What I learned From the End of the Season Garage Sale

November is the worst time to do a garage sale. (Well December and January are probably worse but I'm not willing to try one in those months).

Most people stopped by because they were interested to see that someone was actually holding a garage sale in November. Although I am glad we did it because we did sell somethings and ended up with more money than we started, the garage sale would have been much more successful in the Spring early summer.

Now everything is packed away on the one side of the garage so that come spring we can try again. And maybe by then I will have gone through the rest of our house to find more things. I also learned that I need to advertise a little more and you need to put an ad in the paper a week before the actual date.

Since I was recently unemployed it did help give me something to do in between looking for work, and the extra money was much needed. I also got some much needed crocheting done, finishing two circle scarves and a baby blanket! So all in all a productive weekend.

Catching Up

Today I decided to catch up on some things that I haven't had time for over the past couple months. I have just started a new job that allows me a more structured schedule to work on my Etsy Shop and my crocheting.

It had been about a month since I last uploaded more photo's on to flickr. In my previous post I talked about how I had finally update some old photo's in my etsy shop. So today I added them all to my flickr page. It feels good to have them online and visible for people to see.

Along with that I decided to take a look at my favorites on etsy. I had 197 pages of favorite sellers. I started going through them ( as I haven't looked at them in forever) and realized some of the shops had unfortunately close and some of the items were no longer listed. So this is my current project: updating favorites. It is giving me a chance to see what I liked over the years and what is out there on Etsy. It is also helping me with a little research.

As I am getting use to my new schedule, I hope to a lot more time to my shop and reaching my goal: To be a full time Crochet Designer!

New SALE Items!

Last night I had a pattern revelation and changed how I make my coffee cozies. My original pattern was a circular crochet up the cup. It was a little tricky to make it perfect. I really have a problem when there are problems with my items. Its not that it didn't work but it wasn't the best I could do. It was not the easiest to use and I stopped making them because, I'll admit it, I'm lazy and when things are not streamlined I push them to the side.

So how did I come to the new pattern. It actually started with a long skinny scarf/neck lace. To make those you make a long chain. When worn it looks like the rows are sideways. Then it hit me. Maybe I should crochet the cozies sideways.

So I made my first one and I love it. It covers more of the cup, it is very easy to make and it just looks better. I made one for myself to use and will soon be making many more to sell.

So how does this benefit you? The old ones are on sale! I will be trying to get ride of all the old ones before I bring out the new version. So here's the links to the ones on sale:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12739878

The Forgotten Projects - Part 2

This Wednesday I started a article series called The Forgotten Projects. To recap the purpose of this series is to help me get organized and sort through all my unfinished projects. Last time I promised to make a list of projects that needed to be finished. As I was making this list I realized I needed to prioritize my projects as well as include the new orders that I was receiving.

Here is my list along with explanations for the ordering:

1. Finish my grandmother's purse. Not only will this be long over due but it will also make her very happy. She has not said anything about it for a while and i think it will surprise her when she gets the package in the mail. Along with making her happy, it will also have the added bonus of her using it and bragging about her granddaughter.

2. Promo Bookmarks. About a week or so ago I answered a Etsy forum post for promos. She needs them by a certain date to get these "thanks for purchasing goody baggies" together. I need to make thirty.

3. My boyfriends belt. My boyfriend asked me me to make him a belt because he could find one to match his new shorts that he received for his b-day.

4. Take pictures of two tractors. About a month or so ago a women contacted me through A.Nieman Photography asking me to take a picture of these two tractors. Her husband was a huge fan of the one, she was a huge fan of the other. She asked that I make a digital image of the two facing each other. She gave me no time frame but i feel i need to get this done because her husband was diagnosed with cancer.

5. Pillow for custom order. I had a request for one of my crocheted pillows. No time frame on this one because she is having problems with her pay pal and doesn't want me to start until she gets it all settled. I have to buy all the materials still.

6. Finish other purses. I have a couple of purses that need their linings sewn in and/or snaps attached.

7. De construct. As I was going through my forgotten projects I realized I stopped most of them because I messed up then I abandoned them without undoing the yarn. I need to undo the yarn to I can use it for something else.


Well thats the list. My next step will be setting a calendar of dates for completion of each project. I will post this on my blog using my Google calendar. Hopefully I will finish this tomorrow since I have the day off of work.

Free Crochet Patterns

Some crocheters who are well aware of free pattern sites may already know of Crochet Pattern Central. For those that are not aware, it is a complete free site that houses a wide variety of crochet patterns. There are several categories to choose from. Some of the patterns are quite traditional but if you are looking for the basics it is a great resource.

I use it for all the simple item requests I get. Right now I am using it to find a belt pattern for my boy friend. It is great for beginners to find patterns to learn by. I suggest that if you do not want to pay for your patterns try this site first.

It can be hard to search at times. It has links to other sites where the free patterns reside. There are not very many pictures. With a little bit of time you can find quite a bit of fun stuff and its free.

Happy Crocheting!

Its Friday!

Well, I don't have too much to talk about today. Its been a pretty uneventful week as far as the shop are concerned. I have had another week of no sales. I really feel that I need to promote myself more, but with the lack of funds to do so it is quite hard.

I know I should be blogging more but I am drawing a blank for what I should be talking about. I need some topics. So I am calling for TOPICS!

Please leave some comments or feedback with some topics you would like me to cover.

Some things about me that you might need to know:
I have a degree in Textiles and Clothing focusing in Residential Design from OSU.
I work at Dillard's full time.
I am the owner of both ANiemanCrochet and ANiemanPhotography.

Thanks for your help!

I paid $50 to fill up my car

As many of you may be feeling the pain at the gas pump, I found myself to be as well. Just Saturday on my way home from work I stopped to fill up my gas tank as it was on E and paid $3.99 /gallon. I don't know what to say really. It literally hurts when I have to spend that much to get from here to there.

Luckily I don't have far to drive for work and can stretch my tank out pretty far. My car gets pretty bad gas mileage so we tend to take my boyfriends car when we drive anywhere of great distance. I would take the bus to work but there is no bus stop on my street or near my street. I live in a small township so there are no sidewalks and very few bus stops.

I would ride my bike if it was practical. I have to dress up for work and would work up quite a sweat riding to work. And frankly my bike sucks and I can't afford to buy a new one. (DO NOT go to Toys R US if you plan on actually using the bike you buy. It may be cheap, but it is cheap.)

I wish I could work support myself on my crocheting and photography. Working from home would be ideal! Thats my ultimate goal. I also have a degree in Interior Design and would love to do that as well from home. Unfortunately the economy is not the greatest for design firms and starting one right now is risky business.

If things do get better for me I will pursue these goals more vigorously. Right now is about saving money and surviving. With gas going up to potentially $9 / gallon, things are going to get tough. Its about making it through and being positive.