Way back at the start of this year, I spent some time thinking about the 12 months ahead, and what I wanted to achieve with Knits Please. Some of it came to fruition, some to a much greater extent that I could have possibly expected and, of course, some of it didn’t happen at all. Now, as the year draws to a close, I want to look back at those things I set myself at the start of January, and see how I feel about them now.
#1 BE BETTER AT INSTAGRAM
Well, I’m certainly not sure about this one! I’ve definitely used Instagram stories more, and I’m super happy that I’ve settled on an aesthetic I’m confident with, but one thing I’ve been lacking throughout the year is consistency. Honestly, I’d say this goal is a bit of a miss, but that’s a-okay. I reckon this one will be on the list for next year, too
#2 DESIGN GARMENT PATTERNS
Well, this one was a huge success! After finally getting the confidence to release my roll neck vest pattern, I’ve since designed another three garment patterns with plenty more on the way. I participated very loosely in #the100daysproject, which gave me the opportunity to really explore my garment designing ideas. There were a lot of rubbish ones, but I’ve got a solid stack of initial ideas to be working from as I continue garment pattern designing in the future.
#3 RECORD VIDEO TUTORIALS
Another big tick for this goal, here. I’ve recorded a few videos for my YouTube channel to introduce a number of knitting techniques. I do hope they’ve been useful for those who’ve used them, and I plan to continue sharing tutorials for different techniques as they come up in my patterns.
#4 GO TO A KNITTING FAIR
I thought this one was going to be a no-brainer to complete, but I actually didn’t make it. The idea fell out of my mind for quite some time, so I missed some of the fairs earlier in the year. Then I moved across the country, so I had to look into what was going on in the north! I found out that the Knitting and Stitching show was coming to Harrogate just 2 days before it arrived, and having already made plans I just didn’t have the time to get along to it. This is another goal to keep on the list next year, especially because I’m keen to meet more knitting-minded friends where I live.
#5 KNIT SAM A JUMPER
A big fat no. Honestly, I didn’t think about this one much, and when I finally did and discussed it with Sam, he just wasn’t bothered. He’s happy to live a simple life, and having accumulated a few jumpers over the past year, he didn’t see the need for another, and I wasn’t sad about it! Jumper knitting takes a long time, and that time could then be spent working on something else.
#6 HOST A KNITTING WORKSHOP
I got pretty close to this one, but in the end it just didn’t pull through. Again, I’m not sad about the result. It would have been a good thing to achieve, but I’m in no rush to get there.
#7 COMPLETE THE #BOXOSOXKAL
I set off with the best intentions but, like my #1 goal, consistency was my downfall. That was partly because I was so inspired by garment designing that knitting more and more socks just felt like a waste of time, and partly because I favour hand-dyed yarn for socks and that can end up being pretty costly!
#8 WORK ON A COLLABORATION
I’ve had some good opportunities come to me through my relationship with LoveKnitting, and I’m really grateful for them all. I designed my Freeway Crop with kindly gifted yarn from MillaMia, and Blue Sky Fibers set my up with some gorgeous Spud & Chloe Sweater which made its way into a cropped cardigan. I also filmed a tutorial video for how to knit a hat, and I hope that will be released soon.
So, it was definitely a bit hit and miss with these goals, but I’m very happy with what I have achieved this year. Keep your eyes peeled though, because I’ll be sharing my 2019 knitting goals with you soon!