Knitting blog #1

Woohoo! My 1st blog, hello and welcome 

So, where do I start? Well, first word was a nightmare, auto correct was adamant I meant voodoo rather than woohoo so that's rather a spooky unexpected start! So, to introduce myself, I am primarily a knitter, I have learnt how to crochet and absolutely love it, but have only been doing crochet for around 8 months, I learnt watching YouTube tutorials  I first learnt to knit because my mother was a professional, she always had wool left over and I was always fascinated by all the wonderful colours and textures, seeing her create fabric from twiddling and clacking needles together was so intriguing I had to learn how to also! Now, being left handed, I've found learning to do everything is the wrong way round, while everyone else went merrily along their way, I'd wonder why everything was back to front, or maybe it was me that was, or maybe I was one of the raggy dolls (does anyone remember that cartoon? Can't beat 80's cartoons, may do a blog about them in the future, but anyway, enough rattling on!) now enough feeling sorry for myself! I took twice as long to learn things than other people but once I got the hang of something, there's no stopping me! My mother thought it would be a good idea for me to watch her in a mirror while she knitted, kind of like an old fashioned YouTube tutorial, and I picked it up better than reading any book using that method, what a brilliant brain she had, she was also a laboratory technician in her youth and had a pile of certificates, such a shame she passed away so young, one day I am going to write a book about it all, it's all in different jotters and bits in a keep app and docs on my pc at the min but one day I will write it, now I've put it in a blog that will give me some kind of push to actually do it! So, going back to my mother learning me to knit, in her eulogy I thanked her for that, as I am wanting to make a business out of it, and I couldn't of done that without her help.

So, at first, my knitting was like a dish cloth, lots of dropped stitches, and finishing with more stitches than I'd started with and not knowing how!  but I've always found you have to make these mistakes as it's all part and parcel of learning. Even learning to cast on, the very first thing you do learn can be difficult at first, then when it clicks, you feel daft how difficult you found it, even sometimes it'll end up flung across the room, and lots of swearing about how it's some kind of witchcraft and completely impossible, all normal but it's a great feeling when it clicks how to do it! Then, the very first stitch to learn is knit, then how to purl, then you learn to garter stitch, then stocking stitch, and from then, you can progress to more wonderful pieces, usually moss stitch, the best thing to do with your first pieces is to make them into a blanket, it's wonderful to look back at your first knitted swatches years later and see how much you've progressed!

So, I've been knitting now for 32 years, it makes me blush when people admire my work, but I say I've been doing it for so long now I'd hope after all that time that I'm not too bad at it! My favourite knitting to do is cable, I love how my partner Jon has brought me on in confidence with selling my creations, I didn't think I'd ever be doing that! My ambition is to be publishing knitting pattern books, and to be full time selling my creations, I'd love to be able to make a living out of it, sadly every craft fair Jon and me have attended hasn't been a success. Jon is a musician and also makes chain mail jewellery, different from everything else and also more thought put into it being hand made. Our first fair was a local Comic-Con, we made appropriate items to sell relating to geeky stuff and comic book characters, and films. We got up early and made our stand look great, and then the crowds entered the building. We were clock watching most of the time as the same people went round and round the hall, lots of film, comic book and TV characters parading around and around like a slow version of nascar,  the same ones circling again and again, a papier-mache stewie from family guy held by a doting look a like of his mim Louis, marty mc fly, wonder woman who is actually one of my favourite characters, but this one was doing my head in, even a hello would of been great! A merry go round of various anime characters in coloured wigs not taking a blind bit of notice of anyone's stands, all that mattered was showing off their costumes and acting out the characters, that's all fine and well as that's what happens at these events, but we had paid for a table and weren't even making the cost of that back, what a waste of time and effort! A lady next to us was selling cheap plastic things that looked like they would break in 5 minutes, people were looking at them, and then walking right past us, we started to think what had we done wrong? Were they put off by us or were they just skint? It turned out they were the latter. A young girl dressed as Sakura Haruno (see, I'm hip and trendy XD ) from naruto asked me did I have anything for 32p, sadly the cheapest items I had were keyrings with cross stitch characters on, we tried to have a good price range for everyone, but sadly, not cheap enough. We sold 2 items in the end, a cross stitch of the fallout boy from fallout 4 game, and one of Jon's chain mail dice pouches, we packed up early and dived off home! According to the local paper, even a child's cancer charity stood outside collecting struggled, so we didn't have much hope really! We haven't done many more craft fairs and the ones we have done haven't been much better than the Comic-Con, for instance, one wasn't even promoted and only 3 people came in, and they were friends with people on the other stalls!

Glad to say we have had better luck online, not brilliant but better! We've found the best ones are amazon handmade and etsy. We did try folksy but didn't sell a single thing, was worth a try but such a waste of money! If anyone has any tips do reply and get in touch!

I am on instagram and Twitter with netty's boutique, also, knitty kitties on YouTube if you want to see my work in video form! I also do art on there, which is something I've always loved to do aside from the woolcraft, it's a wonder how I get time to do so many hobbies! To see Jon's chain mail, the heathen emporium is on Facebook and instagram, I knit items for this too! We both have our own photography pages too, I didn't mention that before did I? This may stir a debate but in my humble, photography is art, anyway, you can find my work on instagram and Twitter under the name wuzza photography... I hear you ask, wuzza? Why? Right from as far back as I can remember, I have loved David Bowie, I am a fan of Adam and Joe, they used to have a show where they'd have toys doing funny versions of films and tv shows, anyway, they would take the pizzle out of Bowie how he talks saying wuzza wuzz wuzz and it really does sound like him, listen to him speak and it is definitely the Bowie noise! So, hense, wuzza photography, and just to let you know, my work is available to buy on shutterstock, quite thrilled people actually do buy my work, I'm not as seriously into it as a lot of people are and have been on there for years and not sold a thing so I must be doing something right, I'm not going to complain! Jon's work can be seen on Facebook and instagram under the name LV426 media, extra points for anyone who gets that reference, clue: think chest burster and Sigourney weaver and that's way too big a clue!  He's so talented and does time lapses and long exposures, amazing work and definitely worth a look, and his work is also available to buy on shuterstock, nothing like a bit of shameless promotion is there

So, what stuff is there to look forward to? More blogs, more art, and I'm going to try and make crochet versions and art of some youtubers, in the hope of them seeing it, I'd love to know people's favourite youtubers, at the moment I like watching lillith ghost, amazing musician and wonderful ink! Also black Friday, in my humble, the queen of goth on YouTube! Think I may be a little obsessed with YouTube...

Right, time to sleep now, I have a cat lying on my front who is determined to knock my tablet out of my hands, and you can bet as soon as it's put down he will stop and disappear, he is very clingy tonight and won't leave me alone, very cute but not at 5am!

TTFN  Netty \m/