so if I want to be finished by Christmas, I need to be selfish and knit my jumper full time - unless I get a custom order which I'll prioritize of course, because I'm nice like that;-)
I guess the fact that my jumper suddenly got more interesting has a lot to do with me wanting to finish it - I started the yoke, which is in a lace pattern, wayyyyy more interesting than stocking stitch in the main body/arms.
 |
| Check out the top part: that's where it get interesting - I have removed my well needed lifeline for the purpose of this photo. |
So here's what I'm hoping to do before Christmas, in order of priority:
1- Custom orders (if I get requests),
2 - Finish my jumper (about 1 week),
3 - Pair of legwarmers for daughter 1 (2 to 3 days),
4 - Pair of legwarmers for daughter 2 (2 days - I'll have the pattern worked out above),
5 - Have a go at my sewing machine as I still haven't started on my owl cushion kits and I really want to have them done by Christmas (time: 2 to 3 days and a lot of swearing I'm sure!),
6 - A crochet monkey my brother wants me to make him for christmas (1 day),
7 - The World is my oyster: time to think of knitting patterns for headbands, scarves, hats, phone cases...
Now I'm not really good at following my own plans, but at least once I have these written down I can free my mind for some other ludicrous ideas of how I'm going to get my business to feed my family and me some day (dreams...)
Update: since I wrote this 2 days ago (I'm not the quickest at taking blog photos!), daughter 1 decided that she'd prefer a different wool for her legwarmers (this is the wool I had planned to make her a Katniss cowl with last year, which never happened): cables won't show in this variegated bouclé wool, so they'll just be plain legwarmers, and hopefully these WILL happen:
 |
| This wool smells like sheep: these legwarmers will be super warm with 87% real wool |
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Nov 5, 2014
Trip To The Knitting And Stitching Show 2014.
I had the pleasure to visit the RDS in Dublin again this year for the annual Knitting and Stitching Show.
The Knitting and Stitching Show is a huge venue not just for wool and fabrics stores but also for a lot of other crafting supplies like card making. Associations like the ICA (Irish Countrywomen's Association) have stalls there too.
The entry fee is not cheap but if you are really interested in all sorts of crafts and looking for bargains or if you'd like to purchase items that are normally only available in the UK (it's possible to buy online but sometimes it's nice to be able to ask for advice face to face and see the goods before purchasing).
In short, the RDS Dublin turns into a giant craft shopping centre once a year for 4 days.
The reason why I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show this year was to have another look at the Coolree yarns (I didn't have anything in mind I could think of knitting using it so I couldn't justify the expense) - Coolree yarn is the Ferrari of yarns, and I drive a Hyundai, but it's already on my list of things to buy when I win the Lotto (the yarn, not the car;) - and also to try and find nice wool bargains.
I didn't go too close to the really cheap yarns, as I prefer using good quality soft wool for knitting and crochet, but I found some good looking chunky Rico Design Fashion Highland (I got 3 full packs - 500g for €19.00 per pack) and some Katia Air Lux in shimmery colours that should look good in light airy lace scarves (this one wasn't really cheap but since it's thin wool, at 300m/328yards per ball and the 10th ball free I don't think I did too badly):
There are also workshops and textile-related art exhibitions. I didn't take a lot of pictures of the exhibitions, but my sister did, so with her permission I am now leaving you with a few images of the Knitting and Stitching Show art gallery:
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The Knitting and Stitching Show is a huge venue not just for wool and fabrics stores but also for a lot of other crafting supplies like card making. Associations like the ICA (Irish Countrywomen's Association) have stalls there too.
The entry fee is not cheap but if you are really interested in all sorts of crafts and looking for bargains or if you'd like to purchase items that are normally only available in the UK (it's possible to buy online but sometimes it's nice to be able to ask for advice face to face and see the goods before purchasing).
In short, the RDS Dublin turns into a giant craft shopping centre once a year for 4 days.
The reason why I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show this year was to have another look at the Coolree yarns (I didn't have anything in mind I could think of knitting using it so I couldn't justify the expense) - Coolree yarn is the Ferrari of yarns, and I drive a Hyundai, but it's already on my list of things to buy when I win the Lotto (the yarn, not the car;) - and also to try and find nice wool bargains.
I didn't go too close to the really cheap yarns, as I prefer using good quality soft wool for knitting and crochet, but I found some good looking chunky Rico Design Fashion Highland (I got 3 full packs - 500g for €19.00 per pack) and some Katia Air Lux in shimmery colours that should look good in light airy lace scarves (this one wasn't really cheap but since it's thin wool, at 300m/328yards per ball and the 10th ball free I don't think I did too badly):
I also got a scrap fabrics pack so I can practice using my sewing machine and for 2 cute Oaklee Owl cushion sewing kits I'm hoping to do for the girls before Christmas:
There are also workshops and textile-related art exhibitions. I didn't take a lot of pictures of the exhibitions, but my sister did, so with her permission I am now leaving you with a few images of the Knitting and Stitching Show art gallery:
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Oct 27, 2014
Knitty And Crochetty Halloween
Have you ever had any knitting cravings (and before you ask, no I'm not pregnant!)?
