From Corporate America to Working From Home, Pt. I

I had so much fun at the talk I had at Knitty City last Thursday.  There were a lot of familiar faces in the audience, and a few new ones too.  A few of my friends couldn't make it, and were hoping I could write up something to summarize what I talked about.  The focus of my talk was on the change I made from working in Big Law IT to working freelance as a Knitwear Designer from home and if I had any advice to those thinking about doing the same, or something similar.  It was incredibly difficult to put my experiences into words, let alone coherently discuss any lessons.  But, as I started to think back on my career and all the business ideas I've had along the way, there seemed to be a lot of things I learned and a lot of lessons I could share.  I've broken up this post into three parts and I've bolded all of these so-called "lessons".  I should preface this by saying, I'm a WIP, my life is a WIP and life is a learning experience.

It was last October, October 21st to be exact, when I quit my job.  While I had been planning to leave my job for a long time, that exact moment wasn't really planned.  And I don't necessarily recommend doing that.  But when I calmed down (and crawled out from underneath my desk), I remembered it was something I had been thinking about and planning for for a very very long time.  For as long as I can remember working in "Corporate America", I had been looking for a way out. 

One of my earliest business ideas was to open up a bakery.  I had just quit smoking and was desperately looking for a way to keep my hands busy.  So, for reasons unknown to me, I thought baking would be a great idea.  I went out and bought a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, a handful of cookbooks and got started.  I made breads, cakes, cupcakes, frostings, fondant, cookies, tarts, pies, cobblers, crumbles... you name it, I made it.  My very supportive roommates were very appreciative of all the homemade treats, egging me on to make their favorites.  Confident in my basic knowledge of baking, my next step was to go over to a bakery and ask for a job.  I'm not sure of our conversation, except something about a 4:00 am start-time.  Once I heard that, I knew a bakery wasn't for me.  I was young at the time, and 4:00 am was often a time I would be getting home.  I played with the idea, and sort of kid myself into thinking it wasn't so bad.  But, no.  I came to my senses and realized it wasn't for me.  I learned then and there that you really have to "Know Thyself" if you're going to work for yourself.

It's not just about what you're doing, but it's about the lifestyle and knowing what fits you... what suits you.  So after a few other failed ideas of how I was going to make my escape from the corporate world, I realized that the exercise of just thinking of other things taught me a lot about myself.  I started asking myself some hard questions about what I was willing to put up with, what I was willing to sacrifice and what kind of life I wanted to live.  What was the life I envisioned for myself?

I put my KitchenAid Mixer away (not forever), and after gaining about 20 lbs., I started running.  I eventually ran the NYC Marathon, and wanted to open up a high-end gym focused on women.  That didn't really turn out (again, the lifestyle thing wasn't really for me), and I searched for something less active, and less having to do with my legs.  So I turned to knitting.  I was immediately smitten.  I had to knit every day, and I remember calling into work sick to finish a scarf.  Of course, I started thinking about business ideas regarding yarn and knitting.  I wanted to open up a yarn store.  I thought a yarn store owner needs to know as much about knitting as possible, so I started signing up for classes and this is when my life changed.

I enrolled in a class at Cooper Union with Lisa Daehlin, recommended by a dear friend.  Lisa was (is) a huge fan of Knitty City, the only store in NYC at the time that carried her favorite needles.  She recommended all of us to go up there and look around.  She also mentioned that Pearl Chin, the owner of Knitty City, was a wonderful woman and that we should mention Lisa's referral.  I went up to KC, looked around and really loved the warmth and friendliness of the store.  Later on, I was online doing some research and saw that Pearl Chin of Knitty City was going to have a talk through a group called Asian Women in Business.  The talk was a members-only event, so I immediately signed up, and went to hear Pearl talk about opening up a yarn store.  About a week later, I approached Pearl, told her my plans, and asked to intern at the store.  In true Pearl-style, she said, "Sure - why not.  We've got to stick together."  And since she was uncomfortable having me work for free, she insisted I at least work for yarn.  So, I started working on the weekends, learning as much as I could about knitting, yarn, the customers and most of all, the business.

But because of this Cooper Union class, I also met Mari Tobita.  She is an incredibly successful and talented designer and at the time was sample knitting for Shirley Paden.  We exchanged e-mail addresses on the last day of class and she contacted me months later to see if I would be interested in doing some knitting for Shirley.  I think the saying goes, "When one door closes, another opens."  I was realizing that opening a yarn store was a little overwhelming and becoming a retailer involved a lot more than just yarn and knitting.  But, when I began sample knitting for Shirley, I was realizing how much I loved the process, and she exposed aspects of designing that really piqued my interest.

