Gettin' Your Crochet On!!!

Starting a New Project

When you decide what pattern you are going to work on, you need to set up shop in a comfortable spot with plenty of lighting. Make sure you have all your supplies nearby (hooks, yarn, scissors, sewing needles,stitch markers, pattern). Some extra supplies that may help you when you are crocheting include a bowl or container of some sort to hold your yarn so that your ball (or skein) of yarn isn't rolling all over your floor. You may also choose to use a holder for your hook (I use Boye Ergonomic Aluminum Crochet Handle).

If you are starting with a new pattern make sure you read the entire pattern before starting. Make sure there are no (or as little as possible) distractions so that you can focus on the pattern and work up your project correctly. If you like you can play music, but make sure that you keep your focus on the pattern and not on singing along. I can't count how many times I've started singing along to whatever I'm listening to and messed up the project and had to pull it out. You may watch TV or a movie but I would leave that for a pattern that you are very familiar with so that you don't get distracted by what you are watching.

If you are going to be working on something that you've made several times or you are working on a repetitious pattern, do whatever makes you comfy. Jam to your favorite tunes, watch a favorite movie, watch something you've been dying to see, whatever you want. Just make sure you have plenty of light so you can see your project clearly.

Last but certainly not least, have fun with it. Give yourself plenty of time and space to get the job done. If you do mess up, don't stress about it, it happens to everyone. Just pull it out and try again, or if you need to, take a break and come back to it later when you've cooled off.

Hope this helps.

Happy Hooking.

Tarynicole

How To Make Your First Sale In 3 Days On Etsy(Or at least a week)

Are you crafty? Do you spend hours creating jewelry or crocheting until dawn? Why not turn that hobby into a money train! You don't need a lot of start-up money to do it. Just time, dedication, and a quality product.

The first rule of Etsy is: Have Fun!

You started out doing whatever crafty, uh, craft, you were doing because it was fun. Don't let the business of selling become stressful.

Now, before you start listing your items...look at what you've made in the past and do some research. Do a couple Google searches of your items and see where they show up. See if your items are interesting and profitable to other people aka future customers!!! Find one or two items people seem to want and make several. Take a few pictures of your items to show the Etsy community what you've got to offer. People will say photos are important, but not at first, if you're on a budget. As long as people can see your items clearly, you're golden.

Oh, you're ready to start listing items, are you? I throw you some crumbs and you want to leave mama bird's nest. Not a good idea!

We've just scratched the surface. Now, you want to list your items. Go ahead, I'll wait...Ok, are you done? Good. Now review your listing. Did you use good tags? Was your description "content heavy"? In other words, when someone searches for an item, where does yours rank? Example...Someone searches for a baby hat. They will use words like: Infant, Newborn, Baby, Hat, Clothing...etc. Are those some of your tags? Are they any of the words in your description? Examine other Etsy listings to see what others are using. This will help your item stand out in the crowd.

Now we've listed a few of your items. People will say quantity is key. But it's not. Just because a shop has 70 items and you have 6, does that make your shop weak? Not necessarily. Just make sure your product is better than theirs. And you just have to put in some time getting your 6 items noticed. Hit social media hard. Make a page for your shop on Facebook and promote it with an ad. And don't forget Pinterest. Self-promotion is the backbone of Etsy. Be clever, people-friendly, and have a sense of humor.

Now, I've left you with a few nuggets of wisdom. I may drop more Etsy success bombs on you later, but I don't want to do it all in one day. This should get you started off on a good path.

My shop made its first sale 3 days after I started my social media self-promotion and Facebook ad. These simple, initial steps may help you to do the same.

Have a great day!