Yesterday I was taken by an urge to knit one of these cute Halloween Pumpkins (free knitting and crochet pattern available from Hannah Maier on Ravelry):
I'll be visiting my sister for the Halloween week-end so I thought I would make one for her so she can have one piece of Halloween decor for her flat.
I also had to make one for our own house, this one will probably look a bit out of place among our tacky Halloween decorations (I'm too lazy to decorate so I more or less gave my kids a free hand for our Halloween decor, I had to stop them before having the walls covered in fake blood - creative kids can be a curse sometimes!)
I knitted both pumpkins using the same pattern and wool but using a different needle size (3.75 mm for the big one and 3.00 mm for the small one), which explains the difference in sizes.
My eldest wants to dress up as a black cat this year so she asked me to crochet her a cat ears hairband for which she found a free pattern online from Stitch11. Of course doing this in black means my eyesight has been blurry since (should be better by the time I have to drive to Dublin). She started making herself a cat tail without a pattern which I had to finish for her as she has crafty ADHD too.
The plan this year is to leave the Trick or Trick responsibility to their Dad and his girlfriend (I'm no good at doing fun stuff) while my sister and I head to the Knitting and Stitching Show (yes it's that time of year again:)
Hopefully the little one doesn't decide that she needs a full Halloween outfit crocheted for her 5 minutes before going to Dublin!
Happy Halloween!
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Yesterday I was taken by an urge to knit one of these cute Halloween Pumpkins (free knitting and crochet pattern available from Hannah Maier on Ravelry):
I'll be visiting my sister for the Halloween week-end so I thought I would make one for her so she can have one piece of Halloween decor for her flat.
I also had to make one for our own house, this one will probably look a bit out of place among our tacky Halloween decorations (I'm too lazy to decorate so I more or less gave my kids a free hand for our Halloween decor, I had to stop them before having the walls covered in fake blood - creative kids can be a curse sometimes!)
I knitted both pumpkins using the same pattern and wool but using a different needle size (3.75 mm for the big one and 3.00 mm for the small one), which explains the difference in sizes.
My eldest wants to dress up as a black cat this year so she asked me to crochet her a cat ears hairband for which she found a free pattern online from Stitch11. Of course doing this in black means my eyesight has been blurry since (should be better by the time I have to drive to Dublin). She started making herself a cat tail without a pattern which I had to finish for her as she has crafty ADHD too.
The plan this year is to leave the Trick or Trick responsibility to their Dad and his girlfriend (I'm no good at doing fun stuff) while my sister and I head to the Knitting and Stitching Show (yes it's that time of year again:)
Hopefully the little one doesn't decide that she needs a full Halloween outfit crocheted for her 5 minutes before going to Dublin!
Happy Halloween!
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Oct 22, 2014
Toys!
I present you my new toy:
I've been toying with the idea of getting a sewing machine for a long time: it all started when my daughters started school and the hems of their expensive school uniforms systematically came off. I know there are iron-on hem strips available on the market, and believe me I've tried using them but they seem to only last a few washes or maybe I've been doing it wrong; I've never been a fan of ironing anyway!
Then last year my youngest daughter was taught the basics of hand sewing in school, and she seemed very interested in it, she even bought herself some fabrics squares to practice at home!
Last summer when we went to stay with my parents for an annual French holiday, my Dad let her try her hand at his sewing machine - funny how I never even thought of asking him if I could try it as a child. I guess I was happy enough back then with my knitting skills and the outfits my Dad used to make in his spare time for my mum and my sister (I was too much of a tom boy to want pretty dresses) did seem very complicated to me: all that measuring, cutting and ironing before he even got to open the sewing machine... I must say my Dad is a perfectionist in everything he does, and whether it's DIY or sewing, once a job is done, it's solid and lasts longer than if it had been professionally made!
So when I talk about my new toy, it's more OUR new toy, as I (jokingly) told both my daughters that I wouldn't be be buying any more clothes and that from now on, we'll all be making our own.
Joking aside, I'm not ready to make clothes yet, if ever, but there's an oven glove I've been meaning to replace and I remember making one back in school for my "Travaux Manuels" class - I guess the equivalent of Home Economics in Ireland - I don't think I was ready for sewing machines back then as my oven glove looked nothing like one, so hopefully the next will be better.