I almost couldn't believe how much had come out of this one Cooper Union class.  And I realized how important networking and researching are when stumbling into a new world.  It was serendipitous and it's partly why I fell in love with the knitting community.  After years of working in environments I disliked, I knew how important it was to really mesh with the industry you'd be working in.

So finally I was faced with something I really liked to do - designing.  I started getting really excited about the thought of designing full-time and leaving my job. I finally found my way out!  But I was really skeptical about how I could make a living doing it.  I kept trying to talk myself into it with craziness like, "If I could just quit my job, I could devote all my time to it, and eventually I'd make enough money."  That is a thought created out of desperation, not intelligence.  And something I had read, popped into my head and I believe it was something Joelle Hoverson, the owner of Purl Soho, mentioned in an interview.  And it went something like, "Do both for as long as you can."  I think she was either debating between styling and painting, or painting and opening up the store, or styling and opening up the store.  Anyway, It made total sense to me.   

While I worked full-time, I started to design on the side.  I started with a few pieces in Vogue Knitting and designed a piece for the Knit Noro book.  And while I was itching to focus all of my attention on design, I just wasn't making enough money.  And when I would daydream out loud to my husband, he would always ask me, "What's your plan?  How are you going to do it?"  I knew "designing a lot" wasn't a plan, so I stayed put and did both.  I knit during all of my free time, constantly.  And I realized that doing both was not just about money and planning, but it gave me the opportunity to really see if designing was for the long-haul.  I had to make sure it wasn't a passing infatuation.

About a year and half after I posted my first pattern on Ravelry, I was contacted by Jared Flood to see if I'd be interested in doing a design for a collection he was putting together for his new yarn line, Shelter.  He had seen my project page on Ravelry and thought our aesthetic was a good match.  It would be for a one-time design for Wool People.  I had no idea where this was going, or if I even liked his yarn having never used it.  But I did know he was wildly popular, and that everything he touched seemed to turn to gold.

This one collaboration turned into a friendship and eventually he approached me about his idea for an In-House Design Team.  Immediately I accepted and got to work on the Fall '11 Collection, and soon thereafter he launched the fingering weight companion to Shelter aptly named Loft.  And then we started working on the launch collection for Loft.  And then we began the Spring Thaw collection soon thereafter.  It was exhilirating and an incredible learning experience.  But, I knew I couldn't do both that much longer.  The balance was becoming skewed, and I knew I had to make a choice soon.

Now, finally, I felt ok to truly plan for my departure.  I knew I wasn't running away from something - I knew I wasn't just leaving my job because I was frustrated, or didn't like it, or hated the project I was on.  I was leaving because I had something better to do.  I finally had my alternative, and I finally had a plan.  I realized how important it was to make sure I wasn't running away from something.  Rather, I was running to something better.  It was important  for me to make sure this experience was positive, not negative.

Stay tuned for Pt. II & III... I'll be writing about making the actual change and working from home for yourself.

Woolly Invasion

Campaign for Wool, a nonprofit organization created to spread woolly goodness across these lands, set up shop in Bryant Park last Thursday.  It was such a delight to see sheep hanging out in the middle of NYC.  I'm not exactly sure what kind of journey these sheep had to make in order to get here, but some looked mighty tired.

I was a little worried about these guys.  But I soon realized they were simply staking their claim to the best spot - next to the hay.  As soon as their caretaker came out with a fresh bale of hay, everyone perked up.

And they all gathered round for the feast.  (I wish I got that excited for dried grass.)

Some others seemed more interested in the water.

And some just thought all the pushing and commotion most uncivilized.

After I visited the sheep, I walked over to the Knitty City crew who were giving out free knitting lessons and lending out yarn and needles to those who had time to knit up a square for a charity blanket.  Before I sat down, I noticed the backs of each chair had a lovely Harris Tweed coverlet.

See how wool makes everything so lovely?

For those of you unfamiliar with Bryant Park, it is the park that sits behind the beautiful New York City Library.  In front of the library, facing the east, are the two infamous NYC Library Lions, Patience & Fortitude.  When I left the festivites and walked out of the westside of the park, I was faced with some sheep, no doubt, giving the lions a run for their money.

