Giveaway Time!

Spring is in the air (sort of), Easter is right around the corner, and I'm thrilled to have my Etsy shop up and running!  I think it's a good time to hold a little contest/giveaway!  If you've already been following perfectioKnits, you know that I am very grateful to be able to work with an incredibly talented photographer, Sarah Homme. Beyond Ordinary Photography by Sarah is soon-to-be-open,  and she has decided to have her Grand Opening giveaway at the same time I'm doing mine!  So once you've finished leaving your entries here, go and check out Sarah's blog and enter her giveaway too! 

MY PRIZES
In honor of Spring, since it is officially that season now despite the snow still covering most of the ground here in northern Minnesota, I'm giving away a pair of my knitted Katelyn mitts, a perfectioKnits original design, in a Ladies' size Medium.  These mitts are the perfect accessory to keep your hands and wrists warm while walking and enjoying the reawakening of God's creation, driving your car, or just catching up on Facebook at your computer keyboard.

left mitt is completed!  right mitt is almost done too!

Next, to celebrate the upcoming Easter season, I'm giving away an adorable crocheted newborn bunny hat. This sweet little hat with bunny ears is perfect for a new baby's Spring or Easter photos!  Would make a wonderful photographer's prop or a really cute gift!  The main color is a lovely brown with cream highlights and for the inner ears I've used an equally lovely cream color to contrast.

newborn bunny hat in brown w/cream

And finally, just to celebrate the opening of my Etsy shop and the new beginning that it represents for me, a pair of crocheted newborn booties in brown.  These adorable little booties would be the perfect little "shoe" for a new little man, and could be equally cute on a little miss!  The buttoned flap keeps the "shoe" on baby's foot.  [Design by Cassi Ence at Polka Dot Posh]

newborn booties in my four year old's hands

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST 
{updated 4/06/2011to clarify}


MANDATORY ENTRY (do this first!!!)
"FOLLOW" this blog and then leave a comment describing which perfectioKnits item you like best!  (1 entry)

EXTRA ENTRIES
"Like" perfectioKnits on Facebook  (+1 entry)
Leave a message or comment on perfectioKnits's Facebook wall/photo (+1 entry)
{NEW!!} TAG perfectioKnits with a post to your Facebook wall  (i.e. you could post "I ♥ @perfectioKnits!") (+ 1 entry)
"Heart" your favorite item in perfectioKnits's Etsy shop  or "Heart" my shop!  (+1 entry)
Blog about this giveaway!  (+3 entries)

<<<< Don't forget to come back to this blog post and leave a new comment for each entry activity that you do! >>>>

Giveaway begins March 30, 2011 and ends at midnight CST on April 9, 2011. Entries must be in the comments of this post to be counted (i.e. don't leave your entry comments on any another posts I might write).  Three winners will be chosen by a random number generator.  Winners will be notified via email, and also posted here. Entries valid within the US. Each winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn.

yarn delivery!

So excited to see the UPS truck pull up today!  The yarn I ordered last week is here already!  Which is fantastic--I won't have to delay making more bunny hats now that I have more yarn for them! 

 

Is that too mundane to blog about?  It's little things like this that make my day. I just can't help but share!

Well, that's all for now.  I have to go finish my lunch, then we need to complete our school day before I can really get to work some more. (I do manage to do a little knitting or crocheting during our school day, but it's not very much--5 minutes here and there.) 

Hope something or someone makes your day happier too!

learning to use Etsy

I'm still learning how to use Etsy and all its features for sellers.

For example, they have options like Renew and Copy for re-listing items.  I didn't know what the difference was.  Until I finally took time to look it up this weekend.  Turns out I had used the Renew option incorrectly for at least one of my listings.  I wanted to sell another bunny hat in the same size, but it was a different color.  I now know that I should have used the Copy option instead to list a similar, but different, item.  So for those of you who may have put a brown baby bunny hat in your favorites and find that now it's suddenly white, that would explain why.  I inadvertently changed it when I re-listed with new photos.  Thankfully, I know the difference now and won't make the same mistake!

bunnies!!!

Wow!  My baby bunny hats are selling FAST!  I'm so happy to have a seasonal product that people like and are buying!  I just can't keep up!  {I'm not complaining!}  The other problem challenge is that I'm quickly running out of both the brown and the white yarn that I'm making these with.  I did place an order for more, but I don't expect it will get here until late this next week.  I'm working with the yarns I still have and will continue making bunny hats as long as they keep selling!

