Examples of Judy Goddard's Knitting Skills

Work in progress

www.leaningonthepromises.etsy.com

www.measuremecharts.etsy.com 

www.finishthis.etsy.com 

www.JudyAGoddardArtisan.blogspot.com

FREE SHIPPING!

For the first time ever, Judy is offering FREE SHIPPING on purchases made on November 26 ~ 29!

This applies to all items in her art shop; www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

and...

her Knitting/Crochet supplies Shop; www.finishthis.etsy.com!

Come and take a peek!

That Darned Global Warming!

Maryland is supposed to get 30 + inches of snow this weekend! They say Washington DC is staged to have the biggest snow fall year in recorded history.

Here in New Jersey, they "say" we "might" get 6 to 12+ inches. But!

If you look at the map of the Eastern Seaboard, with all the lovely shades of pink and purple, the deep purple of Maryland is also the deep purple of the New Jersey coastline.

Hmm...

The thing is, I've always been a sucker for weather. I mean, I love storms! I love blizzards! I love Nor' Easters and hurricanes! I love the feeling I get when I know the house is well stocked, so that, if we would should get cut off from the rest of hu

manity, we'll have enough to get us through until we can be dug out, reached by helicopter, rescued by boat.

The only kind of weather that I really can't stand is hot and humid.

My friends all think I'm crazy (But that's beside the point.) They all make awful faces whenever anyone mentions snow. And there I am, waving my fists in the air! Doin' my little happy dance!

So, I've got my knitting, and my paint projects, and my sketch pad and fancy ideas to get down on paper.

I'm set! How about you?

Baskets or Patterns

Hi everyone.

Here are some examples of Hand Knit Felted Baskets I have designed and made.

Do you think people would more readily buy the patterns for these?

They didn't sell too well just as a product to purchase.

What do you think?

www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

Learning the Ropes

Lately I've been able to concentrate a little more steadily on promotion of my Etsy shops.  I've figured out how to plant Etsy minis on my blog and on my Facebook account, and how to change out my avatar on Twitter.  And I've sold two canvas growth charts in one week!  Way!

                                                                                                                                                              

I did a voltunteer job this week for my daughter's Venturing Crew.  A couple of weeks ago they tie dyed t shirts to where at this weekends 

Venture Daze Camperee at Boy Scout Camp.  I took all 16 of them and stenciled on our crew number; Crew 144.  I think they cam out smashing!

I've also been posting more items on my Etsy supply shop, www.finishthis.etsy.com.

I've come into a wind fall of vintage knitting and crochet books and ma

gazines.  I'm gleaning out of them all the things I really want to make and then listing them.  They're a neat little picture of the past.

I think I'm finally begin

ning , just beginning, to understand the whole marketing thing.  Well, maybe not, but if I take things tiny step by tiny sep I just might ma

ke some progress.

www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

www.finishthis.etsy.com

www.Measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com

www.JudyGoddard.Homestead.com

After Much Consideration...

I'm still clueless.

I am an artist. I want and need affirmation. Does that mean I need to sell my artwork in order to feel valued? No.

Creating art is about the overwhelming need to say something. As a fiber artist I need to have my hands around a pair of knitting needles. (Or a crochet hook.) I need to have challenges in design and color play that keep me moving forward. I guess that's why I feel that I've moved beyond crewel, cross stitch, needlepoint. Nothing challenges me like figuring out how to do something with yarn or string and needles or hooks. It has been posited that I am border line ADD. I don't wonder. I know. And the soothing swish of needles and the steady rhythm of moving the stitches from one side to the other keeps me centered and allows me to think more clearly and pay closer attention to what is being said by those around me.

But back to that pesky question about selling.

I am a consumer of goods. I have HUGE stashes of yarn. ( It really is a kind of obsession.) I spend hours most days clicking away. I have been a home maker and stay home mom for most of my life. It would feel so good to contribute in a way that makes me happy. (As opposed to working outside the home at a minimum wage job that eats up hours and gives me no sense of achievement.) I guess, for me, it boils down to me wanting to have a reason to stay home and yet make money. I want to feel useful. I want to help out.

Stay tuned for my next installment: "How I became a painter."

1+1=...........????

OK, I'm an artist! Sometimes I like to joke around and tell people that I'm a whole brained person. But the truth is, I'm so darned right brained that I can't even balance my check book!

I got a job at the mall, for the Christmas season, selling calendars from a kiosk in the center isle, near the food court. And the lovely woman who owns this franchise pays her employees under the table. So every week I would find a bank envelope with my pay inside.