It was such a treat to have sheep in this big bustling city.  I still dream of the day when sheep can inhabit Sheep's Meadow in Central Park once again.

Young Designers' Talk at Knitty City

You may or may not know this, but I adore Knitty City.  Let me count the ways:

1)  When I only knew how to cast on, knit, purl and cast off, Pearl hired me to work as a sales associate.

2)  If you're having a bad day, you can plop yourself down at the back table and I guarantee someone will make you giggle, most likely at yourself.

3)  The store is oozing with yarn.  And I mean that literally.  It's not for the faint of heart. 

4)  When Pearl was deciding on the logo, she liked it because it kind of looked like a pizza.

5)  The staff has been known to be the friendliest in "the city".  I'd like to make an argument for "the world".

6)  It's open 7 days a week.

7)  Usually you'll find a canine friend napping on the floor at the back table.

8)  There is ALWAYS someone there, employee or customer, to help you decide on color and/or yarn, or interpret a pattern.

9)  It has the best selection of Madelinetosh yarn.

10)  They think I'm "young"!

They've asked me to speak as part of their Young Designers' Talk series.  So I'll be there on Thursday, October 4th at 6pm.  Come hang out with us - it'll sure to be tons of fun!  I'll be talking about my transition from a full-time job in Corporate America, to freelancing as a knitwear designer.  And, I'll be sure to chat about some of my latest designs. 

Wellwood

Personally, I have to do a lot of warming up before I can sit down and think about a design.  I really don’t know how other designers approach their collections or individual pieces.  I know some start with the actual garment in their head and fill in the pieces from there.  But I’m realizing I like to start small and work out.

Usually, I start with the yarn.  Fortunately I work with the same yarn most of the time.  But when I don’t and have to familiarize myself with the fiber, I start simply with a lot of touching and tugging.  I really like to figure out whether or not the fiber has any elasticity and if so, how much.  Since my preferred fiber is 100% wool, I always compare it to that.  I don’t think there’s any other natural fiber as elastic as wool.  I don’t know if elastic is the right word, but natural wool has that natural “give” that lends enough flexibility to each stitch as you work it, and the right amount of body to a knit garment.

It’s easy to love Shelter and Loft.  To me, it’s the perfect starting point.  And they invite me to use them and work with them.  Of course not every single stitch pattern is going to work with these yarns.  Because of their gentle ply, the wool naturally blooms as you work with it and even more once it’s blocked.  It makes for the most heavenly fabric, but sometimes stitch patterns aren’t defined enough.   Knowing this, swatching is the next most essential step for me in the design process.

I’ll start by flipping through my many many stitch dictionaries and see what catches my eye.  I’ve noticed that what catches my eye on one day, isn’t necessarily what attracts me the next.  I wind up some yarn, pull out my books, plop in front of the TV and start swatching.  I can sometimes go through two skeins of yarn, just swatching away getting to know the yarn better and better with each stitch, and with each swatch.

I try not to decide whether or not I like a swatch until it’s been wet-blocked and completely dry.  Untreated, natural fibers tend to transform once they’ve been wet-blocked, so I like to hold off on any opinion until then.  They haven’t shown me their true colors yet.  So what I like to do is fill up a big bowl of water, pour some Soak wool wash in, and put it on my coffee table as I swatch.  Once I bind off, I throw the swatch in.  I’ll do this all day, sometimes two… sometimes three.

Once I’m through swatching, I let the swatches sit even longer and eventually drain the water and roll them all up in one huge swatch burrito to squeeze out the excess water.  I lay out all my blocking mats, pin them all down, totally hog up the entire dining table for the next two days and let them dry out.

When I know they’re dry I try to approach them with a fresh eye.  Sometimes I don’t even remember what I’ve swatched.  I unpin them, and pile them up and start flipping through them like I’m shopping for fabric.  This is my favorite part of the entire process.  It’s really like I’m seeing them for the first time.  There are always the clear winners.  And with the stitch pattern I used for Wellwood, it was a definite clear winner.

Once I lay out the swatches that I like, I try to imagine where they would work best.   The pattern used for Wellwood played many different parts.  A trim?  A striped band?  Just the sleeves?  Top half?  Bottom half?

