Taking Matters Into My Own Hands

For the first time in a very long time, I have more than enough time.  It's wierd, right?  Who in America has enough time?  I just don't have enough money.

I have joined the ranks of the underemployed.  Much as I love my jobs (especially at Arlington Street Church), the fact is, I'm making only about two-thirds what I was making in New York.  You would think moving out of the city would allow me to save a lot of money, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  My housing costs are actually slightly more than they were in NYC, and the thought of how much it will cost to heat my house this winter is, well, chilling.  (Of course, my mortgage payment is roughly the same as my rent was in New York, and I'm living in a ginormous house rather than a smallish apartment.  Did I ever tell you that my swimming pool is slightly bigger than my old apartment?)  In New York, my total transportation costs each month were a $70 Metro card.  Now I have a car which runs on expensive gas and needs to be insured, and I also pay $22 a week in commuter rail rides and a bit more for T tokens.  The only real savings is in the amount of cash I'm spending.  In New York, I'd take out $100 on a Friday and by lunchtime on Monday, I had nothing left and I couldn't usually figure out where it had gone.  Now $100 cash lasts me over a week.  I think I'm just using my debit card more.

I'm not teaching much at the moment, which hopefully is about the change.  But it took me a couple years to build up a regular class schedule in New York, and it will probably take a while to get that going here as well.

I've submitted some designs to magazines recently, but I'm tired of waiting, and tired of rejection.  And the submission process doesn't really reflect how I design, anyway.  Submitting to the magazines, you work up a sketch and a swatch to send.  I think most designers end up sketching and swatching and sketching and swatching and on and on for each design.  I don't really like to work this way.  When I design pieces for myself, I usually just start making the thing as I've conceptualized it in my head, and it changes and evolves as I'm knitting it.

I realized that I have at least a half dozen designs that I've created for myself and never sold, and have developed ideas for several more, so I've decided to start selling my patterns myself.  I'll be creating a website (actually, Scott will do that for me), and I hope to have it up with several designs by Thanksgiving.  In addition to selling the patterns on the website I may try to sell them wholesale to some yarn shops.

It feels good to have something concrete to do about my money situation, specific tasks to cross off the list.  I purchased a dress form on eBay so that I don't have to find people to model for me (you have to spend money to make money, right?)  This weekend I'll be working on writing the patterns (good thing I took decent notes) and finishing the cutaway jacket, which I'm really liking.  I'm going to try to line up my sister as my photographer, since my own photography skills are pretty lame.

But what to call my line of patterns?  At the moment I'm defaulting to alisonknits, since maybe there will be a bit of brand recognition from the blog, but it feels like a very boring name, even for blogging.  If anyone has any brilliant (or even mediocre) ideas, please email me!

Comments

[Noah]

I'd suggest "Green's Sleeves" but that sounds like you just do sweaters ... or just parts of sweaters.

[Kathode Ray Tube]

How about "UU Knits"?

[Kay]

I actually like Greensleeves. Who says it has to make sense?

Love the idea that you will be selling patterns!

xox Kay

[Filomena]

Great idea selling your own patterns rather than depending on magazines.

Congratulations!

[Filomena]

Hi again, I didn't have you bookmarked in this computer, so I googled and found out there is also one allisonknits [DOT) com, so going with your blog name might not be the best option.

Just thought I should let you know, in case you didn't know about it yet.

Anyway, I think Greensleeves is interesting too.

Good luck!

[ellen]

I've been out of the loop on blogging activity so just caught up with your recent posts. That's great that you are going to launch your own site! And as for the money situation (gas, heating oil, etc.) I hear you! I am going through the same thing right now...