LYS

Whenever I am working a craft show one of the questions I most often get besides "did you knit all of this yourself" is "where do you get your yarn." I talked early on in my blog about my favorite on-line yarn stores here. I feel a little guilty for not supporting my local yarn shops more but when you knit for profit it is really hard to pay full price for yarn and make any kind of profit at all. I really don't think most people realize how expensive yarn is, especially the yarn I like to work with. I went to a yarn store in Rolla called Uniquely Yours with my mom, uncle, and sis this weekend. I love this shop since she carries yarn brands I've never seen in the wild before and it gives me lots of ideas. Unfortunately I rarely can afford to buy much of anything there unless it is for me, but I had my Mom and uncle buy some things in payment for scarves they were getting to give as gifts. I think it really opened their eyes to see how much good yarn costs. I wish everyone, particularly the people who put in a bid on Etsy's alchemy for $20 wool items, would spend a few minutes in a yarn store to get their eyes opened. It really isn't cheaper to make something in most cases than it would be to buy it off the rack and buying handmade shouldn't mean buying for less.

There are several yarn shops in St. Charles that I enjoy wandering into but I rarely come out with much. The one nearest to my house has an owner that really makes me uncomfortable. It is in an old house and she has a lot of yarn in the back area. She lurks and watches me as if I'm going to stuff my purse with alpaca. And she tries to talk to me about random things so I tend to not go in if I see her car in the parking lot.

My favorite yarn store in the area is the Myer House, Weaving Dept.. They are in Florissant which isn't too far for me to drive. They have a Barn where they have all of their discontinued or spare balls with heavy discounts. A few times a year they also have a big 75% off everything in the barn sale. I always leave with several full bags and a smile on those days. It is perfect for a scarf knitter like myself who just needs a few balls of a yarn or complimentary yarns to work together. It wouldn't be ideal for a sweater knitter though.

The little yarn store near my mother in law's house just went out of business recently. It must be really hard to stay open with all of the options on-line these days. There really isn't a substitution for touching or fondling yarn and seeing the color in person. And most yarn stores have very friendly and helpful staff with classes to help you conquer new skills. I wish I could give them more of my yarn dollars but I have to do what I have to do to keep my business going. I hope they would understand.

Wordless Almost Wednesday

I just had to post this pic of my little niece wearing my Nana's coat of many colors. She wore it for an entire day and refused to take it off even when they were driving home. Jess was saying how sad it was that Savannah wouldn't get to meet Nana. She said she probably would have really liked her since she really likes her clothes. I think she must have a little bit of Nana in her.

Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show

So I have everything all packed and ready to schlep downtown to the Mad Art Gallery tonight. I'm kind of bummed that I will have to take down my Etsy shop for what will be one of the bigger shopping weeks of the year on line. I don't see any way around it though since I won't have access to my inventory after tonight until Sunday evening. I had 5 sales this weekend on-line not to mention the ones to family this weekend so I really do hope the Big Ass show is truly a big ass deal.

Here is what the website says about it:

We received hundreds of applications, and after careful deliberations, we are proud to present the area's most talented craftspeople and artists for this year's premier holiday indie art and craft show. Our 2008 show offers three days of shopping (December 5, 6 & 7) in St. Louis' most spectacular and well-known venue for art exhibitions and unique events. Our show focuses on presenting original art and hand-made crafts of the highest quality in a shopping environment designed to provide you with a pleasurable shopping experience.

Don't miss the Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show on December 5, 6 and 7. Brought to you by Mad Art Gallery and the Craft Mafia.

Friday, December 5th 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Music from D.J. Mahf and Complimentary Toothpicks
Saturday, December 6th 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 7th 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Friday Gift Guides: For Him

I know this is a few days late, but better late than never. It isn't always easy to find gifts for men on Etsy to be honest. It is easier to look for whatever their specific interest are, such as my husband loves guitars while yours might be into golf. Here are some examples of good man gifts on Etsy:

Art is always appropriate for everyone. It is easier than you think to find art for your man on Etsy. JesseMosher has painting of everyone from Jerry Garcia seen above to Ryan Adams to William Burroughs. He is bound to have something for your guy's man room. I'm highly tempted to grab the Elvis Costello for my own guy's guitar room.

