Weekend Wrap Up ~ Lots Of Shots

This weekend, for the first time I had 2 photo shoots in ONE day! It was exciting and exhausting. Both models are brand new to Innov8ive Knit's modeling team and I am so pleased to have them join the group! Saturday morning before the southern sun got high in the sky, I had the pleasure of working with little miss Abigail. She is a whole 4 months old and has the most gorgeous blue eyes! I had her modeling the newborn owl hat in pink. I can't wait to get the photos up in the store. Expect to see it within the next few days.

After I got home, I squeezed in a little grocery shopping and a nap then headed across the bay to the beautiful Spanish Fort to photograph the next brand new model to the team. Kristen is a gorgeous blond haired, green eyes bombshell. Not only is she a beautiful model, she is a trooper like no other! We spent hours in the very hot hot hot southern air and even did a little stomping through some woodlands to get shots for not 1, not 2, but 3 products. She didn't complain even a smidgen. We had an absolute blast.  Kristen is also an aspiring photographer as well and is taking classes with me. Here is a quick look into the shots from the very long, hot, and oh so fun shoot.

I am so thrilled that I have an excuse to be off work to get in some much needed rest AND the time to focus on my store it is easy to forget why I have the time off in the first place. This time is set aside to celebrate the freedom of being allowed to take time off of work and the people and families who have given everything to make that possible. So while we should all enjoy this time we are so blessed to have, make sure to pay tribute and say thank you for the opportunity to be able to do so in the first place. Have a great holiday weekend and check the store periodically for new listings now that I have some great shots for them!

Weekend Wrrap Up ~ Options

This week while crrently working my way trough the book "The Artist in the Office" by Summer Pierre I came across a quote that really struck my heart strings. Strangely enough this book seems to do that just about every time I crack the cover - I swear the author is a long lost twin of mine or something. Anyway, what froze me in my tracks that morning was "If you don't know your options, you don't have any". 


I never thought of it that way but it's absolutely true. Heck most of us could be the president one day if we wanted and bothered to search our options and realize that it is in fact possible. This is something that I have thought long and hard about these last few days. What are my options? The entire world is at my (and your) disposal with a little elbow grease when you really squint at it (sometime really really hard with a magnifying glass LOL). Without giving you a whole drawn out story and a long list of complaints - I have struggled some things in my life (like all of us do) and felt trapped, but you know what? I'm not trapped, there's a world of opportunity out there if I bother to take a step back and figure out my options are. You aren't trapped either! Life is too short to spend it feeling like the world around you is sub-par because it's all about what you make it.  When I finish this book I'll do a full review on it because so far I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone (not even artists) that is working through a day job that is not included in their "long term" goals.

 Speaking of making your life and other things just the way you want I have been working on another one of these great little guys and expect to be listing him in the store sometime this coming week. I really enjoy this little dude and it's a great summer item seeing as how he's not a big hot sweater :). Each one of his hairs are individually cut and attached to his head. That's a LOT of cutting and attaching my friends Mr. Lion here for such a small head has a whole ton of hair, but that's what makes him so darn cute!

New Items Galore!

This week I've been working super hard on busting out new product to making it available to you in the store and for some hopeful craft shows. Hand knitting is such a time consuming craft, I've struggled a lot with having a small amount of product because it simply takes so long to make and by the time I finish it, it gets sold! Which is great BUT people who don't know me and see my store can find it as empty. I could just list stuff I have made before and list it as "made to order" like many sellers  to fill my store but I am an impulse buyer and when I want something I want it now. I think a lot of you are like that too and will appreciate the fact that all of my items are made and ready to ship. 


Not only do I want to offer you guys lots of product with lots of colors and sizes - I want to be able to bring that same factor to the table at shows. No one wants to see a naked craft booth! This week I have released 2 new items into the store which is a huge deal for me because that's the most I have been able to create, photograph, and list in that amount of time and am very excited to be able to share it with all of you since I've opened the store. 


