Real business CAN be conducted in PJs.

All the other home based business people out there will know exactly what I'm talking about here. Just because I work from home and don't put on "real" clothes unless I have to leave the house does not mean I'm not working. It doesn't mean I'm watching soap operas and eating bonbons (to my knowledge I have never had a bonbon in my life). It doesn't mean you can call me to talk about absolutely nothing and then get pissy if I say I have to go because I'm working. And it most certainly does not mean you can be dismissive of my work, because it really is work. Here's a day in the life.

I wake up, put on my glasses so I don't trip and kill myself, take six steps across the room, and turn on my computer. I spend anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours responding to messages, tending to billing/payment tasks, and readying any overnight orders for shipping. Then, and only then do I go downstairs and have breakfast.

As soon as breakfast is over, I get to work knitting or crocheting. This work continues, at the fastest pace my hands will allow, straight on through until I'm ready for bed approximately 18 hours after I got up. The only breaks are brief ones to go to the bathroom, take photos of new items when the sun is in the right place, edit said photos, list new items, check email and process any orders that may come in, feed the cats and cater to their other needs, make dinner for my family, and bathe.

The last hour or so before I go to bed is the only time I don't have yarn in my hands. During that time I'm doing final checks of email and other messages, spending some time in the forums, and usually working on some new business cards or other promotional materials. That's also when I do my blogging (though as you can see I don't get to it consistently).

When I finally shut the computer off, it's because I'm exhausted and too crosseyed to continue anyway. I lay down, and then usually sit up and turn the light back on to write down ideas and to-do-tomorrow lists. After a half dozen or so notations, I finally pass out for good.

In three to six hours it will all start again. My hands and arms will still be aching, my shoulders will still be knotted, and I will still be tired. But I will get up and do it all over again. And I will still love my job, because everything I do is on my own terms, and because I'm the boss and I say pajamas are perfectly acceptable work attire.

Not what I'd imagined, but not half bad either.

A friend on the Etsy forums started a thread tonight asking people if they ever felt like the life they're living isn't the one they had in mind for themselves. That really got me thinking.

I started working retail jobs in high school, and that continued into my 20s because me and college just didn't really mesh. About 6 years ago, though, I started having some escalating health problems. It got harder and harder to work, and I wasn't getting a diagnosis (not to mention effective treatment). My parents and I finally came to the decision that I should stop working until the health issues had been identified and addressed.

I eventually was diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses, including fibromyalgia and severe migraines. I tried a few more regular jobs, even completed a correspondence course with the intention of starting a career as a medical office assistant, but even with treatment I still wasn't well enough to hold a regular job. I applied for social security disability, and didn't get it. Somewhere in there, I started knitting and crocheting, just as a hobby. Things looked pretty bleak, and I'd knit to keep myself from going nuts. I did a lot of knitting.

So then in 2007, I read an article in the paper about Etsy.com and mentioned a local craft fair coming up that was composed entirely of Etsy sellers. My mother and I thought it sounded interesting, so we went and checked it out. I'd done a little research on the Etsy concept beforehand, and then by then end of our lunch after the fair, we were making plans for my Etsy shop's grand opening! I hung around the forums for a while, and then started selling in December 2007. I've had more success than I had initially allowed myself to expect, and things are only getting better.

So I can say with great conviction that my life isn't the one I had envisioned. It's very different, but in many ways it's far better. I'm doing something I love, and I'm doing it on my own terms. I've got great support from my fellow Etsians, and there's nothing else I'd rather do.

I could just dye...

I just tried my hand at dyeing wool yarn with Wilton cake icing coloring (juniper green). So far I think it's going perfectly. I'll know for sure once it's cooled, rinsed, and dried.

It was so cool to watch the dye cook into the yarn! I could actually see the water turning clear. Next time I do this I may have to try to get pictures of that process in action.

ETA: It's the next day now, and the yarn is dry. It's gorgeous!