I wasn't sure how her pay weeks ran, you know, Saturday to Friday, or Thursday to Wednesday, whatever. So I wasn't quite sure how figure if she was paying me the right amount each week. To add to the confusion, I thought she said that my first weeks pay would be included in my second weeks pay envelope. So when I got my first pay envelope and counted $106.00 I just figured it was correct. But the next weeks pay was only 80 something. So I started keeping my envelopes, with the amount counted inside, written on the outside. And when I knew the final date I would be working I counted it up and started

"calcilatin' how much I shoulda got"

By the time I was done I figured I was still owed over $500.00! So I wrote out my computation and made a copy for the boss and handed it to her. The next day, before I went to work I sat down with paper and pencil again and figured it out a different way. And I came up only missing a

"couple 'a hunerd"

So now I call her and tell her about my "boo boo" and she says she figures right on the mark and she owes me nothing.

Oh boy!

Once again, I pulled out the pad, pencil and calculater and tried it yet another way. And., as the numbers fell into place I started to see a pattern.

Hhhhmmmm.......

If I figured that I got my first weeks pay after my second week, but it wasn't included with the second weeks pay then it added up to the amount I should receive for my first week.

Right?

So I kept going and discovered that each weeks pay envelope held the amount I should have been paid the week prior!

Son of a Gun!!

So call number three informed my boss that I figured out my dumb mistake and everything was good.

Phew!

I should stick to my knitting needles and hire myself an accountant!

www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com
www.Measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com
www.JudyGoddard.Homestead.com

Ever Hopeful!

I received an email from a lady this morning. Her name is Dana G. She is shifting her online selling from Ebay to Etsy. She gives very reasons for making the switch and I agree with her that it was a right move to find a new venue. And Etsy is a "happenin' place." I just don't think I'm doing Etsy very well. I've decided to spend less time on Etsy and more time creating and preparing for the upcoming craft show season.

I used to be a veteran craft show person. I did lots of shows every year, focusing on summer shows becasue I made batiked T shirts. I actually did well enough to put myself through full time community college. I earned an associate degree in art.

Then I got sick, with Lyme disease. I was chronically ill for 4 years and was unable to do much of anything. Do to the wonderous hand of God, I am well now and have been working on Etsy since April, 2008.

I've done reasonably well selling knitting supplies, but so good with the art work. That's why the Handknit Felted Baskets are all marked down by 50%

So, I'm gunna take the plunge and invest some buscks in craft show fees. I live in an area of the country that is home to some truly wealthy people. ( The Jersey Shore.) So it will just be a matter of keeping on top of the newspaper advertising and taking a big breath before I send out the checks.

Ya know, I'm darn good at what I do! I make neat stuff! I'm a professional. I know the ropes! I jsut can't seem to find that "Ah ha moment" that would make me able to be successful on Etsy.

I'm not giving up on Etsy. Just refocusing. Not so many hours on the lap top and more hours in the "Spare Oom."

I remain ever hopeful!

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

http://www.judygoddard.homestead.com/

Where Do I Go From Here?

Where do I go from here? For the past ten months I've had a wonderful time designing and knitting my baskets, setting up an Etsy shop, doing shows and marketing the best way I knew how. But they just won't move. So now it's time to sit back, examine my process and strike out in a different direction.

I made an impulse buy this past fall. (Actually it was several impulse buys!) I purchased 443 pink plastic barrettes at my local dollar store for an insanely low price and will now fiddle around with them and see what I can come up with. Fiber continues to be my main focus, so I see a lot of felt in fun, colorful shapes!

I'll also be doing a little more exploring into the world of fine art, doing more painting and maybe printing out note cards and prints.

I really do think, though, that my main problem seems to be poor marketing.

As a left handed, right brained thinker, I have a really hard time focusing on technical things. Etsy has been a wealth of information but I've had a rough time compartmentalizing.

I will continue to market my Incredibly Cute Canvas Growth Charts. They are just too precious not to keep trying!

Next year I'll be focusing more on local craft shows. Living "Down the Shore" provides me with a solid higher end clientele. I just have to find the right shows. There's plenty of help for me to draw on. After all, I'm not new to craft shows. I put myself through college selling batik tee shirts!

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/
http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/
http://www.judygoddard.homestead.com/

"All the Leaves are Brown, and the Sky is Grey....."

This morning the sky is a shade of silver that tells me that rain is on the way. When I hooked the dog on to her lead the yard was blanketed with rustling brown oak leaves. The trees all around have lost their color and are settling into their sleeping season.