Here's my newest 2 items:

Above is my newest knitted necklace. This is made of 100% cotton so although it has lots of layers it is comfortable and able to be worn in any climate. I did this shoot just yesterday in the hot Alabama sun and I didn't feel hot or sweaty at any point. This has the feel of any necklace and I love the way these necklaces look on any outfit. It's a great statement piece. You can find it in my store: HERE

I plan on making several more of these, (currently working on a vibrant blue) especially during the warmer months in LOTS of fun colors. I am even planning on doing strands on different colors for some added fun. If there is a color that you specifically would like to see, let me know and I will add it to my color palette!

Above is another dino-hawk hat! The first one I made for the store was sized for toddlers to children. This particular one is sized for newborns to infants. I think these are just too precious for little boys. Part dinosaur, part mohawk it brings out a fun edge to them that I think is very fitting. The great thing about almost all of my products for kids is that I choose a non-itchy yarn that is MACHINE WASHABLE. You're welcome moms :). I think it's so important to have things that are easy to care for. Who wants more work for a great handmade look when you don't have to. You can find this listing in my store: HERE

I am more than pleased to announce all this new product and am glad to say this is just the beginning of a lot more to come. I am on the hot knitting train and will hopefully be pushing out at least 1 item a week to every other week. I hope all of you guys are enjoying them and hope to see you around in my STORE :)

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Easter Weekend

This weekend is for celebrating and spending time with family. Blair and I spent the weekend together doing just that since we are officially FAMILY now! So exciting! 


This weekend we also did a little house hunting. We have been looking for a house to rent for some time with very little luck. Since we are in the Coast Guard and won't be around for too much longer, it's not very safe for us to purchase a house so we are renting because we have totally outgrown our apartment- especially with all of my yarn and equipment I have acquired while starting my business! This weekend we may have found a winner! I'm not getting my hopes up too high or going to go into describing it too much because nothing is set in stone as of yet but I can't say how excited I am to have FINALLY found a place we are remotely interested in putting an application in at. Fingers crossed all goes well and I can have a much better suited office and have the kitchen space to put out all of our new great appliances we got as wedding gifts. They are still in boxes and I regularly drool on them preparing for the day their great exteriors can meet the fresh air and get used!


I am proud to say that this past week I submitted applications to craft shows for the first time and have chosen a few more to apply for in the near future. Although I am not guaranteed any spots as of yet I am hoping to hear from some of them soon - fingers crossed again. I've got a lot of finger crossing going on these days.


Last but not least I did a little photography for the newest addition to my store with a very fun little man! Here's a sneak peek at how they turned out.

Speaking of modeling, I am putting together something very fun and extra special for my modeling participants. I am in the process of earning my photography certificate through the University of South Alabama and have decided that I want to take as many of the photographs for my store and business as possible instead of contracting the job out. I enjoy taking them and think it adds a little something special to my store that the entire process is a work of my own! I am always looking for local models (Southern Alabama area) to wear my work and am putting together a special program/incentive for those that would like to participate. It is still in the works but it you would like to be included or know/parent someone who would please feel free to contact me. It's going to be a lot of fun. I need males and females of ALL ages!

It's a scarf, it's a necklace, no it's BOTH

Today I am glad to announce that I added a new line to my Etsy store! The knitted cowl necklace. It's unique and several things in one: it's a necklace, it's a scarf, it's cowl, and its well... awesome! I'm super excited about it because it's not only super stylish but is so versatile and useful as well. Because it's so many things it has so many uses! 


This is perfect for this time of year when the weather is doing it's thing moving into the next season. It's just the perfect amount of warmth without overdoing it and making you hot. Here's a few pictures of it!

You can find it in my store HERE (CLICK ME)

I have high hopes that this will be popular this season with it getting a little warmer and have a few other colors up my sleeve. Which color would you like to see it in next???