I would also like to try making some nice phone cosies, small bags, pencil cases... Nothing too complicated or time consuming as there's still a lot of knitting and crochet to be done.
Talking about knitting and crochet, here are a few things I've made (I should have shared these sooner but I kept on forgetting to take pictures):
First is a crochet Christmas elf made using the pattern and yarn from Let's Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet, issue 64. Sadly the pattern hasn't been uploaded to their website but there are nice free patterns available from them here:
Then 2 knitted teddies I made for my 2 daughters that still need a nose (the teddies, not my daughters;), pattern for the Huggable Teddy Bear among other amazing toy patterns so lovely that it's a real struggle to choose from, available to buy from the more than talented Huggable Bears designer:
I hope my daughters and I will have more time to play with our new toy next week, as it's the Halloween break, and I've planned to go to the Knitting and Stitching show next week-end in Dublin; with my new sewing hobby, I hope my purse will behave itself this time!
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I've been toying with the idea of getting a sewing machine for a long time: it all started when my daughters started school and the hems of their expensive school uniforms systematically came off. I know there are iron-on hem strips available on the market, and believe me I've tried using them but they seem to only last a few washes or maybe I've been doing it wrong; I've never been a fan of ironing anyway!
Then last year my youngest daughter was taught the basics of hand sewing in school, and she seemed very interested in it, she even bought herself some fabrics squares to practice at home!
Last summer when we went to stay with my parents for an annual French holiday, my Dad let her try her hand at his sewing machine - funny how I never even thought of asking him if I could try it as a child. I guess I was happy enough back then with my knitting skills and the outfits my Dad used to make in his spare time for my mum and my sister (I was too much of a tom boy to want pretty dresses) did seem very complicated to me: all that measuring, cutting and ironing before he even got to open the sewing machine... I must say my Dad is a perfectionist in everything he does, and whether it's DIY or sewing, once a job is done, it's solid and lasts longer than if it had been professionally made!
So when I talk about my new toy, it's more OUR new toy, as I (jokingly) told both my daughters that I wouldn't be be buying any more clothes and that from now on, we'll all be making our own.
Joking aside, I'm not ready to make clothes yet, if ever, but there's an oven glove I've been meaning to replace and I remember making one back in school for my "Travaux Manuels" class - I guess the equivalent of Home Economics in Ireland - I don't think I was ready for sewing machines back then as my oven glove looked nothing like one, so hopefully the next will be better.
I would also like to try making some nice phone cosies, small bags, pencil cases... Nothing too complicated or time consuming as there's still a lot of knitting and crochet to be done.
Talking about knitting and crochet, here are a few things I've made (I should have shared these sooner but I kept on forgetting to take pictures):
First is a crochet Christmas elf made using the pattern and yarn from Let's Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet, issue 64. Sadly the pattern hasn't been uploaded to their website but there are nice free patterns available from them here:
Then 2 knitted teddies I made for my 2 daughters that still need a nose (the teddies, not my daughters;), pattern for the Huggable Teddy Bear among other amazing toy patterns so lovely that it's a real struggle to choose from, available to buy from the more than talented Huggable Bears designer:
I hope my daughters and I will have more time to play with our new toy next week, as it's the Halloween break, and I've planned to go to the Knitting and Stitching show next week-end in Dublin; with my new sewing hobby, I hope my purse will behave itself this time!
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Oct 4, 2014
A Bunch Of Crochet Beanie Hats
I've decided to try and knit or crochet at least 2 winter accessories per week between now and the end of November.
Crochet beanie hats are the quickest and apart from the 2 hats I've crocheted for myself and my daughter, here's one that I made earlier (sounds like a cooking show, doesn't it?):
I used the Cade Cap crochet pattern from The Velvet Acorn to make a funky hipster hat for my daughter, it's a slightly slouchy beanie with an interesting but easy stitch and it looks much better on my daughter than on my dummy - I'm still waiting for her to get her nose away from her phone thus creating an opportunity for her to model it for me - You know what pre-teens are like!
I hope to make a few of these for my shop when I get around to it. This shape is perfect for a teen or a young woman, I love it on my daughter but unfortunately it looks ridiculous on me, and so do berets as I found out when trying on what was supposed to become a winter beret for me that I had to quickly rip after one look in the mirror - oh the pain of getting older (or becoming a mature woman as I'd like to politely call it!).
I decided to alter the Cade Cap pattern slightly to give it a more classic shape and this is when my own hat was born: my winter beanie is made using some of my birthday wool given to me by my sister: I also made a crochet cowl using the same colours and I may make myself a headband or a pair of mittens with what's left of these 2 colours. The wool is a limited edition by Drops and a dream to work with: so soft and squishy!
