Don't stop believing, hold onto that knitting yeah

Let me start this post by saying that I am absolutely stunned. 

Not into complete silence, but I AM stunned...let me start over. 

So around December-ish I submitted my VERY FIRST pattern to be published in an online knitting magazine that I love: Knitty. This was a big step for me, because I'd only self-published on Ravelry before. 

I also tend to be "glass-half-empty" to the point of already imagining that the glass is empty, as I've accidentally spilled the contents, AND I've somehow managed to break the  glass while cleaning up the spilled liquid that the apparently expensive glass contained (it was probably containing an expensive anti-self-doubt juice). This little fantasy most likely ends with me unwittingly setting something on fire. 

My obvious point here is that I lack confidence, and THEREFORE, even submitting a design to a magazine that I revere made me vulnerable, and basically a trembling puddle.

I sat down with my pattern, made sure I have all of my submission contents (this took an entire Saturday, because I had to quadruple check everything, not in an obsessive way, but in a "Oh I probably did something careless" way), took a yogic breath, and hit "send."

I will admit to checking my email more than usual to find out if my submission had passed muster, and MUCH to my surprise, it did! I got in! 

I'm thinking that this must be beginner's luck, but I got into another magazine (who I am getting yarn support from). So expect more from me soon. I'm currently working on yet another piece for a May submission deadline. 

My point is that, you never know, you may completely shock yourself into submitting to the fact that maybe you're good at something. Nope. sorry for writing that. I can't uncross my fingers just yet, however...I encourage every knit hacker (you know who you are...you alter patterns to make them fit you well) to draw something, figure out how you might go about knitting it up, and just try. 

Submit your work! You never know!

Go here to look for calls for submissions:http://www.ravelry.com/groups/designers 

And remember, breathe.