Sunday, December 8, 2013

A Machine. That Knits.

Hi everyone! Hope the holidays were as filling and fun as mine!

I know, I know, I owe an update on the Thanksgiving decor and food turnout, and it's definitely coming! I just haven't had a chance to take the photos off of my camera yet, since I've been so busy.

Now that the holidays are over, I'm able to focus a lot more on getting the store set up. I recently bought an e-course created by the ladies at A Beautiful Mess on starting a business, titled 'Dream Job'(take a gander at the new badge on the right of my page!)

So far I've skimmed through it a few times, and have started breaking it down. There is a LOT of information in there, and I've already changed some things with my business as a result (hence the reason I haven't announced its opening yet).

But lately, (and maybe this is a little personal) I've been thinking/slightly worrying about how I would be able to manage my productivity once I get things rolling. Not only that, I've been having the occasional fear of feeling rather limited with the designs I create because I'm only one person, and I still work a full time job. As you may be able to imagine, I don't want to be a 'Two-Season seller'. Sure, I knit, but we all know that the fibers are varied enough to go through every season, and let's not forget about accessories. The possibilities are endless, and I want to try it ALL.

So I ran to Etsy. For inspiration, I looked up some fellow 'knit-trepreneurs' that were working with a relatively high volume of sales and somewhat small operations (if I could find that information, anyway). Lo and behold, in comes a shop of this beautiful handmade knitwear by Andy Ve Eirn (please don't ask me to pronounce that). The items are lovely. And if you are looking at those stitches, you will understand why I needed to know more. Luckily, she was a featured seller, where she explained a little more about her process, mentioning that she used a manual machine to make most of her clothes.

Um, what? Have I been living under a rock? A knitting machine?

I immediately went on a Google hunt. Holy Buddha, it's a real thing. That you can have in the home. And it's freaking affordable, sorta!

I found a good starter flat machine, the Ultimate Sweater Machine.


It's under $200, and a good item to practice on. I've already watched tons of videos on its use, and that was enough to sell me. Now all I have to do is buy it! If all goes well, I'd eventually have to upgrade to something more durable and larger, but the investment (Probably around $1,500-$2,000) would be worth it by then.

The mere thought of having any type of machine to help me with productivity and--hell--possibility had my mind running like mad with design ideas, and I've been brainstorming some really cool collections. Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't replace EVERYTHING I do, just the larger items that can be tedious and time-consuming (120 rows of stockinette for a sweater backing? And I have 3 orders? Yeah, No.). I still love the meditative aspect of knitting, and dealing with more intricate designs. It's no different than a seamstress or fashion designer making clothes.

There's a renewed vigor when one realizes that the possibilities of their goals are much more realistic than they may have originally
thought. :)

~A~



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