I like this crochet hat so much that I decided I'd make a few more in different colours for my Etsy shop, here is the first one, which I made slightly shorter than mine (I think mine is just a tad bit too long but I can live with it.
The plan fornow is to work on a few Cade caps listings (I made another grey and an off white one last week), and hopefully manage to knit winter scarves to match these (I think I'll use my brioche stitch pattern in a longer version), and them make a few more beanie caps and matching crochet infinity scarves to match, if I can only try checking my timeline on Facebook a bit less (what was it I was saying about my daughter again?)
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Crochet beanie hats are the quickest and apart from the 2 hats I've crocheted for myself and my daughter, here's one that I made earlier (sounds like a cooking show, doesn't it?):
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| Brown-Orangey beanie hat, plain and sweet for a casual everyday look |
I hope to make a few of these for my shop when I get around to it. This shape is perfect for a teen or a young woman, I love it on my daughter but unfortunately it looks ridiculous on me, and so do berets as I found out when trying on what was supposed to become a winter beret for me that I had to quickly rip after one look in the mirror - oh the pain of getting older (or becoming a mature woman as I'd like to politely call it!).
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| Cade Cap modeled by my always available but not so good-looking dummy |
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| This one's mine: crocheted using my soft and squishy birthday wool |
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| The first in my new line of crochet hats |
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Sep 12, 2014
Knitted Scarves: Ready For Winter.
Over the past week I've been producing various items with my knitting needles and hooks.
My local knitting group has started up again in Galway so I get to talk to other grown ups about knitting (I think that I've managed to bore all my neighbours with my talk about knitting so they tend to leave me alone, oops...)
First off is this crochet bag cover which I spotted on a Facebook Knitting group during summer: this will be used to carry my projects to the knitting group mentioned above:
The Infinity scarf is finished and probably the longest I'll ever knit for a scarf. I used the brioche stitch as it's reversible, thick and lovely to hide in from the cold. I published a free knitting cowl pattern last year on Ravelry, this has more stitches as the wool is less bulky, and is much, much longer! I used a provisional cast on and used the kitchener or grafting method to stitch both sides together this time: it makes a cleaner join. A bit long for my taste but I know some people love their infinity scarves about 6 foot long in circumference. I need to take more photos to show off the size but you can see it here looped twice around the clothes hanger:
I am also in the process of listing 2 new hand knit cabled tube cowls in my Etsy shop as I am writing this: these are made using 3 balls of Pure Merino so accordingly priced. I hate putting a high price on my knitting but if I matched the selling price with my time and materials, these would be over €100! The fact that they are shaped as a tube results as a double thickness which also means doubled time and amount of wool needed to knit them (and the wool wasn't cheap but oh so soft!):
I'll be back soon and show you some more work, as I've been busy making hats, working on a road trip scarf and a snood for me using some of the wool I got last June for my birthday.
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My local knitting group has started up again in Galway so I get to talk to other grown ups about knitting (I think that I've managed to bore all my neighbours with my talk about knitting so they tend to leave me alone, oops...)
First off is this crochet bag cover which I spotted on a Facebook Knitting group during summer: this will be used to carry my projects to the knitting group mentioned above:
It's waiting to be listed in my shop (hopefully next week), and I've used some of the same wool for a crochet hat and some mittens. I'm not too sure about the mittens, as I never crocheted any before: I think one of them is tighter than the other so these won't be going in my shop:
I'll be back soon and show you some more work, as I've been busy making hats, working on a road trip scarf and a snood for me using some of the wool I got last June for my birthday.
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Sep 2, 2014
Back To School, Time To Do Some Work
Here we are, September started and I must really, really, get to grips with the fact that I must stop blaming my kids for my not knitting enough items for my Etsy shop.
They are now both back in school and even though afternoons are touch and go for knitting: my eldest one started secondary school, so I have my youngest coming home at 2.30 pm, then there's the talking and snack eating, kitchen table cleaning and homework help (yesterday, she couldn't remember how to do long multiplication, and apparently they learn it slightly differently than I did, so my help may have resulted in even more confusion!). Then she's just settled and finally motivated to do her homework when the eldest one walks in and proceeds to making herself a snack: well at least she doesn't need to big a push before going upstairs to do her own homework (I had to insist on looking at her French homework yersterday, with me being French she will have no excuses for falling behind in this subject;), and then the time comes for preparing dinner, so I guess the 2.15pm to 8.00pm will have to be the time when I do things that don't need too much focus (Hello Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter).
The problem is that I still haven't learned out to stay off Facebook for long periods of time, so I need to steady on and work out a schedule (schedule? What's that? Didn't I used to have some kind of schedule which I didn't stick to and anyway I can't remember where it is?).
