To Do List

I spent the better part of Sunday morning taking pictures (which was not the best day to take pictures as it was quite grey outside) and they did not come out as well as I thought they did (curse you little screen on the camera)

.

However, I did manage to make out with some acceptable pictures, at least a few per piece that I can use to finally create the listings! Now, the problem is, I didn't measure anything. At all, and I normally include measurements. So I am going to have to create the initial listing and then update later on. But YAY for finally taking the pictures (which is half the battle).

Still to do:

1. Take more listing pictures
2. Take measurements of new items
3. Take new listing pictures for old items
4. List, list, LIST!!

This post is part of the EtsyNJ Team Tuesday Blog Hop! Visit the EtsyNJ Blog!
Check out my other team members that are also blogging about New Jersey Artists today!

Give "UGH" to the Sickness

Apparently I acquired (and have since shared with my husband) a stomach flu.

Started Friday morning, or really if I think about it, it probably started Thursday afternoon where I felt fine, but off. Just something not right.

Thursday night, had dinner, did a little work, shampooed the carpets (we were having a party on Saturday). Friday morning at around 2:30 AM I woke up with "issues" (we'll call it that for friendly purposes). I spent the rest of the morning on the couch (didn't want to keep my husband from sleeping). Called boss-lady and told her I wasn't going to be able to come into work. Spent the entirety of Friday on and off sleeping on the couch and having issues, eating a few crackers, 2 pieces of toast, and some applesauce. Drank some Pedialyte (which I find disgusting. tastes like some cough medicine would taste it if were orange flavored - my husband got me that over the grape because well he knows I despise the "fake grape" taste)

Saturday - woke up feeling a little better. Not good. But better. Decided to keep the party on. Went shopping at BJs for supples. Came home. Had some more issues. Scrubbed my arms and hands surgically before preparing meatballs and ziti with latex gloves on. (didn't want to infect the guests) Party on.

Spent about 2 hrs of the entirety of the party laying down in the living room on the couch. Just felt like crap.

Towards the end of the evening - husband started to feel sick. Originally thought it was alcohol - immediately realized it was not.

Now we're both sick. I still feel horrid but now I have a lovely headache to go along with it.

I managed to finish my challenge item for the Create Crochet Team 48-hour challenge.

Listed here

I still have a LOT of my transcript left that is due tomorrow morning (that I took Thursday - well before I realized I was sick). Today is going to be rough. I may have to tell my client that I cannot finish the transcript and that they'll have to get someone else (which I HATE doing but I don't know that I will be able to finish it.)

Desperate need for some photos

The last few weeks I have been cranking out one project after another, however I haven't taken any listing pictures.

Why?

No clue. Probably because I've finished most items and just moved right onto something else (if I wasn't already working on something else). I have about 12 items upstairs in my room waiting patiently for their day in the spotlight.

Now that the daylight savings has changed and we should start having more sunlight in the evening, maybe I will get a chance to start taking pictures. I need the sunlight AND the lights that I have in order to get any decent photos.

Now here's the question for you - for you sellers out there, how do you take your pictures? Do you take them outside? Which do you find easiest? And for those of you in particular that have larger items like my crocheted blankets, which do you find is the easiest and best way to showcase your items for your pictures?

Walk by Knitting

This is the most amazing thing...

From: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/midnight_knitter_covers_west_c.html

'Midnight Knitter' covers West Cape May trees, lamp poles with yarn

By The Associated Press

March 10, 2010, 10:08AM

WEST CAPE MAY— Someone is spinning quite a yarn over this shore town.

Dubbed "The Midnight Knitter" by residents, someone is covering tree branches and lamp poles with little sweaters under cover of darkness.

Mayor Pam Kaithern said police are looking into the guerrilla crocheting, which technically is against the law because it is being done on public property without permission.

The mayor and many residents admit they're enthralled by the rainbow of colors that has popped up.

Resident Susan Longacre said she takes a walk each morning in Wilbraham Park, where several tree branches and light poles have gotten the treatment. She told the newspaper she thinks it's great.

