Little Boutique

I'm excited to announce that flapper beanies and newsgirl caps are now available at The Whole You Kidz Korner in Decatur, IN. Website and more info to come.






And I just got off the phone with Brittany in Arkansas, and these items as well as a couple others are going to be available at Swanky Tots Boutique in Fayetteville, AK. Again, more info to come!

Pricing

From the beginning my aim has been to keep my prices fair. Fair to my customers, fair to me, and fair to my family.

Fair to my customers. Most of us won't go shopping for a hat or beanie and pay more than $15-$20 for it, so why would I outrpice myself so much and ask that of my customers. While using quality materials, I figure the cost of materials, shipping, shipping materials (bubble-lined mailers are not cheap), Etsy fees (my online shop), and Paypal fees. Depending on what I'm making, those fees alone can add up to $7.

Fair to me. It takes anywhere from 1-3 hours to make a hat. Needless to say, after subtracting the cost to make, post, sell, and ship an item, my hourly rate is pretty sad. I could make more working at McDonald's (but a double cheeseburger isn't nearly as beautiful as a flapper beanie!).

Fair to my family. As noted above, it takes me anywhere from 1-3 hours to make a hat and that time comes in my "free" time. But lets be honest. Moms and wives don't get free time. Free time comes with a cost: guilt. We feel bad that we aren't doing someone's laundry, paying bills, cooking dinner, etc.

So pricing hats between $15-$22 is about the only way I can see to be fair in all three areas. I'm shocked at the number of sellers/crocheters on Etsy who sell their items for $25-$30 and are SUCCESSFUL! I mean thousands of sales! (One seller that I follow just listed a metal headband w/ a crocheted flower for $18, and she has over 2000 sales in her shop!!! For Pete's sake, maybe I am going about it all wrong!)

I'm working on streamlining my items and their prices, so when there's an official price list, I'll post it for ya. Until then, happy shopping!

A Few Earflap Beanies

These earflap beanies are adorable! As much as I love spring and summer, I'm excited for fall to unveil an entire line of these. What a fun summer of creating!

More Spring and Summer Looks

Who can resist a little one in legwarmers and a matching slouchy newsgirl hat? Or a beautiful girl in a sunshine flapper? Or a gorgeous Easter look of an aqua flapper complimenting a sweet girl in her yellow dress?

Oh Baby!

Went to the doctor for my 34 week checkup yesterday and found out that this baby's trying to make her way into the world early (apparently she's already trying to follow in big brother's footsteps. He came at 35 weeks). I stay home to be a mommy, but it's hard to think of putting Twysted Yarn on hold for awhile. I feel like things are really just taking off, but at least it's not fall or winter (prime hat making/selling season!).

Etsy Shop and Website

While waiting for all the technical side of things to be created/developed for my business, I used this blog as my selling tool. That is no longer the case, which is why some of you may be confused about where all of my products went. I want to share a few other sites that feature more, most, or all of my products. To be honest, the very best way to purchase something is to simply visit my online shop (Etsy). But if you want to get a feel for some of the other things I've created here are the ways you can view those:

Facebook. Become a fan to receive info on my newest creations and items available to purchase. I occasionally offer incentives to my FB fans and also upload nearly all of my pics to my photo albums on my fan page.

My website. Here you can view my gallery of nearly all of my creations. Beautiful photography provided by Erin Photography and amazing site created by none other than my loving husband, Dan Zoeller.

My Etsy Shop. This is where you go to make a purchase. You can also request custom made items by contacting me on Etsy.

Hopefully this will steer you in the right direction and clear up any confusion. I can't wait to create something beautiful for you!

Hooray for Spring

I've been crocheting my fingers to the bones these past few weeks. First off: spring is here! Which means it's time to set aside some of these winter styles and start playing with color! Secondly: I've been asked to set up a booth in a children's boutique, yet another great thing to be excited about. With the boutique proposal and only two and a half weeks to create items for it, I knew I had to start on the spring line, so I've begun with the flapper beanie and the newsgirl cap, both absolutely darling.

I could not have achieved any of this without my wonderful friend and photographer at Erin Photography. She flew around like a mad woman gathering kids of the right ages and sizes to model my hats, and where she could not, she put together an awesome manikin of silver vases to artistically shoot my products. I am so excited to share some of her gorgeous pics with you. (In case you're wondering, these items are now listed in my Etsy shop at Twysted Yarn on Etsy .

Best in Show

YEA!! Twysted Yarn was voted Best in Show on Cafe Handmade Virtual Craft Show . If you haven't been on this site, it's worth checking out. It is exactly what it sounds like. It's a craft show online. So instead of having to pay to get into a craft show and risk that there are no booths worth your time, check out Cafe Handmade Virtual Craft Show for free and find unique booths with amazing items.