So...I'm making striped socks for DH, and it's a surprise, so he can't know I'm making them. At the same time, I'm also making a baby sweater for my co-worker, and that's a surprise too, so he can't know I'm making it.
The solution?
I take both projects to work every day. On the morning commute in the car with DH and DD, I work on the sweater. Then, once I've ditched DH, ;) I work on the socks - on the train to work, during lunch at work, and on the train back home from work. On the commute home in the car again, the socks get hidden and the sweater comes back out. I also work on it in the evenings (unless DH is on another floor of the house, in which case the socks get whipped out again, with the sweater beside me for 'cover' whenever I hear DH's tread on our [fortunately, in this case] creaky stairs).
In this way I achieve maximum productivity on my two panic projects, and neither guy sees the other guy's project being done.
Muahahahahaha.
Of course, the real question is not, 'Can I keep up this deception?' but rather, 'Will I have both projects done by mid-June?' The answer is still uncertain, particularly since DD has recently abandoned a long-standing cease-fire and resumed Bedtime War. The ensuing battles to get her to sleep have been cutting down on my evening knitting time tremendously. Sigh. Stay tuned.
Susan, on the other hand, has seemingly unshakeable confidence in my ability to pull it all off. Ain't she nice? She pointed out yesterday in the comments that a lot of the projects on my list are baby/children items, which means I can get them done quickly. This is quite true, and it does hearten me a bit. However, she made a major error in her evaluation of my personality when she advised me to "just keep them simple". ;)
HA!
I have an uncanny knack for doing things the tough way. Seriously. What's especially creepy is that usually, I actually like it that way. I justify this by mentally classifying what I'm doing to myself as creating challenges. What can I say, it's a curse. Why keep a project simple when I can make it fantastically difficult and impress the snot out of the recipient?
(Yes, that's my ego talking.)
And yep, I kinda have to design a lot of the upcoming projects, because I am trying to put together a book of my own patterns. If I wait for 'spare time' in which to create these planned designs, they will never get written. Therefore, I must take opportunities where I can find them, and that means designing most of the baby projects I make these days. I know, it sounds like I'm just giving myself extra work, but in the long run it's the more responsible move, honest. I want to start making money doing what I love, and the longer I put off designing patterns, the longer I am stuck in my job - which, although not soul-destroying, is definitely not my 'bliss'.
(Although I must admit I've been intrigued lately by The Knitting Vault. I could sell my patterns individually as I design them instead of having to have a whole whack of them ready at once. The only problems I can think of with this idea are a) The idea of having a published book is sooo seductive; and b) I have no idea if anyone would actually buy my patterns via this website. On the other hand, I have no idea if anyone would buy my book, either - or even publish it, for that matter. So I'm still not sure what to do. Opinions on this matter are more than welcome.)
- Striped socks for DH
- I finally took a picture. Here's what sock #1 looked like early Sunday afternoon:
I am pleased to say that it is much bigger now. Foot is complete and I have begun the heel shaping (although not the heel turning). Still diggin' the stripyness. (Stripiness? Stripeyness? Who cares.) - Celtic cable sweater for baby MacDonald
- This is coming along - I only have a few more inches to go before I divide for armholes and start knitting the front and back separately.
1 comment:
Well, now I understand why you want to design your own. A book? Good idea, but it is a very crowded market at the moment. You would be competing with some big name designers, as well as blogland deities (who seem to be signing book deals all over the place!). Have you considered magazine submissions? If you get a few published in magazines, be they Vogue or Knitty, that would look good on any CV you sent off to a publisher. I have the April Knitting magazine (from the UK) and there is an invitation by the magazine's publisher to submit your "original idea or fresh approach to your specialist subject" for a book. It doesn't say you have to be British. Contact gerriep(at)thegmcgroup(dot)com. The UK has two magazines, Knitting and Simply Knitting, Australia has Creative Knitting, (these three seem to be catering to entry level knitters with the occasional "difficult" pattern), and you know the US ones. So, good luck!
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