Also this week I finished the blue flower clip that's listed in my store to change it from a custom made to order item to a ship at once item. I'll touch more on this later but I am going to make my entire store a ship at once store. No one wants to wait for goodies that they've already paid for. I know I don't and I don't expect anyone to have to do it either!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/89492154/crochet-flower-hair-clip-with-rhinestone 

I've been telling myself I'm going to do this for some time but this week I've officially decided that I am going to enter in at least one craft show this year. I have gotten a hand full of the local shows on my list to decide which is best for me and am digging through them now. I think this will be a great way to get my name out there further and generate some extra traffic for my knitwear! I've got a lot of work to do to make sure I have enough things made to make the fees and trip worth while so I will be one busy lady these next couple of months!


Last but not least I will be closing the store for vacation starting March 8th for my wedding and honeymoon!!! If you would like to purchase anything or had any questions please try to squeeze them in before then, otherwise I will get back to you when I am back (the 22nd).

I'm BACK

It seems like I haven't written a post in a MILLION years. Things have been so busy over the last few weekends with wedding showers!!! I've been so blessed to have all these special showers and wonderful people who wanted to come and spend these special moments with me. I never thought that I would enjoy blogging so much but I have really missed writing to all of you! Here's a picture of one of the coolest cakes I've ever seen and it was at my lingerie shower!

A friend of one of my bridesmaids made it and it was amazing! She does it for fun on the side and it was just as amazing in person as it is in this picture, not to mention it was DELICIOUS. 


I've officially started knitting up some jewelry. It's still winter now (according to the groundhog) so it's still chilly enough for scarves and hats and all those traditional knitted items but the warm season is right around the corner and I'm getting prepared for the season! It's not done yet so I can't show you yet but imagine a red cowl-like necklace with lots of texture and shape! I think many of you will be surprised with how this will look and I can't wait to share it with you guys.


Since I've written last I've also finished the bearded beanie and it's gotten over 100 views just this week. I'm very excited and wanted to give you guys a special thanks because ya'll are the people that make it happen! 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92300743/bearded-beanie-hat-hand-knit-and-crochet

Now that I have all of my showers out of the way I should be back to blogging on the regular until it gets to my wedding! Speaking of my wedding I want to remind you guys again that the store will be closed a bit from March 8th -22nd for my wedding and honeymoon. 


I'll be taking some pictures to get some assignments done for my photography class tomorrow. I'll share the fun and pictures from it soon if not tomorrow as well! I started taking the class out of necessity to get good photos for my store and have started to really enjoy it as more of a hobby. Hopefully I will have some cool things to show you. If all else fails and they all suck (which is quite possible I'm a newbie) I have been turned onto some very cool people and blogs as I have been learning this thing called photography and will share them with you as well. 

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Showers & Knitting

This week has been particularly busy and it's only going to get busier from here! In the last 7 days I have had a wedding Coastie shower, second dress fitting, photography class, a fraudulent charge on my credit card and lots and lots of knitting! I haven't gotten quite as much knitting as I would have liked this week but I am gonna keep this post short so I can really tackle some yardage on my projects today :)


I was very blessed and excited to have my very first wedding shower yesterday. This shower was a little different than your usual shower in that this was all about meeting my new Coastie wife family! It was so much fun getting to know the girls that I will be moving around the country with in my adventure of being a military wife. They were all wonderful and I am so glad to join the clan. 


My second dress fitting was a surprise all in itself. I was planning on just trying it on and bringing it home but of course that would have been easy. I ended up having to have it taken in (which I wasn't originally doing) and re-doing the bustle. Now I'm totally paranoid that I'm going to gain like 2 lbs and never be able to get back into it lol! This sucker is tight. I think it will be much better (as long as I don't have any cake between now and March) though. Hopefully I will be picking it up and taking it home in a few weeks.  On the down side I realized that the veil I hand knitted in lace will not work well with my dress!!! I spent a ton of time on it and in the end the color just doesn't match my dress right so I'm just going to let that be my something "borrowed" from a friend. Looks like I may be starting my wedding veil line a little earlier than I anticipated.


