This world of blogging is fairly new to me, and but I seem to be getting the hang of it (I hope)!
I have always been quite crafty, but last year I decided to teach myself how to crochet. I bought a few crochet books, some wool and away I went. I learnt various stitches quite quickly but it took me some time to master reading and following patterns (which meant I could make scarves and baby blankets, but not much else!). With perserverance (and a lot of unravelling), I finally started getting the hang of it, and my finished items started to look like they were meant to. I began making hats, shawls, mobius scarves and fingerless gloves (or hobo gloves, as my son calls them!) for the kids, hubby and various family and friends.
I started to really enjoy crocheting, especially as I became more adept, and was always really proud of each finished item. I also received many postive comments about the items I had made, and quite a few people said I should try selling them. As my youngest child started school this year, and I was looking at returning to some part time work anyway, I thought why not see if I can find a market for the things I make- it seemed like the perfect solution as I thoroughly enjoy the whole creative process, and it would allow me a flexibility to work around my kids needs.
Making knitted or crocheted hats, scarves etc seemed very competitive to me, especially at all the different markets I went to. I have always had a penchant for unusual, funky bags, the way some women have a thing for shoes, so I decided to start sourcing unusual wool and start making unusual bags. I now have quite a collection of bags made (although I did have a hiatus from bag making to restock my family with winter woolies!), although I have given some away as gifts, and have sold a few. I am currently building up my stock levels as well as organising myself to attend various craft markets in my area. I did attend Glebe markets (Sydney) first, as it was a market I loved to bits as a teenager and young adult, but realistically it is way too far away from where I live now to attend regularly, although I did enjoy the experience of being a stall holder there. I will post regarding which markets I will be holding a stall at, when I have definite dates booked.
I have also been busy organising myself to sell online- I knew that I had to find the right site, as many of the best known ones are where people go to find a bargain. I needed to find a place where people are specifically looking for quality handmade items. I recently found the perfect site: 'Made It-the handmade market open all day everyday'. It is an Australian site, where you can offer your original designs or handmade creations for sale. I created a shop called Handcrafted Gifts and Things (the shop banner was also made by me, using a photo I took of a very unusual sunrise as seen from our backyard) and posted some of my bags for sale. I will be adding other items in the near future. Anyway I think that is way more than enough for my first ever post except that I will add a few photos of some of my current designs. If you like anything you see, please click on the link to my shop (at top of page) to see more photos, get information or check out my other items. If not, thanks for reading anyway!
