Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are mothers—or who have ever had a mother! Hope you’ve all had a lovely day. Here, we had beautiful weather, plus cake and flowers, and I wasn’t allowed to do any housework. Really, I don’t think it gets much better than that.
Okay, the winner* of the Market Yourself giveaway is…Steph from The Silly Pearl! Congratulations, Steph. I hope you enjoy it. The publisher will e-mail you soon with a link to download the book.
Many thanks to everyone else who entered!
*Chosen by random.org.
[This Giveaway is now closed]
PRINT + DIGITAL
$26.95 plus shipping
DIGITAL (PDF and ereader)
$16.95
“…if you make something delightful but don’t have the people (or enough of them), then this book is for you.”
I was very excited last week when Cooperative Press sent me a review copy of Tara Swiger’s new book, Market Yourself. Not long ago, I took an on-line class with Tara and Diane Gilleland. Tara not only knows her stuff but is generous with ideas and encouragement. I’d made a note to look into her book when it became available—then there it was!
Market Yourself is oriented toward people who make and sell handmade objects (including, ahem, knitting patterns) but could be just as easily applied to boutique service companies or pro-bloggers looking for the right audience; pretty much any business with a small-to-non-existant marketing budget will find invaluable tips here.
Tara’s theme essentially is that your marketing should feel authentic to you and your business. Trying to force a marketing model on yourself that you aren’t comfortable with means that a) you probably won’t follow through with it and b) it probably won’t work all that well anyway. In her book she guides readers through the steps of understanding and describing what you sell, finding the “right people” for that product, then creating a business that reflects your brand in everything—from your website to your packaging—that you do. Each chapter comes with several worksheets designed to help you pinpoint your product descriptions and your perfect customers, eventually creating a real, live marketing plan that is tailored perfectly to your business.
The book is great—but it won’t work by itself. One thing—and I know this from personal experience—you have to actually fill out the work sheets. It’s not enough to skim them and answer the questions in your head. Print them out and find a pen; you’ll be surprised at how the answers may be more or less obvious than you thought and how the physical act of writing can lead to ideas that weren’t there before. (And this is one of the advantages to getting the book as a PDF— you can print out whichever pages you want whenever you want them.)
Then of course, you have to apply everything you’ve learned to your business and do it consistently. Marketing is not one of those things that you do once; it will continue to change and grow with your business. And Tara’s book will guide you every step of the way.
And yay! Thanks to Cooperative Press, I’m able to give away one PDF copy of the book.
To enter: Market yourself! Leave a comment below giving a little shout out to the business you have or would like to have. Enter before midnight (PST) on Saturday, May 12 and I’ll announce the winner on Sunday.
Yet another one of those occasions that make me wish I could sew (I’m on the trail of some lessons the next town over; maybe that should be my goal for the summer?).
But if you DO sew, and if perchance you’re into the Library Look, sewing pattern designer Christine Haynes’ Craftsy class is currently 50% off and looks like fun.
(And yes, that is an affiliate link, but I wouldn’t use if it didn’t pertain in some way to this site.)
If you’re coming here from the Daily Worth site, thank you and welcome! Have a look around and let me know if you have any questions.
If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, I’ve been working on a project sponsored by Daily Worth (which, if you’re not familiar, is a fab site devoted to helping women do more with their money). I was chosen for their Livin’ the Dream Series as the “Seeker,” the one who, um, doesn’t know what she wants to do when she grows up.
I got to have a half-hour consultation with Ramit Seethi of I Will Teach You to Be Rich (Ramit’s really nice on the phone—I have a total fan-girl crush on him now). Now I have to follow through with his advice and write about it for Daily Worth.
My first post went live today and I’m working on following though with Ramit’s advice so that I have something to write for the second. Have a read and let me know what you think!
We celebrated Middle Child’s birthday this afternoon with a T-shirt painting party. We had one a couple of years ago for Big Kid’s birthday. Middle Child remembered it being fun and wanted one of her own.
I sliced up an old cardboard box for inserts, added T-shirts (on sale!) from Walmart, a mix of acrylic and fabric paints from Joann’s, a handful of paintbrushes scraped from various art boxes, and we were good to go. Fortunately, the weather was perfect. The back-up plan was to do the same thing at the dining room table but outdoors in the driveway was much better.
The kids had a great time. The only issue was that they all loved to glob on the paint as thickly as they could so it may be days before everything dries. Last time we did this, I ironed the shirts from the back once they were dry and they’ve been safe for the washing machine ever since.
I think they did a great job, don’t you?
Well, things have been a bit slow around here lately. The blog was down for several days thanks to an attack on my host’s server and I’ve been trying to crawl out from book-related work (deadlines approach!).