So, anyway, in the last few weeks since I last wrote a blog post, I finished the blanket for my daughter, knitted and published another knitting pattern for another pair of fingerless gloves, and I'm knitting an infinity scarf which I should finish today (yes, I know, it's not much, but the pattern publishing seems to take a lot out of me). Oh, and I sold a cowl yesterday (Yesssssss!)
I'm also in the process of trying to improve my shop photos and working on the SEO of all my existing shop items (or in plain English carefully choosing the right words to describe and tag my items in the hope they will be easier to find by online shoppers - do you know that if you enter "knitted scarf" today in Google, you get over 12 million results? Makes me tired just thinking about it!).
I guess it's time to get to work, so I will leave you with the pictures of my knitted and crocheted work:
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They are now both back in school and even though afternoons are touch and go for knitting: my eldest one started secondary school, so I have my youngest coming home at 2.30 pm, then there's the talking and snack eating, kitchen table cleaning and homework help (yesterday, she couldn't remember how to do long multiplication, and apparently they learn it slightly differently than I did, so my help may have resulted in even more confusion!). Then she's just settled and finally motivated to do her homework when the eldest one walks in and proceeds to making herself a snack: well at least she doesn't need to big a push before going upstairs to do her own homework (I had to insist on looking at her French homework yersterday, with me being French she will have no excuses for falling behind in this subject;), and then the time comes for preparing dinner, so I guess the 2.15pm to 8.00pm will have to be the time when I do things that don't need too much focus (Hello Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter).
The problem is that I still haven't learned out to stay off Facebook for long periods of time, so I need to steady on and work out a schedule (schedule? What's that? Didn't I used to have some kind of schedule which I didn't stick to and anyway I can't remember where it is?).
So, anyway, in the last few weeks since I last wrote a blog post, I finished the blanket for my daughter, knitted and published another knitting pattern for another pair of fingerless gloves, and I'm knitting an infinity scarf which I should finish today (yes, I know, it's not much, but the pattern publishing seems to take a lot out of me). Oh, and I sold a cowl yesterday (Yesssssss!)
I'm also in the process of trying to improve my shop photos and working on the SEO of all my existing shop items (or in plain English carefully choosing the right words to describe and tag my items in the hope they will be easier to find by online shoppers - do you know that if you enter "knitted scarf" today in Google, you get over 12 million results? Makes me tired just thinking about it!).
I guess it's time to get to work, so I will leave you with the pictures of my knitted and crocheted work:
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| The crochet blanket is a good hiding place;) |
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| Another pair of merino gloves |
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| Infinity scarf in progress |
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Aug 12, 2014
Getting Up To Speed
I've been working hard on publishing (at last!) my knitting pattern for the Chain Cable Fingerless Gloves. The knitting pattern is on Ravelry and Craftsy as well as Etsy.
It seems a bit pathetic to have it finished 2 months after I started working on this mitten pattern (you would think it was an intricate design sweater I was knitting), but I have my 3 week-long holiday as attenuating circumstances. Also, to make me feel less guilty of a 3 week holiday, I kept my hands and needles busy with my knitted summer top.
I knitted a lot of wrist warmers before being happy with the pattern, and even then I decided to knit three pairs of these mittens: one with a long wrist, one with a shorter wrist (to try and see if one ball of the merino wool I was using would be enough - it wasn't), and the last in another yarn (a wool / acrylic mix that worked well and only took one ball, even in the long wristed version).
I struggled with the thumb gusset and ended up with 2 pairs of knitted gloves that are not fit to be sold - I would have ripped them and reused the wool if I hadn't been such a dork weaving in the ends so securely - Ripping them may prove nearly as difficult as breaking out from Alcatraz but I'm not giving up on that yet, my priorities are elsewhere right now.
What am I working on now?
This is a crochet Corner to Corner (C2C) blanket I've started doing for my youngest daughter for 3 reasons:
1- She had bought a pack of 2 balls of that wool nearly a year ago and only used a small bit for making crochet chain bracelets; since she tends to get easily distracted and had no idea what else to do with it, she gave it to me as a late birthday gift.
2- She lost her crochet cushion on the ferry between Ireland and France (she just forgot she had brought it in the cabin and realised when it was too late to get it back that she had left it under her pillow - which is probably why we didn't spot it when we were packing our stuff before leaving the ferry). That crochet cushion had been made by her sister and she had paid her for it out of her hard earned pocket money. I could have made another one for her for free but she wanted it made by her sister, and her sister being tired of making crochet cushions, she wasn't willing, so I had to somehow find a way to make her forget her beloved yellow and red cushion.
3- I've wanted to try the C2C pattern for a while, and I thought that was a good opportunity (yes I know that's selfish of me, but you'll just have to forgive me for being human).
