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!

The Knitting Screw Guy

I can't believe it's almost 2 weeks since Stitches. I meant to post this story right away, but didn't get around to it.

When setting up my booth at Stitches, I was helped immeasurably by my neighbors at Mind Your Knitting. I'm forever indebted to the husband of this family business team. Since he may want to remain somewhat anonymous, I'll just call him "Screw Guy." Screw Guy saved my sales for the weekend.

As mentioned in a previous post, Stitches was my first retail venture. (I only sold wholesale to yarn shops prior to this.) Besides packing 500 Knitter's Journey Knit with Wire Kits, I had to get display fixtures and get a merchant number so that I could accept credit cards in order to do the show. My credit card validator and my merchant number arrived just in time as I was packing for Stitches. I knew I had to swap the new merchant number plate for the generic one that came with my validator. I packed a screwdriver and figured I'd take care of it in Chicago.

Well, guess what? One of the screws just wouldn't budge. It looked like the head of the screw was stripped. Panic set in. No Validation plate = no credit card sales.
Screw Guy to the rescue! Not only did he have a better screw driver, he had an arsenol of tools that had no business being at a knitting show. And am I thankful that he did! Screw Guy loosened the screwed up screw with a few quick twists of his superior Philips head. But we weren't out of the woods yet! When I swapped the plates it was evident that the new plate was larger than the old plate- it covered the numbers of the date. But never fear, Screw Guy was here! He had a sharp little cutting tool handy. He expertly cut the plate down to size. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thanks to Screw Guy, credit cards of Stitches attendees were now free to lay themselves down on my validator bed.

Thanks again to my superhero, Screw Guy, fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way . . . CHARGE!

Will work for food

Sorry, there is no picture. I tried to get my friend Carolyn to wear a sign, "Will Work For Food" but she wouldn't go for it. Carolyn is retired from working as a wholesale sales rep in the gift industry, and as you can imagine, she was a great help to me. She has great sales skills and a keen eye for merchandising. She was the one who suggested I turn the baskets on their sides for a cornucopia effect, which made a great difference. We had many positive comments from both vendors and customers about the booth and the baskets in particular. Obviously, it worked, since sales were good.

Boy did we work! We arrived Wednesday to check in and drop off our stuff and we spent all day Thursday setting up. Showtime was Thurday night, when we were open for business for 2 hours. Friday and Saturday we were on our feet selling from 10 - 6, and Sunday we worked 10-4. Our evenings were busy with paperwork, and I had to make samples for the demonstrations I did every day. Our only compensation was food -We enjoyed 2 great meals at the Hilton Garden O'Hare. Am I following my bliss or going crazy? I may not be rich, but I am happy.