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!

GIVEAWAY ~ The Bearded Beanie

This has been such a fun project to work on. Watching this take shape has been so entertaining! Don't you love it? Well it can be yours for FREE! This is the first giveaway that Innov8ive Knits has done and I can't wait to give someone the opportunity to take a new product home! This hat is great for a gift for yourself, or for a Christmas gift.  It's that season where you start stashing gifts in preparation for Christmas.

Want one? Here's how it works:
Refer a friend to like Innov8ive Knit's Facebook page. Once they like the page, they post on my wall who referred them (you) and that gets you one entry! There is no limit to how many entries you get so refer all of your friends because each "like" gets you another chance to win. The more entries, the better the chance you could be the next proud owner of a bearded beanie! It's that simple!

 The GIVEAWAY starts today and extends for 14 days. That means it ends on November 12th. Shortly after that date I will post a new blog with a video of me drawing the name out of a bag to announce the winner!!



Hat Details:
This hat is made out of a super wash merino wool. This means it's washable and not itchy like regular wool but just as warm. The beard has button holes and there are buttons on the inside of the hat so you have the option to wear with or without the beard whenever you want! As great as having a beard it, it's not appropriate everywhere. LOL. The size is made for an adult male head. Sorry ladies, this hat will probably be a little too big for you.

If you don't win(sad face), there are other ways to get your hands on one! I am currently working on another just like it that I will be putting up for sale on my Etsy Store in the very near future. I will post it on FB when the listing is made available for purchase. Also, if you are a local customer I will be making a special coupon for FREE SHIPPING and will meet up with you to hand deliver.

In addition, I am taking custom orders for these to be made in time for Christmas. This means you can pick out your own colors (to match football teams, certain outfits, or favorite colors). Christmas is coming fast and so are the order requests, so I won't be able to offer these guaranteed by the holidays for long. Message me ASAP if you would like to have one for a stocking stuffer or special gift this year.

Special thanks to my fiance, Blair for being such a cooperative model!

Good luck!!!

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 ~ Treasury, Pinwheel hat, & bearded beanie

I just love the weekend, and hate how quickly it goes! This weekend I started the bearded beanie hat. I re-wrote the pattern to make the hat have stripes and changed it into knitting insted of crochet (I personally like the cleaner look of knitting over crochet in this case). It is coming along well and the details on the giveaway will be here before you know it!  I can't WAIT to finish it and show you guys how awesome and fun this hat is going to be! There will be 2 made so if you don't win the giveaway, you can still get one.

Today I did a photo shoot for the pinwheel hat w/ flower. This hat is just so precious, especially after adding a little bling to the flower.

I also made my first treasury this weekend. I think this is something that I am going to do on a regular basis to share special things that I come acors that I really think are great finds. These aren't knitted things in particular, just things that I find are wonderful, a bargin, or unique! I like to share my style and hopefully you find that it is great too. Maybe do a segment called "Treasury Tuesday"! Here is this week's in advance!

White as snow!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62192799/yafah-swans-organic-bone-earrings?ref=tre-942738343-1

I am very sad to see this fab and productive weekend come to an end, but here it is once again. See ya next time, there's a very good chance this time next month the bearded beanie giveaway will just be getting started!!



Rhythm Hat Finito!

OK well I don't speak Italian but I am super excited about having the rhythm hat finished. It has been finished for a little while now and I have been in search for a little boy model for the hat to add to my profile before sending it out (across the country might I add). What's more important than making my portfolio pretty is making sure that my customers are happy. I was unable to find a little model before it needed to ship out so I improvised. I actually made this hat display before I made any hats to add to my portfolio and decided that I wanted to use real models.  -From my research, real models make the item more attractive/relateable than hanging out on it's own. -

So I took my special hat display outside my apartment in this FANTASTIC weather and took some shots of it before it made its big adventure to the other side of the country.

I think this is such a cute hat that is perfect for every day wear. Innov8ive Knits style is: unique, trendy/stylish, boutique quality knits. This hat isn't particularly unique but that's what gives it the versatility it has. Sometimes you just want something clean and classy that you can tie into a wardrobe for every day wear. I think that the color work gives that traditional style hat a little umph of unique though. It's fun without being too much.

On a side note, if you are a local customer and interested in being a model for my work yourself or your child message me for details. (use the "contact me" tab on the top of the page). All participants receive a 15% discount on future purchases and copies of all edited photos as a special thank you.

