In Knitting News....

Cinderella
One of many baskets I have
around my living room.
Cinderella takes up so much
room, she gets her own basket.

I realize that my last several posts have contained very little, if any knitting. As if to indicate that knitting has not been a part of my life lately. Could not be further from the truth.

I have been a knitting machine. I am actually stressed about knitting. I am making lists about knitting--lists of yarn to buy, lists of projects to finish, lists of projects to start.

It's almost bordering on, I hesitate to even think it let alone type the words to be read by my vast and ever growing fan base, not being fun. I'm really having a hard time with this. Knitting is something I love. Knitting is something I do every single day. And it's really starting to stress me out right now.

In one month I have sold 8 out of 17 items at Venue. Nearly 50%. I am truly very excited about this! Then I just got my check. It was exactly what I thought it was suppose to be, yet for the first time since I began this venture, I'm struggling with how much, or rather how little I am making. I did not lose money on this. I want to make that perfectly clear. But can't say I'm going to be contributing anything significant to the household budget with it either. Also, I have been in a knitting frenzy, making more of the popular hats and bunny slippers since the owner has been encouraging me to do so and, well, that's how you do business, right? And while I may bump up my prices by a few dollars, I have to be realistic. Clearly people are willing to pay $28 for a fruit cap. They did it 4 times last month. But will they pay $38? I wouldn't. So how do I price them so that I make money on my 50% and still buy yarn that has at least some natural fibers in it?

Post Felting

In the meantime, I'm trying to whip up a bunch of felted pears and cupcakes for my mom's antique shop. She thinks they would sell really well there, and I do agree with her. Her shop is only open on the weekends and will only be open from now until November (it was closed for the last several months for a variety of reasons...) so my window of opportunity is short.

Why do I feel compelled to make these things for my mom's shop? Because she told me so? Because I want to be all things to all people? Because I'm trying to be a human dynamo?

Peter's Surprise
It's killing you, isn't it Dave?!

And then there are my other projects. Peter's birthday gift, Cinderella, the 2nd half of my socks, and the projects I want to start, but just haven't for various reasons. I'm dying to get at that knit birthday cake but the yarn I ordered has not come in yet, which is a double blessing since I have neither the time nor the money to work on that project.

Cupcakes

So knitting is being done. It's being done at playdates, during nap/quiet time, in the evening while I watch tv, and basically any other time my hands are free and I'm not actually needing to clean something or feed someone.

I'm hoping I'll get into some kind of groove with Venue so I don't feel a panic every time something sells and I need to REPLACE IT RIGHT NOW OR THE CUSTOMER WILL TAKE HER BUSINESS ELSEWHERE BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY 2 LAME HATS ON THIS DISPLAY AND NOTHING FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE. Not that I'm one to over-exaggerate, but that thought has crossed my mind once or twice.

I have trim in my house to paint, a stack of half-finished or not-even-started books, not to mention my ever growing list of domestic duties--but I'm afraid that if I begin a non-knitting project, I will lose my knitting ju-ju and then where will I be?! Probably in a much safer and saner place.