Where to start? I’m honestly not sure. It’s been more than a minute since I last wrote here, and I am, as ever, astounded at how quickly time is moving. I am trying to take each day one at a time and focus on getting through the many changes that are coming down the pike.

At the beginning of the year, I had a feeling that 2019 would hold a lot of changes for me. Something in the back of my head kind of echoed that thought.. and here I am, in May, looking at several big changes. I can’t really go into all of it right now, but time will tell and eventually you’ll know anyway. Some of it involves the company I work for making some changes that will probably shift around what my responsibilities end up being at work. More on that stuff later because it’s still up in the air.

The biggest, most certain change that I can talk about and would like to share with you all is moving. Michael and I are hunting for a place to rent in the area that will give me the space I need to start Annie Yarn back up. I’m really excited about getting into dyeing again, but I’m also really scared because I’ve never done this whole adult-finding-a-house-and-renting-and-moving number before! So many things to think about and plan for and decide on and budget for! And, not gonna lie, part of me is scared that Annie Yarn will burn me out again or not take off. Both of those are healthy fears, I think, and will help me make more measured decisions as I move forward.

The first time around, the main reason I got burnt out was because I was trying to keep a steady income for my family after my dad passed away, and so many things depended on my ability to be creative and bring in sales. It will be so different this time, as I will continue in my job full time and then part time for as long as I need to get things rolling — and I’m not going to be the only earner in the house. Michael will keep working full time, of course.

And that kind of rolls into the second fear of it not taking off. The reason I couldn’t grow the business the first time was a combination of lack of experience and the fact that everything the business generated went into living expenses for a family of four hoomans and a doxie. There wasn’t anything set aside to invest back into the business as there should have been.

Looking back, I am glad that everything happened the way that it did because it made me stronger and wiser. I learned what it meant to work my fingers raw (literally, and more than once), and that showed me just what I’m capable of when I don’t give up. I also learned how to let go of something I loved doing, take a break, and rest. During this break from Annie Yarn I have gained invaluable experience in retail and running a business through the various jobs I’ve had in the last few years. So now, I can take the strength and wisdom I gained, mix it with that experience, and pour it all into my work going forward to create something old yet new.

Because I know I can do it again — especially being in a much better position financially and in general than I was when I was running Annie Yarn before. Having a steady paycheck from an external source that covers the bills will leave the income from Annie Yarn free to go right back into growing the business. And then as it evolves, I will transition into dyeing full time so I can can work from home. I freaking miss being able to work in shorts and a tank top! ;D

Hopefully I haven’t rambled too much and you’re still following me because I’m finally getting to the wrap-up part where I kinda talk about what I’ve got in the works. I’ll also be talking about this on my next podcast episode, so if you don’t feel like reading the rest, you can still find out by tuning in soon!

Basically what it will be like going forward is I am going to get AnnieDot Creative set up as my business name, and that will be the umbrella under which everything lives — Annie Yarn, my online shop, my knitwear designs, this blog and podcast, my freelance graphic design and branding, photography, handlettering, etc. So when I launch the shop where you’ll be buying Annie Yarn, it’ll probably be at shop.anniedotcreative.com or something similar.

Annie Yarn will be my primary yarn brand, but I am also leaving room to branch off into some other ideas I’ve got floating around as things grow and evolve. I probably won’t use the AnnieYarn.com site for much more than as a place for you to find base lists and colorway galleries and stuff like that — this blog and podcast will be used in conjunction with Instagram and an e-newsletter to keep everyone updated on the happenings at Annie Yarn.

I am hoping to grow AnnieDot as an online shop by starting with my own handmade products and then potentially beginning to bring in products from other artisans whose work fits with my aesthetic. For those of you who have been my friends and customers for years now will remember that I’d tried to do that via Woolhouse Fiber Co. but it never quite got off the ground. But more on that later — just giving you a teaser glimpse into my thoughts for now. ;)

Pretty sure I’ve covered everything, or at least given you a feel for what I’m planning. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I know it will be so worth it. I’ve missed playing with colour and creating yarn that people love working with. The satisfaction of sending my braided skeins out into the world is something I’ve gone without for long enough, and I’m ready to jump back in full force to get Annie Yarn flying again.

Thank you so much if you’ve read all of this! I don’t usually write this much in one entry, but I figured that I should go ahead and put all this out there so y’all can follow along with my adventures going forward. I’m looking forward to sharing a bit more on the podcast, and I promise I am trying to get it filmed and posted as soon as I can! With all this going on, plus the other stuff I can’t talk about yet, I’m sure you can now see why there’s been such a long delay.

Happy knitting! I’ll talk with you again soon. <3