As my daughter is debating turning her craft hobby into a business - especially since her job may be disappearing - I've found this full of helpful counsel. I'm passing it on to her.
As for shawls, with spring approaching I love the long and shallow shape. It makes it possible for me to wear a hand knit without melting!
I am so sorry to hear that. Please may I also suggest reading "The Go-giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It is some really good reading material for anyone beginning to think about business. That's right, "without melting" is the best description. :)
I really appreciate your thoughts about measuring, and why to do it. Thank you! Also, I like the long, narrow shawlette shape- I find the easier to wear. The simple brioche scarf is so pretty, and it looks like it would work for different gauges too.
Yay!! I am glad there are more people preferring the shape. Yes I wrote three sizes, and made a Large sample with sport weight. But brioche gauge is a wild thing. It can vary a lot. My suggestion is to swatch and find a fabric you like and then knit to the schematic diagram. Pattern gets very intuitive after a couple repeats. Oh, this could be another blog post all by itself. :))
After one gains some experience in any endeavor, that experience has value and needs to be considered when pricing, whether one is talking service or items. I think this is harder for women to accept because so much of our lives are taken for granted. Of course we will clean-up after the party, or after the kids are in bed and we have had a long day at work! And we will do a load of laundry while we are at it! 😃 With our days filled with doing for others for free, it is a jolt to the system to now say, wait I want to be paid for my skills and abilities. I suggest taking it in baby steps for anyone first making such a change. Whatever amount of money you are thinking of charging, add 25%. I know this can be hard to do. You may have competition and worry that your sales will drop. But, with time, you may also find that you are starting to value yourself. And there is no shame in that.
Also, about considering the experience when pricing - Sometimes it make sense to reverse it and think about how much time and effort would it take for a beginner to get to this level and add some value accordingly.
Yes, this is a way of appreciating our own growth. 'Appreciating' in both meanings of that word. I was taught this lesson by an older woman who was a gifted as well as experienced reweaver. A customer had sent her husband in to complain about the cost of repair to her finely woven cashmere coat. After listening to his demeaning of her business, not to mention skills, she quietly asked him how long it would take him to make the same repairs? He soon left after paying, saying he would certainly be able to find someone who would do it for less. She and I both knew that she had made her point!
My heart goes out to that woman who stood up for herself and her skill and labor. So many lessons for us to be learned. Thank you for sharing this here, Sandy.
I hope you will be glad to know that she was never hurting for work in her 80+ years and provided reweaving services to a large number of people who looked forward to chatting with her. Many well know people in our area were on a first name basis with Lucille. I was so lucky to have known her. A diamond hidden in a small shop on the 6th floor of a tall office building. We were all lucky to have known her!
Sandy, what can I say! Thank you once again for these wise words. I haven't written about my own transition in this essay. But that is a huge one, as you say. I was lucky to have a handful of people who liked and trusted me and were happy to pay, in those days. Handmade industry being somewhat a women-dominated field, the expectation of free labour and goodies faithfully follows us well into the years. There is some hard reflection and decision-making involved but we have to start valuing ourselves better.
How well you have expressed! Choosing our priorities helps us stay happy and do that which matters to us. Liked the list you have drawn about what to measure and what not to. As someone who knits for pleasure, the only measuring I need to do is against myself but I can well relate to the advice you were given as a teacher. I constantly have people telling me to expand and start an academy and so and so forth without trying to understand what it is that matters to me. I have also had my share of people asking for discounts and telling me I overcharge. I don’t let all that affect me as I teach to make a difference and not to quote numbers.
I like large, cosy shawls that keep me warm and seem like a soft envelope that hugs me. That however doesn’t stop me from admiring your shawlettes and scarves.
Thank you so much for sharing such wise insights Navneet! You said it right. Choosing our priorities matter the most. It is hard to cut through the noise and think but it has to be done to be at peace with ourselves. I love how you describe shawls! :)
Your list of what to measure and not to resonates with me. I find I can get carried away when I concentrate to much on "the numbers" I'm not necessarily getting the full picture if I only concentrate on that. Again this gave me wonderful insight into the goings on behind the scenes of a pattern designer. You're generous to share this with us.
You are so right! The point is numbers never give the full picture and can even be completely misleading. Thank you Jodie. I am so glad these things resonate with people and are somewhat helpful. ♥️
A pleasantly complex project has the right amount of 'whelm' that helps us keep going until we finish it.
I totally agree. Without a certain amount of challenge, I get easily bored and tend to put the project aside. I recently knitted a circular yoke pullover. The lace part was so intriguing but once I crossed that stage, and only plain knitting started, I took a long time to finish it. 😉
As my daughter is debating turning her craft hobby into a business - especially since her job may be disappearing - I've found this full of helpful counsel. I'm passing it on to her.