If you're a customer who has stopped by my Etsy shop and are sad to find the hat you loved and wanted has sold, don't worry!  More are being made!  You can even send me a message {conversation} to let me know what size/colors you're looking for.  Although I'm not officially doing custom orders, I am willing to if I have the yarns on hand.

bunny hats

I listed this adorable bunny hat this weekend (size 3 months).  I have a few more bunny hats "in process"--in different colors and sizes--that aren't quite done yet.  They will be finished soon and then I'll be listing them in my Etsy shop too.

Sarah (Beyond Ordinary Photography) and I are working out the details of a combined giveaway. We will both be posting about it as soon as we've got it all worked out and know what we're giving away, how you can enter, and for how long we want to run the contest.


Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a wonderful first week of Spring!

never enough time

I set a goal for myself last weekend to post something more on Etsy.  Somehow, it just never happened and here it's already Thursday again. 

I am still working.  Currently working on making more Bunny hats in both newborn and 3 month sizes {and a few color options too} with the hope of listing some VERY soon!

not limited to baby knits

Although I am primarily making baby items to sell at this time, I do love making (and wearing!) fingerless mitts. I currently have this pair listed on Etsy, with plans to make more very soon!

Katelyn Mitts (back of hand)

Katelyn Mitts (palm side)

Katelyn mitts (modeled by me!)

This design is a perfectioKnits original!  I used an off-center leaf motif to decorate the back of the hands and ribbing at both the cuff and top of mitt. I call these my Katelyn Mitts {named after my niece Katie} whom I originally designed them for. 

Fingerless mitts work wonderfully to keep your hands warm while driving, doing computer-work, knitting, crocheting, reading, watching tv--really just about any time you want warmer hands with your fingers free from the bulkiness of mittens or gloves.

In fact, I could use a pair right now.  Brrr!  I just realized my hands are freezing!  I guess I'd better go put on a pair of my own!

items listed!

It's just a start, but I do have a few items listed on Etsy!  I'm so excited!

Keep watching as a variety of new items will be added soon!  I'm trying to keep myself from watching Etsy, knowing that these things {selling items}take time.  So I've got a bunch of projects queued up on my to-do list and am going to keep making more items so I'll have even more to sell soon!

Keep on the lookout for a giveaway coming to my FB page &/or this blog real soon!  I'm still working out the details but I'm thinking it may have an Easter theme. {smile}


Now for some new photos!!!!  Sarah took some really cute ones of her little Teddy this week!  I just love seeing more of my hand-knit items on a real baby!  Too cute!

Teddy Hat--designed by perfectioKnits especially for Theodore!

Jester hat, Lemongrass (green)

Elf hat, brown and light blue stripes

Newborn lace wrap

In case you are wondering:

Yes, I do create SOME of my own designs.  Teddy's hat is a perfectioKnits original.  It's also a OOAK (one of a kind).  So no, I won't be making more--at least not at this time.  

Some of my designs, like Teddy's hat, are more or less straight from my brain.  True, the bear hat idea isn't at all new, but I feel that my interpretation of it was fresh and original.

Some of my designs are based on items I've seen or ideas that someone gives me (usually because they saw an item and want to know if I can make it too).  I prefer NOT to try and copy other people's ideas and work and strive to either improve or change the design to make it my own if possible.

And some of my items are made with the help of purchased or free patterns which have given knitters like myself selling rights. I really appreciate designers who allow this as many (actually most) patterns have "all rights reserved" which means it's technically not legal for a knitter to make and sell the item without getting permission from the pattern designer first.  I won't bore you with the details of copyright laws and how it pertains to knitting, but if you really find yourself interested in this topic there's a really good {but also rather long} article about it here.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

Today's the DAY! {part 2}

perfectioKnits is now open for business on Etsy!  Stop by and take a peek at what I've got posted so far.  More items will be added as I get them finished and/or photographed so check back often!  Don't forget to Follow perfectioKnits on FB too!  Just click on the FB badge in the column to the right and "like" the page! 

I'm so nervous-excited that my hands are sweating!  And freezing. At the same time.  Weird!  So I'm gonna go slip on a pair of fingerless mitts and finish knitting a pair that I'm going to sell.

And yes, I did manage to get some sleep...sometime after 3:30am.

Today's the DAY!

I'm so excited I couldn't fall asleep!  So I got out of bed and am online for a bit.  I should really take time to clear the clutter off my computer desk.  Then maybe I'll knit a little if I'm still not sleepy enough...there's a pair of fingerless mitts I'm working on.  It'd be nice to have them ready to sell too.  I really need some sleep so I can think clearly when posting my items on Etsy. 

Chill.  Relax.  Get some rest. 

(But I'm too excited to sleep!)