Warning: this post is mostly personal stuff, but there is a knitting offering at the end.
You know how there are thoughts that occur to you as you get older--the ones that you previously thought unthinkable? Moving out of your home (into a retirement home or in with one of your kids)? Cutting your hair really really short? Getting rid of your car? Retiring? You see people around you doing these things, but you don't feel ready--and don't suppose you ever will be?
And then . . . the thing kinda sneaks up on you . . . and you give it a little more thought . . . and before you know it, you start thinking it's time to do this! And once that thought occurs, you can't go back! It actually becomes something you look forward to!
So, I did the first of these (the house thing) a year ago: I now share a renovated home with my daughter.
And I did the second two things a month ago: I both cut my hair (pixie cut) and got rid of my car. (Doing the first contributed to the second. How, you might ask? If you have really short hair, you can take off a bike helmet and still feel presentable. So biking it--spring, summer, fall--makes giving up the car possible. Mind you, the winter is a whole other matter. Do you remember last winter???? Might have to re-think the car thing then.)
And so, now, for the third: yes, I am preparing to retire. Not from knitting, not from writing patterns. But I have definitely retired from writing books. And I am preparing to retire from travelling to teach.
About the books . . . I am primarily a teacher, and everything I know about knitting has appeared in one book or another--especially the last one. If I simply want to publish patterns, I will do so on Ravelry. Besides, I am a grandmother three times over, and that is incompatible with book deadlines.
About the travelling to teach . . . I was stuck in Little Rock, Arkansas, for 3 days of freezing rain, over my 64th birthday. I have nothing against Little Rock: the people are lovely (offered birthday cupcakes at the yarn shop, took me out to dinner, took me to see the Clinton Library which was so impressive I cried). But I have really bad luck with travel--delays, cancellations, missed connections, delayed luggage, weather--and I think I am getting too old to deal with it all.
Talking to my family from the Holiday Inn in Little Rock, I realized that one year from that day I could retire. And once the thought occurred, I was hooked!
Well, not completely: I would miss the students and the yarn shops and the events. But I will not miss the airports and hotel beds and the few days at home between. So my plan is to do maybe 6 gigs a year? Mostly the biggies--like Vogue Live, and Madrona--plus trips to wonderful places, plus whatever else comes my way. But again, no more than 6 gigs a year. My fall is still pretty full, but after that . . . we shall see. There is not much on my calendar for 2015.
And--here's why this particular post today--I will continue to teach for Craftsy! I have had one class (Intarsia) available for 6 months, and I am very grateful for the nearly 1400 students who have signed up. (Who knew so many would want to learn this relatively demanding technique!)
And now my second class is about to launch: Essential Techniques Every Knitter Should Know. This is based upon my, arguably, most popular class (Essential Skills), and I am thrilled they asked me to put it on their platform.
As long as this class is out there, I feel that my best work is available. And I feel like I can stop all that travelling. You can get the information from the comfort of your home, and I can sleep in my own bed!
So, for any of you interested, here is a coupon you can click for a really big discount. I hope you will check it out! And I hope to see you at some of the gigs I will still be doing. (I think you have to copy and paste the following line to get to the class and use the discount.)
www.craftsy.com/ext/SallyMelville_3997_H
