rovingwren

[rovingwren]

I know I need to post more

Enjoy day 56ish of my 100 Day Project

[rovingwren]

Oh boy it's been days and days since I updated. 2 posts incoming!

Days approximately 30-39

Pattern: Better World Dress by Sharkotea

Yarn: various cotton 8/4 by Hobbii

I'm doing 1 round every day for 100 days! It is not a cake, I am changing yarn every 3-4 rounds 😊

[rovingwren]

Itty bitty

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Some works in progress with terrible lighting

[rovingwren]

Another week and more rows are done on my dress! Here are days 22 - 29!

Pattern is The Better World Dress by @sharkotea

And a bonus video of me trying it on 😁

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I finished this Dragon pillow this morning

[rovingwren]

I haven't updated here but I have been posting my daily progress on Instagram! The 100 day project is 23 days in and boy am I thrilled

These are days 16-22!

Pattern is the Better World Dress by @sharkotea (Instagram or Ravelry)

Yarn is various 8/4 cottons from Hobbii

[rovingwren]

fellow central floridian! I've seen you at a market before, and I wanted to ask you something.

I've been wanting to start selling prints of my digital art, as well as custom items that I decorate with drawn on flowers.

How do you get into fairs and markets? How do you start a small art business?

I live near Lake and Sumter county, Lake County being where I saw you at a market. Is there any resources you can point me too? Bare bones, what would I need for a stall? How much does it cost on average? Do you need a business license or anything? Help.

Oh hello friend!!

Here are some things I found in my experiences with markets!

One way you can get into fairs and markets is by joining groups on Facebook that put out regular calls for vendors. The one I'm in is "Central Florida Markets & Craft Shows Vendor Group". You would just let them know what you make when you apply to the calls that are put out there. If you can, try to apply to markets related to what you are producing, but if nothing is a great fit, just apply to everything and see which ones you like best.

Markets are tough! You will be in the hole before you start, just be aware of that. Focus on tables, signage, simple decor, and display/holders for your wares first. Try to source your booth from borrowing stuff at first and decorate it with paint/paper/tablecloths/fabric etc to make it look cohesive. Hunt out deals on folding tables and a canopy at places like Ollie's or other surplus stores. Thrift as much as you can to save your initial costs until you know how well you're gonna do. You don't **need** a canopy except I'm sure you know the capriciousness of Florida weather. If you aren't in a good spot to get a canopy, try to aim for indoor spots or design your booth to be quick to get to cover if it rains.

Also when designing your booth, make sure people can see everything! Height is good, and if you saw my booth in Howey, you know I hung things everywhere to make the most of my vertical space. Most of the time, you will get a 10x10 area but confirm that when you apply. Draw mockups early on so you can keep an eye out for things that will work for you while thrifting. Also you can do some window shopping online to create a budget for these things if you were to buy them new, and you'll know when you find a deal on a used thing that way.

Entry fees are anywhere between $30-$80 per booth in my experience. They charge more for the ones with higher traffic, but they are thinking you'll make more because of that, to offset the cost. Definitely check out The Goblin Market in Oviedo (not the restaurant in Mount Dora lol) because they are big on the handmade and indie artist scene. I don't know what they charge per booth, though :(

If at all possible, find a friend or another trustworthy creator who wouldn't mind splitting the booth with you! This helps with the load of watching the booth and draws more people in with more variety. I teamed up with a local ceramicist and it was a game changer!

Definitely be prepared to accept cash or card payments, including making change. Square is probably the easiest one to get started with, but spend some time researching the options for what works best for you. I've heard ok things about Shopify, and there may be other services that let you use tap with your phone.

And finally! The big one. A business license.

I would look up the Florida IRS information on Hobbies and making money from them. There is a cutoff for how much you can make before you have to pay taxes on it. Imo, try out a few markets, see how it goes. If it catches on and you are hugely successful, then my advice would be to consult a CPA for next steps. It is worth it to invest in a professional in that case! If you want to be absolutely sure before you go in, do the CPA bit first.

That's a lot of information, I kept thinking of other things to add!!! Please let me know if you'd like more information or clarification on any of this. I wish you the absolute best of luck on this venture and I hope you have some fun with it!!!

[rovingwren]

Day 9-14!

Day 3 through Day 8 of the 100 day project! I'm so excited to start seeing these colors change 😍

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Days 1 - 8 of the 100 Days to a Better World project I am doing!

Pattern:

[rovingwren]

Day 3 through Day 8 of the 100 day project! I'm so excited to start seeing these colors change 😍

[rovingwren]

I started the 100 day project yesterday! I am mostly posting on Instagram but I will try to remember to post here too.

The project I picked is the Better World Dress by Sharkotea. You can find it for free on Ravelry! It is a beautiful dress with a beautiful cause: when you share the dress on social media, the designer asks that you donate to a charitable foundation.

I am doing one round of the dress every day for 100 days, and for each day I work on it, I am donating $2 to my local Humane Society.

Here are the photos of the project so far!

The palette I chose for this project is in the top two photos, and Day 1 and Day 2 are below. Honestly, I'm so stoked about this, I can hardly sit still 🥰

[rovingwren]

So for the third time in three years, I am moving tomorrow. My nerves have been ragged because of work and everything about this move lol. But I will finally be home and I cant wait.

I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight lol

I am really looking forward to my new craft room. The most recent move forced me to downsize a bit and this one will let me spread out again.

I do keep neglecting this blog but it isn't for lack of crochet. I have finished 5(?) things since the start of the year. Two have been secret pattern tests though, and there is a third I can't post about yet either.

But I'll be doing the 100 Days Project! I chose to make the Better World Dress by sharkotea out of Super Fine cotton. I'll be doing one row per day from Feb 23 til Jun 2. I don't remember if that dress has 100 rows but if not, I'll figure it out! I will be donating to the Humane Society when I finish this project. If you're not familiar with the Better World Dress and the concept behind it, find the pattern here!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/better-world-dress

Anyway, thought I would update briefly. I'll be back real soon!

[rovingwren]

A tutorial!

I've just published a step-by-step tutorial showing how I make my beaded forms. It's 18 pages of juicy instructions, hints and tips and closeup photos AND over half an hour of video that demonstrates my beading process.

It's AUD$8 (about USD$5) and on my webshop here: https://www.pardalotemakes.com/shop/patterns

[rovingwren]

Texture!! This is the Sakura Market Bag by K.A.M.E Crochet! I needed a new lunch bag lol

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Away with the Fairies, free crochet pattern by Lettice Rose on Ravelry.

[rovingwren]

Calliope the Caterpillar, a free crochet pattern designed by Projectarian in collaboration with Scheepjes Yarn.

Pattern, instructions, and video available here.