craft market year 3

Saturday was the big day: the annual holiday craft market! The weather outside was frightful. By that I mean the fog was thick as peanut butter. ("You mean pea soup." "You eat what you like and I'll eat what I like!") It did end up affecting our foot traffic, I think. But I still feel like I did well for myself.

I didn't do the market last year, but in 2023 I did. Check out that table compared to this year's table! Aesthetically identical, yes -- I used the same shelves, signage, bunting -- but the table itself is longer, and my inventory freaking filled it.

In 2023 I had on offer crochet rainbow pillows, crochet mitts, crochet ear bands, barrettes with bear ears sewn on ("bear-ettes," if you will), beaded rings, and beaded bracelets. So I definitely had inventory! But I think I had maybe 25 pairs of mitts available, tops. This year, I had mitts on mitts on mitts on mitts! Over 70 pairs!

And this year, I had only crochet on offer! I didn't feel like doing other stuff. I didn't even feel like making a huge variety of crochet stuff, such as other mitt patterns, or ear bands, or charging cords -- or god forbid, scarves. (Did y'all know I'm a scarf hater?) I have plenty of rings and bracelets left over from 2023's inventory, but didn't feel like bothering with them. I could have made more "bear-ettes" but didn't feel like it. I just followed my crafting yens, basically.

I do think it would have behooved me to have ear bands or beanies in addition to just a scad of fingerless mitts. (I was asked about scarves too, but in all honesty, I don't really want to make scarves!!) At this moment in time I'm not super sure if I'll do the market again next year. But if I do, this is a note to self: maybe find a beanie pattern you don't mind making...

I also tend to forget men exist? 0:) But an old guy was like, "Oh! This stuff is perfect for this time of year. But it's all girly, huh." And I was like, "Well... yeah..." So it maybe wouldn't kill me to make some more masculine-leaning items.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I DON'T HAVE TO CATER TO BORING OLD MEN! THE WORLD ALREADY CATERS TO Y'ALL! This is for the girly-pops!!! The daughters and nieces!! The whimsical amongst us!

I want to share some more pics of some specific mitts, like I did in my last post!

I did a series of mitts with a trio of heart appliques on them. I really like these and so many people picked up the dark blue pair in particular to look at, but none of them sold! Wish I could go back in time and whisper, "Hey, don't spend so much time on these" in my ear. Because sewing on three separate appliques in a semi-neat row onto an unstable surface such as crochet was, for me, very time-consuming. I was so careful about the spacing of the hearts and sewed them on with a lot of deliberation and concentration. (But it's okay they didn't sell! No skin off my nose!)

I also did a series of frog/lily pad mitts that I am pretty pleased with! As with the apple series, each mitt in the pair had something different on them, which keeps it fun. I got the frog applique pattern from this YouTube video. I messed around with a couple of ways to do lily pads, giving some a bit of a scalloped edge.

I gotta say that the highlight of the market for me (besides speaking to a fellow lady who is also in a band -- a heavy metal band!! -- who was my biggest buyer) was selling the green pair of froggy mitts to a gal who had SEVERAL frog tattoos! A sleeve in progress of nothing but frogs! It felt like that pair went to the perfect person! Like kismet! So that made me happy.

Another thing that made me happy was that a couple of people said variations of sentiments like, "Oh, I have mitts I bought from you last time, and I get compliments on them all the time!" and "I was hoping you would be here this year!" The craft market is a small one, but it's been going on for a really long time, so we do have regulars who come to it every year to do Christmas shopping.

In all, I think I made about the same amount of money I made in 2023? Even though my inventory was much larger, and in my estimation we had less foot traffic due to the weather. It visually looked like I hadn't sold much just because my inventory was so large, but in fact, I did make lots of sales.

I can't remember the exact total I made in 2023, but it was enough to buy a Blythe!! Which I did, right when I got home from the market! I have been saving up for an instrument for the last six months, so I think this year's profits will go into that fund.

In all, I'm glad to have this year's market in the books, and to move out of the hardcore market prep mode I've been in. My room's still a crafting disaster, and all of my inventory and tabling supplies are in piles waiting to be stored away. I'm saving the chore of cleanup and the reassembly of my living space for a future day...