Dmented has lots of very cool gift ideas for men. He has all kinds of money clips, cuff links, and a few belt buckles.

If your man is a cyclist or just likes cool gadgets this clock from 1byliz made from bike parts would be perfect. It is made in manly colors and would look great in an office or study.




Builderstudio is the place to go if your man is a fan of old time science fiction or likes robots and ray guns. He makes pendants and gadgets mostly from wood that will fascinate the geek in your life and probably yourself too.

Awelldressedbullet is the perfect shop if your man is a hunter or likes the looks of bullets. This shop has some very unique items all made from bullets, such as pens, clocks, and belt buckles.

I absolutly adore Jeff Martin's work and bought a tumbler for myself last year. They have a very distinct and manly touch I bet your guy would love.





Maybe it is just me but I am always looking for goofy gifts for my guy to make him laugh. The best one I've ever gotten was from maybeyoushoulddie. I had her custom make a pair of mean bags with our favorite insults to each other. My husband loved them and still uses it to throw at me when I say something to annoy him.

Mixed Species are well known on Etsy for their irreverent sense of humor and cool approach to crafting. They are the only place to go if you are looking for beef jerky underwear but they also have some tee shirts that definitely make a statement. I bought this one for my guy last Christmas.

So maybe I gave you some ideas or maybe I just inspired you to look on your own on Etsy but trust me, it really is possible to find gifts for guys on Etsy.

What's Going On

So I've been moving pretty slow this week. I was supposed to go down to the farm today to hang out with my brother and his girlfriend who are in town for the week from France. I hope to get on the road tomorrow morning bright and early but don't count on it. I had a ton of errands to run today and apparently I was in need of a 3 hour nap this afternoon in which I was consumed by creepy and bizarre dreams I haven't been able to shake all evening.

I happened upon the treasuries while open yesterday and put together a list of St. Louis sellers in Fall colors. I don't see it making the front page but I do like to support the local talent whenever I can.

I also had to go through my entire inventory and relabel everything since when I called the Mad Art Gallery and asked if it was ok if my item number was before the vendor number they said it would destroy the entire system just as my husband predicted. That took over 3 hours to correct. I have got to get a better system for tracking my inventory. I started one spread sheet or another over the past year and nothing has seemed to work for me. I did a google document one before the last show and I brought it to the show. I remembered to check things off the list as they sold for the first few hours and then I got busy and lost track. I have got to remember to just write the item number as I check them out and record the sale. The business side of things is last on my list of skills. I really sometimes wish I had taken a few business classes when I was getting my undergraduate degree. I remember my father and at least one advisor recommending it but I was an idealistic English major so why would I ever need to know anything about business.

My mom told me to bring a tub of items home to set up since much of the Lenox tribe, which means over 70, will be at the house this week. I told her I have another big show coming up so I wouldn't be able to give big family discounts. She then told my uncle this which I'm sure offended him since he has brought me business in the past. I did not mean that I wouldn't give Mom or Uncle Jack discounts but that I didn't want all the cousins to expect to get everything for next to nothing. For all you other crafters out there how do you deal with family or friend's discounts and does it ever get touchy?

I won't probably be blogging for the rest of the week. My mother has the slowest dial up Internet in the world and it is hard enough to get in and check on my shop a few times while I'm home. I hope everyone has an amazing turkey day and doesn't get too sick of their families or sick to their stomachs.

