Monday, February 20, 2012

Ending your career in knitwear design by Leanne Dyck

(photo from Google images)

In January 2011, I had over twenty designs in my collections and my knitting needles were loaded with stitches. In fact, the only thing that had changed was that, with the publication of The Sweater Curse, I had become an ebook publishing house author.

So, why did I close my knitwear design business?

I can answer this with one word—focus. I was determined to focus on building my writing career.

Back in October 2010, I had made a pact—with myself—to submit one story every month. That strategy had helped me place The Sweater Curse. While I was scaling this mountain I continued to work on my knitwear design career. Serving two masters was exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The decision to close my business wasn’t easy. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had failed. It’s silly what junk a self-conscious can feed you. However, whether or not I bought into this falsehood was up to me and—after giving my head a shake—I decided that I couldn’t afford to.

I didn’t fail, I told myself. I’ve evolved. I’ve grown from a knitwear designer who writes to an author who knits.

I’ve benefited from my years as a knitwear designer. I've amassed a fortune. These riches include...
-a supportive community
-knowledge about the field
-a popular website which has evolved with me
-ten years of knitting-themed writing

I hope you will travel with me as I continue to evolve.