As for shawls, with spring approaching I love the long and shallow shape. It makes it possible for me to wear a hand knit without melting!
I am so sorry to hear that. Please may I also suggest reading "The Go-giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It is some really good reading material for anyone beginning to think about business. That's right, "without melting" is the best description. :)
I really appreciate your thoughts about measuring, and why to do it. Thank you! Also, I like the long, narrow shawlette shape- I find the easier to wear. The simple brioche scarf is so pretty, and it looks like it would work for different gauges too.
Yay!! I am glad there are more people preferring the shape. Yes I wrote three sizes, and made a Large sample with sport weight. But brioche gauge is a wild thing. It can vary a lot. My suggestion is to swatch and find a fabric you like and then knit to the schematic diagram. Pattern gets very intuitive after a couple repeats. Oh, this could be another blog post all by itself. :))
Lovely post, I appreciate your honesty about the weird but amazing ‘limbo’ of motherhood and stay at home parenting.
Thank you so much for your kind words. 💞💞
After one gains some experience in any endeavor, that experience has value and needs to be considered when pricing, whether one is talking service or items. I think this is harder for women to accept because so much of our lives are taken for granted. Of course we will clean-up after the party, or after the kids are in bed and we have had a long day at work! And we will do a load of laundry while we are at it! 😃 With our days filled with doing for others for free, it is a jolt to the system to now say, wait I want to be paid for my skills and abilities. I suggest taking it in baby steps for anyone first making such a change. Whatever amount of money you are thinking of charging, add 25%. I know this can be hard to do. You may have competition and worry that your sales will drop. But, with time, you may also find that you are starting to value yourself. And there is no shame in that.
Also, about considering the experience when pricing - Sometimes it make sense to reverse it and think about how much time and effort would it take for a beginner to get to this level and add some value accordingly.
Yes, this is a way of appreciating our own growth. 'Appreciating' in both meanings of that word. I was taught this lesson by an older woman who was a gifted as well as experienced reweaver. A customer had sent her husband in to complain about the cost of repair to her finely woven cashmere coat. After listening to his demeaning of her business, not to mention skills, she quietly asked him how long it would take him to make the same repairs? He soon left after paying, saying he would certainly be able to find someone who would do it for less. She and I both knew that she had made her point!
My heart goes out to that woman who stood up for herself and her skill and labor. So many lessons for us to be learned. Thank you for sharing this here, Sandy.
I hope you will be glad to know that she was never hurting for work in her 80+ years and provided reweaving services to a large number of people who looked forward to chatting with her. Many well know people in our area were on a first name basis with Lucille. I was so lucky to have known her. A diamond hidden in a small shop on the 6th floor of a tall office building. We were all lucky to have known her!
Sandy, what can I say! Thank you once again for these wise words. I haven't written about my own transition in this essay. But that is a huge one, as you say. I was lucky to have a handful of people who liked and trusted me and were happy to pay, in those days. Handmade industry being somewhat a women-dominated field, the expectation of free labour and goodies faithfully follows us well into the years. There is some hard reflection and decision-making involved but we have to start valuing ourselves better.
How well you have expressed! Choosing our priorities helps us stay happy and do that which matters to us. Liked the list you have drawn about what to measure and what not to. As someone who knits for pleasure, the only measuring I need to do is against myself but I can well relate to the advice you were given as a teacher. I constantly have people telling me to expand and start an academy and so and so forth without trying to understand what it is that matters to me. I have also had my share of people asking for discounts and telling me I overcharge. I don’t let all that affect me as I teach to make a difference and not to quote numbers.
I like large, cosy shawls that keep me warm and seem like a soft envelope that hugs me. That however doesn’t stop me from admiring your shawlettes and scarves.
Thank you so much for sharing such wise insights Navneet! You said it right. Choosing our priorities matter the most. It is hard to cut through the noise and think but it has to be done to be at peace with ourselves. I love how you describe shawls! :)
Your list of what to measure and not to resonates with me. I find I can get carried away when I concentrate to much on "the numbers" I'm not necessarily getting the full picture if I only concentrate on that. Again this gave me wonderful insight into the goings on behind the scenes of a pattern designer. You're generous to share this with us.
You are so right! The point is numbers never give the full picture and can even be completely misleading. Thank you Jodie. I am so glad these things resonate with people and are somewhat helpful. ♥️
A pleasantly complex project has the right amount of 'whelm' that helps us keep going until we finish it.
I totally agree. Without a certain amount of challenge, I get easily bored and tend to put the project aside. I recently knitted a circular yoke pullover. The lace part was so intriguing but once I crossed that stage, and only plain knitting started, I took a long time to finish it. 😉