etsy

Daughter Of A Sailor Crochet Hooks

in , ,

It all started when I saw the boat hook that my father, The Sailor, had made for Una.
"Hey this looks like a giant crochet hook..."
Wheels started turning and shortly after he made me a set of beautifully handcrafted crochet hooks for my Birthday. After some more wheels turned, and upon request, he made a much larger one. 

So of course, naturally, it's the first product brought to you by Tumblehome.

Each hook is artfully crafted from red oak and poplar, coated with shellac and waxed for an extra smooth finish. 
As a final touch, each hook has a sailboat, the Tumblehome logo, burned into the end.
It's light in weight and a great hook for beginner crocheters! 

They're each one-of-a-kind and measure 4" around (about 1 ¼" in diameter) and 12" long, which is larger than any hook sold in a craft store (yep, even larger than size Q), so you have so many unique creating possibilities with these beauties that no one else has.

If you'd like to be the owner of one of the few Daughter of A Sailor Crochet Hooks we have, head to the shop!

Happy to have such gorgeous photos that do these beautiful works of art justice.
Thanks to my life photographer Meagan for taking them.
xo

Featured | Etsy Excellence: The Simple Guide To Creating A Thriving Etsy Business

in

A photo posted by Leney (@agirlnamedleney) on

I am so honored to have been one of the etsy sellers interviewed and published in this book!
It's chock-full of amazing advice and tips for new and old Etsy shop owners alike. 

In honor of the beautiful and thriving creative/maker/artist community that I love so much, I'm giving away this copy as well as a few extra little goodies to one of you guys! 

TO ENTER //

1. Repost this photo on your Instagram and tag me

2. Follow my Instagram account @agirlnamedleney 

3. Tell me what it is you're passionate about.
Whether it's in regards to why you yourself have an etsy shop, want to open one, or an over arching theme and passion in your life- I want to know! I love talking with passionate people so let's talk about those dreams and goals you have yea?

4. I will announce the winner on Monday on my original post on instagram so check back then!

OOAK Knits | The Black Sands Cowl

in

The Black Sands Cowl


The black sand beaches of Iceland are what inspired this cowl.

The varying shades of dark to light of the sand as the tide went out.

A place unlike any other. 

As soon as I came home and found this yarn, I knew exactly what I was going to make with it. 

Yarn origin: Richmond, VA

A photo posted by Leney (@agirlnamedleney) on

If you'd like to invest in this piece and be the owner of it's unique story you can do so by heading to the shop listing for it below

You can also see other OOAK Knits and there stories here.

Why one-of-a-kind?

These pieces are inspired by...
the places i’ve been,
the people i’ve met,
the words i’ve read,
the images i’ve created.

All of which are unique, to themselves, their own, one-of-a-kind. 
Much like you are.

I believe that your clothing, what you wear, says a lot about you.
It adds to your story, your make-up, who you are as an individual.

And so, shouldn’t those pieces in and of themselves hold a story all their own?
I think so.
That’s why my knitwear is one-of-a-kind. 
Each design is a piece of art.
Each piece tells a story. 
Of a person. A place. An experience. An idea.
When you own one of these pieces you are the only one to own it.
Aside from me, the creator, you hold it’s story. 
You are now the caretaker of it’s story. 
And it, in turn, becomes a part of yours.
The Stories The Things We Own Tell.
I think they're terribly important, though often overlooked. 
I find that the things we invest in are the things we cherish and value most. Which in turn speaks to what kind of individual we are. What we put stock in. Who we want to be.

You can also read more about why here.

// Photos by Meagan Abell //

Gypsy Soul: A Knit Lookbook

This fall/winter knits collection is called Gypsy Soul.
I designed and knit this collection for you.

For the free spirits, the adventurers, the nomads, the wanderers, the vagabonds, the travelers, the road trip takers, the seekers, the wanderlust filled hearts, the explorers.
For the gypsy in all of us.

Essentially, I wanted to create necessity knits for the wandering soul.
Namely inspired by my ever constant living on the road as well as this song. I wanted to bring you pieces that I hoped you would love and enjoy, but also ones I personally love and enjoy and wear throughout my own travels and adventures. 

Wherever they may be. 

This collection was shot in Urbanna by my always insanely talented friend Meagan Abell.
Having it shot in and around the marina with various boats and water-bound crafts was, of course, idyllic.