Even those who are not thrilled admit the yarn is better than spray-painted graffiti.

Pictures below

Wordless Wednesday - I promise

I promise to never let my stash get THIS big

Story time!

Now it's about time for a story. Today's story boys and girls is how KameKnits Enterprises came to be.

Once upon a time... now I want you to imagine a time long ago in a kingdom far, far away.

Here I was a Junior in college looking for a hobby. At the time, all I did was read as a hobby. However, when you are in college and they force you to read books and more books, the last thing you want to do is read in your free time (again where is this free time with all this class reading?) So I decided that I wanted to learn how to knit. Where this idea came from I have no idea. I believe it first came because I found out that a friend of mine was going to be having a baby and I wanted to be able to make something for her. So I bought one of those "Learn to Knit" kits and suffered through that. Soon I realized, I cannot learn by looking at a book. I need to see someone do it.

After some time I found that a friend of mine (that I used to live next to) knitted. So I asked for her. And yay, I learned how to knit. At least the knit stitch. So that's all I did, I knitted things. I couldn't even fathom to purl... just knit. Which was fine, because you could make just about anything doing just that. The one thing I had problems with was figuring out how to exactly bind off (or end the project) I knew I wasn't doing it correctly (since I was never taught) but it was getting the job done. (This scarf was one of my first projects.)

(later on I went on to complete MANY long scarves - sew them together and make a large blanket for our queen sized bed)

Fast forward 2 years when I graduated college and went back to working at the theater. When my boss realized that I was knitting all the time she decided to teach me how to bind off. Yay. At that same time, a friend of mine realized that I might be able to crochet. So she offered to teach me. Wow was that so much easier than knitting. Or at least it

felt easier. I could whip along and create whatever I wanted and stop when I wanted and didn't have to do all of this binding off business.

I was in!

So now we've got that part...

Now we fast forward to oh say 2006? Here we have one of the first major projects I created for a friend of mine - a blanket for her new baby!

I was working at Phoenix making blankets for coworkers upon request (some samples below)

Then I realized maybe I should start selling the things that I was making in my spare time. A friend from HS mentioned Etsy. So I figured I would make a store and sell on there. BUT I needed a name! How could I start a store without a name?

Now comes the brainstorming. What the heck do I call myself? Well after much toil, many suggestions, and a few solid leads I went with KameKnits... which really means Turtle Knits (as Kame - said kah-meh is Japanese for turtle) and since I am fond of turtles and I took 2 semesters of Japanese, thought it was fitting.

So here I was with my little Etsy store. At this point it was still a hobby. Actually it went on like this for quite some time.

Then one day I decided to start a business transcribing verbatim, medical, and legal documents for companies that I have come to know through my time post-college. But now, if I want to have a business doing that, don't I need a name?

Well yes. And no.

I already had a name. I was KameKnits... but really... does that work if I am typing?

So after a little bit of deliberation and some headache, I decided to register as a business under KameKnits Enterprises.

And here we are today. I am a knitting, crocheting and typing machine who spends all of her time NOT at the 8-5 day job doing one of the other three above.

Now what I really need to do is create a website. I half would like to talk with web-designing friends of mine and request one of them to do it. But then again, I have heard nothing good from web-designing people about how horrid their clients can be. I would never want to turn out to be that person, so maybe I may have to hire a stranger. We'll see. Either way, I don't have the time to really sit and think about how to create a site and all the work that goes into it (and re-teaching myself how to do such things).

So for now, I will blog.

The end.

Editor's Note: I'm not good at telling stories. I'm more a flow of the thought type of person, so I'm sorry if that was less than entertaining ;-)

First post - We'll see how long this lasts

So since I've always had an online diary at "digitalexpressions" I've never felt the need to have a blog. I've started and deleted one about 20 different times throughout my life.

However - since this could be used as an effective marketing tool for me in the future, I feel that it is about time to start getting myself out there.

And so, here is the first official entry, lame I know, however I am currently working on a transcript and really only decided to do this as a short little "please for the love of god don't make me listen to any more!" and I really should get back to work.

Good bye for now ;-)

-Krystyn