A couple of years ago I went to a kind of general wellbeing fair with my sister. There were gurus and coaches and motivators aplenty. I had a freebie 5 minutes with a career coach.
She asked me to think of my ideal job and of course (of course) I talked about knitting and pattern designing and dyeing and accessories and so on. "But" I said "there's no money in it."
"Do you know anyone who does make a living from it?" She asked me.
"Oh yes, lots of people." I said.
"So...why couldn't you earn a living from it?"
Of course (of course) I know it's not that easy and that if it were we would all be doing it. But...
I keep thinking there is no money in writing patterns - even while I am paying to download the occasional one from Ravelry. I have written patterns -
they are on Ravelry and one even has 332 likes and has been made 54 times. I made this cardigan a while ago.
Yeah, I look kind of ill. I was quite mental around then. BUT the point is I was going to write up the pattern. I don't think I could remember it now. And I used to make stitchmarkers. And I sold them. People bought them I mean. I didn't just list them on etsy. Why did I stop doing that?
Over christmas I have printed a couple of things to take to Mater's so I can design a jumper and cardigan while I am down there. I am definitely going to keep notes as I go along so I can share them, even if it is just for free on this blog. I know it's a long way from casually writing up a pattern to earning a living but then from tiny seeds do giant vegetables grow...
As I type I am being taunted by the wholesome smells emanating from my slow cooker. I cannot recommend these strongly enough. Less than half an hour in the morning and by evening a delicious meal without any stirring, turning, adjusting etc. Plus if you are single you can make batches and then freeze portions for other days. Definite bonus. At the moment I have Irish Stew in progress using some of the chicken stock I made using my slow cooker 2 weeks ago.
A lot of people seem to have one but are not sure where to start. There are a zillion recipes online but I would recommend this book:
It's very cheap and quite small but really does explain the basics as well as having yummy recipes. The irish stew is from there and I've made loads of others in the past.
2 comments:
As somebody who has gone out there and done exactly what you're describing, I'd say go for it.
What do you have to loose?
I left teaching because it was making me ill, when I was thinking about what to do I considered selling fibre, and decided to go for it, 6 months later I am happier than I have ever been, and I am starting to earn a living doing something I love. It's hard work, but I enjoy it.
If you ever want to chat/bounce ideas around just shout.
Hi Lixie, I was one of those people who bought a stitchmarker kit, it even came with a set of pliers in a lovely shade of yellow! I also bought a copy of your zine, remember that? It was a paper version and came through the post, very novel LOL. It was when we were part of the old UKHandknitters list, I was one of the old mods there.
I am always amazed at how much enthusiasm you have, so you would be fine, but it is a big step. Starting small alongside your existing work would be the way I would recommend you go, and build it up from there.
Still waiting to my divorce to be finalised. I have the Nisi, but the absolute won't be issued until the Court is certain the bun fight is finally sorted out. Beverley xx
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