First, I have had many emails asking why at Annie’s Attic after clicking on “Coming Soon” link on the left, and then when clicking on the photo to see the details of the booklet, one cannot click on the photo to see more pictures, or to get an email notification of when the booklet is coming out. I have contacted them and all is now fixed! Go to the booklet page and click on “see all photos” on the left below the thumbnail of the booklet. My favorite I think is the brown one!

It is amazing.. as I go back looking through how the Crochet Garden has grown… When I first started, my website was very plain, basically the bare bones of what I needed at the time with a handful of patterns. Over time, I recoded and added more content to the site. And it is now as you see it today.

It is very functional, and easy to navigate. I am pleased with how it looks. This website was my own design, from the layout, to the colors, all of the code. I was (still am) proud of how it looks… My last revamp of the website, (which is how it is presently), one can go to the patterns page and see different categories of patterns.  Once clicking on a category, say “Baby Blooms,” one would see a list of baby patterns separated by different classes, say Dresses, Accessories…etc.

What is great about this layout, is having each pattern in its own box, all of the same height, with a thumbnail of the pattern photo, and an add to cart button. I wanted this site to be with a clean look, nicely organized, and easy to navigate. So once one clicks on a thumbnail or the “more info” link beneath each thumbnail photo, one is taken to the actual full pattern page. Here is an example of Love Knot Symphony:

First is the description. Along side of the description and other notes about the pattern on the right are larger photos of the actual pattern set. I thought this was pretty neat when I did the layout this way, instead of having one large photo at the top, of having several photos run along side all of the text. I spent a lot of time sketching out this layout on paper before actually coding it to layout this way.

Now the time has come again to update the website. This time, it will be a complete different look and layout, but oh so many possibilities. It will also have the feel of a more “professional” site, but still keeping the warm and welcoming, Crochet Garden theme.

What will the new site have? First, it will have a log in and registration. Everyone will be able to create their own account. Each pattern then will be kept in their history. It will also be much easier to send in checks and money orders with the option highly visible.

Here is a snapshot of what the new site will somewhat look like on the front page. I am still editing and have long ways to go.. but as a preview here is what you can somewhat expect:

As you can see there are many boxes running along on each side. There will be the copyright page, shipping page link, even a site map! There will also be a search box.. so say you are looking for a bootie pattern, one can simply type in “bootie” and each page that contains that term will come up! There will also be a place to see what is coming soon so if one is eager and cannot wait, they may be able to see what is in store to come out.

Gift certificates will also be really easy to purchase. One will also be able to sign up for the new mailing list and newsletter here. There is also a box on the side showcasing the new patterns. Now, do not quote me on this, but I may implement also automatic downloads of patterns after purchase… I have yet though to decide on that.

There also will be no need to click the appropriate button if one wants a hardcopy of a pattern. There will be 2 buttons when checking out. One option for PDF, and one for a hardcopy, and it will automatically figure out if you are in the USA, Canada, or outside these 2 countries and automatically calculate the shipping costs!

Also, when adding your pattern to the cart, there will be a drop down menu if one wants a baby version, or tot version, or both etc! So all those pesky buttons for adding to cart will be gone…

Another thing I may implement as well, is accepting credit cards (independent of paypal). There are some who just do not want to use paypal, or do not have a paypal account. And those who would rather pay with a credit card than use the cash that is in their paypal account. I am still looking into this, and it may be something worth implementing, if I feel the demand is high enough.. so throw me an email if this is coming you would definitely like to see!

When will this go live? I am not sure.. it will be a few weeks.. I plan to have it go live with the new launch of patterns… But one thing I will guarantee, when it does go live, be sure to register right away. The first week or so (not sure yet) I will be handing out certificates and discount coupons and promo codes left and right, as sort of an experiment to make sure everything is working as intended in that area.. so the first users will in essence be my beta testers in the coupon/certificate department!

Well, time to get some work done and get busy on this and the new patterns I want to have slated for the next launch.. This is going to be a big change to the CG website.. I hope everyone will be pleased with the site and layout! So tell your friends and family to keep an eye out and register as soon as they see the new site live!