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. 

And the winner of the bearded beanie is....

First of all I want to take a second to thank everyone for their support and participation in this giveaway. I am thrilled to have so many new people in my knitting "family" and I can't wait to share with you all of my new projects and experiences. This truly wouldn't have been the same without all of your support. 


After all of the entries were totaled I put each entry on a same sized sliver of paper and folded them all the same way (no special treatment) and put them all in a bag to pull out at random. Here's the results: 





Contact Me- with your address for me to mail you your bearded beanie!


 If you didn't aren't the winner, you can still get a chance to put your hands on one. I have one for sale in my etsy shop right now! Not only do I have one for sale I am taking custom orderes for them as well. You can get just about any color your heart desires for $40.00. I will warn you though if you want it by Christmas I will need to know within the next few weeks to make sure I can get it done in time.


This giveaway is the first of many to come. Keep in touch for future events and don't forget to follow my blog for exclusive sale codes and giveaways!


Thanks again everyone!

A little self indulgence hat!

Since I opened Innov8ive Knits, I haven't knitted ONE thing for myself. Christmas is coming around the corner and I came across something I just HAD to have!  Time for some self indulgence and make myself a little cold weather gift for all my hard work this year!

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/andean-chullo-hat

I love, love, love this! I love the colors, I love the design, I love it all and absolutely have to have it. Now the challenge is to keep adding to my incredibly small Etsy stock, fill custom orders in time, AND make this for myself before the cold weather is all gone and I can't use it!

Weekend wrap-up ~ funky flu & Etsy opening

Source: http://my-sweet-sweet-time.blogspot.com/2010/04/late-saturday.html

This week has been incredibly busy! This is exactly how I feel but add a couple tissues up her nose and add some yarn and needles. Juggling a day job and your own business can be very trying at times! I certainly do not feel like I did enough for Innov8ive Knits this week. I've been pulling some extra overtime at my day job for trade shows and inventory. At the end of the week, I managed to catch one of the worst colds I have had in a long time. I don't think I have slept this much in well… ever! I tried to squeeze some knitting while I was on the couch but my head was so fuzzy all the stitches mushed together and when I looked down, I had no idea what I had made!! lol It was best I stopped while I was ahead.


On the bright side, I DID manage to get some things accomplished before it all went downhill! I have officially started putting things on my Etsy store!!! I am building up stock and listings for the GRAND OPENING. I don't have a date picked for it just yet (this depends on how many more custom orders I pick up and how much time I have to work on stock pieces) nor have I decided what I will do to make the GRAND OPENING something special (I'm thinking a special coupon or sale for my blog or facebook followers). I am so proud and excited about it. This really feels like a big move forward for my business, and I hope it really starts to gain traffic. The more I get in that store, the more hits it will get, and the better the chance people will make purchases. 


If there is something that you have seen or that I made that you would like to see in the store or you think would be popular let me know! I am always looking for people's opinions. YOU as my follower and customer has the most important input and my ears are ALWAYS open to your thoughts. (or my eyes in this case)


Also I have found someone to model for the Rhythm hat. If I am still not couch surfing this week due to my super awesome cold, I intend to get the photos done for this in the coming week, so be ready to see that. Let me know what your thoughts of this hat are too! Do you like this more traditional hat, and what colors would you like to see in the future? I have been told that a charcoal grey and crimson red would be nice (even though they are Alabama colors). 


Believe it or not, I am STILL working on that never ending scarf! I am on my last skein of yarn though so it is finally coming to an end. Next time I make this thing I will pick a bigger yarn for sure! 

I decided as well that I have another idea to add to my store categories: baby mobiles! I want to knit tiny themed toys and attach them to different materials to hang over a baby bed. Themes including: stars & moons, safari animals, farm animals, & planes. If you have any other ideas for this I would love to hear them. This is definitely going to hit a future Friday soon when I clear up some projects already on my queue. 


There are so many great things up my sleeve and I can't wait to put them out there for the world to see. It's so exciting to see things really start to come together. Now it's just waiting time until I get my first Etsy buy! I am in need of feedback to build credibility. Don't forget to share the growing store with your friends and add it to your Etsy circle. Also keep subscribed to the blog because the bearded beanie Christmas giveaway will be here before you know it and you won't want to miss it!

Future Friday ~ Pinwheel Flower Hat

Hapy Friday! Man have I been looking forward to this weekend! I have been doing SO much this week (mostly for the day job), but those details will come up in the weekend wrap up.
For this Future Friday I am introducing a little girl hat: the pinwheel flower hat. This one is already reserved for a cutstomer but I am planning on making some for the Etsy store in the future. BTW I have recently opened it to start adding products. Look out for a blog in the near future about the grand opening and other details on that. 



http://www.etsy.com/transaction/58194124



I am making this hat out of a SUPER soft yarn in a pink and green! I plan on maing a modification to this hat by adding a jewel/crystal of some sort into the center of the flower. I think this will make it POP a little better and give a little more "princess" to the look. Nothing says princess like bling :).

On a side note I already have a model for this hat but I am still looking for a little boy to model the rhythm hat. If you or someone you know may be interested please feel free to message me and pass the info along. (There is a tap at the top of my page to get in touch). Also I am making things all the time for people of all ages, if you are interested for future shoots, I would love to hear from you too!

Weekend Wrap-UP ~ Busy bee! rhythm hats, polar bears, and lions, oh my!

