The Retirement Newsletter: "Knitting" without wool during your retirement — hobby or side-hustle?
Issue Number: -76 — this issue is not really about knitting
Welcome
Welcome to issue -76 — "Knitting" during your retirement — hobby or side-hustle?
Well, this issue is not about knitting, as I don’t knit; it is about the act of ‘knitting’.
Read on to find out more and whether you are a ‘knitter’ and don’t even know it.
What is ‘knitting’ in retirement?
To me, ‘knitting’ is not necessarily knitting — as in knitting with wool.
‘Knitting’ is a hobby or something you do that keeps you busy and active during your retirement. Something you might do to relax or have fun. And, it could be anything. It could even be knitting.
My ‘knitting’ is programming computers. It seems odd, I know, but I enjoy writing code and getting computers to do things. I find coding relaxing, and I get a buzz out of solving the problem and getting the computer to do something.
Over the years, I have used my ‘knitting’ skills to write programs for the Mac, the iPhone, and the iPad. None of these programs made a lot of money. My coding was not about the money; it was more about the enjoyment and satisfaction I gained from producing the apps.
I have also used my ‘knitting’ skills to write a range of what I call ‘on hit wonder’ scripts. These scripts solve a particular one-off problem, such as wrangling some data into a more usable format.
How did I get into coding? Well, that is a story for another day.
What is your ‘knitting’?
That is an interesting question.
I bet you ‘knit’ and don’t even know it.
Do you have a hobby or interest that keeps you active and entertained?
Chances are you do.
If you do, then that is your ‘knitting’, and there is a chance that you could use your ‘knitting’ to make some extra cash during your retirement.
Making money through ‘knitting’
I have already written about this in previous newsletters, where I have talked about hobbies and side-hustles.
I first wrote about side-hustles in issue -132 in July 2021, where I talked about Starting to plan for your retirement. In that issue, I carried out a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) of my retirement plans and one of the opportunities was:
“Developing new skills as part of planning to retire — these skills may become projects (side-hustles) or hobbies once I have retired.”
I expanded on this idea in issue -121 — What am I going to do once I retire? — where I wrote about my retirement plans and how side-hustles figured in those plans.
One of the common themes of my thinking on hobbies is that they can be side-hustles that bring in some extra money. I wrote about this in issue -98 — Balancing the books — other income streams — and in issue -97 — Hobbies v. Side-hustles — where I compared hobbies and side-hustles. In issue -95 — The advantages of hobbies and side-hustles — I looked at why hobbies and side-hustles could be good for you in your retirement.
I then moved on to how we could develop our interests in reading, exercise, writing, video and photography, and setting up online courses as side-hustles to make money. And I still have a few more ideas about side-hustles that I will write about in future newsletters.
So, do you have a hobby or interest that you think you could make into a side-hustle to make some money to add a bit of fun to your retirement? The ‘money-making’ idea may not be obvious. Think of your skills, your expertise, and your interests. Most people have something that they enjoy doing that could bring in some extra cash.
If you have an interest or hobby that you don’t think you can turn into a side-hustle, then I would suggest that you could turn it into an online course and sell your expertise in that interest or hobby. If you want to know more about setting up an online course, look at issue -80 — Setting up an online course — hobby or side-hustle?.
Making money from knitting
OK, if you are a knitter and are wondering how to make some money from knitting, there are several things you could try. For example, you could try selling your products or knitting supplies on stores such as Esty (other stores are available), taking knitting commissions (e.g., see Fivr for some examples), or setting up online courses about knitting (e.g., see Skillshare).
The opportunities are there. Good luck.
Health — COVD-19
I thought I would give you a quick update on my health after my COVID-19 infection.
Some three weeks after my infection (see issue -79 — It got me! Catching COVID-19), I am still experiencing some odd side effects that, apart from periods of excessive tiredness, I can only describe as ‘inflammation linked’.
In issue -78 — 18 months left until I retire — I wrote about long COVID and some of the reported symptoms. The list I gave was from the NHS website in the UK. The symptoms included:
a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
chest pain or tightness
depression and anxiety
difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
dizziness
extreme tiredness (fatigue)
feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
heart palpitations
joint pain
pins and needles
problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
rashes
shortness of breath
tinnitus, earaches
I seem to be experiencing fatigue, difficulty sleeping and joint/muscle pain.
Any joint or muscle that I have damaged over the years through hiking or skiing now hurts more than it used to after moderate exercise. To me, the joint pain and a slight increase in allergic reactions suggest a general increase in inflammation.
Mind you, what I am experiencing is no different from what many people experience after any viral infection; it may not be COVID-19-specific. For example, you can get similar post-viral infection symptoms after the flu.
But, what is worrying is that I may pick up some more post-COVID-19 symptoms up to week 12 post-infection (ref: paper in Nature). So, I still have some way to go. Cheery stuff!
Useful links
Useful COVD-19 links:
CDC COVID-19 website — lots of links to information on COVID-19
UK NHS COVID-19 website — lots of links to information on COVID-19
Online side-hustle links in this issue:
Esty — selling stuff online — other stores are available
Fivr — picking up some ‘commissions’ — other sites are available
Skillshare — setting up an online course — other sites are available
Next week
Next week, in issue -75, I will do a quick review of my pension pots as I am worried about how they are performing.
Thanks
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Until next time,
Nick
PS, If you have something you would like to contribute to the newsletter — a story, advice, anything — please get in touch.