A poem entitled....Countdown

Countdown...

How harsh and bitter the cold can be,
At times I feel it's grasp take a hold on me.
I try to fight it and look towards the lights,
Of the warmth and joy Spring will bring.

56 days is all I have left,
Of this bleak and dreary existence.
A lot is riding on sticking it out,
I hope I'm strong enough to last.

How I long to be done with all the games
And the soul-less practices for profits gained.
Less than two months and I will be free,
To explore the riches money cannot offer.

Everyday I count,
Soon to be free
My plans for the future,
Are nearly complete.

THE PROFIT TRACKER- excel tool

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FEBRUARY 3, 2012!!

THE PROFIT TRACKER can do so much for you and your business. Whether you are a seasoned craftpreneur or just starting out, you can't go wrong with THE PROFIT TRACKER.

USES & BENEFITS OF THIS TOOL:
The PROFIT TRACKER is an easy to use Excel base tool offering a comprehensive analysis of the profits and losses of your business.

As a craftpreneur, I often have a hard time (1) figuring out how much I am making on a sales on Etsy, (2) accurately account for how much I am spending on supplies, (3) identifying which venue (Etsy, craftshow, etc.) I am selling at is more profitable, and (4) determining if my overall business is profitable.

For many years, I used QuickBooks, both in my professional career and in my own business. However, over the last few years I found that I needed something simpler that I can use anywhere. Therefore, I created The Profit Tracker using Microsoft Excel, which allows for easy data entry and quick analyses.

THE PROFIT TRACKER is geared specifically towards Etsy sellers (formulas already imbedded to calculate fees) who might sell in other marketplaces, such as craftshows. However, the tool is completely customizable for other online marketplace fee structures. If you need assistance setting up for other online marketplaces, please contact me to discuss.

Here are some of the things THE PROFIT TRACKER will help with:

• Track the health of your business every day.
  Instantly get a snapshot of your business profitability.
  See how your business is performing.
  Compare overall performance from month to month and/or venue to venue.
  



• Analyze which marketplace is more profitable.
  If you sell in multiple venues, easily see which one is more profitable, at any given time.
  See if your Etsy shop is more profitable during a specific month, season, etc, so you can focus your marketing.
  For the same item or a given time period, determine whether one venue (i.e. craftshow or wholesaling) is a better value (including fees and other related expenses) than an online marketplaces (i.e. Etsy and Paypal fees).
  



• Analyze your product offering and promotional efforts.
  See which item is more profitable.
  If you run an advertisement or promotion for a month, look at prior months to track the effectiveness of the ad/promo. Did you make more money during the period of the ad/promo run? Has sales consistently increased since the ad/promo?
  



• Analyze where you shop for supplies.
  Look at all your vendors to see how much you are spending.
  Compare overall performance among your vendors.
  Basically, see where you are spending your money and how often.
  



• Makes the TAX SEASON relatively painless.
  Get your receipts out of your shoebox and into a more manageable system.
  Print and take to your tax preparer, all the information you need is there in one place.
  



• Assist in making decisions.
  Can you afford to make that big purchase at vendor X?
  Should I do another craftshow?
  Overall, how is my business doing?

What you get when you order THE PROFIT TRACKER:

1. You will get a file ready to load your data
File contains built-in formulas to calculate your data.
A pivot table file that summarize your data in an easy to read format.

2. You will get an e-book training file.
The e-book will contain a sample files of the excel spreadsheet and pivot table.
There will be many notes with pictures/screen shots.
Detail explanation of the information you need to enter verses what the tool will calculate for you.

3. In addition, you will receive technical support for 2-weeks after purchase.

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FEBRUARY 3, 2012!!

Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012 - A Year in Review

Let us hope 2012 will be a little better than the last year. 2011 for many has been a very challenging year. So much has happened locally, nationally, and around the globe. The world has seen political up rise and revolution, destruction, disasters and renewal of faith in humanity.

For the KNitDesigns household, it has been a mixed bag ranging from good (published patterns) to down right scary (tornado and snow storms) to a renewal of faith (angels who aided with the tornado clean-up). But together we made it through to see another year, where the possibilities are endless.

Below is the KNitDesigns household year in photo.

NEW DESIGNS for Frabjous Fibers

BACKYARD FRIENDS

MAY 2011 - Celebrating my little boy's 7th Birthday

MAY 2011 - More Backyard FRIENDS.

- View from our bedroom after the June 1st tornado.

- Assessing the damage the day after the tornado.

-After a summer cleaning up, finally a vacation.