As far as knitting goes I haven't popped out any new product but I sure have been knitting up a storm. I was planning on having the bearded beanie out by the end of this month but it may not be until the beginning of February before it hits the store. Here's a sneak peek of what it will look like:

I'm getting ready to close up the top and start on the beard. These really are so much fun. 


The second project I currently have on my needles is the cardigan. If any of you know anything about the shaping of a garment here's about where I am ~ I've done all the decreasing for the waist and now I am doing the increases for the chest! Pretty much means I'm a little more than half way done with the body.

At this point it's kind of hard to tell what it is but to help you out it's worked from the bottom up so the ribbing is the bottom of the cardigan and it's not quite to the area where the sleeves will be.


I am quite aware that Valentines day is coming up right around the corner. Now is a good time for you fellas to get your lady something nice and original or you ladies to treat yourself  to a little something like a hand made ear warmer:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/89216117/hand-crochet-ear-warmer-with-pinwheel

I currently have this and 2 other colors in my store. On top of that if time permits I want to add some hand knitted jewelry to the store before then. I know, I know "hand knitted jewelry"?? Just trust me on this one, it's a good idea.


And last but not least I'm starting to post on my Twitter account! If you have a Twitter account you can find my there @Innov8iveKnits or click on the follow me button on the top right of my page! I'd love to follow you.


Hope all has had a safe and fun week. I'm off to knit!

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Goodbye Scarf, Hello Cardigan

Mardi Gras Scarf

This week I finished and sold the last Mardi Gras scarf I will be making this season! I've been working on it for some time and was very pleased that it sold locally before I was even able to put in in the store. It was just in time though, the first Mardi Gras parade happened in town yesterday. She was able to wear it to the first parade of the season.


A lot of my time since that's been finished has been directed toward the custom cardigan. I've added quite some length to it but a project of this size won't be done overnight. I will say I am really enjoying working on it and it's coming along nicely. I really love the sheen the silk gives to the garment. 

I have added a good 6 inches since this picture was taken

After some consideration I've decided that Innov8iveKnits is getting a twitter account! It has been created but I'm not actively tweeting just yet. I'm still working out some things on it and how I want to utilize it. If you would like to get ahead of the game and follow me now you can find me there @Innov8iveKnits and I will certainly follow you back. There's also a link to follow me on the sidebar of my blog by my facebook & pinterest. I'd love to have you!


I also wanted to plug a reminder about the temporary closing of my store in March for my Wedding. The store will be closed between March 8th and the 22nd. If there is something you want to purchase soon you may want to consider doing it before then. You are more than welcome to message me during that time if you like and I will gladly return all of your messages upon my return. We are very excited about the big day and our trip to the Virgin Islands. It will be my first trip out of the United States with my brand new husband. Man that sounds weird... husband :).


On a related note to weddings I had the most awful dream last night that I forgot to bring my wedding dress to the wedding and LOST it!!! How on earth do you lose an entire wedding dress or forget to bring it?? I woke up this morning in a half heart attack state over it lol.


This weekend has been pretty icky and rainy so I've spent most of it on the couch watching my favorite TV shows and knitting away. It has been so relaxing and refreshing to spend a whole day in my pajamas doing EXACTLY what I want to do. No cleaning, no cooking, no day job just straight up knitting and doing what I want. It was fantastic and just the little break I needed.

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Trip & New Endeavours

This weekend I made another visit to one of my closest friends up in Auburn. We always have such a great time together. She just found out she's having a little bundle of joy and I will be making her new addition a special blanket. I haven't started it yet and she hasn't picked out the colors but here's what the pattern will look like:

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/iHodge/tumbling-blocks-blankie-80661ad
(not my picture or work - see link for details)

I think this is SO cute and I can't wait to get started on it for her!

I had a little excitement of my own this week as well - my first international order. Innov8ive Knits is officially international. That is so exciting for me. It's amazing how many people from how many places get to see my work. 


