Happy Birthday Milo!

YAY!!! hip hip hooray! Milo is one!

That's milo the pattern, by the way. not the original milo boy, Toby. He's 18 months.

But milo the pattern is one, it's been just over one year since I sent him out into knitting world as a paid pattern. My first paid pattern!  What a very daunting moment that was I can tell you. I remember discussing it with Andy and telling him optimistically that I would be absolutely stoked if it sold 50 copies!! 

So how has the big step into selling patterns been for me? I must say, it was a daunting step. It is quite different than offering a free pattern, I think there is a whole new level of expectation, both from myself and the consumer.

The past year has certainly bought me a long way from the sewing side of my business, and to be honest, the knitting side is far more successful and at the moment more enjoyable and more doable.  Sewing kids clothes to sell is really only something that you can maintain for any length of time if you really enjoy and love it. I've been doing it since 2006. It's something I feel you need to come to with a passion for sewing, a love of it. Pretty much like any area of design and handcraft  really. The passion and pure enjoyment of creating is what makes the repetitiveness of handcraft business bearable. Even with passion and love for sewing, the repetitiveness does get to you after awhile. As does the reality that you really don't make much from it, really only enough to buy more supplies. I'd hate to think how many pairs of kids' pants I've made, but you know what, it was one of the first things I tackled as I'm now finding more time for sewing! And I really am enjoying sewing again for just my kiddies. Will I sell my sewn stuff again? Probably, just not this week ;)

But I digress, back to milo's first birthday...

If I were to do it all again though, I wouldn't change a thing.  I would still follow the same route I have. Getting some of my patterns out there as freebies before taking the selling route  I think was hugely beneficial. I really don't know if milo would be quite as popular as it is if it weren't for those patterns that had come before him. I truly believe that  free patterns are a great way for knitters to become familiar with your style and I do so love love love the way it really feels like I'm giving a gift back to the knitting/crafting community as a whole. I think I will always offer free patterns. In fact, I'm working on one at the moment, but it's super secret.

So how did I celebrate milo's birthday?  Well, in true knitter form I knitted a new milo for Toby, my fourteenth!

I knit this in Noro Silk Garden Lite.  While this yarn has a gorgeous texture and lovely colour changes, I am suspicious that the people at noro and kauni have some conspiracy thing going on. I'm sure they're having a big laugh about the fact that they've created such visually beautiful yarns that knitters are so will ing to desperately knit with despite the fact that they aren't actually very soft to knit with. Noro does soften with washing, but sheesh, when you're used to knitting with WOOLganics, it's a bit rude.

Far out, this little dude must surely be the cutest boy in the world!

ooh, and how cool was it that the week milo turned one (ok, I admit this birthday wish is a little belated, this post has been half written in draft form since the 6th) it also hit 1000 projects on Ravelry!!! wooo hooot!!!!!