you can find me here

sorry, but you are no longer going to find my updates here. If you want to know the latest about me, you are just going to have to go and check out my brand new website:

http://www.traceyknits.com

hope to see you there!
Tracey

Sign up or miss out!

I have been working super hard to get the new website up and it looks like the big launch is just around the corner. And when I say just around the corner, I mean like NEXT WEEK!

soooooo.... you have got to sign up for the email newsletter if you dont want to miss out on all the cool new stuff that we will be doing over at the new site. 

The Hammer of the Gods!

Thor Golf Club Cover by Traceyknits

Thor opens this weekend in movie theaters across the country. While the opening of another Marvel Comics action film may not seem like a big deal to you, consider some of the details:

• Marvel films are now made by Disney studios
• The film was directed by Oscar Nominated Actor/Director Kenneth Branagh
• It stars Oscar winner Natalie Portman and Sir Anthony Hopkins

Sounds to me like it a sure fire hit. We will see what happens. As shown in past box office flops, sometimes too much of a good thing is just that.

I plan on seeing it just for the scene where He takes his shirt off. See that body in the trailer here:

Where are you?

Justice League Knit Golf Club Cover Pattern
by TraceyKnits

Have you ever googled yourself? You know you have at one time or another done a search to see what people out there are seeing about you. You may have even googled your Etsy shop, but have you googled the competition?


I had a a BIG wakeup call the other day when I decided to do a google search for "knit golf club covers". The first sign of my shop was on page 4, and that was a review from a blog. The link to my actual shop came up on page 8.


PAGE 8!


You know that no one is going to leaf through 8 pages to find my shop unless the first 7 are filled with garbage, which I must say, where not. None of the others made anything like what I make, but how can they find me on page 8?


Think about your SEO!


This is a perfect example of why SEO is important. And how did I correct the problem you may ask? Well I will tell you: View Source.


Every webpage has a source code that you can view by clicking on "View/Developer/View Source" in your navigation's toolbar. In the meta tags, under keywords, you will find what you need. Go to the first page that comes up and read those keywords, they may be the thing that is leaving your shop at the bottom of the pile!


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This Day in History

Custom Marine golf club cover
 by traceyknits

I woke up this morning to find out that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by US forces in Pakistan. After the shock of the years of anticipation for this moment wore off, I started thinking about President Obama's place in history.

Did you know that on the same day in 1945, the world found out that Hitler had killed himself in Berlin? A Democrat, Harry S. Truman sat in the Oval Office.

Hitler is Dead - 1945
Osama is Dead - 2011

I hope that his death brings some comfort to those who have lost loved ones to this man's horrific plots against the world. And I hope that it does not renew enthusiasm for those that follow him.

Get in the Hole

Fear Bob Barker

Are you a golfer? Do you enjoy a golf movie? If you do you are not alone.

Millions of people share your love of the drama on the green. Some of the most memorable comedies of all time have centered around this gentleman's sport, often finding humor in the not-so-gentlemanly behavior of some characters.

According to SportsinMovies.com, here are the top golf movies ever made:

1. Caddyshack (1980) 
2. Legend of Bagger Vance, The (2000) 
3. Greatest Game Ever Played, The (2005) 
4. Happy Gilmore (1996) 
5. Tin Cup (1996) 
6. Dead Solid Perfect (1988) 
7. Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius (2004) 
8. Gentleman's Game, A (2001) 
9. Pat and Mike (1952) 
10. Miracle on the 17th Green (1999) 
11. Who's Your Caddy? (2007) 
12. Caddyshack II (1988) 

What is your all time fave? You can include movies with golf scenes but are not about golf:

The Official Announcement

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Time to Change

It was inevitable. My website was going to have to change in a major way. Not that I dont love all of you who follow me so loyally, just the opposite is true. I want to very much to give you the best website possible that I have been working feverishly to figure out how best to serve you.

Great Scott! I have found the answer!

Like many of you out there, I am a sports widow. I adore my husband, but I am NOT a fan of watching sports on TV. How do you survive this life of spousal fandom? Lets take the journey together. Maybe we will even learn to appreciate the down-time a little :)

If you are ready to take the wild ride, please sign up for my email newsletter. I will be contacting everyone when the big re-launch happens, and may even have some great surprises!

Top Shop: Waste of Money

You are a crafter. You have a shop on etsy where you sell your handmade creations. You sell a few items a week/month, enough to pay for your supplies and listing fees with maybe a little something extra.

Does this description fit you to a tee? Then it is time for you to make a decision: 
are you a crafter or an entrepreneur?

Hand Stenciled Shirt by Verbing

This is how I answered that question for myself:

• Do you seek out anything and everything that might help you learn to make your shop a success?
• Do you subscribe to newsletters of blogs featuring articles on making your shop work?
• Do you check your shop stats often to see what new ideas have worked for you?
• Do you imagine yourself working full time on your shop?

If you said yes to these questions, you may have the right stuff. Sometimes it takes a little more then you can find online for free to make it as a crafting entrepreneur. You can find that online for prices ranging from $4 to $1000, depending on how much help you think you need.

If you are not putting this effort in already, chances are these programs are a waste of money for you. Enjoy your moderate success. You may stumble upon sales without effort, and you will definitely enjoy making your products, but you will not have wasted your time and money on these serious programs. 

Still interested? I will be sure to highlight some of my favorite programs over the next few weeks.

Geekly Weekly: Greatest Treasury Ever Sold

So you say you want to sell on etsy but your not sure how to get noticed. How about borrowing a little brand recognition from some of the big boys? What is good for us is also good for the brands. Being a "pop icon" means that people will buy anything and everything related to their product. We keep the brand fresh and creative while reminding shoppers that they can still buy the official products in stores.