But I’m back today with the first of a series of interviews with designers!
Katherine Vaughan, KTLV on Ravelry, was nice enough to answer a bunch of questions about her designs, the creative process, what she loves and hates about designing and, of course, The Princess Bride. If you want to get to know her even better and see more of her designs, you can visit her website at www.ktlvdesigns.com (she’s also a much-in-demand tech editor).
"Inconceivable!" shawl
You’re KTLV on Ravelry and design under the name Katherine Vaughan. Do you like to go by KT or Katherine?
In general in the knitting world I go by Katherine, but I’ve had the nickname KT for so long that it’s hard to break (and so I hardly bother). In my other career (academia) I find that the gender-ambiguous name “KT” can be very useful in what is still a male-dominated world. In knitting, however, I feel like having a female identity is equally useful—so I go by my full name of Katherine. It’s also a handy way to separate the two sides of my working life, kind of like having a secret identity!
Pearl
I don’t really know that I have a particular style. I tend to avoid anything dealing with colorwork, except maybe for simple stripes and occasionally a bit of mosaic work, but I also dislike stockinette, so I suppose you could say that I specialize in texture and form – focusing on accessories and, surprisingly, baby blankets. In North Carolina we don’t have much call for heavy woolens, so I also tend to gravitate to either non-wool yarns or to smaller accessories (or both).
I see you have 53 patterns available on Ravelry and I know you have a full-time job as well as a family. How do you stay prolific without getting burnt out?
Well, that’s 53 patterns spread out over at least 5 years of designing, so it comes to less than one pattern per month, on average. I’m one of those designers who started out writing down and giving away for free patterns to things that I had made up for gifts, and then morphed into a designer who designed gifts around what she wanted to write patterns for. So every one of my baby blanket patterns, for example, were designed and knit for specific babies – of friends and relations. This means that I have very very few of my samples left – they were all given away! Burnout for me is more likely to happen with magazine/book designs where I have a lot less creative freedom (and don’t get to give away the sample). To combat this I’ve backed away from doing as much submitting of proposals so that I can manage my time better.
I notice that The Princess Bride inspired one of your patterns (Inconceivable!) and of course your Jayne hat is a nod to Firefly. Have you been inspired, either directly or generally, by other books/movies/TV shows?
TPB (as those of us in the know call it) also inspired the Valerie sampler scarf (which I am unduly proud of), and the Isidore Shawlette is inspired both by Isadora Duncan (a modern dancer who particularly liked working with shawls) and the taxi driver Isidore in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the inspiration book for the movie Blade Runner). In general, though, I tend to be inspired by a person I know, or a texture, or something in the yarn. One of my sources of inspiration (as seen in both the Fauxhawk baby hat and the Amirah Blanket) is my bus commute every day—so many interesting things to see there—and the Phat Fiber Sampler Box themes. I’m really just a sponge, taking in images that can hang out for a very long time before popping out of my brain.
How do you keep track of ideas?
Lol. I don’t. I know I should! I’ve played with keeping a sketch journal, Pinterest, and other notes, but just can’t keep up with them (or, in the case of physical notebooks, keep track of them). It’s very frustrating!
Ocean Park Hat
What’s your least favorite part of designing?
Writing up the actual patterns. I like writing down the instructions proper, but all of the other little pieces of the pattern that have to be perfect are just a pain in the butt. Things like, getting my metric conversions right, making sure the gauge and measurements agree, and all those other little details that make up the difference between a hobby and a professional pattern. I also really need to work on my photography skills – sending my spouse to photography lessons (which, to defend myself, he wants to do), and finding a regular model are on my to-do list.
Have you ever gone through a creative slump? If so, how did you get out of it?
Yes, right around Christmas I had a bad one that lasted quite a while (this is often the case – something about the darkness of the day seeps into my soul). Luckily right at that time this year I had several patterns come due for some magazines, so I had no choice but to work on them. By the time they were done I was a little better – and I always have a backlog of patterns in some stage of polishing (writing, photographing, testing, editing) that need help, so that usually tides me over. Since I also work as a tech editor, I nearly always have something to do, even if I’m not in a knitting mood. When all else fails, I work on baby hats for the Johns Hopkins or UNC hospital nurseries.
Do you have any favorite resources that help you be more creative (books, magazines, websites, classes, etc.)?
My bus ride! Seriously, my favorite place to look for ideas is just going out in public and seeing what people are wearing or what they are doing – not just the knitwear but also colors, textures, pattern. I also love looking at submission calls for inspiration, even if I don’t often submit things for them.
Jayne Hat
What about activities? Any non-knitting hobbies/interests that you feel contribute to your creativity—or that you just plain enjoy?
