10 Weeks and Counting…
In February I hung a big whiteboard on the wall of my office and neatly planned out my projects for the months leading up to TNNA in June. I had 4 or 5 new designs scheduled, and felt that I was on track. Each design had a timeline in a different colored marker, etc. Well, in the past few days I’ve been immobilized by fear and panic as I realized that I’m down to about 10 weeks and my schedule has fallen to pieces. One design has been put on hold till after the show because I found out that I should be releasing fall and winter designs at the June show instead of summer ones. Duh, newbie exhibitor mistake. Another design is about 65% knitted up and was going great until I got bogged down in my Excel spreadsheet and had to take a break from it. (I love using spreadsheets to do my sizing calculations, but sometimes I make things more complicated than they need to be…I think I get carried away with the coolness of writing a formula for even the smallest segment of a calculation.)
Another problem has been that I prefer designing garments with interesting or unusual construction lately, and those take more time. I’ve belatedly realized that I need to crank out some simple, straightforward designs pronto! Other designers seem to say that their simplest designs are often their bestsellers, so maybe I have to alter my vision for my designs slightly so I’ll be able to do more of them. I read on another designer’s blog that she’s got at least a half dozen new designs in the works for the June show, so I feel very inefficient right now. And to make matters worse, panic makes it much harder for me to stay focused, so the problem is compounded.
Yesterday I decided that a change of scenery would do me good. I tend to stay shut upstairs in my office too much, sometimes not even leaving the house for days. So I raided my stash for some yarns I thought would inspire me, tossed them in a tote bag with my sketch book and colored pencils, a bunch of knitting needles, and a few other things, and got in the car. In the summer I often go to the park and work at a picnic table, but that’s not an option when the temps are in the 30’s. So I ended up sitting in the parking lot of Starbucks with my soy chai, swatching and sketching out ideas for relatively simple patterns. (A change of scenery is a change of scenery, ya know!) I came up with something I really love, and it’s on the needles now. If I can get this pattern written in the next week or so I’ll feel better about getting back on track for the show.
We’re having houseguests this weekend, so that will force me to take a bit of a break to relax, and hopefully next week will see lots more progress. I need to start yoga or meditation to keep myself calm and focused. I don’t want the weeks leading up to the show to be filled with stress and worry…I want to enjoy this exciting experience! Wish me luck.
