Mistakes
November 23rd, 2009
I got home from the show last night around 9, and I was pretty much exhausted. I was very glad to get home and see Mike & my kitties and sleep in my own bed. I actually went to bed around 10:30 and decided to read a chapter of my book first. Mike came to bed later and found me snoozing under the binkies with all the lights on. I wanted to turn the light off, but getting over to the switch seemed like a long & perilous journey.
So the show was….well, it was pretty much the same as every year. People don’t always get my stuff, and I’m honestly OK with that. I don’t need every person that looks at my things to fawn over them. I am not a knitter because I want to make tons of money. I knit because I really enjoy it and I love to make interesting & unusual things. If you don’t like my stuff, that’s ok, I understand that everyone has different tastes and different styles. But sometimes people are just rude, and it floors me. My last post was about the Estonia Cowl. I just finished it before leaving for the show & I was really happy with it. The colors are really rich, and I thought the asymmetrical shape was interesting and unique. So at the show, this lady tries it on. She looks in the mirror and she seems to really like it. I went over to see if she had questions and such, and she took it off and looked at it. She said “This is kind of a weird shape.” I said “Yes, it’s asymmetrical. It gives it a little more unique look than just a rectangle and adds a bit of interest.” She looked at me and said “So, did you mess it up or is it supposed to be like that?” Ummm, listen skank, you aren’t allowed to buy it anyway, so step. That’s what I wanted to say, but I didn’t. Instead, after her rude comment, she actually had the nerve to buy it anyway, and then ask for my card in case she wanted me to make her another one. Which I think actually pissed me off even more. I had another incident with my Frenzy Scarf, where a lady didn’t understand why it was made with different yarns and not consistently the same all the way through. She assumed I ran out of yarn and just decided to finish it with something else. Nope, I meant to do that. She didn’t buy it but she chose another one that WAS consistently the same yarns. Anyway, people are rude. I suppose it’s hard for anyone that makes things, and is passionate about them, to sit there and listen while others pick them apart and complain that the price is too high, or the color is ugly, or that they don’t get it so I must have made a mistake. But for all the rude people, there were also plenty of people who did like my work and understand it and even love it. I sold a scarf to a lady who loved it so much that she insisted on wearing it out even though it was way too warm outside for a scarf. Another lady was so in love with a felted tote bag, but decided not to get it because she had just bought a nice purse recently and couldn’t justify it. She ended up coming back to get it because she liked it so much and just couldn’t pass it up. So I guess you have to take the good with the bad. And the good makes me feel like a rockstar, so those rude people can suck it.
I also made those four beautiful alpace lace shawls, and I never sold even one of them! I was asking $38 for them, which I know is a more than fair price. I probably should have been asking more. But on Friday, nobody even seemed interested in them. So on Saturday, I bit the bullet and marked them down to $28, and added a big sign that said “SALE! Alpaca Lace Shawls only $28, Reg. $38″ but I still never got any interest in them and never sold any. It’s such a drag because I think they turned out so beautiful! I think I’ll give them as holiday gifts, and maybe even keep one for myself. Although I always say I will keep something and I never do. In the winter, I can barely scrounge up a handknit scarf to wear! But you know, Michael Kors has been making amazing menswear for years, and everytime I see him, he is always wearing the same black suit and black shirt. So I guess it’s not just me.
Anyway, I am so glad to be home and so glad that the long show is over again for another year. Now I have a short work week and a turkey feast to look forward to. 
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:57 PM
People are rude! At least a lot of them are but there are gems out there! I am glad that you didn’t sell the alpaca shawls at the lower price. Give them as gifts. That is worthy of that beautiful knitting. I love your designs and enjoy when you upload them to Ravelry. Just because this crowd wasn’t into your designs doesn’t mean the next won’t be. Keep on knitting and rocking!