Moving in a New Direction

Goodness! Can it be almost a year since I blogged? Life on the Internet speeds by quickly.  I haven't been standing still, I've just been posting more to my Facebook page and Ravelry group than here.  I've also been busy creating new designs, revamping the website, and updating my booth displays. In short, I am taking Knitter's Journey in a new direction.

When I first started Knitter's Journey more than 8 years ago, I carried only my own line of knit with wire jewelry kits.  While I still sell knit with wire kits, I have reduced the number of colors and styles and I've added lots of beautiful yarn and gifts for knitters. I have been carrying Blue Heron Rayon Metallic for several years, and I continue to have great color selection and great prices. (Check it out, we are cheaper than Webs!)  I now also carry 3 Irish Girls and Interlacements yarns -- hand dyed in my home state. I've added several new patterns for the new yarns including the Wingspan Shawl (center pic above) and M'Lady's Mittens (bottom right).  Last but not least, I have added a great selection of gifts for knitters that are all one of a kind and handmade in the USA, including knitting bags (made with great attention to detail by my very talented sister), knitting needle earrings, and shawl pins.  

The pic above is just a teaser, see more in the store.

Shameless Self-Promotion

I put together a little slideshow of my jewelry as part of an upcoming talk that I am giving to the Madison Knitting Guild, and I thought it was worthy of showing here. The kits are available on my site, knittersjourney.com.

Make New Jewelry, Keep the Old

Just like the old Brownies song, one is silver and the other's gold.

New, not yet in the store, is this Freeform Crocheted Flower necklace.

This design is a departure from my usual style --the crochet is a little more involved, the beads are Swarovski crystal and seed beads rather than gemstone beads, and it has a lobster style clasp rather than my usual toggle clasp.  The pattern has a bit of a different approach as well,  more of a technique tutorial  or recipe than a stitch by stitch pattern. Like no two snowflakes, no two flower necklaces should be alike!

Another new project with seed beads is this 3 strand bracelet.  A very easy bracelet, this would be a great knit with wire or crochet with wire first project -- (the pattern is written for both knit and crochet). I experimented with the clasp on this bracelet as well  -- it has a slide type clasp. I'm still doing a little tweaking/proofing of the patterns for both the Freeform Flowers necklace and the 3 Strand bracelet, but I hope to have kits for both available at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival in just a few short weeks.

And as for the old and gold?  I knit up a sample of the Falling Leaves necklace in gold.  Stunning!

Fiber and Folk 09 - The Report

It's hard to believe I've been back from the Fiber and Folk Festival for a week. I'm always a bit wiped out when I come back from an all weekend show. So after a few days to recover, take inventory, do paperwork, I'm ready to blog about it.

I absolutely love this show! I love the vendor mix and the folk music. I couldn't believe my good fortune to catch the music of Peter and Lou Barryman. I used to go see them at the Club de Wash (are they still in business?) when I was a student in Madison many moons ago. It brought back old memories and made me feel young, although most of the songs they sang were about growing old. I'm right there with them! Sigh!

My friend Rosa accompanied me on this trip. A shout out to Rosa for her energy, enthusiasm and easy going personality! What can I say about someone who doesn't complain when I insist that I have to drive back to Milwaukee upon arrival in Crystal Lake when I discover that I forgot to pack my display baskets? She is up for sainthood. AND, I must say, that woman is a knitting machine! She knit 5 kits while manning the booth without batting an eye!

Thanks to Rosa helping me, I was able to teach a class on Friday. I had 8 students, and they were all very enthusiastic about the class. They loved the fact that they walked away with a finished bracelet. Here are pictures of their finished work.
I'm very proud of all of them.

These pictures come courtesy of one of my students. They are the only pictures I have from this year's Fiber and Folk because I packed my camera, but the battery was dead and the charger was at home. Memo to self: make check list before packing for shows, include display baskets and charger for the camera.

Hey! I'm working here!

