Wednesday 21 April 2010

Secret Identity

A few people asked me questions about the yarn filled background in some photographs, and today I accidently commented on a sewing blog with my alternate identity (I feel like a secret agent all of a sudden) so I thought I should spill all.
I have a real job, ie, one that required far too much study, and professional registration and earns me an income.
However, last year, when my youngest child started grade 1, my husband was making noises about my day off. I was working 40 hours or so a week at the time, and although I like my job, the thought of doing more of the same with the "extra" day did not appeal to me.
So I started working on a shop. I do not like my husband to think I am not sufficiently busy :). Originally, I thought it might be a fabric shop, but rapidly decided that I did not want sewing to become a job. I chose another hobby, knitting, to be my folly instead, and have opened a yarn shop. ( I have snuck in some haberadashery and smocking supplies, I just love buying it wholesale!)
I did think about writing about starting this business on my blog, but I really don't want this blog to be one with advertising. All my opinions on this blog are from a consumer standpoint, and I am not writing much about the knitting here, other than as it applies to my family's wardrobe. I find sewing an absorbing and productive hobby, and want to keep it that way.
I started another blog about the shop. I work in the shop a little, but as I have been very fortunate in finding excellent employees to do this for me, I am concentrating on the purchasing- and- earning- enough- money- at- my- other- job- to- pay wages- side- of- the- new- business. Hopefully it will earn enough money to pay for itself eventually, and if it doesn't, then all that lovely yarn will indeed become my stash. At the moment, it belongs to the shop. I dont' think I will be writing about it here.

6 comments:

sewing spots said...

Nifty! How great to have two sides to your 'professional' life--the serious and the fun! Trying to maintain a certain anonymity while still enjoying the freedom that blogging and the internet provide us to share our creative ventures can be tricky, secret agent! haha! Congrats on the shop-I'm sure we all we wish we could do the same-I know I do!

Mary Nanna said...

My sister once said, "people compare blogging to going out onto the street and inviting everyone back into your living room. In fact, it's more like turning on the light in the living room, opening the curtains and letting every passerby have a good gawk."

I loved that description because it reminded me how important it is to keep good blog boundaries.

You've done well to keep your secret so long. Now the photo makes sense! How very entrepreneurial of you to run your own shop..hope it goes well for you.

katherine h said...

My goodness, that sounds like a lot of work for your day off...when do you do the groceries, the washing etc etc. And from memory, you also have a cycling blog, so it is not like you are foregoing the exercise. I am impressed at your efficiency. I must spend too much time day-dreaming.

I also am pleased that you have a separate blog for the shop, because I have noticed that the feel of a blog changes once people link it to a commercial enterprise.

It is funny, just this morning I was thinking about knitting a scarf, but I hardly know how to knit, and was wondering about what sort of yarn to buy. I'll have to send an email to your stitch bliss address with all my questions!

Carol said...

Clearly I am not very observant. The yarn shots didn't really register with me. Hope all goes well for you. I wouldn't be game enough to do that because I would want to keep everything and as I am on a mission to knit my entire 25 year old knitting yarn stash as it is, having access to that much yarn would create an RSI problem worse than the one I already have. You must be very strong. Do you spend your days there fondling the Jo Sharp Alpaca?

kbenco said...

:). Yes, every time I get a new box of yarn I spend a lot of time patting it.

Vicki said...

When do you get the time to sew then? 40 hours "real job" working four days and then a shop, and a family. Sheesh! You must have a lot of energy and motivation. When I am at work I think of all the things I will do when I get home but then when I do get home I sit on the couch with my DD's. And then it is bed time.....