I am, after all, the daughter of a sailor.
The water has me ever looking outward and onward to my next adventure. Whether it is in fact on sea, or on land.
Similarly, I hope this collection inspires the same for you, as it does for me. 
After all, the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

Gypsy Soul: A Knit Lookbook

//////////

In order of appearance:

The Dockside Knit Beanie

The Traveling Scarf

The Knit Crop Top Sweater

The Crochet Crop Top Sweater

The Born On A Boat Chunky Cabled Hat

The Vagabond Knit Collar

The Nomad Fingerless Gloves

The Coffee Shop Fingerless Gloves

The Nomad Mittens

The Basic Knit Beanie

The Color Block Cowl

The Gypsy Soul Vest

The Oversized Chunky Knit Sweater Shrug

The Explorers Club Cowl

 //////////

All photos are taken by 

Meagan Abell Photography

.

Go like her on 

Facebook

!

Because she's incredible. 

 //////////

"

We were born before the wind

Also younger than the sun

Ere the bonnie boat was won 

As we sailed into the mystic

Hark, now hear the sailors cry

Smell the sea and feel the sky

Let your soul and spirit fly

Into the mystic 

I wanna rock your gypsy soul

Just like way back in the days of old

Then magnificently we will float 

Into the mystic” 

-Van Morrison

Shop Sale!



Sale sale sale!
But just until midnight tonight.
I'm trying out a new platform for the shop, and so in honor of that, and testing new things out, I'm offering 15% off all orders from now until midnight tonight!
Just use the code: WEEKENDSALE2014 at checkout.

A Giveaway | Win One of The New Designs!


So I mentioned this giveaway in the original lookbook post, but since I've been traveling and since I haven't been doing the best job of promoting it, I know a lot of you missed it!

So I've decided to just go ahead and extend the giveaway for the rest of July. 
Read on to learn how you can win one of the new designs from the shop!
/////

In honor of traveling, the new designs and stylish crocheting/knitting loving people everywhere, I am doing 
a giveaway this week for one item of your choice from the shop!
All you have to do is email (by.leney@gmail.com) or message me on Facebook (A Girl Named Leney) a photo with your favorite memory of being on the road.
It can be a sentence, or a small paragraph, whatever you like.
At the end of the month I will put them in an album on my page and people will vote for their favorite!
The winner will get their choice of one free piece from the shop.
So spread the word, the more the merrier!
I want to hear your stories.
Because I love stories, especially travel ones. 


On The Road: A Knit Lookbook

This collection is called

On The Road

because I primarily designed and created these pieces when I was, in fact, on the road.

I resolved at the beginning of the year that this would be a year of traveling, and I'm pleased to say that it has been. I've been to six different states so far this year (some of them multiple times), not to mention various cities within Virginia and two more states are on the calendar for this month.
Not bad in a six month period.

While I would dearly love to go out of the country before the year's out, and there's been various planning/dreaming for that, I still very much love exploring this country of mine and all it has to offer. 

It's a wildly beautiful one after all. 

Technically all but one of these pieces is crocheted, but I decided to stick with the "Knit Lookbook" title that I've used in the past.

Besides, you can be sure come fall I'm going to have heaps of new cozy knits for you guys anyway. ;)

ALSO...

In honor of traveling, the new designs and stylish crocheting/knitting loving people everywhere, I am doing a giveaway this week for one item of your choice from the shop! All you have to do is email (agirlnamedleney@gmail.com) or message me on Facebook (A Girl Named Leney) a photo with your favorite memory of being on the road.

It can be a sentence, or a small paragraph, whatever you like.

Next week, on July 9th, I will put them in an album on my page and people will vote for their favorite! The winner will get their choice of one free piece from the shop.

So spread the word, the more the merrier! I want to hear your stories. Because I love stories, especially travel ones. 

Speaking of which, each piece in this collection has it's own story, which you can read in it's own respective listing, at the the bottom of the post. 

But now, without further ado...

On The Road: A Knit Lookbook

//////////

In order of appearance:

The Paris Drawstring Bag

The Montpelier Turban

The Diana Dress

The Rehoboth Beach Kimono

The Diana Top

The Lay Lady Lay Top

Nesting Bowls

The California Dreamin Head Scarf

The Nashville Scarf

The Icelandic Snowflake Vest

 //////////

Other outfit details are credited in each Etsy listing.

Be sure to take a look because there's some other local artist's pieces shown that you should check out!

All photos are taken by

Meagan Abell Photography

.

Go like her on

Facebook

!

Because she's incredible. 

 //////////

"Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road."

| Jack Kerouac 

How To Be Your Shop's Best Critic

| Follow me on Instagram at @agirlnamedleney | 

Cheyne, works at Etsy on the Seller Education team, and she recently contacted me and asked me if I would share some of my experience with ways I've critiqued my shop as well as a few ways I think fellow sellers can do better at critiquing their own shops. 
She ended up quoting me in one of the most recent articles on the Etsy blog!
You can go check it out here.