Yahoo! Yahoo! Yahoo! I'm going to be a vendor at Stitches Midwest, and I'm pleased that I will have a spot next to my friend and mentor Cheryl Oberle. I also booked a gig to teach knitting with wire at French Knots II, and I am waiting with baited breath to find out if I will be a vendor at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Festival.

My Knitter's Journey Knit with Wire kits are a part-time business for me, and I didn't put as much effort into it during the school year as I should have, so I'm pleased that with just a little effort I've got some business. I have got to turn my website into a true store though. Right now it lets people know I exist, but it doesn't make sales.

I "worked" on my business this week by designing a new pattern. It's not quite ready for publication, but I'm loving it. I couldn't put my knitting down. Yogaman can't understand how I can have off all day (school's out) and not get around to mowing the lawn, cleaning the cat box, painting the garage, etc., etc., etc. I have been accused of playing, and I'm afraid I have to plead guilty. Knitting in the sun, too much fun!

Stitches Midwest 2007 Thank Yous

Well, this is it! This is what I worked all summer for. Here is my booth at Stitches. I was so pleased with the comments from customers and vendors that they liked my booth. Not bad for a first time, do it yourself on the cheap venture. I'm especially proud of my logo and banner. I designed it myself with the help of my knitting buddy Melissa.

This mammoth undertaking could not have been tackled without the help of my knitting buddies. Special thanks go to:

Melissa - for help with the logo and packing kits in the 11th hour.

Lauren - for her savy retail merchandising advice -especially her suggestion to use glass block to create shelves and risers.

Karen - for her enthusiasm for my product and support with her pocketbook by being my first Stitches customer.

Kathy - whose appearance on the other side of the booth on Saturday was a welcome surprise

Lynn - for her willingness to listen to me going on and on about this venture on our morning walks.

and most importantly,

Carolynn- who volunteered her van and came to Chicago with me as my unpaid employee. An entire post shall be devoted to this wonderful lady, but I have to talk her into letting me take her picture first.

I was also helped considerably by new friends - my vendor neigbors at Mind Your Knitting.

From what I understand, the attendance at Stitches was down almost 40%. Was it poor promotion? Is knitting that much on the decline? Or is it that the Rosemont convention center is cavernous, dirty, and ugly with far too much walking required for elderly or out of shape knitters? Still, I had very good sales and I have made contacts with several guilds and yarn shops to do presentations and sales.

I'll write more later....

Knitted Jewelry

It's the end of the school year, which explains why I haven't been doing much blogging. I was doing a little bit of knitting, of which I'm most proud. I made some lovely knit with wire necklaces and bracelets, and I've decided these are worthy of adding to my Knitter's Journey product line. I hope to be a vendor at Stitches, but being the creative and unorganized person that I am, I have yet to get the application in. It's really putting the cart before the horse, but I'm eager to go the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee this weekend, where I will buy oodles of beads for my kits. With summer here, I can KNIT, KNIT, KNIT. I hope to finally finish my website, knittersjourney.com this coming week! From educator to entrepreneur--that's the goal for this summer.

Totally Wired

Yesterday, I taught a class at my LYS on knitting with wire. It's the 3rd or 4th time I've taught it for them, and the students love it because they can actually finish a project in class. Here are some examples of what we did -

I first experimented with knitting with wire the summer before last, after I attended the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee. I've been crazy about knitting with wire ever since. Here is my first wire-knit necklace.


I've made a ton of jewelry, with the intention of selling it, but I haven't sold much because 1)I'm busy with my real job and grad school and it's hard to get the marketing done and 2)I keep liking what I make too much and deciding its mine and 3)maybe I'm just really shy about getting out there and selling my stuff.


I have been a little bit entrepreneurial though, because my LYS didn't sell all the clasps and wire needed for my projects, I had to supply it, so I've created kits that they sell. They are selling well, we are both happy. Now if I would just have time to get the marketing done and stop being shy about it. . .I'm not quite ready to go global, but I've taken the first steps on another journey inspired by knitting.