Hello my creative maker friends!
It’s the 3 year business-aversary (business anniversary) of Lakeside Loops and I thought I’d share how I got started, what my days of writing crochet patterns look like now, and my plans for the future.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
It was 2013 and I was the happy momma to a sweet baby girl and an equally delightful 2 year old.
(This is the kind of cuteness I was dealing with)
I decided that I wanted to leave my career in finance to stay home with my little ones. My husband and I made some major changes: we sold our second vehicle, cutback on spending, and I even got rid of my cell phone! We really wanted to make it work but even with all of the savings (fuel, daycare, etc) I still needed to find odd jobs to do from home. So, I babysat, answered calls for a heating company, and eventually became a home-based travel agent (which was a lot of fun).
Every evening, once my babies were tucked into bed, I’d pull out my yarn and crochet.
I called it “Crochet O’Clock”! haha
Crocheting was my hobby. My way to unwind. My creative outlet.
My husband noticed one night that I was making notes while crocheting and asked what I was doing. I explained that I was writing down my steps so that I could make the same hat again someday. I jokingly said “I wish THIS was a job” . . . and then I literally laughed out loud!
At that time I had never heard of Ravelry (an online community where knitters, crocheters, dyers, & weavers share yarn, tools, and patterns). Magazines and books were the only places I’d ever seen a pattern. I had no idea that indie makers were offering their crochet and knit designs online. Clearly, I was living under a rock! (I’m going to blame it on the no cell phone thing)
Luckily for me my husband said:
“Maybe someone would like to have your hat instructions too . . . you never know!”
That’s how it happened . . just a simple suggestion from my favorite person and a spark was lit.
I spent the rest of the evening (and the next several months) researching. I found The Velvet Acorn, Mamachee, and so many other wonderful pattern designers who were selling the instructions for their beautiful creations independently on websites like Ravelry and Etsy.
I decided to give it a go.
I came up with a business name: Lakeside Loops (‘Lakeside’ because we live on a lake and ‘Loops’ because . . . well . . . I like alliteration). haha
I created an Instagram account to find some crochet friends and to test out my ideas before listing my first pattern.
If you want to see how much I’ve learned since my early days in business you can scroll to the beginning of my Instragram feed for a chuckle.
It took several months to finish my first design but in September 2014 I listed the ‘Carter Cable Cowl‘. (Pictured)
I made around $50 that month and was over the moon. THIS is what I wanted to do!
HOW MY DAYS LOOK NOW
Since that first pattern release I’ve poured every spare second I’ve had into designing pieces that I love and sharing the patterns. In the last 3 years I’ve created 27 designs (so around one pattern every 5-6 weeks).
Now my oldest little love is in school and my baby is going to Pre-K a couple of days each week.
My days are filled with cuddles from my youngest (who is my shadow while her sister is at school). I can occasionally get some work time in to answer emails while she plays on her own but it’s not long before my sweet 4 year old needs to tell me something very important about her teddy bear and then it’s back to mommy-mode.
On weekends my husband is either working (shift work) or we’re spending time together as a family. So, most of my work takes place in the evenings once my kiddos are in bed or during those precious hours when my youngest is at Pre-K or on an adventure with her Dad on one of his days off.
It takes me weeks to create just one pattern.
First, I get an idea or am inspired by something (you can read a post I wrote about my inspiration here). Then, I try to create what I have in my mind . . A LOT of frogging happens during this step! I write down notes as I go and eventually start typing things up. Next, I scale it and create as many different sizes/options as I can (more frogging). I calculate the yarn needed for each size, take step by step pictures, and figure out stitch counts for each row/round. More math and measuring is involved when figuring out my gauge and finished sizes. Now, the pattern needs to be tested. I record a video tutorial. Taking product pictures is always a fun challenge . . . I need to wait for the perfect light through my living room window and for my little ones to be in the right mood (some bribing may or may not be involved here). The photographs need to be edited (goodbye t-shirt stain) and the video tutorials need to be uploaded to YouTube (hello 8 hour wait). Only after all of this is the design finally ready to be shared online.
As any designer knows, it’s A LOT of work to complete just one pattern.
Lucky for me, it’s work that I really really enjoy!
HOW I HOPE THINGS GO
I truly love what I do and hope to be able to write patterns for as long as I’m able (my mind is overflowing with ideas).
I am trying to create a blog ( . . . that you’re reading right now) as another way to connect with my fellow makers. I would like to eventually share a free pattern or two, tips & tricks, yarn reviews, etc. If you have anything specific you’d like to see on my website please let me know! I would love for this to be a fun space for my like-minded maker friends to visit!
After 3 years of creating it’s been fun to reflect on how it all started and to share a bit more about Lakeside Loops with you. Thank you so very much to all those who’ve supported my designs and helped me grow along the way. I am beyond grateful.
Kind wishes,
Kimberley