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craft market prep post

I have ONE WEEK to get all my craft market stuff done!!! Well, six days, in actuality! And one of those days is a band day so it's otherwise fully booked for me. So I have been really working my butt off on my mitts. Just been in a total crochet stupor. I thought I would post some things I've made for posterity. Although I can't get decent pics for the life of me. It's too overcast and I just don't have the chutzpah to set up my filming lights. Please know these look so cute in real life/decent lighting conditions!!!

Pictured above: I made some cute freakin' teddy bear mitts! I used this pattern from Raji's Craft Hobby for the bear base and added a simple circle of 12 dc on top, embroidered lightly with a nose. I had mini pony beads on hand and was able to fish out some black beads for eyes. And as if that wasn't enough, I added bow ties (just chain stitches). I have enough black beads left over that I could make a couple more pairs of these if I have the time.

Here's a series of apple mitts! I got the pattern for the apple appliques from Raffamusa Designs, and used the apple portion of their apple granny square for the halved apples. I kind of like these because they're not entirely matchy-matchy. I decided to put different things on either glove.

Strawberry mitts! I already had several strawberries on hand from when I crocheted some last year. (This design is also from Raffamusa Designs.) It's funny because I'll make these strawberries in any color other than red... But I'm trying to have at least a few mitts with classic red strawberries on 'em.

In all I have about 60 pairs of mitts in this sort of tube style, some totally unadorned, some with just a little ruffle stitch added around the top, some embellished. (I have some with bows and hearts on them but ran out of light totally so the pics didn't turn out. Maybe next post?) I also have several pairs of flower-inspired mitts that need cuffs crocheted on, so I have the next couple of days to get those done. I am pretty much running out of time to make the vine/flower charging cords I intended to make, but that's fully fine. I don't really care. I just have been having a really great time making mitts. And if I'm not having fun, what's the point?

I'm not sure whether I'll have time to post more before the market itself, but I'll definitely try to get some pics of my table!

Wish me luck!

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lofty ambitions part 2

Well, I question myself, I truly do, because I have decided to do the holiday craft fair again this year. This is an annual market put on by my mother's church, where artisans and crafters and the like can sell their wares. It's been going on for such a long time that I recall going several times as a child and looking around at all the tables full of various things! I participated in 2022 and again in 2023, but sat out in 2024. However, I had been intending to participate in 2024, so I had made some stuff for it in advance. Lots of crochet mitts, and of course, I have plenty of rainbow-shaped pillows on hand.

As I mentioned, my little sister has recently moved out of state. She always shared a table with my mother, both of them being fine artists in addition to crafty gals. This left my mother to table by herself, which is honestly pretty demanding a task. Not only are you interacting with people who have questions for you and want to chit-chat about this-n-that, but you have to do the checkout process (math, ugh!!!) and also, if the customer so desires, pack things up into gift bags. So I told her, "I'll help you. I'll bring those things I meant to sell last year and help out with all that."

So, I have been pouring my limited free time (the time not sapped by band stuff) into crocheting and market prep. I already had plenty of things either totally finished or 90% finished or 50% finished, so I have been working on finishing WIPs.

I have several pairs of these tulip-inspired mitts to crochet a cuff onto. In terms of the other mitts I want to applique or decorate about half of them, and leave the other half pretty plain. I want to add bows made with my french knitter, some strawberry and heart appliques I have crocheted, and maybe other stuff too.

As you can see, I have quite the pile already.

I have a couple of rainbow pillows where I have completed the fronts and backs but just not sewn them together or stuffed them, so I'll finish those. I am going to make a few vine/flower charging cords because those are pretty fun for me, and I'll see if those sell. And I'd like to make two or three of a different style of mitts, if I can find a pattern I like but also doesn't kill my wrists. More complicated mitts tend to be labors of love.

In years past I've sold beaded rings and bracelets, and one year it sold a ton and the next year it didn't sell much at all! Since I'm not super into doing that right now, I probably won't even take any of my leftover stuff to sell.

I am definitely filling my plate overly full. And to be honest, I am incredibly, incredibly sick to my stomach at the idea of having to check people out at my table without the help of my younger sister. I'm terrible at math and also terrible at personal interactions, haha. But I'll try not to think about any of that at all until December, at least.

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