JIm and I have been taking stock of the year. I know that it’s a little bit early to be doing a retrospective of the year, but I’ve had the phrase “running on empty” running through my head for the last couple of months, and to be honest, if 2018 were done already, for me it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
We have packed far too much in to this year. I find it bizarre to consider that at the start of the year we were just finishing up the last couple of months of A Year of Techniques. That feels like such a long time ago, when actually it was only nine months back.
Into 2018 we packed…
An ebook (Helical Knitting)
Eleven new designs (and I still stand by the fact that I’m really not a designer)
25 video tutorials published on YouTube
About 78 blog posts (the most we have written in years!)*
1,500 posts on Ravelry (that’s just me!)
And a daft number of other bits and bobs across our social media channels.
Wowzers! Jim and I have done all that in just a few months! And we couldn’t have done half of it without your support. Thank you all!
But when I make a list like that, it’s no surprise at all that I’m feeling empty. The tricky thing is that we can’t just stop. I’d love to curl up on the sofa, watch trashy telly and knit, but we have a book to write ready for next year, and we need to keep working to ensure that we make it through to the launch of “the next big thing”.
Running a micro-business is like that for us at the moment. I woke up after just a couple of hours sleep last night, as there were so many things whirring round my head. I got up and knitted for a bit before returning to bed, but it’s not a sustainable place for me to be in. Our family need me to be well-rested and not too stressed so that I can be the therapeutic parent (and generally pleasant person) they require. Running a tiny business is always going to be full of uncertainty, and with some hindsight there are plenty of things I’d do differently if I had this year over again, but there isn’t anything else I’d rather be doing.
I am putting one foot in front of the other. I don’t plan to do much blogging between now and the end of the year. There are some posts up my sleeve, but I’ll be quieter everywhere. I’m going to keep knitting on the samples for the next book - I can’t avoid doing that - and I’ll be enjoying them as I’m working from other people’s patterns. I shall also be trying not to mentally plan all the projects I would be knitting on if I didn’t have work knitting to do. That way just leads to frustration. And most of all, we are working with a business coach, who will hopefully help us to plan ahead in a more considered way, and to learn from some of the mistakes we’ve made this year. We are at a turning point, and I’m excited about what’s to come. But also so very, very tired.
* We have been nominated for the British Craft Awards for the best Knitting Blog in 2018, and although I’ve posted about that in lots of places, it has just occurred to me that I’ve not mentioned it here on the blog (see - I’m tired!). If you would like to vote for us, then do head over to their website. You can vote from anywhere in the world, and there aren’t too many questions. Many thanks for your support! Jen