At the same time, I'm working on stocking my Etsy shop with more hand knit fingerless gloves and knitting patterns, so here is a preview of my current knitting WIP, which of course is about to be ripped as I made it a bit too small (I think I have knitting OCD):
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It seems a bit pathetic to have it finished 2 months after I started working on this mitten pattern (you would think it was an intricate design sweater I was knitting), but I have my 3 week-long holiday as attenuating circumstances. Also, to make me feel less guilty of a 3 week holiday, I kept my hands and needles busy with my knitted summer top.
I knitted a lot of wrist warmers before being happy with the pattern, and even then I decided to knit three pairs of these mittens: one with a long wrist, one with a shorter wrist (to try and see if one ball of the merino wool I was using would be enough - it wasn't), and the last in another yarn (a wool / acrylic mix that worked well and only took one ball, even in the long wristed version).
I struggled with the thumb gusset and ended up with 2 pairs of knitted gloves that are not fit to be sold - I would have ripped them and reused the wool if I hadn't been such a dork weaving in the ends so securely - Ripping them may prove nearly as difficult as breaking out from Alcatraz but I'm not giving up on that yet, my priorities are elsewhere right now.
What am I working on now?
This is a crochet Corner to Corner (C2C) blanket I've started doing for my youngest daughter for 3 reasons:
1- She had bought a pack of 2 balls of that wool nearly a year ago and only used a small bit for making crochet chain bracelets; since she tends to get easily distracted and had no idea what else to do with it, she gave it to me as a late birthday gift.
2- She lost her crochet cushion on the ferry between Ireland and France (she just forgot she had brought it in the cabin and realised when it was too late to get it back that she had left it under her pillow - which is probably why we didn't spot it when we were packing our stuff before leaving the ferry). That crochet cushion had been made by her sister and she had paid her for it out of her hard earned pocket money. I could have made another one for her for free but she wanted it made by her sister, and her sister being tired of making crochet cushions, she wasn't willing, so I had to somehow find a way to make her forget her beloved yellow and red cushion.
3- I've wanted to try the C2C pattern for a while, and I thought that was a good opportunity (yes I know that's selfish of me, but you'll just have to forgive me for being human).
At the same time, I'm working on stocking my Etsy shop with more hand knit fingerless gloves and knitting patterns, so here is a preview of my current knitting WIP, which of course is about to be ripped as I made it a bit too small (I think I have knitting OCD):
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Jul 30, 2014
Easing Slowly Back To Work
I've been back from my holiday since last Thursday and after spending a few days getting rid of the jungle my garden had become and cleaning up the house it's time to get back to doing a bit of work, so I'm on a "the kids are home and I don't have a clue what my work routine is but I'll try spending some time with them and doing some work anyway" kind of work schedule.
The first thing I'll share with you is the summer top I managed to finish knitting while at my parents' house. In the Drops pattern books my sister brought me for my birthday, I found this pattern that I thought would look great in my Tussah Silk yarn. I'd started making a crochet top without a pattern that wasn't going anywhere fast, so off I went ripping that top, and I used the yarn for my favourite kind of knitting pattern: the kind of top made in one piece on circular needles and without any sewing at all, not even sleeves!
While I was in France I visited the local yarn stores and look what I found in one of them:
I'll use the big pack of thinner blue wool to knit another pattern that I eyeballed, still in the Drops pattern books, but this time it will have sleeves as it will be for autumn/winter.
With the thick wool (I got 3 balls of each colour), I'll knit or crochet (or both:) some winter accessories for my Etsy shop.
I can't wait to get started on these but first I'm making some more of my cable mittens and trying to publish that knitting pattern I've been slaving on since June.
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The first thing I'll share with you is the summer top I managed to finish knitting while at my parents' house. In the Drops pattern books my sister brought me for my birthday, I found this pattern that I thought would look great in my Tussah Silk yarn. I'd started making a crochet top without a pattern that wasn't going anywhere fast, so off I went ripping that top, and I used the yarn for my favourite kind of knitting pattern: the kind of top made in one piece on circular needles and without any sewing at all, not even sleeves!
While I was in France I visited the local yarn stores and look what I found in one of them:
I'll use the big pack of thinner blue wool to knit another pattern that I eyeballed, still in the Drops pattern books, but this time it will have sleeves as it will be for autumn/winter.
With the thick wool (I got 3 balls of each colour), I'll knit or crochet (or both:) some winter accessories for my Etsy shop.
I can't wait to get started on these but first I'm making some more of my cable mittens and trying to publish that knitting pattern I've been slaving on since June.
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Jul 4, 2014
Cable Mittens Indecision
I probably don't deserve this as I have been more than slacking lately but the trip has been booked for the last few months and my parents need to see their granddaughters so here we go, heading on the Ferry to France tomorrow!
