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Knitting hobby turns into business |
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Monday, 16 June 2008 |
by LINDSAY TIGAR
Contributing Writer
Knitting isn’t just your grandmother’s pastime anymore.
Just ask sophomore finance and banking major, Katie E. Splawn.
In November 2007, Splawn started her own knitting business, Must Keep Knitting.
“I started dying yarn last summer and didn’t have enough room to keep it all for myself, so my family suggested I [start] selling it, along with patterns I design,” she said.
 Sophomore finance and banking major, Katie E. Splawn, spins her own yarn in her room and dyes it. Splawn has her own business called Must Keep Knitting. Photo by Jameykay Young
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Contrary to knitting stereotypes, Splawn believes there is a little bit of a crafter in everyone.
“There are young knitters and old knitters; those who knit socks and
those that knit sweaters,” she said. “There are knitters that drink
while knitting or listen to music while knitting. Some knit for others
and some knit only for themselves…”
Splawn joined the handmade community, etsy.com, and now hosts the site mustkeepknitting.etsy.com.
On her Web site, Splawn sells everything from hand dyed wool and cotton
to stitch markers, jewelry, clothespins, picture frames and destash.
Prices range from $2.50 to $30.
Splawn learned to knit last year from a neighbor in her residence hall.
“My neighbor last year, Diana Mumford taught me and a few friends to
knit,” she said. “It was a great way for a group of freshman girls to
get to know each other.”
Through practice and determination, Splawn has seen her skills mature.
“I went from working with one color on a scarf to making multicolor
bags and blankets within a few months,” she said. “I’ve also managed to
teach a few people to knit.”
Many opportunities are available to those who would like to learn how to knit for both men and women.
“It’s not only girls that knit, plenty of guys do it too,” she said. “I
would suggest to anyone wanting to get involved in knitting to join an
online community like knittinghelp.com, or ravelry.com –or to ask the
next person they see knitting for lessons.”
Splawn has several plans for where she’d like to see her business go.
“I have huge aspirations for my business,” she said. “My short term
goal is to move off etsy.com and sell directly from my own Web site.”
Eventually, Splawn would like to make her living through different avenues in her craft.
“I want to live on a farm and open a bed and breakfast for knitters,”
she said. “There would be a yarn store in the barn and classes
throughout the day that visitors could attend. I also would garden to
make natural dyes, and of course, [have] some sheep and alpacas.”
Splawn has broke even, but then bought a spinning wheel in hopes to turn profit.
She still feels she has a way to go before making profit.
Splawn blogs about her experience at mustkeepknitting.wordpress.com.
For knitting lessons: Contact Katie Splawn, or visit mustkeepknitting.etsy.com.
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