Or at least that is what I keep telling myself about my golf club covers....

Yarn Goes Gangsta

I am a fiber artist. I have chosen yarn as my medium and my finished products are works of art.

Like many children of the 80's in NYC, I grew up surrounded by some of the great graffiti artists of all time. Haring and Basquet who both started their careers as graffiti artists, transformed the urban landscape.

What an amazing time to live in when 2 movements have converged and have made such a substantial impact on the world. "Yarn Bombing", as the graffiti is called, can be seen all over. Now a documentary is being made to draw more attention to the artists behind it.

Check out this video, and if you feel moved to donate, you can find more information on doing that here: http://www.indiegogo.com/Yarn-Graffiti-Documentary#

Right Tool For The Job

Wood Knitting Needles by Baahurrah

There are many similarities between knitting and golf. One of the most important is using the right tools for the job. As a golfer I would never pick up a driver to putt a few feet, and as a knitter I wouldn't use aluminum straights to knit socks.

So how do you learn what is the right tool for the job? Well in both cases, it is a combination of advice and experience.

When I first began knitting, I was told that the easiest thing to learn on was bamboo. You are less likely to drop stitches because of its "sticky" nature. I loved knitting on them and began investing in bamboo needles in every size. Now I have a collection of needles I barely use. Why? Because once I got past the learning stage, I found out that aluminum needles are a lot "faster" and lighter.

So now its your turn, what have you learned in your craft from experience? 

Top Shop: 13 billion dollars

Handpainted Wooden Pin by StudioFludd

You are not alone in the crafting universe, but if you are making a living at it as your full time job, you are definitely in the minority. According to CODA (craft organization development association), 127,000 people in the US list craft artist as their primary occupation. This, of course, does not include 26,000 painters and sculpters, 137,000 photographers, and all those people who do it on the side.

So why try? The craft business in this country generates $13,800,000,000 in revenue annually. That includes supplies sold and finished products. The average gross income of a crafter is $76,000. That is a pretty nice number for getting to do what you love. 79% work from a home based studio, so you would get to work in your pajamas. 52% of their sales are direct to their customers. That is the one that I found most amazing.

More then half of professional crafter's sales come from selling directly to their customers.

That means you control your own fate. The harder you work towards your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it. Work harder, work smarter, keep your eyes on the prize.

Geekly Weekly: 4 Questions

Passover begins tonight. My favorite part of the tradition has to be the youngest child asking the four questions. In reality, there are 5 questions, something I have never quite understood. Maybe I should add that question to the list this year, making the total 6. Those questions can really add up!

ANYWAY... this week's collection was inspired by the great questions of geek culture. Do you know the answer to life, the universe and everything?

For Those Rainy Weekends

Wall Decal by DesignUnited

You made a tee time but sadly the weather decided not to cooperate. Get that golfing fix you need in the comfort of your home... online. Check out these sites that offer online games geared towards you fans of the links.

http://www.netgolfgames.com/

http://www.worldgolftour.com/

http://www.minigolfonlinegames.com/

You have any sites you frequent?

Simple Knit: the Bunny Square

It is often easy to forget how much fun it is to just whip a project up in no time at all. Well, most of my projects take about a day for me to make so maybe I am not the person who should be making that statement, but it doesn't make it any less true!

My Finished Bunny

While knitting at a Girl Scout meeting, some of the other moms asked if I would be willing to teach them how to work the needles. I was excited at the idea of turning new people on to this ancient art and excitedly accepted the challenge.

Now what would a new knitter want to make?

I remember knitting my first scarf. It felt like it went on FOREVER. A bookmark is just not enough time to get the hang of what you are doing. A washcloth, who wants to make one of those...

A Bunny Square!

I found a great blog that had a nice, easy pattern. I did a run through. I am ready to teach these newbees how to knit.

Just in time for Easter, knit up a bunny in about an hour. I am sure I am going to make more :)

Top Shop: Stats that will blow your mind

Agnes by CricketandBear

63% of us decide NOT to buy a product advertised on the Internet because we think the shipping and handling charges add too much to the order.*


80% of Americans say giving personal information (especially their credit card information) over the Internet scares the living sh#t out of them.*
*stats from home business for beginners


Do these blow your mind? Both directly effect you if you sell your handmade creations online. So how do you deal with these major obstacles to selling on the Internet? Here are some ideas:

1. Offer free or at cost shipping. You can add a little to the price of the item if you are concerned about the loss of money, but you may make the difference up in volume anyway.
2. You can offer free shipping as a coupon code in your shop announcement. People who were smart enough to browse your whole shop will benefit.
3. Use services like paypal to accept credit cards and offer to take other forms of payment too.
4. Be sure to indicate in your store policies that you do not share personal information and have no hidden fees, then keep to your word.

Now you can get to work chipping away at that large percentage of scaredy-cats. What have you tried to quell those shoppers fears?

What's New?

Have something amazingly cool and new in your shop this week? Share here!

Rules:
1) please dont post more then one item
2) please only post items that went up on etsy this week
3) please share this page everywhere :)

Geekly Weekly: Hop To It

What does a bunny have to do with the resurrection of Christ? Well, whatever the reason we worship these little rodents, they are as much a part of the holiday as the eggs they bring. So lets celebrate EB's brethren; The White Rabbit, The Beast of Caerbannog ...

In The Press

have you seen me someplace before? Check out some of the amazing places I have been featured:

Features and Interviews
CNBC: Etsy.com: A Shore Thing
MSN: Superbowl Kids Bash
Lil Sugar: Superbowl Gear For Babies
Handmadeology: Handmade Top 10: Geekery

Published
Etsy and Paypal Stats Analysis
Organize Your Craft Space
Video Knitting Tutorials and a Free Pattern