Hello, lovely knitters.
It’s been ages since we’ve talked – again.
We last spoke in early March last year, just after Kate came on board and just before the COVID shutdowns arrived. I had 3 different projects on the needles, regular business travel that gave me the chance to make steady progress on them, and a corporate position that allowed for meaningful side projects.
Since then… well, 2020 was a whirlwind of a year despite me being home for the longest stretch in more than 20 years. In June, I started a new position closer to home at Travelers. In September, I started an MBA program for mid-career executives at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. All within the surroundings of an unprecedented year of figuring out how to do everything without being physically close to anyone. I now have five projects on the needles, and seemingly no time to work on any of them – nor do I have the mental energy to pursue much outside of family, work, and school.
Which is why it took me so long to notice that in the fall, Amy Herzog Designs passed the unhappy milestone of no longer being able to pay for itself. And so despite a very heavy heart, I will be closing it down, along with CustomFit, on 15 February.
I have practical thoughts about this, and more general thoughts.
Practically speaking, this means:
- If you’re not a CustomFit knitter, but you do want one of my traditional patterns, now is the time to get them (and download any you’ve already purchased). I will try to make sure that they’re all up on Ravelry before I take my own shop down, but (a) I might not get to them all, (b) I know Rav’s new design causes problems for some knitters, and (c) I won’t have a customer support email address to help you navigate things.
- Relatedly, there are some new traditional patterns in the shop: The last feature I added to CustomFit was the ability to create traditional graded patterns from CustomFit designs. My Spruce Point Pullover and Cypress Cove designs are currently available in multiple gauges and 12 sizes. I intend to add a few more to the shop before closing things up in February.
- If you’re a CustomFit knitter, now is the time to create those patterns and download them. As of February 16, you will no longer be able to access them.
- If you’re a current CustomFit subscriber, please check your email. There are specific instructions on how we’re handling the shutdown of subscriber accounts.
The ultra-short summary for list-skimmers is that since neither the shop nor CustomFit will exist on February 16, now is the time to download PDFs of all of your patterns – and create any custom patterns you’ve purchased but not finalized yet.
More generally:
Closing a business is never an easy decision. That’s especially true for one that has led to as many dear friendships as this one. I could never have predicted what a wild ride this would be when I started my first knitting blog back in 2006 – or when I wrote up my first design over 10 years ago now – or when my first book was released and I started the official company back in 2013.
I’m so grateful for all of your connection and support as I took the plunge, I can’t really express how much it has meant to me to build and run a successful company on my passions for making – both software and clothes. But it has meant so much. Thank you, a thousand million times, for helping make our knitting lives (and, I hope, the ‘real’ lives we create around and with our knitting) richer and more successful.
I’m sorry that this phase of us chatting about our knitting is coming to an end. But, assuming that there will still be festivals and events and chatting about making online, I hope that we’ll be able to stay in touch. If you see me around, please say hi and share what you’re making?