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December 3, 2008

Congratulations, Kim

(wait, is it weird to congratulate someone who’s leaving a job? in this case, I don’t think so…read on…the photo at left is from our 2006 book tour together)

My friend and very dear colleague Kim Werker has stepped down from her editorship at Interweave Crochet. Interweave has acquired the crochet site she founded, CrochetMe as well. Here’s a quote from the press release:

Loveland, Colo., December 2, 2008: Interweave announced today that is has completed its acquisition of CrochetMe.com, a popular social media site for crochet enthusiasts, from its developer, Kim Werker, in a move that adds to its already strong lineup of fiber craft media and online properties, which includes its crochet magazine, “Interweave Crochet.”

Kim wrote about the motivation behind her decision here, which included this:

I’m a starter. I’m a brainstormer. I’m a novelty junkie. I’m like a professional enthusiast. And when I get to the point that I love my work because I’ve come to fully understand it, I bask for a short while (a very short while), and then I wake up one day and I feel, quite literally and out of the blue, like I’m going to DIE.

I have to say I understand that — I get it completely. In fact, I could practically sense it when I saw her earlier in the fall. Poor Kim has suffered through enough one-on-one time with me, as in our Monsters of Teen Craft book tour a few years ago

(No really, kids… I snore! You do not want to share a hotel room with me! Kim deserves a medal or two on that alone).

that it’s relatively easy to notice when she’s not going full tilt. And she usually is going full tilt, because that’s just who she is. I think her dad put it best in the comments section on her blog:

You know, I think it’s a great thing that you decided to do. After all, your real strength is in your ideas and implementing them. You love to learn and create. I think you did the right thing and only really feel bad for Interweave who will be losing one heck of an editor.

So true.

And what really made me feel better about the whole thing was the positive reinforcement she’s gotten from everyone. I love being in an industry where people not only strive to do the right thing, but respect people who choose to go on their own path.

Annie Modesitt made another comment on Twitter among us all that also stood out — Kim wouldn’t have had nearly the freedom she’s had to do what she wants to do for a living if her healthcare and such were tied to the job. Canada for the win on that. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that both CrochetMe AND Knitty were started by American-born editors who live in the great white north…?

If we want to continue to encourage creativity, entrepreneurship and everything we claim to admire in this country, we have got to fix healthcare. But that’s a rant for another day.

Congratulations, Kim. You know I love you and wish you all the best on the next phase of everything you do!

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1 comment

  • Kim Werker

    “I love being in an industry where people not only strive to do the right thing, but respect people who choose to go on their own path.”

    Yes, exactly. Thank you so much!

    And re: Annie’s comment about health care, she’s right. I first felt the significance of having state-supported health care four years ago when I decided to make a go of CrochetMe.com full time. I’ve always felt I’ve had significantly more freedom in Canada to do what I need to do professionally than I did in the U.S. where when I left a job it came with a $300/month bill for crappy health insurance. And, as you know, I’ve needed health insurance these last few years. Sigh.

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