- Off to Virginia we go for a week. And guess what, we were hit by a earthquake, while in the caverns!!!
- Luray Cavern

- Shenandoah Skyline Drive

After a long, hard 6-months, our house is finally back to rights.
- New roof and siding. Isn't it beautiful.

- But there is still work to be done outside.

Despite all that we have loss, despite the frustrations we face with our insurance company, despite the stress and emotional turmoil, through it all, we are optimistic about the future.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

More Knitting in the Sun - WENDY (pleated empire top)

So, last year I had the great privilege of having a knit pattern design accepted to be included in Kristi Porter's new book, More Knitting in the Sun (pattern links to Ravelry here). I have been a huge fan of Kristi's work for many years, so the chance to be included among the other fabulous designers that contributed to the book was a great honor.

I really like the concept for this book which features 32 wonderful warm weather knit projects for kids. And now, having seen the entire book, I love the projects. They are age appropriate while at the same time able to span multiple age groups. A great majority of the projects are suitable for young teens and not just geared towards babies and toddlers. Often times I see kid patterns sized up to 10, 12, or 14 and I think 'sure my 7-year-old niece like this, but would my 14-year-old niece want to be caught wearing this?' Often times the answer is no. With this book, the answer is ABSOLUTELY YES. Kristi did an excellent job of putting these designs together in such a beautiful way.




A little about my design.
When coming up with this design I wanted to create something both my 7-year-old and tween nieces would be willing to wear. The Wendy top reflect my own personal style for simplicity with touches of details along with long lasting wear-ability. Since this book is geared toward kids, I wanted to create something that was relatively fast to make, but was easy to tweak if the garment did take a little while longer to complete.

The idea behind Wendy was that the child could start out wearing this piece as a baby-doll type dress or a long tunic and as she grew, which inevitably kids do, the top could become a tank worn with shorts or capris. In addition, because I was a tomboy as a kid and was often times forced to wear frills, I thought the detailing would be a good compromise, not being too overly girly. Of course the frill edging (done in crochet) can be left off, but I think it's a great way to get more structure and stability to the sleeves/straps and prevent the garment from stretching out. Besides, the edging is a great way for knitters to add elements from crochet.

I really enjoyed working on this design and finished garment. Not seeing the garment in a year, and now now have it modeled and styled, I was totally blown away. The models are all so cute and the photography amazing. I hope you all get a chance to see the book. Go check it out at your LYS or Amazon.

Photos made available by Kristi Porter & Wiley Publishing

DayDreaming

It's a cold and rainy Wednesday morning in CT/MA and I am setting at my desk at work daydreaming. I daydream quite a bit, but lately more so, in particular today because it's a perfect day to just cuddle up in my craft room with my latest pattern design in progress and a good movie... of course a Jane Austen flick. Maybe Pride & Prejudice or Sense & Sensibility. Heck! Let's make it a movie marathon and do both.

I think the major reason I've been daydreaming so much this past week is because I will be traveling across the country to Arizona next week for work, leaving my boys (husband and son) and my fully stocked craft room. So, I am thinking about what I will bring for my trip. While I love planning for getaways, I usually have unlimited space in the car and unlimited time to craft. None of these features will be available for this trip, so I'm left to plan frugally as I will have very limited space to in my luggage and even less time to craft as I will be stuck in conferences all day and into the late evenings with NO KNITTING or CROCHETING!!! arrrgggghhhh.

So I am thinking of bring a sock project. While I am not a sock knitter, I can work on a plain vanilla sock without worrying about a pattern. I might bring one or two of my latest design ideas. One's a knit and the other is crochet... I'll have to think about that some more. There's also the concern of running out of yarn while away from my stash. But of course I will be making plans to visit a yarn shop or two that opens after 5pm. We'll see how well that works out. This trip is pretty packed, so I might have to call uncle on one of the evening's activities and get some fiber therapy. Last year when I went to Scottsdale, I had a very quick (less than 20 minutes) trip to JessicaKnits, which is a cute little shop, but they're business hours are not conducive to a visit this year, so I'll have to see what else I can find out there. I'd be interested in seeing what that side of the country carries compared to the East Coast. Hopefully with more than 20 minutes to shop!

A new one... Sadie

So, here's Sadie; my newest design. The pattern is a rather simple knit hat with an interestingly constructed brim, cable details, and bobbles topped with a box pleat. This is not a hard pattern, but the results will be well worth it. Make it either as a beanie or a slouchy.

The yarn! When I saw this yarn in Webs, I had to have it. I was drawn to the color. Of course I didn't have a pattern in mind, but I knew I had to have two skeins of this luscious Valley Yarn Stockbridge (50/50 Alpaca/Wool) in the Kiwi colorway.

