Backing into a sweater design part VI - All Done

I finally finished it yesterday morning but I had to take a break so that my husband wouldn't starve to death this weekend and I lost the light before I got back to take the pictures. I hauled (OK, he hauled) my mannequin outside this morning and I managed to get sort of mediocre but not terrible pictures before the clouds moved in. As usual I'll have to redo them but they're decent enough to list it for now. Here it is - if you click on the image you can see the other views in my Etsy shop.



I started out with 21 skeins of yarn totaling over 2500 yards and what I have left could fit in a little sandwich bag. Not bad...


I'm already backing into my next sweater. I have this great cotton left over from the last Irish fisherman sweater that I did and it came in gigantic 3 pound cones of 2200 ypp. I doubled it for the first sweater and I have about 1/4 or less of each cone left but I don't really have any idea of what's left because I don't know how much the cones themselves weigh. I know that I have enough for a shrug but there might be even more so I'm starting with a shrug sized back and front panels, then I'll do the sleeves and after that I'll have a better idea if there is enough there to do a longer cardigan.

Crochet and Design Bliss

Sometimes I get so caught up in learning the marketing end of having an online business that I forget to talk about the main reason that I do it which is that I just love to crochet. I can't imagine not doing it every day or what it would be like not to be able to dream up designs and turn them into reality. I love talking with plus size women about the styles that they love and wish that they could find and about what flatters different body types. I've realized that I design for pear shapes because that's what I was and what comes naturally to me but I'm leaving out a lot of people with apple figures. In honor of that realization I'm making a modified babydoll style sweater with a fuller front than usual in these gorgeous designer yarns. It should be at least a 2X and maybe even a 3X. I'm in heaven just getting to feel the softness and feast on my favorite colors of purple and turquoise.





Please come see my handmade designer plus size sweaters, sweater coats, capes and shrugs at MirabilisFashions.com

I'm Starting to Not Hate Google

Stephanie's prayer to the gods of google might just work because now that my pages are slowly but surely getting crawled I'm getting some very good placement in my most targeted google search. Thanks to Oprah plus size sweater coats are popular this Fall and I get more hits on that keyword phrase than anything else. If I run a search today on "plus size sweater coat" I have one item on page one and another on page 2. I have a pretty good idea now of why the third one is buried. If I do the search on the plural "plus size sweater coats" I get one on page one and one on page 3 but unfortunately they're the same coat but one is on Zibbet and the other on Etsy. Still - I BEAT Lane Bryant and Roamans!

Oh yeah - I listed a new item this week. I love this one because it's casual and warm.



Please come see my handmade designer plus size sweaters, sweater coats, capes and shrugs at MirabilisFashions.com

Defining My Target Market - Plus Size Sweaters

One thing you'll hear a lot about is defining your target market. Who will your customers be and why?

I know that what I really love to do is to design and create high-end sweaters that use luxury yarns and that I don't want to make the same small items over and over. Again, the hobbyist rears it's head and I have to accept that I would rather create the things that I love than treat it like a serious business and make the things that sell well no matter how bored I get. At the risk of sounding artsier-than-thou, if my focus was on money I would un-retire myself, resume my career and be guaranteed a big paycheck. I crochet because I feel naked sitting around without a hook in my hand and I can't even imagine not doing it. I see patterns and textures everywhere and automatically think of materials and colors and sweater designs. It's almost like breathing after so many decades. So, the first target that I'm identifying are women who can afford to buy expensive luxury items. I like to make classic styles as opposed to current trends that will quickly go out of fashion so in general I'm aiming for women that are middle-aged or older.

I was very overweight for many years and although I had plenty of money to spend I had a terrible time finding clothing that was fashionable and age-appropriate, never mind gorgeous and exiting. Those were the days of "would you like your tent in black or navy?". Eventually lower-end stores started to carry their normal lines in plus sizes but those clothes were designed to flatter thin women, not curvy or overweight ones. Even though I'm thin now I love the idea of designing the sweaters that I would have wanted to buy when I needed them. All women deserve to have beautiful things, not just the skinny ones! Little things like having 3/4 sleeves instead of short ones, non-binding waists, straight lines and materials that don't cling make a huge difference for those that would like a bit more coverage and the ability to camouflage the parts that they're uncomfortable with. The more that I think about it the more I want to focus on plus size women over 40 with expensive tastes as my target market. What makes me nervous about this is that there is no way to get around the fact that making a size 2X sweater takes twice as much yarn as a comparable size medium and twice as much time to make. Crocheting isn't like sewing and it isn't just a matter of using a bit more material. Like it or not, they're going to have to be expensive unless I want to start working in acrylics and there is no way that I'm doing that!
Please come see my handmade designer plus size sweaters, sweater coats, capes and shrugs at MirabilisFashions.com