Thursday, July 15, 2010

Let's go on a ride!

The thought of having your own shop is a dream for many.  It used to be a lot of planning, sweat and tears that went in before a shop was opened.  In this age, with all that is at our fingertips, being able to sell items is getting easier and easier.  Does that mean everyone should just jump in and give it a shot?

I attended an Etsy Virtual Lab today and learned a lot, then again, I can learn a lot every time I go into the shop owner area of Etsy.  Anyway, the speaker, CraftyChica, made a comment that has really stuck with me.  I can't quote her exactly, but it was to the effect of, it's hard to actually be perfect and if you are, you might be kind of boring.  I can really relate to this because I get so excited about an opportunity like this that I don't spend as much time researching ahead of time as I probably should.

Sometimes I do feel like the person who just dove in, but deep down I know I have given this thought, research and some trial and error.  There is so much to learn that I don't think I would ever take the big step if I felt I had to be perfect at it.

So, while the result may be a less than perfect start, it is an interesting ride, and we will surely learn something along the way!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Up for Sale

Opening just this week, DenKnits currently has three items for sale. The first item I've listed is a set of three cloths in light blue, light green, and white. These can be used for washing dishes, your face or your body. I made two regular cloths in two different sizes. They are also in different patterns. The third cloth is a mitt for your fingers. I've been using one like this for my dishes and I find it very useful. It is always on your hand and it suds up great. I think it would work nicely to wash your face too.

I have been adding items once a day or every other day. I read that this helps keep your shop in the "Most Recently Added" listing. So, on day two I listed a jean cowl that I knit up using recycled kids jeans. This was quite a project to accomplish. Everything about working with jean material is a challenge! Cutting it is tough and knitting with it is slow going, even on size 50 needles. I think the end result is a very fashionable look though and I plan to do some variations on this.

Most recently listed, is another set of cloths. This set contains two cloths in different shades of green and purple. I again used two different patterns when making these but they are both the same size.

Up for listing sometime soon will be more sets of cloths, another cowl, and some purses & bags.  

Welcome!

I've set up this blog to accompany my Etsy shop, DenKnits. I wanted a place to not only share and promote my items for sale, but also give a little behind the scenes on how I come up with the items.

For the past few years I've really gotten into my knitting, becoming more creative and original with it, resulting in a lot of knit gifts for family and friends! It's gotten to the point where I have more items I (want to) knit than people to share them with, so I thought I'd give an Etsy shop a try. It's such an awesome community that I've frequented as a buyer for a while now.

I've knit a lot of items, from kid sized blankets to purses to socks, but for the shop I'm trying to keep with smaller scale items that can be knit up in a reasonable amount of time. I expect to always have washcloths/dishcloths listed and am working on more purse styles. Scarves will be showing up as the weather cools down. I am also open to custom orders or requests for larger items or anything you don't see in the shop.

One of the most important things to me is feedback, so make a comment here, check out my shop and comment there, or even just ♥ "heart" ♥ me!