$4.50

Back to School. Is it Fall already?

It's that time of year again. The weather is changing, the smell of diesel fuel from millions of school buses starting up in the morning is in the air, and the leaves and turning that beautiful golden color we love. Yep, it's FALL in New England. It seems like it went from 90 degrees to 60 in 12-hours and that's where it's been for a few weeks now.

It seems as if every year, summer vacation is getting shorter and shorter. I remember starting school in September. This year our town started school on Aug. 26th. It felt too quick. My baby - he's 6 and doesn't mind me still calling him that - started first grade this year (biting nails nervously). I think I was more nervous for him that he was. It's like this every year. I worry if he'll make friends, if he'll do well, AND like ever year, I worry for nothing! He is a very popular kid. Always been. We live in a small town and EVERYONE knows him. We go to the library and all the kids and their parents know him by name and of course we know none of these people. Sometimes I wonder if we have the right kid because he is a complete opposite to my husband and I - but then we just have to look at the nose :) So, is there some rule out there? Do we now need to know all these people and THEIR kids? When I go to the grocery store, I am that person with my ipod plugged in and a determined stride - get in, get what I need, and get out.

Oh well, this parenting thing is a work in progress. I think I almost got it all figured out... almost!

TWO PATTERNS AVAILABLE: Knit Picks Independent Designer Program

This past Thursday, 2 of my patterns went live on Knit Picks' site as part of the Independent Designer Program. The team at Knit Picks is wonderful to work with. Knit Picks offers a great opportunity to Indie Designers; advance on the design and professional photography. If you are an independent designer looking to get published with maximum exposure, I highly recommend it. So, if you are a fan of Knit Picks already, head over and support the designers there. Prices are at wholesale prices... only $1.99. And if you're not familiar with Knit Picks, now is a great time to get acquainted.

Galway Slouchy Crochet Beret Pattern $1.99

Available at Knit Picks and Ravelry

This simple lacy beret is perfect for beginner and intermediate crocheters; worked from the brim to the crown. The pattern is a great transition piece from season to season and is available in one size for adult woman.

Haiden Earflap Beanie Hat Pattern $1.99

Available at Knit Picks and Ravelry

This simple and cozy hat is very versatile and super easy to make. The hat is worked from the earflaps to the crown, with stitches picked up for the brim and earflap ties. The pattern is sized for Toddlers to Large Adults.

Note: this hat is meant to be made snug; the sizing below will stretch 2-4 inches

The Good and Sad of it

Quick RE-CAP of the last 2 months...

January started out really rough for our family. On Jan 1 we experienced a very sudden death. Why do we wait until tragedy hit to fully appreciate what the people in our lives mean to us? If I can convey nothing else, please take time to love each other. Now I'll get off my soap box.

Later in January, I submitted 3 designs to be a part of the KnitPicks Independent Designer Program. All 3 hat designs have been accepted, of which 2 have been completed and sent to KnitPicks. I expect to see the final product up on KnitPicks soon. The final design is still being worked up. In February I joined forces with Jess of Storied Yarns for her Percy Jackson K/CAL Round One (March 2010) yarn club. I am contributing a crochet pattern: The Wexford - Crochet Lacy Cowl. Here is a little teaser of the upcoming cowl. The cowl is a simple lace crochet pattern, similarly used in my latest for sale pattern on etsy: GALWAY SLOUCHY BERET. Please check it out.

Review of Storied Yarn: I absolutely love her dye job on her sock yarn. The colors are rich and transition well. I did not experience any nasty pooling. The yarn is soft and super easy to work with, and held up wonderful to multiple frogging. I haven't experienced any pilling while working with the yarn and frogging. The yarn fell just as great on the last stitch as it did at the beginning. I have a skein of her laceweight in her new “Daughter of Athena” colorway. I can't wait to use it. I think I will make a shawlette. I will post pictures and a review of the yarn once I've had a chance to work it up. Please check out Storied Yarn for her March KAL/CAL.

Finally, in early March I will be posting my tally raised from the sale of patterns to support the efforts in Haiti. My goal is $100. Hopefully I will be able to report as much or more to Doctors Without Borders. A very big Thank You to all who have purchased my patterns to help in the Haiti relief.

Thank you....:)

Is it just me or did 2009 just flew by. So many wonderful things have happened. I just want to thank everyone who have supported me in my patterns and bath/body products. To those who have purchased my patterns, please stay tuned for new designs for 2010.

HAPPY NEW YEAR