I love to garden – pulling weeds is nearly as good a meditative activity as knitting (though dirtier and more difficult to do in the winter). So much of my day life is spent thinking, teaching, and writing that I like having hobbies that create something or otherwise show something off – so I spend a lot of time knitting and gardening. I have two wonderful kids that I really enjoy playing with (or just watching), and we often go to sports events at UNC (especially women’s basketball and gymnastics) as well.
Do you want to give a shout-out to a favorite yarn or LYS?
My LYS is Yarns Etc. in Chapel Hill. The owner is a friend from my church as well as my yarn pusher. I’m excited that right now they’re doing a KAL of one of my sock patterns (Releve). I’m also excited to be working on several patterns using Malabrigo yarns, due in large part to the Malabrigo Quickies series being managed by our friend Alex Tinsley. Who doesn’t love Malabrigo?
Which knitwear designers do you find particularly inspiring/influential?
My all time favorite designer is Cat Bordhi. What a creative thinker! I am in complete awe of her ability to really be able to think in three dimensions – a skill I’ve not been able to completely develop. She was the teacher assigned to my table at a Stitches one year, and I about died when she admired my bag (Reduce Reuse Recycle)!
What have you been reading lately (knitting or non-knitting, whatever you’d like to chat about)?
I’m having a bit of an odd day today, actually. Earlier today I finished reading The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, an odd book that I’m not sure I particularly understood completely. And then this evening I finished watching the last MacGyver episode on Netflix. It’s weird to be between books and series at the same time. I tend to gravitate towards sci/fi in both books and TV/movies, though my choice is usually on the psychological side rather than space opera. I particularly love LeGuin, Atwood, Eco, Stephenson, Tolkien. For some reason I’m also on a serious zombie books kick!
Windowpane Baby Blanket
Have any questions for KT? Feel free to ask here!
So if you didn’t know by now, I’ve been working on a book. And let me tell you, it’s going to be great.
But that’s not what this post is about.
I have a LOT of work to do for this book. I have 23 other designers contributing a total of 27 designs, in addition to the ones I’m working on. There are contracts to be sent, e-mails to be answered, patterns to be reviewed and funneled on to tech editors, charts to be revised, copy to be written, and notes about props, sizes, and colors to prepare for the photographer. And, oh yeah—I have to knit up and write patterns for my own three designs.
A few weeks ago I hit a wall. I buzzed uselessly from the computer to my knitting project and back again. I stared at the computer screen for long minutes on end. I checked in on Facebook to see if other people were living more productively. I ate a lot of cookies. I thought really hard about all the things I had to do, but I was increasingly, desperately aware that I wasn’t really doing anything.
Last night I was finally able to bind off the last stitches of my first design and block it. The pattern is mostly written and just needs some tweaking and the jacket itself (I can tell you it’s a jacket but I can’t reveal anything else) doesn’t look too bad. I’ve already made decent progress on my next design. And I’m slowly making inroads on the paperwork; I even feel caught up enough that I can spare a few minutes to write a blog post(!).
I have a lot of late nights ahead of me over the next five weeks but I’m increasingly confident that it will actually all get done. I’m no expert on getting past slumps and blocks, but here are a few things I’ve found helpful in getting past the procrastination and on with the work:
- Step AWAY from the computer. If you’re a click-through junkie like me, simply turning off your internet connection for a few hours might help you focus. But there’s something about a computer screen that encourages mind-drift and unhealthy perfectionism. It’s too easy to caught up on refining a single sentence when there are still pages left to write or to fuss for hours getting just the right shade of violet in a colorwork chart. To the extent that it’s possible, turn the computer off and work it out with pen and paper first, or work on the physical side of things—like the actual knitting.
- Write it down. I have a million ideas flitting through my mind. Things I have to do, things I should do, things I might do if I can get everything else done. Each thought is a separate distraction and I no sooner get started on one thing when I’m reminded of something else and begin working on that instead. A list helps me stay focused. I can add things so I don’t have to worry about forgetting them and the crossing items off gives me a sense of accomplishment.
- Screw the housework. I find myself constantly distracted by the never-ending chores that need to be done around here so I’ve made the decision to let most of it go for now. I’ll maintain some basic standards of hygiene but otherwise I’m on strike for the next few weeks. If my husband wants the bed made he can make it himself, my oldest child is quite capable of getting her own after-school snack, and Kraft Mac & Cheese once in a while won’t kill anyone. I hope.
