Off to a rocky start, lol.

So, last night after I finally quit working on my final projects for the evening (the ones due today by 11:59pm...that still arent' finished...and I'm typing this blog instead of working on them...yeah, those), I sat down and finished my second sleeve for Takoma.  The 3rd chart section looked a little odd, and I kept looking at it trying to figure out why it seemed different, but I just kept happily working on it and after binding off, I laid it next to the 1st sleeve, and found this mess.  Really?!?  Really.  So I guess I get to spend another day ripping all the way back to that part and reknitting it in the correct color combo, cause there's just no way I can get away with leaving the sleeve like that, lol.  Oh well.  Chalk it up to user error.

In other news, I heard back already on one of the submission I sent out and unfortunately they did not choose to use my design.  They were very kind, letting me know that they loved my work, and hope to work with me on a future project.  They just got so many submissions for this project, and lots of them were the same type of project I'd submitted (but mine is crocheted and the project actually says "knits" in the title so I'm assuming they put priority on knit designs, which makes perfect sense and I would have done the same).  To be honest, I don't even know if they were accepting crocheted designs (the submission call didn't say) so I was taking a risk by sending it out, but what's the worst that can happen?... they say 'no'?  Well, they said 'no', and I feel okay with that.  Maybe it's because I've really thought this project through, and I created my strongest submission yet so I know I did my best work and I'm proud of it.  So I know that not being chosen wasn't personal.  I can see it from a business perspective, and I get it.   And maybe it's because I'm an independent designer and I have another option for it :) 

So, with that in mind, I've decided to give you all a glimpse into what I go through as a designer to get a design written, a sample knit (or crocheted in this case) and tested, and to get it promoted.  It's an "all access backstage pass" if you will.  Keep in mind, this is only my process, and other designers may work in a totally different (and more efficient, or logical) way.  I'll be working on this design over the next month or so, (with breaks for Holiday Knitting and the inevitable school work), and sharing it all with you!  So enjoy, and try not to judge too harshly, lol.