It's hard to believe that the season has progressed so far so fast. And now, Thanksgiving is just two weeks away! I made a collection of Autumn themed baskets and listed them on Etsy, but no one has purchased them, so now I'm discounting them by 30% of their original prices. Any of them would make wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving decorations. And, on top of that, they serve a purpose. They are more than "just a pretty face"!

Help to launch my basket sales! I've been so busy knitting and felting that I've got quite stock pile, and tons of new ideas to implement!

Christmas Baskets are ready to list!
http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

What's done is done

This the first time my President has been younger than me. This feeling is kind of like the first time I watched the Miss America and realized that, even if I were single, I would be too old to participate. I told my daughter that it really doesn't matter who is elected. Nothing much will change no matter who you vote for. And, for the nost part, I believe that. And for the least part I hope and pray so.

He seems like a genuinely sincere person. I can only expect that he feels he can, indeed, affect change. I don't think the country's policies will promote Spiritual Growth. And I, as a conserative person, may lose some of my freedom.


Do I feel safe? Not right at the moment. But at least my health benefits won't be taxed.


But.......


Maybe the economy will pick up and folks will decide that they just can't live with out one of those fabulous Handknit Felted Baskets! Or that the best way to celebrate the birth of a new baby is to Buy him/her an Incredibly Cute Canvas Growth Chart!



And don't forget to visit www.wifemomwoman.wordpress.com to sign up to win my Little Christmas Basket!

Another Bright Idea?

Well, I've not sold either of the jack-o-lantern baskets I made up. So today they go on sale. And, considering that I've only sold one Handknit Felted Basket, I thought maybe a few Handknit Felted Hats might pique someones interest. So I am busily knitting away.

Now that I've posted the hats it occures to me that they need to be doo dahed up. I guess I'll be off to purchase some gross grain ribbon. And i'm thinking maybe a live model will be better than good ol' Madeline here.

So, if you're looking for a really cute decorative basket for next Halloween, stop by

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/ and snap them up for $7.50 each

And while you're there, check out my other baskets. There's a couple Winter themed ones as well as one Christmas one. I have a whole slew of LIttleFelted Baskets that make great tree ornaments and or little gifty baskets. I have to get the other Christmas baskets I have posted. The holidays are upon us!

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

www.Flickr.com/JudyAGoddard/

http://www.judyagoddardartist.blogspot.com/

Adventures in Felting

I love to knit! And I love the manipulation of fibers that are possible for me through felting. It's such a trip to open up the washing machine and pull out that sodden, lumpy mess, disentagle it from the blue jeans, pull into shape and see exactly what I anticipated! It makes my heart smile.

Of course, sometimes I open up the washing machine and pull out that sodden mess and go, " Oh no! It's too small!" Or "It's so uneven!" Or It's full of holes!" Then I put on my thinking cap and try to figure out how to use this "Happy Accident" in a creative way. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But the thrill I feel, right before I lift that lid, the thrill of anticipation, makes it worth the effort, even if I do have to figure out just in the heck I'm gunna do with it!

Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, huh?

I decided to try and sell some Handknit Felted Baskets that I had designed and made. So I set up a shop on Etsy.com and started uploading pictures. I was told that to promote myself I would need to spend time in the chat rooms and visit the forums often.

I learned to how sort through the miasma of a crowded chat rooms. I learned how to couch my forum posts in terms that would draw attention to my shop. And I sold a few supplies.

To be fair, I did sell one basket. And I sold one Canvas Growth Chart. All that since April 20, 2008.

So I asked what else I could do. I was told, "Blog!" I set up this blog and now have a new place to direct folks to show off my designs. And I do get some very nice comments. Thank you very much! But no sales of Art, only supplies. (So why and I complaining? At least I'm making sales!"

Next came the suggestion of Flickr. com. And then came the posts telling me to set up a Mysapce account and a Facebook account. Done.

And now I spend many hours everyday punching keyboard pads and squinting at my laptop screen. And still have quite a tidy sum of lovely baskets that people tell me are, "So cute!" "Really Great!" "Super".

I'm getting pretty frustrated. If you pray, please send one up for me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31019349@N06/

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

Why is a size 11 knitting needle.....

closer in size to a size 13 knitting needle than it is to a size 10 1/2 knitting needle?

Because.....

I have a size 13 needle and a size 10 1/2 needle and I need a size 11 needle!!!!

