Follow along as I set up Business, Quilt, Knit, Spin, Dye or Design a new pattern. I might take an Art Class or do a Photoshoot
Behind the scenes at Nancy Elizabeth Designs.
Sep 13
Top Down Hoodie Pattern
This is going to be a big hit! I love this pattern. pssst You can get it at Craftsy or Ravelry.
The very simplicity in knitting and wearing it will quickly make it the go-to pattern or sweater for all of us. The pattern I am working on right now is for infant sizing but I am planning to develop this knitting pattern for children sizes as well as adults and plus sizes.
The elegant look and simple styling of this pattern is apparent at first glance but the true beauty from the knitter’s perspective is the method and simplicity of knitting it.
It begins at the top with a very simple but surprisingly well contured hood and goes directly into the neckband and so forth down the body. The sleeves are divided from the body stitches to be worked after the body is finished and the underarm sts are picked up, thus eliminating any sewing or finishing other than one simple seam at the top of the hood.
Bonus: 3 needle bind off illustrated tutorial
I’m doing it in an amazing 50/50 blend of Merino wool and angora rabbit. You can’t see the cable detail at the raglan “seams” quite as well but the wonder of the angora more than makes up for this missing detail.
Sneak Peek SizeInfant – Small [Med, Large] approximate age – 0-6 months [9-12 months, 18-24 months] Finished Measurements
Finished Chest: 21 [23, 25] inches – 54 [58, 63] cm Body Length: 10.25 [12, 14] inches – 26 [30, 35] cm Sleeve Length from underarm: 6 [6.5, 7] inches – 15 [16, 18] cm
This garment is designed with an easy fit, similar to a sweatshirt. Your new go-to sweater
Recommended needle sizes 4.5mm (US 7) 16-20 inch long circular needle (16″ is a better length for smaller sizes) 5mm (US 8) 16-20 inch circular needle set of 4 double pointed needles (dpns) in size 5mm (US 8) stitch holders or lengths of yarn stitch markers or bits of yarn Notions Gauge18 sts and 24 rows per 4 inches (10 cm) in stocking stitch on the larger needles.
Yipee, 2 knitting patterns all ready to go. After an insane amount of spinning, knitting, math, photography and computer time I’ve got 2 patterns finished and I’ve aquired a whole new respect for those self published “Indie” pattern desginers out there. WOW.
One of the most fun parts, after the spinning and knitting, is the photography. Today I studied my “shoot it” course on Craftsy then I dressed up my dolls and did a shoot for the new Alpaca Baby Pattern and Kit.
Sep 06
Bookkeeping
I haven’t posted for a few days because I’ve been trying to figure out how to download transactions from Paypal to Quickbooks. Well, it’s not going to happen using only the Paypal downloads. it’s just not robust enough.
Firstly, I am in Canada so my main accounting currency is Canadian but most of my sales and expenses are in USD. Paypal allows me multicurrency within my account as does Quickbooks but the download doesn’t work. We don’t even have our date formatted the same way and the month and day are reversed when they come in among various other issues related to currency. There is no way of associating a sale from Paypal with a sales receipt or invoice within Quickbooks that I could find. I did find a service that lots of folks were recommending. Some were even signing up for a month, downloading and cancelling … doing this quarterly. I will probably try this Simple Port.
I do like them both and I’m sure I’ll find a way to make them play nicely together. I can’t be the first person to try to do this. Surely!
Aug 28
The Alpaca Pullover
Thanks Ann, for ordering this pattern before it was even written up. You’ve encouraged me to go ahead and pursue the pattern designs. I’m actually getting excited about all of this!
This one is a tiny bit more complicated because of the set in sleeves and perhaps a bit unusual where the shoulder buttons up, but it’s still easy to knit by following the instructions and images. I’ve also included line drawings of the shapes for reference. There are no fancy stitches and the pattern is easy to memorize.
You can purchase the Knitting Pattern, or The Handspun Yarn, or the Kit, or even the finished Handknit Sweater in 2 Sizes and Colours (oops one has sold but there is still one left – Jan 2013) at Nancy Elizabeth Designs.
I love that this little pullover is so dressy and looks so good on a little boy.
Size: Newborn (3-6 months, 9-12 months, 18-24 months)
Gauge: 20 sts and 32 rows per 10 cm (4 inches)
Here I am knitting it again in handspun Eastport Alpaca & Merino wool. So amazingly soft I can’t stop knitting! or spinning!
