Reflections & Intentions

With the end of a chapter and the start of another, it is always nice to look back and reflect, while also dreaming about what the future can hold. Along with so many others, I look back at 2020 with frustrating memories, and with the uncertainty that lies ahead, I am trying to focus on the silver linings that this past year brought, and how I can use that energy to set my intentions for the new year.

In 2020 I started my freelance knitwear design business. To me, this is one of my biggest accomplishments of the year, as well as one of things that brought me the most joy as we were under Stay at Home orders in Los Angeles. Now, only three months into this adventure, I have already crossed some milestones off of my business bucket list, and look forward to sharing more excitement in the months to come! Although this endeavor is small right now, I am just getting started, and have big goals so I thought it would be worth it to share some of those goals and intentions I have for the new year.

In 2021 I want to:

Publish more designs!

I already have several in the works and have been planning out my release calendar. I work really well when I am held to a deadline, so by setting deadlines for myself, I am hoping I will be able to publish patterns more frequently.

Use yarns from brands I have never tried before.

Something that I think makes this knitting community so great is that there are so many ways to support indie makers. I have so many brands of yarns that I love, and there are so many things I want to try, so this year I am going to use various yarns from different companies for my designs, so that I can highlight brands that I have loved for a long time, as well as brands I am new to.

Using breed specific yarn.

I recently read Clara Parkes’, The Knitter’s Book of Wool and I was so fascinated by all the different types of wools and what they can be used for. It is so important for us to advocate for different wools so that we can keep diversity among the sheep breeds. Sheep are wonderful animals, and I want to continue learning more about them and all the different breeds, so one way I am going to do this is by exploring more breed specific yarn!

Improve my photography skills.

One of the most exciting parts of the design process is when the sample is complete, and you can share your vision with the world through the photography. I have had a lot of fun so far photographing my pieces, but this year I want to try out different moods and styling, as well as using different locations. It has been a challenge for me to be creative with the photography as I have only been able to shoot in my apartment lately, but 2021 is going to bring me more opportunities to shoot in different scenery, so I look forward to new inspiration!

Now that I have published these goals for the year, I intend to revisit this list in December and reflect on how the year went and if I followed through with these. Cheers to new inspiration and creativity for the new year!