I loved being able to contribute and share a little of what I've learned so far in my Etsy expereince. 
I am by no means an expert, but I've definitely learned a few things over the past year or two of selling, and I always want to make sure I share and give back to the artists and makers community when I have the opportunity to. Because there have been so many people who have shared and helped me in my journey and I wouldn't be where I am now without them!

So in light of that, and in the spirit of sharing, I thought I would go ahead and share some more about some of the things Cheyne initially asked me, and some of my more extensive answers, in hopes that maybe they'll help some of you new Etsy shop owners out. 
P.s. Don't worry, I'm still going to do a Q&A post! I've really loved getting all of your questions over the past few weeks. So if you have anymore related to this, or anything else, just let me know!


Have you ever given yourself a shop critique or received one from another seller? If so, what's the biggest thing you've learned from a self critique or a critique from someone else? Any really big lightbulb moments? 

I think the biggest importance in any shop is consistency in your information and overall aesthetic and way of doing things. For instance: I was stating in my shop info that my knits took 3-4 weeks to be made before being shipped, however I didn't have that information in each listing and so a lot of my customers missed seeing that because they didn't necessarily look at my shop info before purchasing! As a result I was having to answer a lot of "when is my order going to be ready??" emails. 
Being consistent and clear about what you're promising each of your customers, in every aspect of their buying experience, will keep them coming back as well as, ultimately, cut down on work for you. I also state that I only answer Etsy Convo's Monday-Friday 8-5pm because those are my work hours for the shop. Because I'm also a photographer, I have a very large work load that I have to manage throughout the week, and so it's very important to have some down time for myself and end my work day at a decent hour so that I can maintain my overall health. This doesn't always happen of course, there are many late nights of editing and knitting, but the more I'm able to stick to a good work routine, the better I can ultimately be for my customers.


Is there one area you feel your fellow sellers always struggle with that needs a lot of attention (in terms of the commonly critiqued shop elements)?

I think there are a lot of shops that have some really amazing products but have poor photos of said products. I know that pretty imagery is what I am most drawn to when I peruse Etsy and what also definitely helps get you into treasuries and on the front page! Granted, not everyone is a photographer, but with how amazing point and shoot cameras are these days, and even our phones, it's really not that hard to get good quality photos of the products you're trying to sell. I think natural lighting is definitely key. But even if you still feel intimidated by trying to get some good photos for your shop, ask a friend or local photographer in your area to help you out! Even if you don't have the budget for it, you can most likely trade skills with them and work out an agreement for them to take some photos for you in exchange for some of your products! 


Any extra sage wisdom you'd like to share about looking at your own shop or giving feedback to someone else?

Do not compare yourself to other Etsy shops.
Or, let me rephrase that, you can compare yourself in a healthy way, by gauging in the ways that you can change to be similarly successful, but once you start thinking "Gosh I wish I had that many sales" or "Man why am I not this popular?" stop it right there!
You can't compare your beginning to someone else's middle. 
Everyone has to start somewhere and all of those Etsy shops that we all love and admire for their great success, started just where you are at one point! They just worked their butts off to get to where they are now. And that's what you have to be willing to do too. Just stick to what you're best at, learn and grow in the areas you aren't as great in, and don't compare yourself to others and their journeys because everyone's is different and comparison is the thief of joy.
//////

Definitely be sure to check out Cheyne's article though. 
I learned a lot from reading it myself, especially since I'm in the process of renovating my shop and designs a bit, I have lots of new things I need to make sure I update and adjust!


P.s. Not sure I ever blogged about this one, but hey look who's also in this other article on the Etsy blog. ;) 


On The Road

On the road in Ohio
| Follow me on Instagram at @agirlnamedleney | 

I've been on the road quite a bit in the past few weeks. 
New York, Harrisonburg (twice), Ohio and now North Carolina. 
Lots of fun adventures, picture taking, knitting and donut eating (of course) to speak of.
It's a good thing half of my work is portable and can be done on planes and buses and in cars!

In other news, I just sent off my first ever wholesale order to a super cute shop in Oklahoma called Collected Thread. If you're ever in the area definitely go stop by!
They have a few of my Waldo Hats as well as some Original Snoods. 

Things over here are definitely super busy and I know I've been a little absent here on the blog lately but I promise I'll be back to posting more frequently soon.
I still have heaps of weddings to share with you after all as well as some travel photos and other exciting news!

Hope you all are having a lovely week. 
Thanks for all of your support and encouragement as always as I continue to pursue all of these crazy dreams of mine.
Couldn't do it without you.

♥