I’ve decided to write up some of my designs and have developed a whole new appreciation for the designers, especial those who self-publish. This is difficult work and requires some serious concentration and math skills as well as the ability to multi task on a whole new level.
Free Download on Craftsy or Ravelry (limited time only)
My first attempt will be the lovely Garter Stitch Baby Cardigan. It is so simple and fun to knit. The construction is top-down and there is so little shaping and NO sewing together. just put on the button and sew in the ends.
What will make my designs stand out? I want them to be elegant simplicity, classic and timeless, easy and straightforward to knit with lots of illustrations so that beginners can follow along without difficulty.
I want the pattern to be pretty and, of course, accurate and reasonably priced. I want to provide all the support needed via email at any time and I would love to see my customers go out and sell the things they make from my designs. I would so love to hear that they enjoyed knitting them.
This pattern will introduce my Favorite Stretchy Cast Off1) Knit 1 2)Knit 1 (2 sts on right needle) 3) slip both sts back to the left needle then 4) knit them together through back of the loops. Repeat steps 2-4 to end. Once you get used to this you can combine steps 3 & 4 into one movement.
Aug 22
Goals
Today I will set myself some goals to reach before I can begin the promotions because I’m confindent that these promotions will get things moving quickly and I want to be ready. Goal time: September for knitters, November for gifts (Christmas Shopping)
15+ – Finished Handknit Projects online for sale 10+ – Handspun Luxury Natural Fibre Yarns with colour choices 3+ – Original Design Knitting Patterns – Simply Elegant Kits for all of the Knitting Patterns to buy All Projects, Yarns and Patterns Posted on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy, Facebook and Web Site.
Aug 20
Knitting Pattern Designs
I have decided that there will be no problem selling handknits or handspun yarns once I get started. People need to see and feel how special the knitwear and yarns are and know how easy it is to get help from a real person who is the artist and designer.
Before I can promote the site I need some handspun yarns and some pattern downloads to be available.
My next project will be to spin a variety of handspun luxury fiber yarns and put them up on Etsy and the Web site and to use these yarns to re-knit some of my designs. I’ll take lots of pictures and write up the patterns. I should probably get back to the magazines that have approached me about publishing some more designs. The more our name can be seen the better and people like things they see in magazines. It offers a level of credibility and professionalism.
Aug 17
Selling on Etsy tips
I’ve only been on Etsy for a couple of weeks but here’s a few things that I have discovered so far.
I paid for the advertising for a week as an experiment. Although I did not keep accurate data I did discover from the charts of hits and favorites that I got more favorites and visits when I put up new products. That seems to be the best way to get your shop on the front pages… better than the advertising. The week of advertising did not get as many visits as putting up a few new products did. Somehow, listing the items puts you back at the top of the search.
I need to participate more in the “community”, make treasuries and circles etc.
Aug 16
Reputation and Time
I am beginning to realize that it will take some time and work to get my designs out there so that people can actually see them, feel them, wear them and talk to each other about them.
I have no doubt that once a few people aquire my work my business will be growing quickly by word of mouth. They will recommend me to others and I will have more work than I can keep up with. When this happened to me a few years ago I had orders backed up for more than 6 months and ended up just giving up in frustration. I was afraid to take custom orders after that in case I got so bogged down again. This time it’s different. What I would like to do is create what is in my heart and then sell it as opposed to doing custom work. I guess that makes it different.
I know you will love the designs and tell your friends about them because
They are totally unique and one of a kind OAK Most are knit from handspun yarns giving them a wonderful handcrafted look The fibres used are the highest quality available in the world Only the most luxurious fibers are used Only natural fibers are used I have designed each piece myself and every one is original They are all timeless classical designs which will never be out of fashion The historically accurate designs are true to the authentic traditional methods of construction and stitch patterns. The designs are simple and elegant and heirloom qualityTherefore, because I am convinced that the above is true, my goal should be to get my work into the hands of some people who will really appreciate their value and help me to spread the word.
Aug 15
More Updating
I’ve been working on putting up some “Share” buttons on the web site and updating some of the Social Sites. I am trying to remember to Tweet about new products as they go up as well as add them to my Facebook page.
I now have about 16 Original handknit and handspun projects on Craftsy, Etsy and for sale on the Nancy Elizabeth Designs website.
I will be adding these as projects on my Ravelry as soon as I have the patterns written up and ready for sale as I would like to like the project to the pattern if I can.
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