2020 Yarn Color of the Year…
Succulent...I found this Lion Brand yarn color in the fall and absolutely love it. It’s one of those colors that goes with just about any other color. When I presented a hat and headband at one of my first shows in the fall, it sold out right away and I had requests to knit more items in this color. I have chosen an “AmylouKnits” color pallet for 2020 and this color is my POP color. Beanie, cowl, headband??? What would you like me to knit for you in this color?.. Read the article here.
Happy New Year!
Were do I begin. 2019 was the year that Amylouknits was born. It started from a passion to knit. It also started from an idea from a friend who said, “let’s knit as many scarves as we can in one year, and then donate them to the homeless. So in March of 2017, my friend Jodi Berry started a facebook group named “Scarves by November”. A group of us knitted scarves until November 2017 and then donated them. We did it again in 2018. I was just knitting scarves with the basic knit stitch the first year. The second year I learned the purl stitch and then started to incorporate the two stitches into various patterns. After I donated my second batch in 2018, I decided to expand my knitting and learned to knit in the round and taught myself to knit beanies. I gave some as christmas presents, and then it snowballed from there. Friends were interested in buying them from me. I developed several styles of beanies.
My childhood friend, Robin, who owns a vintage store in New Hampshire, Robin’s Egg, asked if I would knit some hats to put in her store. I put beanies into her store from January -March 2019. I did fairly well for my first go-around selling to the public. I continued to knit through the spring, took a break and then started knitting again in August. I had a product line of about 4 beanies, and then created a cabled headband. In September of 2019, I restocked my hats and headbands at Robin’s Egg and they were a hit. My friend Sandi, makes blankets and asked if I wanted to participate in a craft fair in the fall with her. So we did a number of shows and slowly started to find my niche of which fairs to participate. This also led to custom orders. It was very gratifying to see the pleasure that my friends and customers got when they put these nice cozy warm beanies and headbands on their heads. I also listened to my customers and shoppers….some people just don’t like putting things on their heads, so I created a pattern for my first cowl. I made the first one for myself and I wear it almost everyday. It is warm and cozy but not restricting at all. To this day, the Digby Cowl is one of my most popular items.
I ended my 2019 sales year with a bang. The month of December was my best sales month at Robin’s Egg, Amylouknits accessories were being worn in 10 of the 50 states (from as far west as Illinois, as far north as Michigan, as far south as Florida and as far east as Maine), and I have become international with a customer who lives in Ontario Canada. I was knitting christmas orders until christmas eve, which I didn’t mind….If I can accommodate a last minute order, I am happy to knit. After all it is all about keeping everyone cozy and warm.
During my winter break from work, I decided to remarket and rebrand myself. I created my new logo, obtained a domain name, created a web site, ordered new logo buttons for my knitwears, ordered redesigned business cards and garment tags and developed a marketing plan for 2020. I have begun 2020 knitting orders for the store, for customers, and for my inventory for the fall/winter shows. I look forward to a successful and fun 2020 year…with some new projects, new colors, and new adventures.
I am so very grateful to all my friends and customers who have supported me during my first year as a small business owner and maker. But most of all, I am so thankful for my partner, Glenn, for all his support and encouragement. He is truly a “knitter’s husband”!!
Love and Peace.