- De-clutter something. This sounds contradictory to the point I just made, but a focused de-cluttering is different from the ongoing drudgery of housework. Choose something SMALL, like a single drawer—this is not the time to tackle the attic. I set aside 20 minutes to go through the inbox that sits on my desk and accumulates everything from contracts to bills to children’s homework. Clearing up the space made a practical difference: it helped me get organized and put my hands on things I needed. Just as importantly, it made a mental difference: having a clear, clean workspace has helped me feel calmer and more relaxed.
- Get out of the house (or office). When there’s a deadline looming, the last thing you feel like you can justify is a trip to the zoo with your kids or coffee with a friend. But I think it’s important to take a break not just from the work you have to do but from the physical environment where you do it. Moving around and literally breathing some fresh air helps put things in perspective and gives you renewed energy to tackle the your work.
- Delegate. Unfortunately, I don’t actually have anyone I can delegate any of my book work to, but if I did, I would. I can ask my family to kick in with more help around the house and less whining about slapdash dinners and ask my husband to take the kids out of my hair for a few hours here and there. And if anyone offers to help me out with anything, you’d better believe I’m going to take them up on it!
- Good enough is good enough. I want this book to be perfect. I’m working with a lot a dedicated people who are relying on my to do my absolute best on their behalf. But I’ve realized that I can’t do everything perfectly. I will focus instead on make the work that really needs to shine be as close to perfect as possible and not drive myself crazy about the rest.
Got any procrastination busters to share?
This post is part of Blogelina‘s 100 Comment Blog Event.
Use coupon code Twitter100 to get 50% off any of these patterns until noon (Pacific Time) February 17.
Have fun!
PS Whoops! Looks like this expired sooner than it should have because I set it for the wrong time zone (duh).
I’ve reset it and extended it until midnight tonight (Pacific time, February 17). The code should work whether you buy here or on Ravelry but if for some reason it doesn’t, just e-mail me before midnight and I’ll refund you 50%.
I’ve been on a real cowl thing lately, if you hadn’t noticed. They’re quick to knit and super-practical, especially if you live in the Pacific Northwest—yet for some reason have a wardrobe full of scoop-necked T-shirts.
I actually made Single Malts as Christmas presents for both my husband and my step-dad but it would work just as well for a woman (just make it pink or something). And it’s fast. If I can make two of these in the weeks before Christmas, knitters who aren’t ADD shouldn’t have any problem turning one out in a weekend.
Bear in mind these aren’t super-professional instructions. I haven’t had this tested or tech edited or anything useful like that. But it’s free, so there you go.
Single Malt Cowl
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande Paint100 gr/110 yds. Color: 8822.
Finished size: 17″ around at top, 9″ long at front.
Gauge: 13 sts x 22 rows = 4″ (10 cm). (Gauge isn’t absolutely vital, but you do want to be sure this fits over the recipient’s head.)
Needles: US 10.5 dpns or 16″ circulars
Notions: Marker; tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
CO 48 sts, place marker and join, being careful not to twist sts.. Work 6 rnds in garter stitch.
Rnd 1: k1, m1L, k to 1 st before marker, m1R, k1.
Rnd 2: Knit around
Rep Rnds 1 & 2 until cowl measures 8.25″ (or until it looks like you’ll run out of yarn soon).
Work Rnd 1 again.
Next Rnd: purl around.
Rep these last 2 rnds 2 more times. Bind off loosely (or use something like Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy BO because you really don’t want this part to be too tight). Weave in ends. Block.
Enjoy!
Works well on a ski trip, too.
Now I need a "Don't laugh; it's paid for" bumper sticker.
I’ll keep it short because this has nothing to do with knitting and is probably of no interest to anyone except me (frankly, even my husband’s not that interested), but we paid off our car loan—and we did it two years early!
Three years ago we bought our behemoth when I was hugely pregnant with Chubby Chan and friends were outright laughing when we proposed that we might try to fit three car seats into the back seat of our tiny little Saturn sedan. We traded in the Saturn and got a reasonably good deal on a used (sorry, “pre-owned”) Taurus X but we had to take out a 5-year loan to do it.
Then two years ago I decided to go all Dave Ramsey on our finances (got all annoying and self-righteous about it too—just ask my husband). Iced the credit cards (not literally, but we did stop using them), paid off that last little bit of Dear Husband’s student loan that had been hanging over our heads since we got married, and I began putting half what Rope Knits made into extra car payments. We lucked into some extra money just before Christmas—my husband got bumped from a flight and the airline gave him a check to make up for it—and we were DONE.
We still have a mortgage back in Illinois (happily renting the house out now) and will probably take on another mortgage soon when we buy a house here, so I’m trying not to get too complacent. But this is it for the small-time debt.
So to everyone who’s bought a pattern or taken a class from me in the past two years (or ever): thank you so very much! Your support really has made a difference for us and I deeply appreciate it.
