Kiss My Knits!

The Jayne hat list stands at 42 hats waiting to be knitted. Assuming I knit a hat every two days, that’s a 12 week wait. In fact, of course, I knit them faster, and that wait is only about ten weeks, but still. That’s ridiculous.

www.wearwithstyle.com is closed to new orders until February 10th (the day after my birthday). If someone’s already contacted me but hasn’t decided whether they’re ordering, I’ll take them. New inquiries will be asked to call me back when I’m out of the tub. I’ll be putting up a note on the site expressing this.

I’m thinking about going to limited signup windows, but let’s see what a little break from new orders does to whittle the line down first. Every year I think the demand will die down, but every year there seem to be more and more Browncoats, and the wait gets longer. It’s amazing, and wonderful. Of course there will come a day when that last order comes in and it’ll all be over, but that day doesn’t seem to be coming soon.

In addition to the practical matter of needing to get more caught up, there’s also a more intangible issue. I am a creative person and I HAVE KNIT THE SAME HAT 500+ TIMES IN A ROW. To be a Jayne hat, it has to look exactly like a Jayne hat. It’s not like I can throw some cabling in there, or stick a knitted spout on the side and call it a teapot hat. I’d like to have the freedom to make a few non-Jayne things and not feel guilty because I really should be getting caught up on the list. I had someone write and ask if they could order a Space Invaders hat for someone’s birthday a month away, and I had to turn them down. Broke my heart.

Finally, those suggesting that Pat’s quilt plays a part in this wouldn’t be wrong. I’ve promised scarves and slippers and dolls to friends and family members, but they’ve been on the back burner for far too long. I promised my father a Charlie Brown sweater last year for his birthday. His birthday’s coming up again next week. You can see how the sweater’s coming. I’ve swatched for gauge and done the math to figure out the stripe placement and the number of stitches to cast on. IT’S BEEN A YEAR. That’s just unacceptable. And bless my dad’s heart, he always says, “Well, I know your paid orders have to come first, you take your time, it’s okay.” Yeah, but I shouldn’t have to backburner a project for my own father to make the 600th hat for a total stranger. That’s nuts.

So I’m taking baby steps in cutting the hats back to a more reasonable level. When wearwithstyle returns, the price on a finished Jayne hat to the U.S. or Canada will also rise to $40. Brown Sheep has raised its prices for my wool twice since I set my initial rates, and I need to continue to cover my expenses and also maintain my enthusiasm for this.

Don’t get me wrong. I love knitting the Jayne hats. I enjoy talking to people from around the world who share my love of Firefly. I like helping many of the people who buy the kits to knit their very first hat. And, on a less noble level, It’s fun having the tiniest possible level of celebrity within the already tiny groups of geek knitters and Firefly fans. I don’t see myself giving up Jayne hats. But if I’m going to keep at it, I need a break.

Hats up for: Alberta, Texas, and Texas.