Crafting Conundrum

I think that a change may be in order. Perhaps.

What kind of change, do you ask? I will tell you.

I need to do something to bring my crafting under control. It has ballooned a bit beyond what I can handle at the moment.

It is now generally known among my circle of friends and family that I love to knit and/or crochet, and that I'm good at it. It's true - I do and I am. That's not the problem.

Some of those friends and family have begun asking if I'd be able to make them something. Again, I have no problem with this. I really love to do it. My response has always been a positive one - all I ask is that they cover the cost of the yarn necessary for whatever project they've selected.

The problem is that I've now been inundated with enough of these requests that, in addition to the projects that I'm doing for my own purposes (gifts, etc.), I have no time to do anything else. And I'm falling behind on some of the time sensitive projects, like the afghan I'm trying (in vain) to get finished in time for a wedding next weekend. I will probably have to give them a gift I.O.U. - it won't be the first time. But that puts me behind for the next project that's due. And where do I fit in the projects that don't have a specific due date but are important nonetheless?

I realize that this isn't the end of the world. And I really do want to keep making things for the people I care about. However, I do have a full-time job that I need to keep to pay the bills since I don't think I'd be able to make a living on knitting/crocheting without charging way more than most people are willing to pay. And it's usually a labour of love for me anyway, so I wouldn't want to charge more than the cost of the materials.

And I don't want to tell people that I can't make them that hat, scarf, pair of mittens, etc., since I truly can - it just may not be right away.

So what am I going to change to improve the situation, you might be asking?

I have no idea.

Any suggestions?