I have 2 things to thank to my special sale this week and a tremendous jump in my views & favorites. For the first time I tried out Etsy's search ads. For a reasonable amount of money I got approximately 14% more views than I would have without it. Along with that, I went through and re-did my listing titles and tags to improve my SEO (search engine optimization). It certainly made a difference in my stats this week and I'm very pleased with the results.


Another new thing that I've gotten involved in is that I'm now a proud boutique partner for Oleo O Models (click me).

 This is a great little modeling business that provides precious models in professional photographs for small business like me. I will be sending out a few of my flower clips for some of the models this coming Tuesday. The girls I chose are cuter than cute and I can't wait to see what I get back! 


I started my photography class this month and once I complete it, I plan to take a large chunk of my store photography myself on local models. I enjoy photography and being self sufficient is exciting and important. Up until this point all the photography on my site has been mine. I an excited to get some professional shoots as well as looking forward to improving my skills in photography as well.


I have a lot of things to tackle this week. Hopefully this week will be as productive as the last! 

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Community & Big Projects

New Year's has come and come and gone; now it's back to the daily grind with a fresh new look. This week I've been tackling 2 large products and got the chance to meet a couple of local fellow Etsians.

A few days ago I started my largest custom order to date - a silk & wool and cardigan. I really can't explain how excited I am about this project! My customer has picked a LOVELY blend of yarn and a beautiful style to work with. Basically my customer asked me to re-create a cardigan she'd seen on someone else. Here's what I've done so far (only a good 4 hours of work at this point):

My other big project I'm trying to blast through to get finished in time is the Mardi Gras scarf. Mardi Gras is just around the corner and I'd love to get this out right at the start of the season. I truly love this scarf. The combination of beading and light airiness is a great representation of the holiday. Even better, the colors are muted enough to wear any time and not just Mardi Gras. I will say that this second scarf is moving along much quicker than the first one I've done. I am considering making another in this pattern but in a different colorway maybe different shades of blue, or if I can find the right yarn a blend of black, green, and grey (my absolute favorite color combo in the Vera Bradley line right now). 

Saturday morning I had the pleasure of meeting a hand full of other Etsy sellers right in my back yard. I was clueless that there were SO many people selling their hand made goodies in my area. By "my area" I mean pretty much in walking distance from my home! It is so exciting to meet in person fellow sellers! In just a little over an hour we had a chance to share a wealth of knowledge between us. It was informative and lots of fun. Here are the links to their stores. Definitely check them out - buy hand made & and local! It doesn't get much better than that.

Southern Starfish ~ Personalized canvases

BronStar Originals ~ growth charts & nursery decor

Atutudes ~ hand made tutu's for girls

Garavan ~ jewelry collage art

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Happy New Year

I hope that everyone had a very fun and safe new year! This week I've had some exciting things going on.


I have added the flower clip line to my Etsy Store! I have yet had the chance to get them on a model due to the holidays and crappy weather we've been having lately here in Alabama (lots of overcast) but the photos can always be changed in a listing and I really wanted to get them out there as well as meet my monthly goal of introducing them to the store!

All of these can be found in my Flower Clip Section (click me)

In addition to adding a brand new line, I've picked up a great new order that I am super stoked about... a custom made cardigan! I'm so flattered and thrilled to be asked to do one and can't wait to get started. It's going to be a simple and flowing cardigan made of a silk/wool blend. Super luxurious and super fun! 

On top of the excitement of that, my awesome fiance got me the BEST needles money can buy for Christmas: Addi clicks! This cardigan is going to be a breeze and a real pleasure to work on with my new, slick, coolest ever on the planet needles. Seriously, these are like the Royls Royce of knitting and I can't wait to put a big fat project on them.

This week I also got a new shipment of yarn. This shipment has included more fun colors for the ear warmers (red, blue, and pink), more colors for flower clips (white, red, and green), and more colors for bearded beanies ( red, grey, heather green, and orange).