Happy productive weekend time! I just LOVE the feeling of getting things accomplished. Although my poor fiance has been left to his own devices this week because I've been so busy, I have been tearing up my to do list and taking names! I was quite sure at times I had taken on too much this week and my head was going to explode but it didn't and I feel so relieved to be able to look back on what all Innov8ive Knits has gotten done this week:

Polar Bear photo shoot & edits. I finished up the polar bear set sometime last week and since my customer was in need of them for a shower fairly quickly I found a last minute model and did a shoot after work one afternoon. We met up in a grassy area near an abandoned church that my model's mommy recommended. I would have never thought to go there but they turned out very good. I got the chance to finally sit down and narrow down the pictures I took and edit them. Put to work some of the new things I have learned in my much valuable Photoshop class- taking out odd things in the background, adding my business name in the photos, making the pictures have brighter pictures and softened them with more light. I'm so thrilled with how they turned out. I was concearned with that after I looked at the original pictures because my settings weren't right and they turned out a little blue straight from the camera. I'm really pleased overall with them and quitr proud of them. Each time I do a shoot like this I do new edits and new angles, and they look better. You can almost see the progression in my albums. Photography is so important in a mostly web based business.

You can see the full set of pictures on my Facebook under Polar Bear hat & diaper cover set in my albums.

Also this week I finished the Lion Toy. I must admit that this project entailed a bit more than I exptected! There's about a MILLION strands of hair this bad boy needs to have individually cut and attached to his head. I have taken some pictures but haven't gotten the chance to edit them just yet because I want a couple more first. I do plan on sometime before this weekend taking him to the park and photographing him in places children would play- sitting in a swing, on a see-saw, climbing ladders, etc. I think this will bring a fun, playful element to the pictures.

AND I started the rhythm hat from last Future Friday's post. It is coming along fairly quickly and the colorwork is very cool. I love watching a project take shape, I think that is my favorite thing about knitting/crocheting is watching a shape develop from nothing. It's like magic.

On the business side I have also put together some spreadsheets to keep track of profit, what has sold, and what hasn't. And I'm preparing for doing a grand opening on Etsy. I was going to wait until I had a few more things in stock to add but what time is better than the present right?  I am planning on having it open by the end of the month! I've also created a new cleaner/professional Quote & Invoice template. On top of that I have hired a graphic designer to create my logo and we are working on the details of the design and soon it will be on EVERYTHING. I can't wait to get new business cards, make new website banners etc.

 Things are really coming together, and although it's not at the point where it pays all the bills it makes me happy and it certainly is growing. I've picked up 4 custom orders just this week! Once the Etsy store is open I hope to be selling stock and picking up more orders. Especially with Christmas on its way I need to take advantage of that and be prepared. If only I had more time to knit!

Future Friday ~ Rhythm Hat

I just LOVE little boy clothes! I had a customer request a clean and simple newborn hat. No fru-fru's, animal faces, etc and something warm too. Hats like this are excellent for everyday wear, not just a photo prop. Sometimes when giving a gift (as in this occasion), you want to give something extra useful. When you are uncertain of a mom's style or they already have a little of everything, a hat like this is just the ticket. In this case less is more. It has unique color-work that puts a fresh attitude to the common hat.




http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rhythm-hat



Pattern: Rythm hat
I plan on using a sport weight 100% peruvian wool yarn. It's a nice wool that is warm and sturdy without being itchy. Being wool it is a hand wash only item. I will be using a denimn blue and a pesto like green colors per my customer's request. I think they will contrast nicely and really pop to show off the work!

As a moderation I plan on making this hat just a tad longer than the pattern calls for. This will give a little extra growing room and assure that it will cover the baby's ears no matter how big his newborn head may turn out to be. The baby will be in a chilly area and we want to make sure his little ears will be nice and warm.

I have been doing a lot of crochet patterns lately and although they work up a good bit faster and have a truly hand made look, I have been really missing my knitting needles these days! I am quite looking forward to popping those pointy needles out and getting to work on this project.

If you were to buy a hat like this, what colors would you like to have???

Future Friday - ROAR! Lion toy

This future Friday's project is a custom order from a local customer. In fact it's a project that I plan to start tackling this weekend.


http://www.etsy.com/transaction/57164587

 This is a pattern from one of my favorite Etsy designers- Beezy Mom's Creations. I've decided to do this project in a special yarn made of a tightly wound cotton that makes it durable, absorbent, and washable. As a baby toy, this will need to be washer friendly and a natural fiber that can be in a baby's mouth. This will be filled with fiberfill with a lining around it so the fill cannot be pulled through the stitches.

I'm very excited to add to my portfolio Innov8ive Knits very first toy! If you or someone else are possibly interested in a special hand made toy let me know. I am always interested in new ideas and challenging projects!

Introducing: Innov8iveKnits.com

Now Innov8iveKnits officially has it's OWN domain name!! 


I was recently given some advice about starting a business (especially one based around a product/service that someone may consider a hobby), "If you want people to treat your business like a business, YOU have to treat it like a business first." People react based on your attitude and how you treat things. You're demeanor is contagious and reflects your business tremendously. You can't treat a business like a hobby and expect others to think of it anything more than how you treat it. This is just one more step forward to Innov8iveKnits being what I have been dreaming for it to be.


A domain name shows professionalism, not just a hey I like to blog on my free time because it's fun and stuff, cool, yay! Although, I must admit I do find it quite rewarding.  It's also easier to remember than yadayada-website.blogger/soonandsofourth. Having a domain name is crisp, easy, and to the point. 


In addition, the website will be having a few new renovations (most likely over the weekend) to feature separate pages such as- about me, contact, for sale, etc. I think this will help make the page more accessible and user friendly.


AND speaking of treating your business like a business, I am in the process of having a logo made! I'm quite excited about having a uniform branding label for all things Innov8iveKnits. It may be some time before it hits the streets… or the website BUT it is in the works and I can't wait to share it!


Next time you are in the need of an Innov8iveKnits fix, all you have to do it type : www.Innov8iveKnits.com!