I thought I would have the pattern for my cabled mittens well published by now, but of course since I'm never happy with "just OK", I've been wasting time (hence the slacking I was referring to in the 1st paragraph) knitting up a few pairs of fingerless gloves trying to make them perfect... And perfect they would be, only for the amount of wool they are using, or perhaps for the yarn I chose to knit the mittens with.
At first I wanted to make some really stylish long wristed fingerless gloves with a chain cable running over the back of the hand: my first mistake was to start with an already opened ball of wool, so of course I needed a second ball to finish the second mitten, and I thought I might get both done with only one ball if I had started with a brand new ball of wool.
So am I going to ask pattern purchasers to buy 2 balls of wool (which I think is being discontinued anyway) when they'll hardly use any of their second ball for the pattern? I would hate to buy a pattern like this, so I don't think so!
I can still sell my mittens in my Etsy shop, but for the pattern, I'll have to knit up a pair of long wristed cable mittens in a wool with more yardage to get less waste (or 2 balls with less as long as it's an affordable one and very soft): and here goes to once again making changes to my cable mittens knitting pattern!
I'd like to get a second opinion so please let me know which one you prefer: long wrist/medium wrist? Long hand/short hand? (the wool is 100% merino and a dream to work with, a pity it's being discontinued).
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I thought I would have the pattern for my cabled mittens well published by now, but of course since I'm never happy with "just OK", I've been wasting time (hence the slacking I was referring to in the 1st paragraph) knitting up a few pairs of fingerless gloves trying to make them perfect... And perfect they would be, only for the amount of wool they are using, or perhaps for the yarn I chose to knit the mittens with.
At first I wanted to make some really stylish long wristed fingerless gloves with a chain cable running over the back of the hand: my first mistake was to start with an already opened ball of wool, so of course I needed a second ball to finish the second mitten, and I thought I might get both done with only one ball if I had started with a brand new ball of wool.
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| Long wristed cable mitten |
So I knitted another pair of mittens in a different colour and starting with a new ball of the same brand of wool, this time trying to get the gusset to run over the whole thumb, unlike the first pair where the gusset only appears on the first 8 rows of the thumb, which doesn't look bad, but it could improved; the hand part is a little longer too. Of course I ran out of wool again towards the top of the second mitten. That and the fact that my decreases on the visible part of the thumb may look like a pattern feature, but actually do not look that good.
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| Long wristed mitten, funky looking thumb (not in a good way) |
So I had to try another pair of mittens, making the wrist a little shorter with a long hand (maybe I should have made it a little shorter like for the first mitten?) but not too short so they still look stylish, and this time with a proper professional-looking gusset: this time I think my mittens look good, but guess what? One ball still wasn't enough, even though I only need a little extra.
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| Medium wrist cable mitten (not as nice as the long wrist and still using too much of that wool!) |
So am I going to ask pattern purchasers to buy 2 balls of wool (which I think is being discontinued anyway) when they'll hardly use any of their second ball for the pattern? I would hate to buy a pattern like this, so I don't think so!
I can still sell my mittens in my Etsy shop, but for the pattern, I'll have to knit up a pair of long wristed cable mittens in a wool with more yardage to get less waste (or 2 balls with less as long as it's an affordable one and very soft): and here goes to once again making changes to my cable mittens knitting pattern!
I'd like to get a second opinion so please let me know which one you prefer: long wrist/medium wrist? Long hand/short hand? (the wool is 100% merino and a dream to work with, a pity it's being discontinued).
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Jun 27, 2014
People Make Etsy: Etsy UK TV Ad
Have you seen the Etsy ad on UK TV?
I'm hoping this will increase awareness on the great marketplace that is Etsy, where you can find beautiful handmade products made by people like you and me, with real people in mind.
Etsy was good enough to let sellers have their own personalized version of the ad, so here is mine, enjoy!
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Jun 11, 2014
Etsy Shop Feature: Monofaces
In my last blog post I mentioned that I had been partnered with another Irish Etsy shop for the SEO course so today I wanted to write a little bit about Monofaces.
I was lucky to have such a nice shop to work with and a bit worried when having to do their critique because I didn't think my humble little knitting self had much advice to give a team of talented artists like Edita and Mel!
Quoting Monofaces About page: "Our mission is to give visual pleasure, original presents & striking interior detail. MONOFACES unique paintings range from legends of the past to people of today".
The paintings and apparel that can be found in Monofaces feature mainly people, you can see a lot of celebrities and legends of the past being represented in their art but they also do customised paintings using photographs: great idea for a gift or if you want a beautiful painting of your children to feature on your wall.
Monofaces's style can be described as Art-deco, Pop Art, and mainly black and white stencil monochrome art, they paint on various surfaces such as wood or canvas and have their art reproductions available for people on a tight budget. For wearables they also do tote bags, T-shirts, they have recently started doing phone cases and even rugs!
