I ordered a mannequin last week because the latest batch of pictures for the Quill Eyelet Cowl were pretty dismal selfies. I am no model and while I can sometimes get an acceptable-to-me selfie, it takes me a long time and some days I’m just not into it. Enter the mannequin. It was under $60 total and was super easy to assemble. It did smell a bit, so I kept it on our screened in porch for a day and then sprayed it down with Febreeze. I’ll probably name it – something like this really needs one – but for now it’s just The Mannequin.
I started retaking pictures of The Mannequin in quill eyelet lace cowls to replace the dismal selfies in the pattern listing on Ravelry & Craftsy and to get ready to release it on etsy since today is the deadline I set for offering it for free. I think they turned out pretty well – definitely better than wild haired me scrambling to get in position while the camera timer counts down.
Over the last week, I’ve spent a lot of time on SEO for The Yarn Office, my etsy shop. Honestly, I’m getting a little discouraged. I know SEO and etsy shop marketing are long term activities that aren’t necessarily going to yield immediate results, but some positive feedback, even a purchase, would be nice. I started the shop in 2011, tried for a few months to get it off the ground, and then got distracted by/entranced with roller derby. This time around I’m trying to be more tenacious and patient while reviving the shop (or really, just breathing some life into it).
Even if I end up putting more money into it than I’m getting out of it (the current state of affairs), I’ll likely still continue designing patterns and knitting and making one-off art pieces. I’m just not sure if I’ll be doing those things on etsy – I’d rather spend money on etsy buying handmade goods than futilely trying to sell them.
Little Golden Notebook 