 Happy 2019!
I, for one, am kinda pleased to see the back of 2018. It was a tough year, for many people I think, not just me. There were some highlights, like the outstanding success of Bohemia Gothic that took me by surprise! There were also times when I was ready to burn everything to the ground. It’s an interesting thing reaching four years in business. About one in ten small businesses fail in their first year and 70% don’t make it to year five. I wonder if that’s because after working pretty much 24/7 trying to get things off the ground and growing for so long, the owner finally hits the wall. This yarn business has been a steep learning curve! Just when I think I have a handle on everything the next challenge presents itself. I guess that’s partly why it’s so much fun. It’s also hard work, exhausting, and sometimes frustrating as hell. To be honest, it sometimes feels like some kind of endurance sport that’s a cross between mountain climbing and base jumping! You spend a whole lot of time slogging up the cliff face to where you think you want to be. Then you find when you get there you actually have to take a big leap of faith and hope that you land safely, so that you can start climbing all over again. I spend a big chunk of my time making decisions that have a lot of zeroes attached to them. It’s both exhilarating and terrifying! I’ve been doing a lot of that in the last 6 months, so while things have looked pretty quiet for Outlaw Yarn since the launch of Gothic, I’ve actually been really busy behind the scenes planning for this year. Part of this planning has involved making some tough decisions, driven in part by the rising raw materials costs that have hit all of us yarnies. It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye to some favourites. But pressure creates diamonds, right? So, 2019 is a year of change for Outlaw. A lot of change… in fact, at last count, it’s about 48 new things, which includes 2 new yarns, and I haven’t even counted a whole new brand in those numbers! That’s a lot of jumping off cliffs. Hope you will join me for the ride!
Amy
8/1/2019 04:43:56 pm
Yay - can't wait to see what 2019 brings for Outlaw! Hope you have managed some relaxing time over the holidays!
Sue-Ann
8/1/2019 05:34:50 pm
I hope this year is a resounding success 😊 I hope all the hard work and worry pays off for you xx
Clare
9/1/2019 12:24:12 am
Miss you rockstar, and shamelessly rooting for you on the sidelines. My favourite part is watching you jump, cause you always find your own slipstream, landing elegantly just where you need to be for your next daring manoeuvre.
Karin Mainwaring
9/1/2019 12:20:02 pm
You're so right about the behind the scenes stuff.
Catherine
23/2/2019 03:45:30 pm
Very excited to see what 2019 brings in the way of Outlaw yarn. If things get tough, please remember that your yarn is the absolute best. I don't do jewellery or facials or designer clothes or big SUVs but I do do yarn. Some of us are quite prepared to pay a premium price for a premium product. I am a slooooow knitter and as I invest so much time into my knitting, I am prepared to spend a decent amount to get the best yarn. Keep up the hard work; you have a great eye for colour and you only have to browse through Ravellry to know that I'm not the only one. 22/4/2019 05:48:25 pm
Gothic was the main story for you to tell. Well whatever it is, I am happy to see that there past year had been a productive one for you! Actually, I wasn't expecting that I would experienced the same as yours because 2018 starred roughly as expected for me. But God has his own ways of turning the table, and that's the perfect thing we can be thankful of! I would love to see more styles and designs from you. I know that your creativity will fuel your passion to curate more!
Alex
5/5/2019 10:27:20 pm
Just cast on my second project using Outlaw yarn. You are now officially my favourite yarn to knit with. Never splits, doesn't pill, feels super soft, is all natural. Thank you for creating such glorious yarn. Can't wait for more colours! Comments are closed.
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AuthorHi I'm Deb and I'm a yarn addict. Probably helpful since I'm the CEO (Chief Enabling Officer!) of Outlaw Yarn. Archives
April 2020
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