I've tried picking my favourite item from their shop but it's really hard to choose just one so here are a few of my favourite items from Monofaces:
First up is this beautiful painting of Audrey Hepburn on canvas:
Because I'm a child of the 80's (born in the 70's but too young to appreciate good music then;), I also love this painting of Morrissey on wood:
To finish, I think I would look very cool sporting this Walter White from Breaking Bad tote bag (for carrying my laundered money, erm...knitting WIPs, perhaps?):
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I was lucky to have such a nice shop to work with and a bit worried when having to do their critique because I didn't think my humble little knitting self had much advice to give a team of talented artists like Edita and Mel!
Quoting Monofaces About page: "Our mission is to give visual pleasure, original presents & striking interior detail. MONOFACES unique paintings range from legends of the past to people of today".
The paintings and apparel that can be found in Monofaces feature mainly people, you can see a lot of celebrities and legends of the past being represented in their art but they also do customised paintings using photographs: great idea for a gift or if you want a beautiful painting of your children to feature on your wall.
Monofaces's style can be described as Art-deco, Pop Art, and mainly black and white stencil monochrome art, they paint on various surfaces such as wood or canvas and have their art reproductions available for people on a tight budget. For wearables they also do tote bags, T-shirts, they have recently started doing phone cases and even rugs!
I've tried picking my favourite item from their shop but it's really hard to choose just one so here are a few of my favourite items from Monofaces:
First up is this beautiful painting of Audrey Hepburn on canvas:
Because I'm a child of the 80's (born in the 70's but too young to appreciate good music then;), I also love this painting of Morrissey on wood:
To finish, I think I would look very cool sporting this Walter White from Breaking Bad tote bag (for carrying my laundered money, erm...knitting WIPs, perhaps?):
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May 30, 2014
Learning SEO and a Bit of Knitting and Crochet
It's been nearly 10 days since my last post: so much for the 2 posts a week I had been aiming for!
All this month I have been following an Etsy course on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), which in plain English is the science of getting found on the Internet.
I've learned some new things and worked on some things I already knew but there is more structure learning from a course than trying to gather bits of information here and there, which doesn't always work, as it inevitably ends with information overload (and in some cases misinformation).
For this SEO course, I've been partnered with another Etsy seller based in Ireland: I think if I didn't have a partner I probably wouldn't bother with half of the things I'm supposed to do for the course, because I don't like to let anyone down, and I think whoever thinks up these Etsy courses knows that, which is why we are being teamed up. Ultimately, Etsy gains in helping their individual sellers, since we are their bread and butter.
In between working on the SEO course, I have been crocheting 8 coffee cup cosies that would make great Father's day gifts and that are now available from Sophie's Knit Stuff on Etsy, drove myself half crazy trying to think of different keywords to describe them with as part of the SEO course, and trying to take better pictures (do you like my little coffee bean shapes?):
I have also managed to knit a wonderfully soft blue cabled tube cowl and matching fingerless gloves with my Merino wool which should be ready for the shop next week as they are at the blocking stage and I'm taking the week end off:
This weekend in Ireland is a long one, due to the June Bank holiday on Monday (don't ask me what that is for, I'm just glad it's there!), so whether you have a long or regular weekend, enjoy it and make the most of the sunshine if you're lucky enough to get some!
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All this month I have been following an Etsy course on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), which in plain English is the science of getting found on the Internet.
I've learned some new things and worked on some things I already knew but there is more structure learning from a course than trying to gather bits of information here and there, which doesn't always work, as it inevitably ends with information overload (and in some cases misinformation).
For this SEO course, I've been partnered with another Etsy seller based in Ireland: I think if I didn't have a partner I probably wouldn't bother with half of the things I'm supposed to do for the course, because I don't like to let anyone down, and I think whoever thinks up these Etsy courses knows that, which is why we are being teamed up. Ultimately, Etsy gains in helping their individual sellers, since we are their bread and butter.
In between working on the SEO course, I have been crocheting 8 coffee cup cosies that would make great Father's day gifts and that are now available from Sophie's Knit Stuff on Etsy, drove myself half crazy trying to think of different keywords to describe them with as part of the SEO course, and trying to take better pictures (do you like my little coffee bean shapes?):
I have also managed to knit a wonderfully soft blue cabled tube cowl and matching fingerless gloves with my Merino wool which should be ready for the shop next week as they are at the blocking stage and I'm taking the week end off:
This weekend in Ireland is a long one, due to the June Bank holiday on Monday (don't ask me what that is for, I'm just glad it's there!), so whether you have a long or regular weekend, enjoy it and make the most of the sunshine if you're lucky enough to get some!
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