What is it with magicians and rabbits? I’m such a nerd that I started wondering about my own rhetorical question, and Googled it—nothing conclusive. If it’s just for the shock of pulling a live critter out of an empty hat, why doesn’t a magician go for a squirrel every now and then? Or maybe a …
Designer Tip #4: Watch Those Swatches!
Yarn crafts are not instant-gratification enterprises (okay, maybe they can be), and neither is knit/crochet design. And, as discussed in Designer Tip #3, rejection happens. If you’ve been at the designing game for a little while, chances are you’ve got a pile of swatches in your closet or at the bottom of your yarn bin. …
Designer Tip #3: Have a Backup Plan
For designers, rejections are a part of life; simply punch “knit/ crochet design rejection” into your favorite search engine for a wealth of musings, cries, and groanings of varied length. They’re a nasty shock for a young designer and nobody finds them easy to deal with (anyone who says otherwise, as Westley would have it, …
Designer Tip #2: Don’t Be a Diva
While as an opera student, I can’t help but resent the associations of the word diva a little, the simple fact is that opera singers, knitting/crochet designers, human beings, and like characters tend to live up to it pretty well. And chihuahuas. (If you’re viewing this in an email, click ‘view in browser’ and you’ll …
Designer Tip #1: Put Together A Professional Proposal
Did you know that Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride & Prejudice was originally titled First Impressions? While far less catchy than the title that eventually supplanted it, it will serve us well as a useful illustration. I bring it up for two reasons. First, as a working title First Impressions is actually an accurate representation …