Weekend Wrap-Up ~ The end of the endless scarf

Since I've finally got this cold kicked in the butt, I have been working nonstop on this scarf! I am SO glad to have it done... well almost done. Remind me to never make a super intricate cabled scarf out of a DK weight yarn again... EVER. lol.  It does look great though, and after all of this hard work, I will be quite sad to see it go! That's the only downside to the business is that I have to give my hard work to someone else (for a price of course).  I put a lot of time and heart into these projects and it's been surprising how attached I get to them.

Right now the endless cable scarf is in the blocking process

Here the scarf is soaking in some luke-warm water before being laid out to block. After it's dried, all I will need to do is sew on my label and get it ready for delivery to my customer. This piece is also pretty sentimental because it was the first custom order that I received! I can't wait to get some really good pictures of it too. Expect a photo shoot in the near future.

Also in news from this week, Innov8ive Knits is going nationwide!!! Yesterday I made my first shipment of product all the way out to California! The rhythm hat is traveling in a package as we speak. It's so exciting that my work is getting to travel and see people it never would get to make an impression on here. It is hopefully the first of many travels of my work to many different places all over the country. After making that shipment, I realized that I should have a better game plan on how I do my shipping for out of state customers and my Etsy customers. Research was made and I have decided on all orders to ship in the future USPS priority mail. It seems the best budget wise and convenience for myself and the customer to to the flat rate envelopes for most of my orders. Odd shaped larger items may have to be done differently.

Now that this scarf is pretty much done, I am going to start doing the pinwheel hat today. I am really looking forward to seeing the finished product, especially with some added modifications.

Between stock for my growing Etsy store and custom orders my queue to knit is just growing like weeds! It got to the point that I had to do a printout just to keep it manageable and make sure that I get things done with a priority and order to make sure things get done when they should. I'm not swimming in profit and I'm not answering phone calls and e-mails all day long but things are definitely growing. I am so proud of how things are blooming and I can hardly contain all of the ideas I have for the business.

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???

Weekend Wrap-Up- Newsie Hat photo shoot/ editing

This week was a short one thanks to the holiday but man was it smack full of adventure! From last week's weekend wrap-up you all know I finished my new favorite children's hat - the red newsie! This thing just has such a classic look I couldn't wait to get it on an appropriately sized head (and not just mine). 


This week I got the chance to use it in a photo shoot on the most precious little blue eyed boy I know! He was such a trooper for the shoot and was surprisingly content sitting in the grass for a nice chunk of time. Special thanks to Valerie for letting me borrow him :). Since this hat has such an old fashioned style, I really wanted to convey that in the editing of the picture. Give it an all around look of refined & antique. Valerie dressed him in sweet little overalls with no undershirt and brought some antique looking toys along for the shoot, which not only helped him keep occupied it really added to the effect.

Little story about the photo shoot ~ Sometimes when your brain starts leaking out of your ears and you start acting like a crazy person, you know that you are doing too much in too little time. Prime example here. This whole week I have been doing strange things at work like scrambling simple paperwork, forgetting to do routine things, etc. The night before the shoot I made sure to charge my camera and have it ready to take with me to work in the morning because I was heading to the park right when I get off. I was so totally excited and prepared. Once I made it to the park after work I realized that I had brought the camera and totally FORGOT to bring the hat! I mean HELLO it was main reason for the shoot. So last minute I got my sweet fiance to save the day and interrupted his studious homework time to bring it out to me so I wouldn't be late. After he so kindly saved the day and I was on time (being late is a huge pet peeve of mine) I couldn't find my little model and his mommy. Why might you ask? That would be because I was at the wrong flipping park on the other side of flipping town! I can't even begin to explain how embarrassed I was. This type of behavior is so unlike myself and I could have just DIED! Luckily, I was able to make it to the other park in a somewhat reasonable amount of time (although late grrr) and got to do the shoot in plenty of time before sunset. Little Mason (my model) really kept his cool for me keeping him waiting so long and close to bed time. I still can't believe I did that :-/

I hope that the photos will end up useful in the future for sales. They will be the only impression that most of my customers or anyone interested for that matter will come across before they make a decision. I am learning slowly how to use photoshop from trial and error and I must admit I'm pretty proud of these edits. (BTW I am taking a photoshop class at the local university and plan on sharing some of the tips & tricks that I learn with you- if you bought Photoshop like me and then realized it's a little more in depth than you anticipated) If they don't sell before my grand opening of my Etsy store, the goal of these is to really catch the eye and show the attitude and quality of the work for customers. We will see how affective it is here soon enough :) Wish me luck!