Harper Knit Skirt and Top for Cooperative Press Knit Edge Mag

I absolutely loved designing and making this set. I started with the skirt, from the bottom up. There is a kick slit with a decorative garter stitch border, then on with stockinette for the body of the skirt. It ended up the perfect length-which is great because you can try on as you go to get it to the length great for your body!

Next came the peplum, which took a lot of math and figuring to get it to come out to exactly the number of stitches needed for the cable ribbed waist shaping. Short rows shape the fashionable peplum, and then it nips in at the waist.

The cables for the waist were a stroke of genius! I love it. On to the bodice, and more short rowing for bust shaping, then armholes, front keyhole, and neck band. LOVE IT.

Model Katy Clark, Copyright Whitney Christmas 2013
Stunning!

I loved creating this design, because it was very complicated to get it as close to perfect as possible, yet will be a straight forward knit for anyone who chooses to make it. I really love the look and think it is one of my best designs to date.

Creativity Series: Little Projects

Heart Quiltie, approx 12" sq, cotton with
hand embroidery and hand quilting

This is what I've been doing lately, little quilties, with simplistic imagery, hand embroidery, and hand quilting. I am loving the process. Each one is getting better and better! The Heart Quiltie is the second, and I am on the third now-a house with tree. Home Sweet Home. Its pretty awesome too!

Little projects are great, not too much commitment of time or materials, great to get the creative flow going even if you have little energy to work. These projects are making me sooo happy, finally I'm making the art I want to make-cute, but gritty at the same time.

I highly recommend working in a new media on a small project if you find your creative juices are slowing down, I didn't do much for almost a month, but now I'm back into "making" hard core :) It does make me happy! Mornings are still best to work, for me, as nights can get pretty rough, but you can get a lot accomplished in 6 hours of morning!

What is your favorite "Little Project" you've done? Was it in your usual media/style of working, or something new?

Therapeutic Art Making

As many of us artists and crafters know, making things is therapeutic, in the best ways. Slowing the heart rate and breath and lowering blood pressure are proven results of things like knitting and quilting-repetitive motions, that end up with something great!

I have been doing hand embroidery and hand quilting lately. Small pieces, expressionist, cute. This is the art I want to make, stay tuned for a photo of my next FO!

Fake "Hits" on your Blog-vampirestat, uglystat, etc

So I've been getting a few more hits than usual on this blog, so was looking around, and found vampirestat.com as one of the main sources. A handy google search revealed that this is an automated hit count inflator, and not to go to the sites as malicious code may be present. At the very least, ads will be encountered which we all hate.

Creativity Series: Lack of Interest

Lack of interest characterizes depression, one of the main symptoms, in fact. I know when I start losing interest in things (going on a month now) that the depression is back, and needs attention. I haven't knitted or crocheted in at least 3 weeks, I'm getting frustrated and just want to QUIT photography, and really feel no desire to convince myself otherwise. Interestingly, I've been writing more.

I say interestingly, because previous to this I wouldn't have considered writing as one of my creative outlets, but it is!

People handle "lack of interest" in many different ways, by forcing the issue and discomfort etc that come with it, or by just doing something else/nothing for a bit. The only thing I haven't had to force has been writing, though, I am on my 3rd chapter in my novel and can't seem to keep going on it for some reason. I think because I'm not happy with the beginning of the chapter, it is an information dump. I am doing embroidery right now, too, but because I want to-also not a main outlet for creativity for me.

I feel like forcing it only gets you so far. Now if you're making something, vs designing/art, that already has a plan going, I think some force needs to happen, its too easy to abandon half made projects. But, creativity itself is hard hard hard to force, takes more work than usual to get a suitable outcome, and generally isn't as good as "normal" work. Beware!

Burnout

I'm a bit burned out on modeling photography, I think because I'm putting out effort but not really getting much in return, experience, yes, but not financial gains. I've been doing this long enough to know that people want free photography, I don't want to do family portraits, and I do want to move into the boudoir (plus women, army wives) side of things. I may be canceling several shoots this week, I'm not sure yet, but I don't feel like putting out so much effort, striving for things to come together, and then boom, no money at the end of the rainbow.

I feel the need to define goals right now. Doing what I want to do when I want to do it is at the top of the list, and I am lucky to live such a lifestyle that most of the time it works for me.

Targeted Marketing

I found a really interesting article this morning in my etsy-gram that is getting the rusty wheels turning in my head. What is the business I want to own? What is the product I want to sell? And who is my customer?

Knitting/crochet pattern design, one-off design, custom commissions comes to mind first. This is what I know best, maybe? I've certainly done a lot of it. How can I take it further? How does one, who does not and will not work a "day job" take these things and turn them into success.

There are a lot of stitchers out there trying to figure this out. Some are successful, some are not. But the key to determining success is the definition of success. Anyone who knows me, knows that this is a key to how I live my life. Therefore, it would make sense that it would become a key in how I run a business.

I think defining a customer niche is a good way to begin to figure out what I want to throw my head and heart into.

Photography, jewelry making/design, fine art, writing-all of these things I am passionate about. I think my next step is to define goals, ideas, ways to succeed with each and see which will be the most satisfying, and therefore successful.

Who is your customer? How does that define your success?