But, eventually a few ideas start to really stick.  When I look at a swatch, so many ideas start to swirl, but only a few really stand out.   And to really determine what I’m going to try, I sketch out some of the ideas.  It starts to become more real that way.  The idea becomes a vision becomes reality, and you can get a better sense of how it will work.  But, more on sketching in another post.

I knew this stitch pattern wouldn’t work as an all over, at least not for me.  I thought it would end up looking too busy or too scale-y.  So I tried to refine it to an area of a garment.  And finally, the bib area of a henley was what won out.   The henley silhouette can be very sporty, even a little masculine.  It reminds me of a baseball shirt.  Anyway, I thought the patterning coupled with a deeper opening would be a nice feminine touch.

I plan to write more about how I approach design focusing on other designs in the latest BT Fall 12 collection.  If there are any would-be designers out there,  I hope to demystify the process for you by sharing my experiences and hopefully inspire you to start designing some of your own knitwear.

falling into wool

Oh. My. Gawd.  I am beyond excited right now.  I don't know where to begin.  I'll start with the obvious:  the Brooklyn Tweed Fall 12 Collection was just released!  After months of designing and production, it's finally here!  I couldn't be more proud of a collection, and for several reasons.  First, Jared and I bid a fond "see ya later" to Leila Raabe.  While she's no longer part of the Design Team, she's heading up Operations for Brooklyn Tweed.  I'm sure you can surmise that her Operations job has been growing exponentially in the past two years.  But, she has promised that she'll tease us with her designs when she gets the chance.  (I promise - I'm harassing her quite vigilantly.)  So, because of that we've welcomed two designers to the team.  And when Jared told me who was joining us, I almost jumped out of the moving car we were in!  Veronik Avery and Julie Hoover.  Done.  I need say no more. 

I couldn't be in better company, and I couldn't respect two designers more.  They are true talents and I feel humbled to have the opportunity to work with them.  But, back to why I'm so proud of this collection - I think it's amazing to put a collection together of designs by 4 designers who've never worked all together before and put out something cohesive, complimentary yet unique and identifiable to each of us.  It's unfortunate that the 4 of us aren't sitting together in a big studio, day in and day out.  Imagine what we'd dream up then!  But, we make the best of it with Skype, texting, emailing and IMing... and Facebook... and Ravelry.

I'm also proud because this collection marks a very loose anniversary with BT for me.  My first collection as part of the Design Team was last year's Fall collection.  I can't believe it's been a year.  What's more unbelievable to me is that this is my 4th collection as part of the Design Team.  Wow - what a year it's been.

And what just makes me glow from the inside out, is that my Eternity Scarf is part of this collection.  Oh, how I love this Scarf.  It's what started it all for me.  It was my very first self-published design that I posted onto Ravelry on a whim.  What was once a dream to design knitwear, had become a reality and in large part due to this Scarf.  And I thank all of you who've bought the pattern.  You don't know how much it means to me.  So, the special edition BT version of the Eternity Scarf has three sizes - the neckwarmer, the long cowl (like the original), and an extra long version (which will fit over men's heads). 

© Brooklyn Tweed/Jared Flood

All of you who've bought this pattern on Ravelry in the past, will receive this version for free as an update.

Speaking of accessories that I love - the Fade Slouchy Hat.  All I wanted was a cool looking hat that I would wear day in and day out once the weather got cold.  With its ombre effect, it just makes it so much more special than a store-bought version.  I had so much fun experimenting with all the different combinations of colors.  I really really encourage you to play around.  I can't wait to see everyone's versions!  And I'm not exaggerating when I say this - 3 hours.  It takes around 3 hours to knit this hat.  And I'm not a fast knitter.  It is THE perfect gift... although, you'll probably want to keep it for yourself when you're done.  One color combination that didn't make it to the photo shoot is a "gray" version.  It's Fossil, Sweatshirt and Soot.  And while the colors don't bleed quite as naturally from one to the other, I still love it.

 

In addition to the two accessories, I designed 3 sweaters that I thought would be perfect for this transitional period.  While it's gotten cooler here, it's still pretty warm during the day (and don't get me started on the humidity.)  I just love these sweaters.  I really wanted to design sweaters that were instantly nostalgic.  I hope you can see yourselves in them for a long time, fast becoming your favorite... an old friend.

I plan on writing a post on each sweater to give you some detailed insights into each piece and a bit on my design process.  So please come back and take a look!

I hope you've enjoyed the Look Book on Brooklyn Tweed's site and I hope you like these pieces as much as we do.