More cotton yarn

I bought more cotton yarn a couple days ago. Like I said a couple days ago, I knit dishcloths all the time. I got two 340 gram skeins of Bernat Handicrafter from Zellers. The first is Lazy Daisy, and the second is Summer Splash (Actually quite a bit lighter, and more yellow, in person)

I've already made a couple cloths out of the Summer Splash. I'm planning on having at least three done to bring into Made In Windsor, at some point this week.
Between working two jobs (I got a second job a couple weeks ago. I know I should have shared sooner!) a social life, boyfriend and taking care of my apartment, I don't have a ton of knitting time. I have been trying to knit more while on the internet, and on the bus, but sometimes, I just want to sit still for a while.
Do you ever get that? Where you just don't WANT to knit? (or crochet? or sew? or do any other craft?)

I Love Etsy!

I don't sell on Etsy, yet, but I do love the whole idea of it. I am hoping to open a shop in the new year!
I have mentioned my I Love Etsy blog on here a few times before, but never really explained what it's about.
I use Tumblr as a blogging platform. Rick got me into it a few months back, and it is an addiction. I have it set to update every 3 hours. I occasionally post more often, but the minimum is every 3 hours. I am hoping to get that to every 2 hours by the new year, and every hour by the 1 year mark.
I often use the search feature on Etsy to look up random words that pop in my head. I will pick an item or two with that word to put on the blog. I also post a topic in the Promotions forum almost every day. I ask people to post ONLY the URL of their shop, or an other shop they think should be promoted. I get quite a few comments every time I post.
This has become a slight problem.
It seems that the majority of people promoting their shop in the forums are people with an inferior product, or inferior photographs. I have seen some amazing items for sale that I would have loved to promote if it weren't for the terrible photos. I have also seen some terrible products with fantastic photographs. Only a few have been able to reach both of those.
I am not pointing fingers here. I am a terrible photographer, one of the reasons there are next to no pictures on this blog that I have taken. Etsy sellers really should follow the advice of so many others. Take better photographs! Sometimes, it's as simple as using a different background. Other times, a tripod should be used (I have seen a few blurry photos floating around Etsy lately)

All this being said, I want to help out as many sellers as possible. If you sell on Etsy, leave your shop URL in the comments on this post. I also welcome the URLs of any of your favourite shops. Please keep in mind that I try to get a variety of sellers and items on there.
Thanks!

Preparing for the holidays

I don't feel the pressure to knit Christmas presents for anyone.
I do knit a few gifts for the holidays, but usually, I buy gift cards and some candy for all my gift recipients. I know I should try to buy handmade, but not everyone is into that movement as much as I am.
Once the craft shows are done, I don't have a whole lot of motivation to knit for others.
There is also the pressure of making something they will use and enjoy. I don't want to spend a few hours on a scarf, only to have it tossed aside by the recipient because it's not quite the right shade of blue.
This being said, I LOVE knitting dishcloths as gifts! Well, I love knitting dishcloths in general. I don't know if it's the natural feel of cotton and bamboo needles, or knowing that they are a useful item, or something else entirely.
I just finished a set of five for my boyfriend's mom, in blue and white. I have a few short bits of yarn left, and I may try to make a log cabin cloth with some of it.
I am planning on bundling a few cloths together with a piece of yarn in the same colour I used to knit them and give them as gifts. I also plan on selling them at Made In Windsor after the holidays.
The only issue, is that I don't know how many cloths is enough for a bundle.
I was thinking three would be sufficient, but I've had a couple people suggest 8. Their logic is one for each day of the week, plus an extra to have on laundry day. This makes sense, but seems like a lot of cloths to have.
What do you think? How many dishcloths should be in a package? Three? Five? Eight? Give me your suggestions and justifications.

Any long-time followers may remember this picture from waaay back when I started this blog. In a post all about dishcloths I was working on at the time.

Welcome Adgitizers!

Welcome to my blog. For those who have been here before, welcome back!
I invite you to have a look around my blog, comment on any posts you enjoy and feel free to ask questions!

I started my Adgitize campaign on November 23 2009, and so far, it has brought me a fair bit of traffic. If I do well with this campaign, I plan on renewing when it is done.

If you have any suggestions or questions for me, as an Adgitizer or a blogger, please leave them here, along with a way for me to contact you, and I will answer you as promptly as possible.

A Knitting Video I Found on YouTube

I found this while browsing YouTube a little while ago. I knew I needed to share it here.

Working at Made In Windsor

I'm currently sitting and working at Made In Windsor, knitting a dishcloth for a Christmas gift.
This is one of the best, most inspiring places for me to knit. I am surrounded by other hand crafted items, there are wonderful smelling candles nearby, and amazing local music playing almost constantly.
There are also really neat classes going on almost every week. I've taken a couple of them, and made some really neat stuff.
This picture is actually from the last time I worked and took a class. I don't often wear dresses, and chose to wear one for just such an occasion.
The store is fantastic and has a ton of amazing people selling amazing things. I have already purchased myself a t shirt by a fantastic local graphic designer, and I plan on getting a few gifts for other important people in my life. Can't talk about those, because I know they read the blog!
If you happen to be nearby (Windsor, Ontario and surrounding area) you should really pop in and have a look. It's located at 1465 Ottawa St. The hours are on the MIW blog, if you are interested.

The craft show

Today was my craft show out in Essex. I did it at the same place I did my very first craft show a few years back.
I did very poorly. I only sold 4 dishcloths and 2 coffee cup cozies. No scarves. No hats. This was a huge let down because I had spent so much time on both of those things for what seems like no reason.
The traffic just wasn't there. Very few people came through, which seemed unusual. Also, one of the other crafters (there were only about 8 of us total, after 3 of them didn't show up for one reason or an other) was selling similar items for MUCH cheaper than I do.
I just can't compete with some people. The yarn she was using was low quality, whereas mine is much nicer. She was losing money on some items she was selling (Hand sewn aprons for 4 or 5 dollars. The material alone would cost more!)

I need to figure out some new items to sell for any spring time shows that I may sign up to do.

My, My, My How The Time Does Fly*

I have been getting so many things ready for the craft show that I haven't had time to blog at all.
I went to Made In Windsor today to pick up the stuff that I need for the show upcoming show. I still need to put prices on all of the items that I will be selling. This is my least favourite part of show preparation.
It's incredibly difficult for me to put a price on what I made with my own two hands. Anyone who sells handmade goods has probably had this problem before. It takes so much time to make the item, first of all, plus the cost of materials. Then you have to decide if that if a price that someone is willing to pay.

In happier news, I have some awesome announcements to make in the next month or so. It's great for you, awesome for me, and it's slowly but surely making itself work.

*If you know where this is from, you win 100 internet points. (Please note internet points are not redeemable for cash or goods)