December 2024

Well, that year went by in a flash!
My calendar is clear of all events and a stock take of my Tiny Bags has already been done, and a stock take of the yarn, I have left, will also be done, before I order any more… although I may (!) have ‘favourited’ some gorgeous new colourways already.

I feel very happy with what Mooniiplaits Crochet has achieved this year. Things like going to new events, thereby extending my reach. I have been successful in applying to several events with Artisan Events Wales and Mischievous Cow Events which has taken me to many fabulous places in Wales. I’ve had some adventures along the way… mostly due to the weather!

I’m also in The Corner Collective – a beautiful local shop, in Builth Wells, full of lovely gifts, made by talented local makers. It’s been a joy to take a turn in the shop surrounded by inspiring work. With them I was able to be part of two events at The Royal Show, which was very exciting to do.

I’ve continued to increase the use of locally sourced yarn and I learnt to support spin my own yarn, incorporating it into my Tiny Sheep Bags. The next full size handbag will be a Sheep Handbag – using wool top I bought from a maker in The Corner Collective, which is a delight to spin with.

Other changes have been to my display. Having settled on the peach and silver colour for it last year, this year I have been trying out different stands to introduce more height to the display. It took time to settle on the stand size, but now I have, I intend to commission one I’ve seen on Etsy, which will work well and which will flat pack away. Learning to take time on things like the display is an invaluable lesson. Taking time trying things out, seeing what works for me and what works/attracts customers is important. For example the stand on the left is too tall, customers tend not to look up to the top shelf and I can’t get to the stock to ‘show’ it. Also I want a solid back to the shelves, both to protect the stock and to stop customers eyes being drawn through to what’s behind. It really is a learning curve.

In the coming year, I’ve signed up to be in the Just A Card Directory, which is a great campaign to encourage people to support, value, and buy from artists, makers, independent shops, and small businesses. I’ve done virtual events with Just A Card and had success from them.

Still on my ‘To Do List’ is to increase the use of this platform and my Etsy Shop. I’ve been more visible online generally this year, but as you can see, I still need to increase my blog postings here and increase the products I sell in my shop. I think this is an ongoing problem for makers like myself. As the New Year kicks off I concentrate on new designs (I’m currently making a new Christmas Tiny Bag design for next year) and making stock. I also like to spend timing doing other crafts, like sewing. Come March the events begin and if I haven’t succeeded in creating a habit of blogging, all is lost as the year races along again.