Back to goal-setting

Yesterday I finished up a project by making this cute little bee shell for my dress-up turtle. It was his third shell, so I did a photo shoot and got him listed on Etsy... okay, caught up with projects. No orders. No deadlines. No plan. I just sat in my chair and played games on my tablet. 

The "good" news is that I cleared a nightmarishly hard level on Candy Crush... one that I've been working on for over a week. The bad news is that I felt guilty about not getting something productive done. 

I think that I need a framework of goals to work towards each month, to keep myself on track and keep moving in the right direction. So I'm back to setting some goals for August. I decided on a ten-point list this month. Ten goals should be easy to reach. Of course, orders take precedence, so if I get a custom Etsy order, I'll drop everything and work on that. 

Goal #1: To work down my scrap box (which is always on the ottoman to the left of my chair). I prefer to have all the yarn fit on one side of the box, so I can close it up and take it along as a project box. 

When I look at the box, I think, "oh, I want to make a sparkly pink gecko, and a little green turtle, and make that tropical fish pattern with that purple and some bright yellow..." A few "scrappy projects" will clean up the box nicely! 

8/4 update - Making a few Hug Monsters took down the orange on the right and the fuschia hiding in the top left.... so I'm making progress! 

Sparkly Pink Gecko Done! 
(only used half the yarn in my box!)

It's looking much better!

Augie finished off a lot of small balls of yarn from my scrap bin!

Goal #2 is to publish my dress-up turtle pattern. I have been working on the pattern since early July. I've made three turtles and about a dozen shells. Now I need to compile all the info, get some production pictures, get it tested and published... then...somewhere down the line...it will be released step by step on this blog as a Crochet-Along (CAL). 

I have the pattern typed, but my version 1.0 is covered with additions, revisions and corrections... so I need to focus on getting it updated, tested and published! 

8/4 update... now I've made 4 turtles and have the pattern ready for testing! 

8/7 update - DONE! The pattern is published! It is available on Ravelry and Etsy

Goal #3 is to promote my shop daily. I want to get up a post on Instagram and post one Etsy listing to various sales groups on Facebook. August is typically a slow month for sales... I'd like to set some new sales records this month! 

Goal #4 is to work on one new design... I have a short list of 9 possibilities in my planner... We'll see which one jumps out at me when I'm feeling especially creative! 

Done... worked up my pattern for a rainbow hedgehog. My pattern is a scribbled mess, so it will be a while before I type it up and publish it. 

I saw a design contest on Instagram for the month of August... so I jumped on that, to make a small amigurumi that would fit into the palm of your hand. I made a Sleepy Sloth. I'll know by September 7th if I'm one of the 6 finalists... If I'm not a finalist, I will publish the pattern to Ravelry and Etsy, and put a free version here. 

Goal #5 is "One Big Project"... pulling a paid pattern that will result in a large, higher-priced finished item. I used to always have one big project in the works, but I got away from that. (Started a Pocket Shawl, which is a hot item right now... should I give myself credit for starting, or do I have to wait until it's finished?)

Goal #6 is to finish the Ocean Friends blanket. The base blanket in Royal Blue is pictured with my scrap box in Goal #1. I just need to make some cute little appliques... turtle, starfish, coral, shark, fish, maybe even a mermaid, and sew them to the blanket... maybe a couple of hours of work... but the blanket has been sitting unfinished by my chair for weeks (maybe months?)

Goal #7 - make three African flower sea turtles. They're cute, they're fun to make, they will help meet Goal #1, and I've actually sold a couple! 

One down, two to go! 

Goal #8 - Make 3 mini dragons. Once again, they're cute, they're fun to make, they will help meet Goal #1, and I've actually sold a couple... 

Finished 8/6. Finished the gray yarn, too! 

Goal #9 (we're getting there) is to make three chicken potholders. I sold a lot of these last year, and they get lots of Etsy views, so I want to get some made up and update my Etsy Listing to see if having ready-to-ship options helps get sales moving again. 

Goal #10 is to make one item from my best-seller list (hedgehog, gecko, mermaid, unicorn, turtle, elephant, butter lamb, dragon, octopus, donut, cupcake, bottle sling, moose, taco, giraffe) - DONE! Made a gecko! 

Okay, goals are put in writing... let the progress begin! 

Well, my progress on goals was slowed when I signed up to test a complicated pattern. 

I worked on this tractor for about a week. The pattern is available on Ravelry - just click on the word "tractor". 

I also spent some time organizing my work space, my patterns and my yarn. I got a few custom orders, which got bumped to the top of my to-do list, and made up little surprises to go along with ready-to-ship orders. So while I didn't ace my list this month, it's been a productive month. I set new records for August Sales, and August Etsy sales. I gained some new followers on Instagram. I designed a few new items.