The Monday After

I'm so glad I don't have to work this week. I am truly tired to the bone today. All that setting up and breaking down and smiling and being friendly all weekend wears a person out. I didn't change much about my display. It was a smaller area than I had before so I didn't put out my barrette display and I just scattered a few here and there on the table. And wouldn't you know it I actually sold one of them for the first time at a show. Saturday was a very good day, not an amazing day but a very good day. Sunday was pretty dismal. I had one good sale and several nice young girls admire my things and buy some little items. Saturday I passed out over a hundred business cards mostly to people who really seemed interested in my work. In addition I made right at 4 times my booth fee. I've heard people say that they are happy if they make 3 x's the booth fee so I really have nothing to complain about. I also made a great trade for a necklace I love with Jest Studio. There were a lot of people selling very traditional crafts there which is not a bad thing at all but it was nice to talk to someone else who also sold on Etsy and did some really unique work.

It was not as profitable as Strange Folk but who knows what will come out of the contacts I made. I talked to one woman at length about her dream poncho she would like me to make her and there were others who had ideas for custom scarves they would like. I went ahead and paid for my booth for next year and I will be in my same spot. It was a very good location in the main hall. Most of the people who are in that area have had the same spot for years. I found out that there was actually over a hundred people on a waiting list for this year's show so signing up for it last year on the day of the show was actually a great investment. I was lucky to have Diane next to me this year. It was so nice to have someone to watch my booth for me while a took a little break and talk to about the customers. She won't be doing next year's show which is a bummer but I did get to know the vendors around me who will all be there again next year.

I heard other vendors who have been doing this for years complaining about the effects of the economy. They said they were making around 2/3 of what they made at the same shows last year. I really don't have anything to compare it to since I'm such a newbie. My personal observations were that I didn't see the effect on the Saturday shoppers a bit. They were the die hard shoppers who fell in love with something and bought it. Sunday I felt it. People were much more hesitant. I could see them fall in love with something and then I could see it in their eyes as they talked themselves out of it. I really don't know how to stop the backward spiral of do I really need this.

I've gotten pretty good at helping convince someone how good they look in one of my scarves but I couldn't really do the other. It is usually really easy. I can tell when they put something on that really suits them, their face lights up and they get that sparkle in their eye. It's easy to encourage that impulse and usually once I show them the look in the mirror they have to have it. I am a shopper myself and I have a friend who always says do you want me to talk you into or out of buying it. I know what cues are helpful for taking the plunge. But I also know what it feels like to want something you can't afford and I don't want one of my scarves to be a regretted purchase. So I didn't do any truly hard selling.

I did tell people who were struggling with a decision that I take credit cards which sometimes does help make the decision easier. I must say signing up for Propay was the best investment for my craft show sales I ever made. If you are undecided about it let me tell you I've made at least $400 in sales I know I would not have made with out taking credit. It is definitely worth the $40 sign up fee. Overall it was a good weekend and I'm happy with how it went.

Lindbergh Craft Show

For those of you in the St. Louis area come by and see me this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, at the Lindbergh Craft show. It is hosted by the Rotary Club of Crestwood and it is the largest show in the area. It should be a perfect weekend for it, too cold to be outside but no bad weather to keep people away. I'm in the main auditorium and my booth number is A-164. The address is 4900 S. Lindbergh/ St. Louis, MO 63126 if you want to mapquest it.

I set up tonight and Mike is meeting me there to help. He also got roped into helping our friend's mother who will be right next to me. She has 3 booths and brings a truck and trailer full of stuff. In exchange he doesn't have to come out on Sunday to help me break down and get my stuff home. I'll just put my things in the trailer. I'm feeling the pre-show jitters big time today. I'll probably be better tomorrow since I won't have to rush there to set up.

I stayed up super late the other night finishing a jacket I started 2 years ago. I turned it into a short sleeve vest. I spent a fortune on the yarn, it's Noro Kureyan. I got stuck on the sleeves before and it had been stuffed in the back of my closet in shame. At midnight I was thinking about what I was going to wear this weekend and it came to me like a vision to turn it into a vest. I had to piece it all together and crochet a border to stop it from rolling. I'm not crazy about how the sleeves look but it works. I may go back and do some more work on it later.

Wish me luck for a successful and drama free show!