But, I do have a new shop banner! One I did not create myself. If you need or want a new banner and/or a new avatar, check out http://www.cmikel.etsy.com/

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/
http://www.judyagoddardartist.blogspot.com/
http://www.judygoddard.homestead.com/

It takes so little.....

...to make a simple girl happy!

I knit. All the time! I obsess over knitting. So all my life I've looked for a way to make my knitting a renewable kind of thing. After all, you can only knit your near and dear so many sweaters and socks. Then it kind of becomes a bad holiday joke.

So I started designing and came up with this really cool way to make one of a kind, felted baskets. I've been making
them for a few years now and now they have joined the list of holiday jokes. But my family loves them and think they are really neat. So now I'm trying to sell them.

Here's where the little, to make me, a simple girl, happy, comes in....

I have a nearly complete collection of every kind of knitting needle, in every conceivable size and color and material. But, of course I don't have the one needle I need! A size 13 circular needle, 16 inches long! I checked out the on line catalogues and made some calls, and..... You guessed it! Nobody sells it!

My very wise husband suggested that I look on Ebay and, SHAZAM! There they were; the perfect 13 circular needle in just the right length!

I'm going away for the weekend, and, now that the needle has arrived, I can take it with me and knit my baskets and be very, very content.

It takes so little!

Empathy is two edged sword

My daughter turned 20 today. When she was a wee might I could knit sweaters for her and she wore them and loved them. Then adolescence came along and she told me not to knit for her anymore. Last year she asked me to knit her a sweater she saw in one of my knitting books. I was overjoyed! But after I was finished she never wore it. There it sits up in her closet. Oh well, I think she'll wear the wrist warmers I made her for Christmas.

She's a little slip of a girl, barely 100 pounds and as tough as nails. To look at her you'd think she was a gangbanger. She's "into" black and chains and doc martin high top boots. She wears a black bandana on her head like a gang member. But she's not in a gang. At least not in the usual sense. She calls her friends her "pack". They're all kind of scary looking too.

She goes to college now and her father and I hope she'll find a new catagory of friends. But she still seems pretty stuck on her old crowd.

They are all a needy bunch. Such problems! But that's why she likes them. She can mother them and worry about them to her heart's content. But she doesn't take good care of herself. She worries so! And she tries to fix them. They won't listen to her, so she worries some more.

She doesn't understand that it's possible to love and nurture others while still taking good care of herself. I was much the same when I was her age, although my friends were not as massively needy as hers. My "projects" were fewer in number and spaced apart, not all in one "pack".

We continue to pray for her and her friends. We hope she grows up soon. And maybe I'll live long enough to see it! ( If it doesn't take too long.)

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/
http://www.measureformeasuregrothcharts.com/
http://www.judyagoddard.blogspot.com/

My Brain Must be Full of Holes!

Sometimes I really do wonder about myself! I have things to do on the internet and I say, "Next time on go online will do this, or that. And then, usually just after I sign off, I remember what I forgot to do! And I have no time to go back and do it! So I try to remember to write notes, and I forget! That's why I'm so happy with the Etsy forums. In the Promotion and ETC. and even in the Business Topic threads folks often ask, " Have you blogged today?" So I come hear, and write a little something and then I can go and say, "Why, yes! I Have blogged today!" And sometimes other will come and check out what I'm doing. It just feels good to promote my knitting and other arts.

Another thing that I often forget to do is mention in my blog, the name of my Etsy shop, my Personalized Custom Growth Chart website, and my music website.

So, today I remember;
www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com
www.Measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com
www.JudyGoddard.Homestead.com

A Question of Limited Editions

Yesterday I read a request for a photo and description of one of my newest shop items, from a woman who wants to highlight like minded artists in her blog. It sounded like a good idea to me. It still does and I'm glad for a chance to get that extra little bit of promotion.

But it got me thinking, again, about offering my baskets as "Limited Editions". I've been making, and refining these baskets for about three years now, so I've got a little stock saved up. But I'm also still developing new designs almost every day and I want to make them and list them right away!

I have only sold one basket since opening up my shop in April. But I truly do believe that sooner, rather than later, I will start to see orders for these works of art pick up.

So the question is, do I hold back on listing new designs so that I will have new designs for future seasons?

Should I announce that some of the seasonal designs, ala my Autumn Baskets, are indeed limited editions and after this season they will no longer be available?

Should I announce that they may be available in the future but when they are gone they are gone?

Does selling a limited edition mean that I should figure out some way to number them?

I probably should include a little label in each basket, Stating my name and the year

Maybe I should should wait to see if the baskets begin to sell before I start numbering and/or labeling them.

So many questions! So many paths!