I write articles, mostly IT related, design websites, copy edit for local businesses, and, of course, design and teach knitting. I love my job. I'm constantly learning new skills and have a wide array of contacts both locally and through the internet. Freelancing is also the most difficult thing I've ever done.
I'm a planner. By nature, I prefer to know exactly where my next pay check is coming from and when it will hit the bank. I gave up this stability when I decided to continue freelancing instead of looking for a position with a company. But I've gained a lot. I can rearrange my schedule and spend time with my surviving grandparents. My grandfather's 91 and my grandmother (his wife) is 88. I value every moment I share with them, even when my grandmother calls in a panic about her bizarre computer problems. I was able to visit my other grandmother before she passed away this year. Being able to sit with her and visit while she still knew me is a memory I will always treasure. So yes, I gave up a lot when I made this choice, but what I gained more than makes up for what I lost.
My first ball of yarn was a scratchy wool the color of day-old mustard. It came with some old burlap and a plastic darning needle. That was my embroidery set--a gift from Mema to help keep me occupied while I was in the hospital. I was four and the very first thing I made was a "bird" that I gave to a toddler on the ward. (Okay, it was random stitches, but in my mind, it was a bird.) About three years later (1989), Mema put a pair of knitting needles in my hands and the old mustard wool, leftovers from a 1970s sweater she never finished, became afghans and bedspreads for BarbieTM and a very hideous skirt for Dolly Jane that was held on with safety pins. (Even back then, I created my own patterns.)
I like to think I improved over the years, but there were many misses, including a scarf for my mother that fit perfectly around my child-sized neck. Like everything else I made, it was also mustard yellow. (It took me several years to get through those 8 balls of wool and no one would get me anything else until I used up what I had.)
I stuck to scarfs and hats until I was 15, when I made my first sweater, which was never worn. Thick, wool sweaters and Georgia heat don't mix. Socks didn't happen until I was 18 and away at college for the first time. Since then, I've made dozens of socks, sweaters, scarfs, hats, and gloves. Most of which I gave away as gifts. Sometimes, I find a remnant from one of those projects and wish I'd taken photos of it before I gave it away. Nearly all of them were original designs. To date, the project I'm most proud of is a pair of socks I made for Granny. They were pure cashmere from Hunt Valley Cashmere, a small Maryland farm.
The pretty lace pattern meant she could wear them anywhere without shoes. (She was in a wheelchair by this point.) The socks laced up the front so they could be adjusted for days when her feet swelled. When she passed away, my aunt gave them to her mother-in-law who had admired them and has similar feet issues. I'm pleased someone still has a use for them.
I have several knitting patterns scheduled for publication and recently published the "Little Windows Hat" in Petite Purls, Fall 2009. I'm also teaching several classes at Creative Yarns in Macon, GA.
My knitting needles are part of my freelancing business. I believe making my entire living with them would burn me out, so I will probably continue to mix knitting with my other passions.
Words are my paintbrush and I find myself enjoying both technical and creative writing. I've published several technical articles with the most recent being "Back It Up", published in the Freelance Writer's Report, August 2009, and I have several others scheduled for publication. I enjoy writing and sharing what I learn with others. My Knitter's Guide to Inkscape series is an example of the sort of detailed, technical writing I do. While it's a little more informal than the tutorials I write for local businesses and software, the tone suits the overall tone of this site better than the staid voice used for most tutorials.
Editing, particularly copy editing, is also a service I provide my clients. When the client's the expert, not me, it makes sense for them to write their own copy and use me as an extra set of eyes. I don't specialize in SEO copy editing. That is an entirely separate field from what I do. I read for commas, misspelled words, and readability, not Google.
With web copy, I do make some recommendatations about adding keywords and writing a little more for the search engine, but I personally despise web pages that are written solely for spiders. It's great that Google can crawl your page and understand that you used the word "knitting" 20 times on the home page so this must be a knitting site. But I'm not a search spider, I'm human. Clunky keyword usage turns me off as a reader. With more and more sites, including Slate, focusing on acquiring and retaining a group of dedicated readers, I'm not convinced writing solely for the search engines has much of a future.
I don't describe myself as a coder. Yes, I can and do code, but what I'm best at is helping you evaluate your business needs and find open source software that meets your needs. Be it a wiki, a content management system, an operating system (other than Microsoft Windows), or finding a replacement for exisiting mission critical software, such as Microsoft Word, Dreamweaver, or Photoshop, I can help. If there isn't an alternative or my tests reveal the alternative is unusable, I will tell you.
For example, GIMP isn't a viable alternative to Photoshop, yet. Why? The current stable release version of GIMP doesn't have 16-bit color support, which you need for photoediting. The next version will have it. When it acquires complete 16-bit support, it is a viable alternative, not before. For web graphics, they are equals. It really depends on what you need them for. For photo editing, stick with Photoshop.
Small business owners frequently don't have the time or the knowledge to completely evaluate open source solutions. In some cases, this means you get locked in to proprietary formats that require you to spend buckets of cash on upgrades. Sometimes the format can leave you hanging if the software company you depend on goes out of business. In others, it means you find an open source solution and install it only to learn later it doesn't completely work for you. I can help with both scenarios, but the final decision is always yours.
I don't publish pending publication dates, magazine names, and/or article names until after the piece has been published. This extends to "secret projects" (i.e. accepted knitting patterns). I may write about the trials of a secret project on occassion. When I do, it will only be in general terms. Details will not be provided until after the publication date.