It has been a dream of mine to start a blog for quite some time now. There were a lot of fears holding me back, mainly that I was putting myself out there ON PURPOSE and pretty much saying "Okay, World, this is what I have done, this is who I am, and this is what I am saying about it." Eek! Scary. I can seriously FEEL the judgment... Obviously I made up my mind to go ahead and do it. There are a couple of reasons that finally gave me the push to go ahead.
First, I have been busy with my small business for over a year now, making hats and scarves and redoing furniture and making signs, and I love it. There is nothing so gratifying as making something and, wonder of wonders, people liking it enough to give me money for it! It is both humbling and encouraging. But in that short year I have had people ask me over and over "How do you do it?" and more often, "What pattern do you use?" Because I like to figure things out on my own, and usually I like to create my own designs, I very, very rarely use anything other than my own made up patterns. But lately I have taken to writing things down because I am getting old and (the main reason) I have a toddler, thus the memory is not what it was. And if I go through all the effort to do that, well why not share it with those who want it?
Second, I have grown to love the blogging world. I graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho over a year ago (over a year!!) and I have missed learning. Fortunately, there are so many talented and knowledgeable people out there who are willing to teach me things by putting it up on their blog! For free!! (We are looking at grad school next year, so learning for free is a big thing for me right now.) I taught myself to crochet through other people's blogs. I learned how to cook yummy, tasty things through other peoples blogs. I have been inspired to be a better person through other peoples blogs. Really, I have learned so so much that it would be hard to list it all here. I love to see how other people do things, from their daily schedule to what they make for dinner, to how they get grass stains out of jeans (did I mention I have a toddler?). And while I appreciate most of what I read, I also realize that not everything is for me, so I just take bits and pieces. I decided that there may be someone out there who might take some "bits and pieces" from me. So I am sharing. Sharing is caring.We can all learn and improve together! And I mean that in the least cheesy way possible.
Third, I am excited to be taking a bigger step in the business world. What started as a small project to help me cope with jumping from full time student to full time stay at home mom, has evolved into something more. While it is unlikely that this will become a full time thing, for the time being it is definitely a part time something. I stay at home with my adorable son, and Chris wont be able to work this semester due to class load and an internship. So every available chance we have to make (or save) some money we take it. A couple hours of overtime on Saturday? Done. Spending less on eating out? Done. Trying cheap and natural ways to clean? Done. And during those scary moments that we look ahead to the future and those coming expenses made it feel like even that was not enough. So together we looked at making money with my hats and other things crafty.
Last year I just kind of went along with a friend and did a small craft fair. It was way more successful than I would have thought! So this year Chris and I decided to add a bigger craft fair on the calendar and to put in a major effort and really give it our all. I got some power tools for my birthday and so we decided to make some things together, in addition to my crocheted stuff. We have learned a lot, and I have loved being able to do something with my husband that we both enjoy doing. Hopefully we will make back what we have put into it, but if not, we have a lot of awesome Christmas presents for pretty much everyone we know (and then some, probably). And we have developed skills that can only help us later on. Not to mention the teamwork and added support of having my best friend as my business partner:) I want to record this time in our lives, because I realize that in the coming years there will be more things that we will need to devote our time to. (GASP! There is always time for crafting!)
I'm still a little nervous... Fine, A LOT nervous. I am still figuring out this blogging thing (In fact, it is only thanks to a very helpful, very nice man named Mike that you can see this at all). But every time I took a risk on something big and scary, even if it did not always work out, I am grateful I did it. I learn something new and grow and use that to do something that does work out. That's what I am all about. Learning and Growing. And sweatpants. But I digress.
So there ya go, World. This is what I am doing, this is who I am, and get ready to hear what I have to say about it.
Barbara Worner
Hi Kali!
I found your Katniss Cowl and love it! Although I don't think I have 600 yards of one color of #6 yarn, there is no rule that says it has to be one color, so, it may be striped! I think your pattern is exactly what I have been looking for! It is amazing to me that you just learned to crochet and are already making your own designs! What was your major in college?
I am coming to you from the other end of life. I started crocheting when I was 8, and due to a very busy life with multiple jobs, 3 children and a husband who broke his neck very young and became disabled, my crafting has been on the sidelines until the last couple of years. I have been enjoying learning new things via internet. Continuing to learn is the one constant, no matter your age. I think the brain starts to regress when we quit feeding it new material. Even without toddlers, lol. The only toddlers in my life are friend's children and grandchildren and my future grandchildren. My memory has not improved with my toddlers growing to adulthood, I am sure my daughter would testify to that.
Good luck in the blogosphere, look forward to seeing more of your creations. And enjoy your precious toddler times, they pass much too fast! God bless your family, endeavors, and finances.
kali@thefriendlyredfox.com
Barbara,
Thank you so much for commenting! I hope you share your striped cowl when you are done:) I was an English major, with an emphasis on Literary Studies. While I loved writing essays about Hemingway and Twain, it has been a fun change to write about crocheting and crafting! Thank you so much for your kind words. Aren't you grateful for the internet where we can meet and share? Check back again! And good luck with your crafting:)