 I haven't put up a bearded beanie in some time but it has moved up high in my list of things to knit so be on the look out for one of those! In new color combinations. 

AND I can't forget that I have recently been included in a treasury which is so flattering here: Waves of Color (click me)

All in all this year has been a great year. I have high hopes and many exciting things to look forward to in this coming  year including my wedding in March, and hitting the first year mark of Innov8ive Knits. I can't wait to see what else 2012 holds!

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Merry Christmas

First of all, Merry Christmas & happy New Year to everyone!

I'm sure one of the first thing's you've noticed is that the look is new. I've worked with a designer to make my website and blog professional and uniform. It's been a challenge to make the company as a whole have a collective look and I think it's turned out well. In addition to the blog and Etsy header, I have matching reserved listing & thank you placards for the store. I hope you like it!

This week I am excited to introduce the flower clip line to Innov8ive Knits. Currently I am only selling them as individuals in the store but discounted sets are coming in the near future. These are hand crocheted flowers with sewn on rhinestone centers. On the back is a ribbon covered clip to attach to hair or headbands. They are not up in my store yet because I am waiting to get some pictures with a model in them first, but will hit the store very soon! Message me if you want one in advance.

This is something that I've really wanted to do and it was on my monthly goal list. With only a few days left of this month, I was really cutting it close but am very happy to be able to present it to everyone. I currently have a limited amount of colors available because I'm trying to find out what YOU (the customer) likes best. Please feel free to leave comments on what colors you like, don't like, or would like to see!

ALSO I am running a sale on the 2 newborn hats I have in my store. These are hand knit with cables, usually $30.00 now on sale for $20.00. That's a whole $10.oo OFF!!!



http://www.etsy.com/listing/83942837/sale-newborn-knit-hat-in-sky-blue-with




http://www.etsy.com/listing/83943026/sale-newborn-hand-knit-hat-in-pea-green?ref=v1_other_1

If you have a shower coming up, this would be a great gift! Don't pass up this sale and grab it before someone else does. This will run for a limited time only.

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Stocking up on Stock

In trying to keep up with my goals for the month I have recently added 3 more items to my stock. One of which has sold before I was able to take good photography of it. I'm very excited to be making strides towards my goal. I did a photo shoot for the 3 items yesterday. Here's the results.

All but one of these items are currently available for sale in my Etsy store. Check them out here:
Tan Ear Warmer: Click Here
Green Ear Warmer: Click Here

I'm very excited to be tackling my monthly goals and I'm so excited to be adding all of these great items to my store.

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Sneak peek & Life

I am getting to a point where I am wrapping up all of my current Christmas orders and getting back on the road to working up some stock. This week I have been working nonstop to get Christmas goodies done in plenty of time to be mailed to their home in time. All that's left are some finishing touches until I'm back to providing more things for my Etsy Store.

Included in one of my Christmas orders is something that is going to be a new line for Innov8ive Knits. I've already done a post on this item, but I thought I would give you guys a sneak peek of what it will look like :)

I will be doing a photo session with this item next weekend to provide a much better viewing experience, but here is a little peek to water your mouth :) I really LOVE this pattern it's simple, clean, and stylish (not to mention a fun item to crochet up)

Once my work is done on all these Custom orders, I will finish up the Mardi Gras scarf I have sitting on the back burner. This is going to be a stock item. A light, flowing scarf with beading. The mardi gras scarf will be perfect for southern Mardi Gras weather.

On a more serious note I wanted to share a life experience with you that I have had this week. Earlier this past week a great woman I know and love was taken by breast cancer. It left me with a huge reminder that all of our time on this Earth is incredibly valuable and limited. There simply is not enough time in a person's life to live angry moments or live a life doing something your heart doesn't desire. Life is too short to put off chasing your dreams for even a moment. After this great loss, I will remember to tell my friends and family I love them more often, and hug & kiss my fiance just a little longer because you just never know when God will see it fit to take them or you to be with him forever.